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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 19, 2014.
Posted: 19 May 2014 17:05:19
ARB Newsclips for May 19, 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 air board urges big hike in greenhouse-gas cuts. California must double its pace of cutting greenhouse gases after 2020 - slashing emissions from factories and power plants, freight trains and farms - in order to meet its long-term global warming goals, according to a state plan released Friday. The steps proposed by the California Air Resources Board go well beyond the already aggressive moves California has made to fight climate change…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-air-board-urges-big-hike-in-5484959.php ARB releases updated AB32 Climate Change Scoping Plan. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today released the first update to its Scoping Plan, the document that shows how it has met and will continue to meet the goals mandated by AB 32, California's landmark climate change legislation. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-releases-updated-ab32-climate-change-scoping-plan Carbon Pricing vs. Regulation. Ask any economist about the most efficient way to tackle climate change, and the response will be clear: put a price on carbon. Cap or tax carbon pollution, and then get out of the way. It’s the most effective policy. It’s cheap. It works. Except for when politics gets in the way. A price on carbon may be the obvious choice for policymakers in Beijing, Brussels and Sacramento. Yet, Washington is playing a different game. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/gernotwagner/384116/carbon-pricing-vs-regulation AIR POLLUTION Smog war skirmish: Universities pitch to host emissions lab. A yellow, 450 cc off-road motorcycle screams in a cramped room, bucking against its restraints with every twist of the throttle, an industrial fan imitating wind-speed and a tube gathering the all-important byproduct – its exhaust. Several local universities are champing at the bit to host engine tests like this one, as the southern lab of the California Air Resources Board considers where to move its advanced-but-aging motor vehicle emissions laboratory. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/research-614662-lab-new.html http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/1f74b48ce79e4d78a0024b2a97b173bf/CA--Emissions-Lab http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/17/schools-vying-to-host-california-emissions-lab/ Wildfire smoke negatively impacting region’s air quality. Air quality officials warned Saturday that smoke from the multiple wildfires in San Diego County is negatively affecting the air above parts of San Bernardino County. When the wildfires first erupted Tuesday and Wednesday, Santa Ana winds out of the northeast caused the flames to spread quickly and pushed smoke over the Pacific Ocean. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20140517/wildfire-smoke-negatively-impacting-regions-air-quality As O.C. takes a breath, smoke from south reminds of trouble. After several days of scorching heat and high winds, fires continue to burn on Camp Pendleton and in north San Diego County. According to Cal-Fire, the forestry department’s fire service, three fires continue to burn on the marine base, causing smoke to drift across much of Orange County, which prompted residents to call authorities. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-614682-fires-saturday.html E-Cigarettes Don't Expose You to Just 'Harmless' Water Vapor: Air Pollution Discovered. Could e-cigarettes help you quit smoking? That's apparently not the case, despite what the industry claims. Scientists have discovered that claims about the devices are unsupported by the evidence to date. Posted. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/14806/20140519/e-cigarettes-dont-expose-harmless-water-vapor-air-pollution-discovered.htm Get The Dirt Out Of Your Indoor Air-And Save. If your house is like most in America today, you and your family create up to 40 pounds of dust a year, just through everyday living. In addition, high temperature and humidity can also increase concentrations of some pollutants. So can not getting in enough outdoor air, which can happen, especially with modern homes designed to minimize air “leaks.” Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/living/8776-get-the-dirt-out-of-your-indoor-air-and-save.html EPA proposes new air quality monitoring plan for refineries. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is proposing new emission standards for refineries. At least one local watchdog group said it's about time. "The air quality, being right here so close to the refinery, is very poor. And if you have asthma or sinus problems, it's really bad for you," said Susan Ferrera, who lives in Chalmette. Posted. http://www.wdsu.com/news/epa-proposes-new-air-quality-monitoring-plan-for-refineries/26040406#ixzz32CcrFUGa CLIMATE CHANGE Studies: Wildfires worse due to global warming. The devastating wildfires scorching Southern California offer a glimpse of a warmer and more fiery future, according to scientists and federal and international reports. In the past three months, at least three different studies and reports have warned that wildfires are getting bigger, that man-made climate change is to blame, and it's only going to get worse with more fires starting earlier in the year. