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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.