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newsclips -- Newsclips for May 15, 2014

Posted: 15 May 2014 13:53:27
ARB Newsclips for May 15, 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

California greenhouse gas emissions inch up 2 percent. 
California’s greenhouse gas emissions rose about 2 percent in
2012 compared to the previous year as more natural gas was burned
to compensate for the closure of a nuclear plant and a drop in
hydro-electricity due to a drought, the state’s air regulator
said on Wednesday.  Posted. 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-california-carbon-idUSKBN0DU21X20140514

AIR POLLUTION

Air quality monitor near I-5 in Anaheim finds higher pollution
level.  The first permanent air quality monitor near a Southern
California freeway has detected elevated pollution levels, a
finding that will increase pressure on state and local officials
to address health risks facing nearly 1 million people in the
region living near busy transportation corridors.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-freeway-air-20140515-story.html


Air quality not as bad as in '03, '07 fires.  The patchwork of
fires that blazed throughout San Diego County Wednesday
threatened wildlife habitat on Camp Pendleton and elsewhere, but
didn’t push regional air quality into the danger zone Wednesday.
Air monitoring stations didn’t detect big spikes in particulates
– the fine particles released in wildfire smoke – said Adam
Canter, a meteorologist with the San Diego Air Pollution Control
District. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/14/environment-fire-air-quality-least-bells-vireo/


Air quality steers clear of danger zone.  The patchwork of fires
that blazed throughout the county Wednesday threatened wildlife
habitat but didn’t push regional air quality into the danger
zone. Air monitoring stations didn’t detect big spikes in
particulates — the fine particles released in wildfire smoke,
said Adam Canter, a meteorologist with the San Diego Air
Pollution Control District. “In the big fires of 2003 and 2007,
we saw major impacts,” he said. “But those were much-larger-scale
fires.” Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/15/tp-air-quality-steers-clear-of-danger-zone/


Beijing's smog police outgunned in China's war on pollution.
Environmental inspectors in Beijing are scrambling to keep pace
with a rising number of cases as the city tries to impose tough
new standards on thousands of polluting firms, highlighting the
growing logistical problems facing China's war on smog. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/china-environment-beijing-idUSL3N0O018E20140514


CLIMATE CHANGE

EPA proposes changes to refinery emission rules.  The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has proposed changes to oil
refinery rules that would compel operators to monitor benzene
emissions, upgrade storage tank emission controls, ensure waste
gases are properly destroyed and adopt new emission standards for
delayed coking units.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-proposes-changes-to-refinery-emission-rules/2014/05/15/78e928f0-dc4f-11e3-a837-8835df6c12c4_story.html

Wyoming governor says he might be wrong on climate.  Wyoming Gov.
Matt Mead, a climate-science skeptic from the nation's top
coal-producing state, said he could be wrong about the causes of
global warming but argued for developing cleaner technology to
burn coal rather than trying to eliminate its use. In a speech
Wednesday, the Republican governor reaffirmed he has doubts about
research showing humans are causing climate change. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/05/15/3341399/wyoming-governor-says-he-might.html#storylink=cpy


Obama Said to Put Personal Push Behind EPA Emission Rules.  U.S.
President Barack Obama plans to personally unveil proposed
carbon-emissions rules for power plants, elevating climate change
policy as a top tier issue for his final two years in office,
according to two people familiar with White House strategy.
Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-14/obama-said-to-put-personal-push-behind-epa-emission-rules.html


As economy improves, greenhouse gas emissions growth in Calif. is
slowing.  The most recent tally of California's greenhouse gas
inventory is in, and it shows the country's largest state on a
steady path toward slower emissions growth. The greenhouse gas
inventory released by the California Air Resources Board (ARB)
yesterday shows that, although the state's economy grew by 5
percent from 2009 to 2012, carbon emissions for 2009 and 2012
were nearly identical, at about 458 million tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent.  Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059999620/ 

DROUGHT

California’s Thirst Shapes Debate Over Fracking.  Enemies of
fracking have a new argument: drought. Fracking a single oil well
in California last year took 87 percent of the water consumed in
a year by a family of four, according to the Western States
Petroleum Association, an industry lobbying group. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/us/californias-thirst-shapes-debate-over-fracking.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C%5B%22RI%3A8%22%2C%22RI%3A16%22%5D&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26contentCollection%3DU.S.%26region%3DTopBar%26WT.nav%3DsearchWidget%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26pgtype%3Darticle%23%2Fgreen%2Benergy%2F24hours%2F


