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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 30, 2014
Posted: 30 Jun 2014 14:52:54
ARB Newsclips for June 30, 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 Industry groups stir opposition to a cap-and-trade expansion they say will lead to higher gas prices. In a conference call with oil industry analysts in late 2012, Mike Wirth, a Chevron Corp. executive, took stock of California’s greenhouse gas reduction policies and warned that the state’s plan to expand its controversial cap-and-trade program to vehicle fuels in 2015 would result in higher prices at the pump. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/30/6521238/industry-groups-stir-opposition.html California earmarks a quarter of its cap-and-trade riches for environmental justice. One-quarter of the $872 million generated by California's 18-month-old cap-and-trade scheme will go to housing and public transit programs for poor and minority communities this year, according to the recently approved state budget. The decision caps a long fight by environmental justice advocates over how much of the state's carbon proceeds…Posted. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/06/29/231840/california-earmarks-a-quarter.html Dem lawmakers worry California’s cap-and-trade expansion will drive up gas prices. A group of California Democrats is having second thoughts about the state's expanding cap-and-trade program, urging Gov. Jerry Brown's administration to rethink the plan out of concern that it will drive up gas prices and hurt low-income residents. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/30/dems-worry-californias-cap-and-trade-expansion-will-drive-up-gas-prices/ Activists say California fighting pollution globally but not locally. In the Bay Area oil port city of Martinez, where a colossal Shell refinery has long tainted the air, the landmark California law that requires polluters to ease their carbon footprint seemed to some to promise new relief. But one big move by Shell to comply with rules on greenhouse gas emissions won't do much for Martinez. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-fi-climate-credits-20140630-story.html Worst Bay Area Polluters Being Let Off The Hook? In the Bay Area, residents are constantly reminded to ‘spare the air’, but air quality managers may be letting some of the worst polluters off the hook. Chevron runs the Bay Area’s biggest, and busiest oil refinery, and they are mandated to keep careful tabs on air emissions. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/06/29/398744-chevron-refinery-pollution-polluter-bay-area-air-quality-management-district-gas-oil-spare-the-air-particulates-epa-regulation/ AIR POLLUTION Burn notice for homeowners: Keep it clean to keep it safe. The plants are whispering that peak fire season is upon us, months ahead of schedule. Consult the calendar and you’ll see it’s late June, but send a sample of sage through the scientific furnace and the plants’ dryness will indicate it’s late July, August or even September. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-627358-year-season.html ARB fines 19 consumer products companies for air pollution violations. The California Air resources Board (ARB) yesterday announced the settlement of 19 cases involving violations of air pollution regulations related to consumer products. Fines totaling $233,175 were issued to companies which either manufactured or sold products such as nail polish removers, bathroom cleaners, air fresheners, charcoal lighters, and automotive products. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-fines-19-consumer-products-companies-for-air-pollution-violations CLIMATE CHANGE NASA to launch global warming satellite after loss. Five years after a NASA satellite to track carbon dioxide plunged into the ocean after liftoff, the space agency is launching a carbon copy - this time on a different rocket. The $468 million mission is designed to study the main driver of climate change emitted from smokestacks and tailpipes. Some of the carbon dioxide is sucked up by trees and oceans…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_CARBON_SATELLITE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/science/nasa-launching-satellite-to-track-carbon.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/06/29/nasa-global-warming-satellite/11725253/ http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4606575-nasa-to-launch-satellite-to-track-global-warming-after-2009-failure/ http://time.com/2940876/nasa-global-warming-satellite/ Climate-Change Proposal in U.S. Poses Pascal’s Wager: Economy. The Environmental Protection Agency calls its carbon rules an economic winner that will deliver more than $10 in benefits for each dollar spent on compliance. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the economic costs of implementing the greenhouse-gas controls will be much higher than the EPA’s estimates indicate and will mean lost jobs, bigger electric bills and missed opportunities for growth. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-30/climate-change-plan-poses-pascal-s-wager-as-both-sides-oversell.html Climate Change Goes Underwater. When it comes to climate change, almost all the attention is on the air. What's happening to the water, however, is just as worrying -- although for the moment it may be slightly more manageable. Here's the problem in a seashell: As the oceans absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released by fossil-fuel burning, the pH level in the underwater world is falling, creating the marine version of climate change. Posted. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-06-29/climate-change-goes-underwater Awakening the ‘Dutch Gene’ of Water Survival. As global climate change threatens to raise sea levels by as much as four feet by the end of the century, the authorities here are working to make real to children the forecasts that may seem far-off, but that will shape their lives in adulthood and old age. “Everything works so smoothly that people don’t realize anymore that they are taking a risk in developing urban areas in low-lying areas…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/world/europe/netherlands-water-management-system-global-climate-change-sea-level-rise-dutch-gene.html?