What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for May 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Supreme Court Rules 6-2 On EPA Air Pollution Reductions Across
State Lines.  This week, President Obama’s environmental agenda
gained a victory.  The Supreme Court revived a 2011 Environmental
Protection Agency regulation, known as the Cross-State Air
Pollution Rule, limiting power-plant emissions blowing across
state lines. The ruling will now require 28 states to reduce
power-plant emissions, which hurt the air-quality in states
located downwind.  Posted. 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brighammccown/2014/05/02/supreme-court-rules-6-2-on-epa-air-pollution-reductions-across-state-lines/


California Fines Ford $3 Million Over Defective Pollution Control
Equipment.  Ford is being fined $2.96 million because the
pollution control system on 2011-12 Fiestas sold in California
are not working properly, the state’s Air Resources Board said
late Wednesday.  “It is one of our larger fines,” Stanley Young,
a spokesman for the agency, said in an interview. The board
enforces California’s particularly strict air pollution
standards. The problem affects almost 16,500 vehicles, he said. 
Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/automobiles/california-fines-ford-3-million-over-defective-pollution-control-equipment.html


Other related articles:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ford-fined-for-faulty-fiestas-20140501,0,5572819.story#axzz30ZwhaKlq


FIRE SEASON: Hot day? High wind? Watch out!  The temperatures are
hot and the winds are fast — the perfect conditions for people to
accidentally cause fires.  The National Weather Service issued a
red-flag warning Tuesday, April 29, to warn Inland Southern
California residents that the high winds and low humidity are
creating dangerous fire weather.  Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140429-fire-season-hot-day-high-wind-watch-out.ece


Summer 'Spare the Air' season begins in the Bay Area.  The Bay
Area Air Quality Management District has announced the start of
the 2014 summer Spare the Air season.  The program encourages Bay
Area residents to reduce air pollution every day by carpooling,
taking transit, driving less, walking and biking.  Posted. 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_25682510/Summer-Spare-the-Air-season-begins

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25682509/summer-apos-spare-air-apos-season-begins-bay

http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_25682510/Summer-Spare-the-Air-season-begins


Air Quality Index aids those with breathing issues.  Weather
plays a big role in the air we breathe every day.  The Air
Quality Index measures five different pollutants including ground
level ozone and particulate matter, both of which pose the
greatest threat to human health. Both of these also tend to rise
during the upcoming summer months.  Posted. 
http://www.10news.com/news/air-quality-index-aids-those-with-breathing-issues-05022014


Sonoma County air quality gets high grades.  Sonoma County got
straight-A's on the American Lung Association's latest air
quality report card, a rating it owes in large part to cool,
breezy weather, officials said.  Vehicle exhaust emissions in
Sonoma County, for example, are typically blown to the east and
converted to hazardous ozone under a hot sun in Livermore, they
said.  Posted. 
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140501/articles/140509933


CLIMATE CHANGE

Court ruling provides EPA with legal backing to fight climate
change.  The following editorial appeared in the San Jose Mercury
News on Thursday, May 1: The Supreme Court decision handing the
Environmental Protection Agency an important clean air victory
Tuesday was refreshing in every sense of the word.  The court's
6-2 ruling upheld the EPA's authority to limit power-plant
emissions that blow across state lines. It's a crucial step
forward for President Barack Obama's effort to improve the air
quality of states downwind from polluting coal-fired plants. 
Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2014/05/02/3320585/court-ruling-provides-epa-with.html

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/02/6372834/court-ruling-provides-epa-with.html


Carmakers' Greenhouse Gas Reductions Greater Than Required for
2012, EPA Says.  Light-duty vehicle manufacturers achieved more
greenhouse gas emissions reductions in model year 2012 vehicles
than was required by the Environmental Protection Agency,
according to an annual EPA report.  On average, 2012 vehicles
emitted 10 grams less carbon dioxide per mile than the EPA's
emissions standard requires, EPA Deputy Administrator Bob
Perciasepe told reporters April 25.  Posted. 
http://www.bna.com/carmakers-greenhouse-gas-n17179890126/ 

FUELS

Switch from gasoline to ethanol linked to higher ozone levels. 
Scientists have made a surprising discovery about ethanol: The
more it was used by drivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the more ozone
they measured in the local environment.  The finding, reported
this week in Nature Geoscience, is contrary to other studies
predicting that increased use of ethanol would cut levels of
ground-level ozone, or smog.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ethanol-ozone-levels-brazil-20140501,0,5517616.story


Toyota to provide financial assistance to FirstElement for
construction of H2 refueling network in California.  Toyota Motor
Sales (TMS) and its affiliate Toyota Motor Credit Corporation
(TMCC) have entered into a group of financial agreements with
FirstElement Fuel Inc. (FE) to support the long-term operation
and maintenance expenses of new hydrogen refueling stations in
California.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/05/20140502-tmsh2.html 

