What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 3, 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

Hubei Province Starts China’s Second-Biggest Carbon Exchange.
China’s central province of Hubei began trading permits on the
nation’s second-largest emission exchange at some of the
country’s lowest prices. The province sold 510,000 metric tons of
carbon allowances at 21 yuan ($3.4) each on the first day of
trading on the China Hubei Emission Exchange, according to an
e-mailed statement today. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-04-02/hubei-province-starts-china-s-second-biggest-carbon-exchange.html


AIR POLLUTION

Pollution and Dust in Britain Bring Health Warnings.  A
combination of air pollution and dust from the Sahara on
Wednesday prompted British authorities to issue a smog alert and
a health warning for the elderly and for people with heart or
lung problems. High levels of air pollution were reported in
several parts of England, with the worst conditions in the
eastern part of the country, where light easterly winds trapped
domestic pollution…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/world/europe/britain-pollution.html?_r=0


Residents wheeze as England hit by 2nd day of smog. Schools have
closed their playgrounds and ambulance staff are reporting a
surge in breathing problems as smog blankets parts of England for
a second day. Environmentalists criticized Prime Minister David
Cameron after he said the haze — a mix of local pollution,
European emissions and Sahara sand — was "a naturally occurring
weather phenomenon. Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/03/3273635/residents-wheeze-as-england-hit.html#storylink=cpy
 

Americans used more energy, and polluted more, in 2013. 
Americans used more energy from all sources -- renewable, fossil
and nuclear -- in 2013, and also polluted the air with more
carbon dioxide, the first increase in CO2 emissions since 2010.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said Americans used 2.3
quadrillion thermal units, or "quads," more energy in 2013 than
in 2012. And American's carbon dioxide emissions went up to 5.39
billion metric tons. Posted.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2014/04/02/americans-used-more-energy-and-polluted-more-2013.html
 

State wants firm to reduce toxic emissions.  Southern California
regulators want an Orange County metal finishing firm to move
more quickly to reduce toxic and potentially cancer-causing
emissions. The South Coast Air Quality Management District said
Tuesday it would seek an order from its hearing board requiring
Hixson Metal Finishing to install pollution controls on an
expedited schedule. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/02/state-wants-firm-to-reduce-toxic-emissions/#ixzz2xq7G8RYN
  

Competition aims to build a better methane detector. A
competition to develop sensors that can detect methane leaks from
the oil and gas industry has been announced by the Environmental
Defense Fund and five energy industry partners. The goal of the
competition, called the Methane Detectors Challenge, is to lower
the cost of detecting leaks of the potent greenhouse gas enough
to deploy the technology deployed throughout the oil and gas
industry. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059997260/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

EPA air chief touts progress on rule writing, efforts to clear
'backlogged' state plans.  A variety of rules to protect public
health by cutting air pollutants such as ozone and particulate
matter are steadily grinding through the cogs of the federal
government. That was the message today from Janet McCabe, the
acting assistant administrator for U.S. EPA's Office of Air and
Radiation, at a meeting of the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee
here. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997289/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Bay Area Air Quality Management District adopts plan to control
greenhouse gases.  It has fought to rein in smog and smoke for
years, but now the Bay Area's air pollution board is tackling a
new challenge: reducing greenhouse gases.  A plan to speed up
work on reducing global warming gases from the region's
businesses, industries and residents was adopted Wednesday by the
Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board.  Posted. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_25479280/bay-area-air-quality-management-district-adopts-plan-to-control-greenhouse-gases
 
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_25479280/bay-area-air-quality-management-district-adopts-plan-to-control-greenhouse-gases


Arctic warming theory so 'cutting edge,' it's hard to prove. Last
September, a group of scientists gathered to review the evidence
on a new hypothesis: that the rapid warming of the Arctic was
causing the jet stream to meander, leading weather systems to
become "stuck" in places farther south, like over the United
States and Europe. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997255/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Documentary series seeks to bring warming into America's living
rooms. Washington, D.C., environmentalists got a sneak peak last
night of the documentary series they hope will finally bring the
realities of climate change home for average Americans. The
Center for American Progress hosted the viewing of the first
episode of "Years of Living Dangerously" at a downtown cinema
ahead of its Sunday, April 13, premiere on Showtime. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997290/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Meager snowpack bad news for drought-plagued Calif. Drought-weary
California got more bad news Tuesday. Though late-season storms
slightly boosted the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, it's still
far below normal as the spring melt fast approaches. "This is
dismal news for farms and cities that normally depend on the
snowpack – often called California's largest reservoir – for a
third of their water”…Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/04/01/california-sierra-snow-survey-drought/7169631/