Depletion of Central Valley's groundwater may be causing
earthquakes.  For years, scientists have wondered about the
forces that keep pushing up California's mighty Sierra Nevada and
Coast Ranges, causing an increase in the number of earthquakes in
one part of Central California.  On Wednesday, a group of
scientists offered a new, intriguing theory: The quakes are
triggered in part by the pumping of groundwater in the Central
Valley, which produces crops that feed the nation.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-quake-water-20140515-story.html

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Ford to pay $2.96 million in CARB fines.  Ford Motor Co. is the
latest large vehicle maker to get slammed with a
multimillion-dollar fine by the California Air Resources Board. 
In an interesting twist, however, part of Ford’s fine money will
go to help fund diesel upgrades for companies needing compliance
help to meet California’s Truck and Bus Regulation.  Posted. 
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=27023#.U3TcboUvDfk

FUELS

Indian refiners face $13 bln clean fuels bill.  Indian oil
refiners will need to invest 800 billion rupees ($13.4 billion)
in upgrades to produce cleaner fuels, a government official said,
as the world's fourth biggest oil consumer seeks to curb dire air
pollution in its cities. The World Health Organization, in a
recent study, said air pollution in New Delhi was the worst
anywhere, while 13 of the dirtiest 20 cities were in India.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/india-election-refineries-idUSL3N0O047O20140514


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Reality Check: Can CA Governor Nix High-Speed Rail Project? 
Election season is right around the corner and that means it’s
time to prepare for the onslaught of political ads that will hit
the airwaves.  The race for the Republican nomination for
governor features Tea Party favorite Tim Donnelly and moderate
conservative Neel Kashkari.  Posted. 
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Reality-Check-Can-California-Governor-Nix-High-Speed-Rail-Project-259321041.html


VEHICLES

New battery tech may lead to inexpensive, safer electric cars.  A
large portion of the high cost of electric cars comes from their
batteries, and the biggest problem for electric car owners is the
time it takes to recharge those batteries. A new battery
technology from Power Japan Plus promises to alleviate both of
those issues, and add improved thermal safety into the bargain. 
Posted. 
http://www.cnet.com/news/japanese-company-promises-revolutionary-new-electric-vehicle-battery/


GREEN ENERGY

Solar Helping Keep California Cool During This Heatwave.  The
agency that operates the electrical power grid for most of
California forecasted last week that the state was in good shape
for the summer, even without the San Onofre nuclear power plant
and with drought making significantly lower output from
hydroelectric stations. This week seems to be underscoring that
confidence. Posted.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/solar-helping-keep-california-cool-this-week.html


MISCELLANEOUS

Plastic bag ban gains momentum in Sacramento.  California
legislators have recycled a bill aimed at making the state the
first in the nation to ban plastic grocery bags -- and the new
effort gained momentum Wednesday despite fierce industry
opposition and passionate appeals from workers who say the
measure threatens their livelihoods.  Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_25761402/Plastic-bag-ban-gains-momentum-in

http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_25761402/Plastic-bag-ban-gains-momentum-in


Why don’t bike share programs provide helmets?  Do you cringe
when a cyclist rides by on one of those urban bike-share bicycles
without a helmet? I know I do. One mistake, one distracted
motorist, and the worst could happen. As I write this, a young
man is spending his 13th day in intensive care in a Washington,
D.C., hospital after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while
riding a Capital Bikeshare bicycle on a busy street without a
helmet.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/05/15/why-dont-bike-share-programs-provide-helmets/


OPINIONS

Climate Change: Prophets and Deniers. Compounding the tragedy of
the collapsing West Antarctic ice sheet is the fact that the
possibility was foreseen more than three decades ago. It was, for
example, one of the warnings in the 1981 climate change
assessment issued by the Council on Environmental Quality during
the Carter administration. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/opinion/climate-change-prophets-and-deniers.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry867%23%2Fclimate%2Bchange%2F24hours%2F&_r=0


BLOGS

Steinberg may leverage bullet train in budget talks.  A day after
Gov. Jerry Brown updated his $107.8 billion general fund budget
proposal, Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg made it clear he plans
for fight for social services left out of the administration’s
proposal, including his own calls for universal preschool.  And
the termed-out Democratic Senator made it clear he isn’t above
using the embattled High Speed Rail as leverage.  Posted. 
http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/05/14/steinberg-may-leverage-bullet-train-in-budget-talks/


2015 Chevy Spark will have lighter, smaller battery.  As General
Motors gets ready to release the 2015 Chevy Spark EV, it is
retooling the Brownstown Battery Assembly to build a new battery
system for the chirpy little electric car. The new Spark will
lose a few pounds and kWh from its lithium-ion pack, but it will
keep all of it's performance specs. The current Spark EV uses a
21-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with bits made by A123 Systems
(known as B456 Systems during bankruptcy). Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/05/15/2015-chevy-spark-will-have-lighter-smaller-battery/






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

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