VEHICLES

2014 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid: High performance but with a
conscience.  Attention eco-chic speed freaks: Set aside your
Teslas, you have a new toy to covet. The 2014 BMW i8 plug-in
hybrid and the all-electric i3 are the first offerings from the
automaker's new i subbrand. Equal parts sex appeal and
efficiency, the cars combine electrification with lightweight
construction and eye-catching designs.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-bmw-i8-review-20140502,0,2028203.story#axzz30ZwhaKlq


GREEN ENERGY

High tech sail could one-day power ferry boats.  San Francisco
Bay is being used to test a one-of-a-kind wind sail that could
end up powering ferry boats. The objective is to reduce fuel use
and air pollution.  The 40-foot sail is made of carbon fiber
making it light. The design is sleek to help propel any vessel.
One day it could be used on a ferry boat carrying hundreds of
commuters. The boats would use both wind and diesel.  Posted. 
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources/traffic&id=9524343


MISCELLANEOUS

Family Farmers Hold Keys to Agriculture in a Warming World.  The
challenge is huge but the solution may be small—very small. 
Faced with global warming and a population that will swell to
nine billion by 2050, a growing number of experts say that the
way to feed the masses as climate change makes growing our food
more difficult is to focus on family farmers, who often can
barely feed themselves.  Posted. 
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140502-climate-change-agriculture-family-farm-science/


OPINIONS

Our View: Central Valley has the greatest need for using “cap and
trade” billions.  There’s no shortage of ideas on how to spend
California’s anticipated “cap and trade” billions.  But two
recent reports lay out a compelling case for where a serious dose
of that money, from the state’s program to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, needs to go.  Posted. 
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/05/01/3628298/our-view-central-valley-has-the.html?sp=/99/177/

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/01/6368570/editorial-central-valleys-dire.html#storylink=cpy

California’s Business ‘Leakage’ Becoming a Deluge.  The list of
businesses leaving California for greener pastures is long and
growing. And now we can add Toyota to it.  The word ‘leakage’ is
the new politically correct term used by legislators, the
Governor, bureaucrats and the California Air Resources Board, to
describe what happens when California businesses leave the state
because of tax increases and stupendous regulations… Posted. 
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2014/05/californias-business-leakage-becoming-deluge/


Why is California 'worst'?  Los Angeles frequently had "Stage 3"
smog alerts when I was a kid, meaning that we weren't supposed to
play outside. Fortunately, those days are over. Air quality in
California, including Los Angeles, has vastly improved from
decades ago. But compared to other states and to the Federal
Clean Air Act health standards, California is way behind on
cleaning up its air pollution.  Posted. 
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/opinion/pettit-california-pollution/
 

Viewpoints: Drought shadows the start of California’s salmon
season. Today, California’s commercial salmon season begins off
our coast. From Santa Barbara to Fisherman’s Wharf and beyond,
commercial fishermen will soon be delivering one of nature’s most
healthy and delicious foods – California wild king salmon. The
king salmon caught off our coast are the best anywhere in the
world, and markets all over the U.S. and beyond will bid for
these fish. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/01/6368316/viewpoints-drought-shadows-the.html#storylink=cpy


BLOGS

How the green energy sector can help Wall Street do the right
thing.  Wall Street. Asset-backed securities. Too big to fail.
Memories of the mortgage market meltdown still haunt Main Street
and Wall Street. But in spite of all the naysayers, the green
business sector is growing up and may be just what Wall Street
needs to help be a positive force in growing the nation’s
economy.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/05/02/how-the-green-energy-sector-can-help-wall-street-do-the-right-thing/


Fracking disclosure dispute doesn't clear the air about oil and
gas production.  Anti-fracking activists are complaining that
disclosure requirements about well stimulation are failing, but
regulators overseeing oil and gas production in California say
those opponents to fracking are overreacting. The dispute points
up the ongoing problems around what the public knows about oil
and gas production in California.   Posted. 
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/05/01/16515/fracking-disclosure-dispute-doesn-t-clear-the-air/


How To Convince Conservative Christians That Global Warming Is
Real.  Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, an evangelical
Christian, has had quite the run lately. A few weeks back, she
was featured in the first episode of the Showtime series The
Years of Living Dangerously, meeting with actor Don Cheadle in
her home state of Texas to explain to him why faith and a warming
planet aren't in conflict.  Posted. 
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/05/inquiring-minds-katharine-hayhoe-faith-climate


Toyota R&D shows off free piston engine linear generator for
future EVs.  We often hear how an electric vehicle powertrain
architecture allows vehicle designers much more freedom than a
traditional ICE powertrain does. With differently shaped battery
modules and small electric motors, there are lots of way to put
the pieces together. With today's plug-in hybrid technology,
engineers still need to put a decent-sized ICE somewhere, but new
technology from Toyota could free up the gas-electric vehicle
designers of the future.  Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/05/01/toyota-randd-shows-off-free-piston-engine-linear-generator-for-fut/






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