FUELS

DSM to Make Biofuel by July as EPA Considers Mandate Cut. Royal
DSM NV (DSM), the world’s largest vitamin manufacturer, expects
to begin producing cellulosic ethanol in the U.S. by July as the
government considers reducing the amount of renewable fuel that
oil companies will be required to buy. The $250 million plant in
Emmetsburg, Iowa, is a joint venture with ethanol maker Poet LLC
and will produce about 12 million gallons (45 million liters)
this year…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-04-02/dsm-to-make-biofuel-by-july-as-epa-considers-mandate-cut.html


Clean fuel's the story at the L.A. Auto Show.  Automakers said
Wednesday that in the next few years they will put more vehicles
on American roads that burn less gasoline, or don't use it at
all.  At the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, General Motors pledged
it would make plug-in hybrids, ultra-efficient gas-electric cars
that can be filled at gas stations or charged at home. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/Business/ci_4748833/Clean-fuels-the-story-at-the
 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/Business/ci_4748833/Clean-fuels-the-story-at-the
 

Partners launch $51M hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and
infrastructure project in Europe.  Automakers, hydrogen fuel
suppliers, the Mayor of London’s Office and energy consultancies
launched the £31-million (US$51-million) European HyFive project
at City Hall in London. Five different manufacturers will deploy
a total of 110 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at several European
locations (Bolzano, Copenhagen, Innsbruck, London, Munich,
Stuttgart) and develop new clusters of hydrogen refueling
stations.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/04/20140403-hyfive.html 

Clean Energy Fuels Expanding Natural Gas Fueling Operations.
Clean Energy Fuels continues to grow its natural-gas fueling
network, with expansions in Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and
more fleets signing on to fuel at the nationwide network. It has
begun fueling at its Amarillo, Texas, and Oklahoma City
facilities to serve UPS' growing heavy-duty liquefied natural gas
truck fleet. UPS has deployed six heavy-duty LNG trucks that are
fueling at Clean Energy's newly-opened Oklahoma City station.
Posted.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/news/story/2014/04/clean-energy-fuels-expanding-natural-gas-fueling-operations.aspx


U.N. report explores bioenergy's potential for pulling CO2 out of
the air. Pushing the needle back on billowing carbon dioxide
emissions may be necessary to avoid catastrophic warming. But for
those who are squeamish about drastically engineering the climate
by seeding algae blooms or spraying aerosols to form clouds,
scientists are exploring the concept of negative emissions.
Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997251/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Calif. proposes shrinking EV rebates, making priciest cars
ineligible. Rebates available for purchases of electric vehicles
in California could shrink next year for many cars and disappear
for the priciest models under a proposal up for discussion today.
Aides to the state's Air Resources Board are recommending
reducing amounts available under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project
(CVRP) to $2,000 from $2,500 for battery electric vehicles (BEVs)
and to $1,000 from $1,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles,
or PHEVs. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997285/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DOE jump-starts sluggish clean vehicle manufacturing program. The
Department of Energy announced plans yesterday to revive its
languishing loan program dedicated to supporting the development
of fuel-efficient vehicles. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
acknowledged that the automotive industry had raised concerns
about the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan
Program, particularly over the last six months. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997256/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GREEN ENERGY

Apple, Facebook, Google Web data centers getting greener: report.
Apple Inc., Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. have made significant
progress in adopting renewable energy sources to power their Web
services, the environmental group Greenpeace said in a report on
Wednesday. But energy-hungry data centers operated by some of the
Internet industry's top companies remain overly reliant on
carbon-emitting coal and gas, the report said. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/02/us-datacenters-greenpeace-idUSBREA3117F20140402

 
Robots find a job in the emerging world of solar energy.  Every
night once the sun sets on a solar field in south Israel, robots
go to work cleaning panels. They awaken at the same time each
evening and work without human intervention.  For the emerging
solar power industry, keeping panels clean is incredibly
important and will be a significant business. Research has found
a solar panel can lose 40 percent of its ability to collect
energy if covered in dust. Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/04/03/robots-find-a-job-in-the-emerging-world-of-solar-energy/


BLOGS

Teaching About Climate Change With The New York Times.  This
week, an intergovernmental panel of scientists reported that
climate change is already having sweeping effects on every
continent and throughout the world’s oceans — and that the
problem is likely to grow substantially worse unless greenhouse
emissions are brought under control. Over the years on The
Learning Network, we’ve published scores of lesson plans and
other resources related to the topic of climate change, and in
2010 we collected them all on one page. Posted.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/teaching-about-climate-change-with-the-new-york-times/?_php=true&_type=blogs&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%3Dqry461%23%2Fair%2Bpollution%2F24hours%2F&_r=0
 