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_WILDFIRES_AND_WARMING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Studies-Wildfires-worse-due-to-global-warming-5487333.php Kerry calls on U.S. college graduates to face down climate. The rapidly changing climate poses a threat of sparking greater global conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday told the graduating class of Boston College, urging the graduates to play a role in pushing for new energy policies. Citing recent reports from the United Nations and White House showing that a rising emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels in contributing to a warming world, he warned of the possibility of climate-related conflict. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-usa-kerry-climatechange-idUSBREA4I0GY20140519?feedType=RSS&virtualBrandChannel=11563 Local Leaders Call for U.S. help to Deal With Climate Change. Local leaders who are members of a White House advisory panel are calling for better coordination across the federal government and reforms to federal funding programs and policies to help them deal with increased threats of flooding, hurricanes and other impacts associated with climate change. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-19/local-leaders-call-for-u-s-help-to-deal-with-climate-change.html Climate change: Get ready or get sued. On April 18, 2013, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D) declared a state of emergency after an epic deluge left much of the Chicago area under water. “After several days of rain, an overnight deluge overwhelmed Chicago’s underground labyrinth of aging sewers and giant tunnels Thursday, forcing a noxious mix of sewage and stormwater into local waterways and Lake Michigan. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/05/19/climate-change-get-ready-or-get-sued/ Gov. Jerry Brown: California ‘on the front lines’ of climate change. California Gov. Jerry Brown said Sunday that Republicans are in “denial” over climate change as his state battles “on the front lines” against a rash of fires that have swept Southern California. “As we send billions and billions of tons of heat-trapping gases, we get heat and we get fires and we get what we’re seeing,”…Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/18/gov-jerry-brown-california-front-lines-climate-cha/#ixzz32ChXbRL9 Gov. Jerry Brown presses message on climate change. Even as wildfires cool in San Diego, Gov. Jerry Brown is heating up his argument that what the state really is battling is global warming. "We here in California are on the front lines," Brown said on ABC in the first of two Sunday morning news show appearances. "We've got to deal with it. We've already appropriated $600 million. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ff-jerry-brown-climate-change-20140518-story.html KCBS in Depth: Stanford Professer’s Plan For Combatting Global Warming in California And 49 Other States. A Stanford professor and researcher has come up with 50 workable plans to combat climate change in the U.S. - one for each state – which map out how we become 100 percent powered by wind, water and sunlight by the year 2050. Dr. Mark Jacobson says by focusing on changing energy policy, we can address the problem of global warming… http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/05/19/kcbs-in-depth-stanford-professers-plan-for-combating-global-warming-in-california-and-49-other-states-energy-efficiency-wind-water-geothermal-solar-power-the-solution-project-mark-jacobson-global-warm/ Smokin' summer looms unless El Niño comes to rescue. September has come early in 2014. That’s the month when the fire season usually begins in Southern California, a tinderbox of high temperatures, Santa Ana winds and post-summer aridity. But, this year, May is September. This week, triple-digit temperatures, strong Santa Ana winds and drought conspired to create conditions that led to nearly a dozen major fires from San Diego through Los Angeles counties. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-614675-county-smoke.html President Obama’s big carbon crackdown readies for launch. The EPA will launch the most dramatic anti-pollution regulation in a generation early next month, a sweeping crackdown on carbon that offers President Barack Obama his last real shot at a legacy on climate change — while causing significant political peril for red-state Democrats. The move could produce a dramatic makeover of the power industry, shifting it away from coal-burning plants toward natural gas, solar and wind. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/carbon-crackdown-barack-obama-106783.html#ixzz32ClCaHL5 California Emissions Rise 1.6%. Strong economic growth, the unexpected closure of the San Onofre nuclear power plant and limited hydropower generation caused by drought led to a 1.7 percent increase in total greenhouse emissions in California from 2011 to 2012, according to the most recent greenhouse gas inventory from the California Air Resources Board. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2014/05/19/california-emissions-rise-1-6/ Climate change lawsuit filed against some 200 US communities. Climate change lawsuits filed against some 200 US communities. Climate change lawsuits: Farmers Insurance filed class action lawsuit last month against nearly 200 communities in the Chicago area for failing to prepare for flooding. The suits argue towns should have known climate change would produce more flooding. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0517/Climate-change-lawsuits-filed-against-some-200-US-communities Climate: The only thing that never changes is change. The old adage, "The only thing that never changes is change," suddenly has taken on a new sense of relevance when it comes to one of the most important issues of our day -- climate change. No one can argue the point that the climate is changing. The point of contention is whether or not mankind is causing it and thus, should governments mandate massive changes in human behavior to address it. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/climate-the-only-thing-that-never-changes-is-change Fighting air pollution with innovation and technology. Air pollution has become one of the world's biggest threats to the future of our planet. Chronic air pollution shortens our lives and the lives of the ecologies around us. In parts of Asia, where air pollution is most pervasive, food crops and other plants are exhibiting signs of stress due to low air quality. Posted. http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/47403 Obama admin weighs deleting super-warming gases from approved ozone list. The mounting effort to ban hydrofluorocarbons has centered around international diplomacy, like President Obama's agreement last year with Chinese President Xi Jinping to phase down the super greenhouse gases. But domestically, the administration has been working hard, albeit quietly, to curb the production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/05/19/stories/1059999785 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DROUGHT Amid drought, water-use penalties hit Bay Area. Here comes the chapter of California's drought story where things get testy. Asking people to conserve water? No problem. Ordering them to cut back or else pay up? Those are fighting words. A debate has ignited in Pleasanton after leaders of the tidy East Bay city full of manicured yards and swimming pools declared a "local drought emergency"…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Amid-drought-water-use-penalties-hit-Bay-Area-5486729.php Water shortages force Stanislaus County’s Westside almond growers to make tough, costly choices. Water shortages are forcing almond growers to make tough and costly decisions this spring. That includes killing off the natural vegetation that normally grows between orchard rows, even though those weeds and wildflowers are home to the beneficial insects needed for integrated pest management. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/17/3653630/esyrt-shortages-are-forcing-stanislaus.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2014/05/17/3345117/water-shortages-are-forcing-stanislaus.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES City Now Expects to Authorized More Green Cabs by the Fall. One day after signaling that it would slow indefinitely the expansion of street-hail livery cab service outside Manhattan, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration said on Friday that it expected to issue new permits for the popular green taxis at the end of the summer. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/nyregion/city-now-expects-to-authorize-more-green-cabs-by-the-fall.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Brown doubles down on high-speed rail amid calls for restraint. Preparing for looming budget battles with the Democratic-controlled Legislature, Gov. Jerry Brown warned Friday that lawmakers must balance "desire and need" for expensive social programs - even as he defiantly doubled down on support for the increasingly unpopular high-speed rail system, saying it remains emblematic of his passion to "build great things" in his final term as governor. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Brown-doubles-down-on-high-speed-rail-amid-calls-5484808.php GREEN ENERGY China Targets 70 Gigawatts of Solar Power to Cut coal Reliance. China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, plans to speed up solar power development, targeting a more than tripling of installed capacity to 70 gigawatts by 2017 to cut its reliance on coal. The goal would be double a previous target set for 2015, according to a statement posted today on the National Development and Reform Commission’s website. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-16/china-targets-70-gigawatts-of-solar-power-to-cut-coal-reliance.html Siemens Seals $2.1 Billion wind Deal With Service Plan. Siemens AG (SIE) won a 1.5 billion-euro ($2.1 billion) contract for a Dutch offshore wind park that will also give Europe’s largest engineering company its biggest-ever energy service contract. The order for the Gemini wind park, 85 kilometers (53 miles) offshore from Groningen, Netherlands, comprises 150 wind turbines with a capacity of four megawatts apiece, the Munich-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-15/siemens-seals-2-1-billion-dutch-wind-deal-with-service-fillip.html Some NFK Teams Are Going Green. When San Francisco 49ers fans enter the team's new Levi's Stadium for the first time later this year, they'll see green—and not just on the field. The $1.2 billion stadium will be the first in the National Football League to feature a "living roof," a canopy of green and flowering plants nestled across the top of an eight-story tower of luxury suites to reduce the building's energy use and offer other environmental benefits by providing natural insulation. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304677904579537882691550494 Where Whale Oil Once Reigned, a Town Looks to Renewable Energy. Whale oil made New Bedford, Mass., America's energy capital in the early 19th century. Now the gritty fishing port is once again linking its future to energy—this time renewable Not only is the city of 95,000 expanding its docks to supply wind farms off the Massachusetts coast, it's also becoming a major generator of solar power. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303678404579536213202032436 When the Power Goes Out, Microgrids keep Electricity Flowing. TO MAKE SURE the lights stay on, some institutions are creating their own power grids. Microgrids, small-scale power networks that can operate independently of the main grid, are generating new interest for two main reasons: the spread of alternative power sources like solar, which make local networks more feasible…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304831304579544200059257532 Coal: The World’s Deadliest source of Energy. Coal is the largest source of electricity across the world, mainly because it is abundant and cheap. But a string of coal mining accidents this week has served as a stark reminder that coal also remains the world's most deadly source of energy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Coal-The-World-s-Deadliest-Source-of-Energy-5487219.php Rick Perry sends Obama letter criticizing energy policy. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has written to President Obama criticizing his administration's energy policies, EPA regulations and failure to approve the construction of a pipeline to carry tar sands crude from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries. The letter, which reiterates much of Perry's longstanding opposition to the Obama administration's energy policies…Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/rick-perry-sends-obama-letter-criticizing-energy-policy/article/2548599 S.F. Building aims to produce as much energy as it consumes. On a rare sweltering day in San Francisco, the new office of DPR Construction stays cool and pleasant. But don't credit the air conditioning. It isn't on. Large fans circulate air. Skylights turn dark when the sun beats down, letting in light while minimizing heat. Tilted rows of solar panels shield the roof while producing a steady stream of electricity. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/S-F-building-aims-to-produce-as-much-energy-as-5486349.php MISCELLANEOUS Events plug electric cars; free test drives offered. You see them everywhere these days - cars that glide silently by and never stop to fill up for gas. Electric cars - one of those things that a friend of a friend owns. But regional transportation officials are hoping to spark a surge in the popularity of plug-in electrics in the Bay Area by putting drivers behind the wheel of the clean, green cars at a series of events around the region. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Events-plug-electric-cars-free-test-drives-5484839.php Conflict of interest allegations not valid, FPPC says. After nearly a year of investigation, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has determined that Lompoc City Council member Ashley Costa did not violate conflict of interest regulations for votes she cast as a board member of the county’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) last year. Posted. http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/conflict-of-interest-allegations-not-valid-board-says/article_23326b12-de46-11e3-a12e-001a4bcf887a.html OPINIONS For investors, coal brings lumps. If you care about the environment, you can emulate Stanford University's move to remove coal-producing companies from its endowment portfolio by purging fossil fuel companies from your own investments, although it will take a customized strategy. Despite its role in climate change and air pollution, coal may remain in favor because it's still relatively cheap to mine and…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-column-wasik-coal-idUSBREA4I0ID20140519 The Climate Continues its Change. Regarding Steven F. Hayward's "The Latest Storm of Climate Alarmism" (op-ed, May 9): The foundation of the third National Climate Assessment is the extensive set of observations made by thousands of scientists over many decades. It documents the changes in our climate and the impacts of those changes on Americans. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303627504579558153724592732 California’s Drinking Problem. California has at least another five months of drought ahead, U.S. forecasters estimate, putting new pressure on everyone to conserve already stretched water supplies. While farms use 80 percent of the state's water -- and it's essential that they cut back -- cities and towns have to do their share. Posted. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-05-18/california-s-drinking-problem?cmpid=hpbv We are conscious of climate change around us. Robert J. Samuelson’s May 12 op-ed column, “There’s still no fix for climate change,” hit the issue on the button. It is not about science, opinions, even politics. It’s about economics, who we are and if we will survive. There are no serious scientific climate/global change “deniers.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-are-conscious-of-climate-change-around-us/2014/05/18/93ac8ba4-dd0e-11e3-a837-8835df6c12c4_story.html China’s Pollution Challenge. China’s national legislature has adopted sweeping changes to the country’s Environmental Protection Law, revisions that have been hailed as major steps toward saving China’s environment from rampant degradation. The authorities will now have stronger enforcement powers, including the right to detain persistent violators for up to 15 days and to fine polluters more heavily than before. Some legally registered civil-society organizations will now be able to initiate public-interest litigation as well. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/opinion/chinas-pollution-challenge.html Fine-Tuning a U.S. Energy Plan. Re “Go big, get crazy” (May 8): I’m afraid that Thomas L. Friedman’s proposed “grand bargain” on energy issues would likely end up as a grand swindle. Sure, Republicans might promise to agree to “a national renewable portfolio standard that would require every utility in America to gradually introduce more renewable power…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/19/opinion/fine-tuning-a-us-energy-plan.html A Blueprint to End Paralysis. Over Global Action on Climate. The international community should stop chasing the chimera of a binding treaty to limit CO2 emissions. Instead, it should pursue an approach that encourages countries to engage in a “race to the top” in low-carbon energy solutions. International deal-making fundamentally hinges on assessments of national self-interest by the parties involved. Posted. Stephen Moore: The morality of cheap energy. Energy is the master resource, as the late, great economist Julian Simon used to say. You can’t produce much of anything if you don’t have affordable electric power. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/energy-614603-policy-gas.html ‘Einstein Was Right: You Can Turn Energy Into Matter’. E=mc2 Albert Einstein proposed the most famous formula in physics in a 1905 paper on Special Relativity titled Does the inertia of an object depend upon its energy content? Essentially, the equation says that mass and energy are intimately related. Atom bombs and nuclear reactors are practical examples of the formula working in one direction, turning matter into energy. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/05/19/einstein-was-right-you-can-turn-energy-into-matter/ BLOGS What Will the Supreme Court’s Latest Climate-Change Case Mean? Sometime in the next few weeks, the Supreme Court will decide its third case on climate-changing carbon pollution in the last seven years. The earlier cases clearly established the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to set standards under the Clean Air Act to curb carbon pollution from both vehicles and factories. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/nrdcswitchboard/384776/what-will-supreme-courts-latest-climate-change-case-mean Climate Change Will Hurt Nations’ Credit Ratings, S&P Warns. Add credit ratings to the list of things climate change might ruin. According to a recent report released by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, rising global temperatures will put downward pressure on sovereign credit ratings. The international credit-rating firm warns that poorer countries and nations with already low ratings will be hit the hardest by the effects of climate change. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/17/climate-change-credit-ratings_n_5344078.html . The economic crash brought Vegas to its knees; climate change could do it. Next time you fly into Las Vegas at night, take a close look at the casino-studded carnival in the center of the city. You’ll notice something odd. Amid all the glitter, there are a couple of black spots, like patches of dark matter in a star cluster. These are the dead zones, reminders of the 2007 economic collapse that brought this city to its knees. Posted. http://grist.org/cities/the-economic-crash-brought-vegas-to-its-knees-climate-change-could-do-it-again/ Chevrolet Purchases $500,000 Worth Of Carbon Credits From University of Illinois. The University of Illinois, which has been actively making an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings since 2010, has joined three other educational institutions in selling carbon offset credits to Chevrolet. Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and Valencia College in Orlando, Florida both sold carbon credits to Chevy earlier this year…Posted. http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/05/chevrolet-purchases-500000-worth-of-carbon-credits-from-university-of-illinois/#ixzz32D1m22B4 The Times has fallen for an unfounded climate change conspiracy theory. Who needs scientific evidence on climate change when you can distract the world with shiny new conspiracies? Here we go again. The latest IPCC report, the US National Climate Assessment report, and a report published by US military researchers all recently warned us yet again about the risks associated with human-caused climate change. While the planet continues to warm, ice continues to melt, and sea levels continue to rise…Posted. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/may/19/another-manufactured-climate-controversy 7 Unexpected Ways to Fight Air Pollution. Air pollution is rising in the world’s biggest cities, and health risks are growing with it. There are multiple ways living among chronic air pollution can put you in an early grave, and the consequences are just as dire for those who haven’t been born yet. In China, where air pollution persists at shocking levels, plants, even food crops, are being attacked by the low air quality, adding another dimension of risk to the issue. Posted. http://www.care2.com/causes/7-unexpected-ways-to-fight-air-pollution.html ‘Bay of the Smokes’, the name that shows Los Angeles has always suffered air pollution (VIDEO). Topography and weather patterns make Los Angeles an area where air pollutants find no escape, no matter what the source of the pollution is. In 1542, explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and Spanish sailors landed in San Pedro Bay. The air pollution was so bad that the crew named the area “Bay of the Smokes”. Posted. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/features/article/bay-of-the-smokes-the-name-that-shows-los-angeles-has-always-suffered-air-p China's push for better fuel economy has a bigger purpose. Any business reporter is taught that, when in doubt, always follow the money. With China's aggressive push for advanced-powertrain vehicle production and sales, that means better fleetwide fuel economy. Why? Lower fuel use means less money spent importing oil. It's that simple. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2014/05/19/chinas-push-for-better-fuel-economy-has-a-bigger-purpose/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.