Why US roads aren't smothered in BYD electric vehicles.  Remember
back in 2008 when BYD (Build Your Dreams) first displayed its
fuel saving hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show and later announced
plans to begin selling in the US in 2010? A quick glance at any
street in the country will provide ample evidence that the
Chinese automaker has failed to smother our roadways with
low-cost electric and hybrid vehicles. Ditto its buses. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/03/why-us-roads-arent-smothered-in-byd-electric-vehicles/


Obama Doesn't Pass Gas: New Methane Regulations. The role of
methane in global climate change is important but often
overlooked. Possibly this is because methane burning emits less
CO2 than coal and oil, and many environmentalists consider
fuel-switching to lower GHG emissions, rather than eliminate them
with renewables, morally unacceptable. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2014/04/03/obama-doesnt-pass-gas-new-methane-regulations/


Climate Change Threatens Economic Growth - UN Report. How Should
Investors React? The latest report from the UN’s
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could not be
clearer – climate change is a threat to economic growth.
The report’s thousands of pages are not an easy read in any
sense. Thoroughness is favoured over accessibility, which is
unsurprising given that the amount of scientific evidence on the
impacts of climate change…Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2014/04/03/climate-change-threatens-economic-growth-un-report-how-should-investors-react/
 

PG&E Ratepayers Will See $30-40 Climate Credit on April Bill. 
Next month you should see a $30-40 credit on your PG&E bill —
thanks to California’s new greenhouse gas regulations. Under the
cap-and-trade program, the state’s biggest power companies will
be paying $750 million in credits on consumers’ April and October
bills. The April rebate is the first climate credit being handed
down to users as part of the state’s new cap-and-trade program.
Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/04/02/pge-climate-credit 

One Third Of Planet May See Drier Conditions Because Of Warming
Temperatures. Warming temperatures, scientists say, can tip
places into drought conditions by increasing evaporation and
sapping soil of its moisture. A new study suggests up to a third
of the Earth's land area could be subject to drier conditions
because of warmer temperatures, not just changing precipitation
patterns, by the end of the century. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/drier-conditions-warming-temperatures_n_5083506.html


Recent Reports Show Need for Congress to Act on Climate Change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations
task force, released a report last week that was seven years in
the making. The report drew upon unequivocal evidence of
substantial climate related impacts that are extremely likely to
be perpetuated by human activity. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-mark-pocan/recent-reports-show-need_b_5083591.html?view=print&comm_ref=false


A Tale of Two Air Quality Programs: China vs. the U.S.  Air
quality benefits can come in baby steps or huge leaps.  Anywhere
you go, air pollution is big business. Big business in its
production a la factories, power plants and automobiles. Big
business in the expenditures on ameliorating controls and
prevention measures.  Posted. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/a-tale-of-two-air-quality_b_5079589.html


Biking the Iditarod? Climate change makes for faster times.  It
takes a special kind of person to want to bike 1,000 miles
through the dead of winter in Alaska (being hard as nails, or
Iceman, helps). But if you’re going to do it, at least now you’ll
get a little boost from global warming. Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/biking-the-iditarod-climate-change-makes-for-faster-times/


Advocates Push for Bike/Ped Funding From CA’s Cap-and-Trade
Funds.  A coalition of bike and pedestrian advocates are inviting
organizations to sign on to a letter [PDF] asking the state
legislature to recommend allocating $50 million of the state’s
cap-and-trade revenue towards the Active Transportation Program.
Currently, none of the $850 million in cap-and-trade funds are
allocated specifically for walking and bicycling in this year’s
budget. Posted.
http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/04/02/active-transportation-advocates-ask-for-cap-and-trade-funds/


Harnessing Innovation to Cut Methane Emissions. I believe that
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is at its best when we are
leveraging the power of market leaders to drive innovation and
solve environmental challenges.  Over the years we have worked
with McDonalds, Walmart, FedEx, KKR and many others to kick start
market transformations in sectors including fast food, shipping,
retail, private equity and commercial building energy efficiency.
Posted.
http://blogs.edf.org/innovation/2014/04/03/harnessing-innovation-to-cut-methane-emissions/#sthash.cWpUFzkz.dpuf


Air pollution: youngsters, elderly and vulnerable urged to stay
indoors.  Schools are being urged to stop pupils from using
playgrounds at lunchtime and employees to avoid cycling, running
or walking to work during rush hour in the areas of England worst
affected by the ongoing rise in pollution.  Posted. 
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/02/air-pollution-youngsters-elderly-vulnerable-urged-to-stay-indoors




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