_r=0 Health Care System Needs To Prepare For Global Warming. Climate change is happening, and with that will come more deaths from heat-related illness and disease, according to a report released Tuesday. The report, spearheaded and funded by investor and philanthropist Thomas Steyer, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, examines many of the effects of climate change for business and individuals. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/state/health-care-system-needs-to-prepare-for-global-warming_88858153 Salamanders in the Appalachians are smaller. Some scientists suggest it could be still another sign of climate change: Salamanders in the Appalachian Mountains are getting smaller, they say, because in a drier, warmer climate, the little cold-blooded creatures use more energy to stay alive. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jun/29/study-salamanders-in-the-appalachians-are-smaller/ Hot cities: Climate change may lead to air stagnation. Air quality for countries around the world could worsen in the 21st century as the occurrence of atmospheric stagnation events - in which still air lingers over a region - increases due to climate-change-related shifts in global wind and rainfall patterns, according to new research by scientists at Stanford University. Posted. http://imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/latest-news/9606-hot-cities-climate-change-may-lead-to-air-stagn ation.html Marin 'carbon farming' project offers hope on global warming. Sprawled on the hillside at Nicasio Native Grass Ranch, Peggy Wick showed off a patch of grass nourished by compost Sunday, an approach some say could help prevent global warming. The soil in a 2.5-acre plot of land can remove 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in a year with the application of one-half inch of organic matter…Posted. http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_26058891/marin-carbon-farming-project-offers-hope-global-warming City power department could be forced to make nation's sharpest carbon emissions cut. The power department in Los Angeles could be required to implement the country's most aggressive carbon emissions reduction program. A Los Angeles city councilman on Friday introduced a measure calling on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) by 2030 to cut its carbon emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels, a move that the Sierra Club said would be the first of its kind in the nation for any utility. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060002134/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY McCarthy announces new policy goals to address climate change. U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy today committed to a suite of policy goals to address climate change, saying there is "new and stronger evidence" that man-made climate change is affecting the United States. In a policy statement today, McCarthy said that EPA would modernize financial assistance programs to bolster climate resilience…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060002164/print FUELS Court won't hear dispute over Calif. fuel standard. The Supreme Court won't hear a challenge to California's first-in-the-nation mandate requiring fuel producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The justices on Monday turned away appeals from fuel makers that say the law discriminates against out-of-state producers. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_CARBON_FUEL_STANDARDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-30/california-fuel-standard-dispute-rejected-by-high-court.html http://online.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-declines-to-review-california-low-carbon-fuel-standard-1404136650 http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/06/30/4003814/california-low-carbon-rule-survives.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_26061090/Supreme-Court-wont-hear-dispute-over http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jun/30/court-wont-hear-dispute-over-calif-fuel-standard/ http://www.platts.com/latest-news/oil/washington/us-supreme-court-will-not-hear-california-lcfs-21831418 http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/06/30/45055/supreme-court-won-t-hear-dispute-over-calif-fuel-s/ http://domesticfuel.com/2014/06/30/supreme-court-turns-down-california-lcfs-case/ http://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/Article/3356743/Latest-News/Supreme-Court-declines-to-review-Californias-low-carbon-fuel-standard.html http://www.newsmax.com/US/court-fuel-standard-dispute/2014/06/30/id/579965/ http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060002161/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Redemption sweet for Pacific Ethanol. These are days of sweet vindication for Neil Koehler, who has spent his career pursuing a single goal: to get Americans to pump more ethanol into their gas tanks. Working with a passion bordering on obsessiveness, Koehler has overcome resistance from the oil industry, scorn from environmentalists and skepticism from regulators. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/06/28/4001823/redemption-sweet-for-pacific-ethanol.html?sp=/99/406/ Study finds low carbon payback periods for sugar cane ethanol. The soil carbon lost when pasture and crop lands are converted to sugar cane for ethanol production is small and can be made up within a few years, according to new research. It takes three years to build back the soil carbon lost when pasture land in Brazil is converted to sugar cane for ethanol production…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060002163/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY REFINERIES Appeals court tosses hazardous waste exemption for refineries. Certain petroleum refinery processes will no longer avoid oversight under federal hazardous waste laws. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last week struck down a 6-year-old rule that exempted some refinery actions from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. U.S. EPA's Gasification Exclusion Rule, in place since 2008…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060002126/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES CARB Adopts Funding Plan for Low-Carbon Freight Transportation. The California Air Resources Board has approved a funding plan to encourage the continued deployment of clean vehicles over the next year. California’s 2014-15 budget provides $200 million from cap-and-trade auction proceeds to CARB to support low-carbon transportation projects that reduce global warming emissions. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2014/06/carb-adopts-new-funding-plan-for-low-carbon-transportation.aspx GREEN ENERGY Transportation plan takes a greener route. Officials this week approved an $11 billion transportation plan that reduces the amount of money pumped into traditional road expansions and invests more in mass transit, walking and bicycling. Long-term transportation plans are routinely written by the San Joaquin Council of Governments, but this is the first time officials were required under a new state law to consider the sustainability of our communities for decades to come when deciding how to spend transportation dollars. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140628/A_NEWS/406280318/-1/A_NEWS14 Modesto Irrigation District corrects fumble over solar rebates. The Modesto Irrigation District appears to have appeased dozens of customers by reopening for a short period a window for solar rebate applications. Many customers and solar contractors complained when the district abruptly canceled installation and performance rebates for the rest of 2014 upon running out of $4.2 million set aside for the yearlong program in four months. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2014/06/29/3416184/modesto-irrigation-district-corrects.html#storylink=cpy What Would It Take To Decarbonize The Energy System? For the United States to remove carbon emissions from its energy system in 20 years, it would have to build new clean energy capacity at 10 times the rate it has built existing capacity, a specialist in problems of technology and public policy said Friday in Washington D.C. Renewable energy is currently growing at about half the rate of traditional growth, according to the White House. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2014/06/29/what-would-it-take-to-decarbonize-the-energy-system/ MISCELLANEOUS UC President Janet Napolitano And Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols To Speak At July 1st State Board Meeting Focusing on Cap-and-Trade Program. The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will hear about a new University of California initiative concerning food, and focus on the state’s Cap-and-Trade Program and other environmental market opportunities for farmers and ranchers at its meeting on Tuesday, July 1st in Sacramento. This meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 ‘N’ Street – Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814. Posted. http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/mariposa-daily-news-2014/179-june/14092-uc-president-janet-napolitano-and-air-resources-board-chairman-mary-nichols-to-speak-at-july-1st-state-board-meeting-focusing-on-cap-and-trade-program Bike lanes vs. bike paths: Where you ride may make a difference in the pollution you breathe -- science roundup. When you think of the hazards of commuting by bike or just the occasional ride alongside traffic, what may come first to mind are collisions, driver vs. bicyclist road rage, and maybe even that special bit of hazing called "rollin' coal." Actually, relating to the later, having a driver intentionally blast a plume of smoke in your face is not the only time you may need to worry about what's coming out of the tailpipes around you. Posted. http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2014/06/bike_lanes_vs_bike_paths_where.html OPINIONS California's Cap-and-Trade Revolt. President Obama has mocked Republicans who oppose his climate agenda as flat-earthers. Perhaps he'll be more charitable to Democrats who are protesting California's cap-and-trade program as an undue burden on the poor. Last week 16 Democratic Assembly Members—about 30% of their caucus—signed a letter urging California Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols to delay or redesign the state's cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/articles/californias-cap-and-trade-revolt-1403908359 Dan Morain: Cool bid for state’s pollution program is lost on Arkansas incinerator. Earlier this month, Jerry Brown and legislators happily carved up $850 million they figure will flow into state coffers from California’s cap-and-trade experiment. Brown got $250 million for his pet project, high-speed rail. Legislators got $400 million for housing and transit, plus more for alternative energy concepts. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/29/6518049/dan-morain-cool-bid-for-pollution.html Viewpoints: Oil companies should help clean the air. During the school year, I drive my two sons, ages 6 and 3, to school in downtown Fresno. As a Central Valley mom, I have to include one more step in my morning routine – checking the air quality flag. For those who don’t know, right under the American flag and the California flag at Yokomi Elementary is a color-coded flag representing the severity of air pollution that day. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/28/6517888/viewpoints-oil-companies-should.html LETTER: Cap and trade legislation good for New Jersey. Senate President Sweeney along with Senators Bob Smith and Peter Barnes recently passed legislation that would require the state to re-enter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a northeast and mid-Atlantic regional cap and trade program that will reduce pollution while raising funds for solar and wind projects. Posted. http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/06/29/regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative/11680247/ Commentary: Working together on energy needs. The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules that would cut carbon pollution significantly by 2030 come at a time when elected officials in the Washington area have been focusing on the need to upgrade the region’s energy infrastructure. The EPA’s proposed rule would help meet the long-term goals our regional leaders have already set through the National Capital Region Climate Change Report and Action Plan. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/commentary-working-together-on-energy-needs/2014/06/27/ad9dcf26-f566-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html LETTER: Global warming not caused by greenhouse gas. The topic of “global warming” may be the most confused and manipulated subject since the debate over whether the Earth is flat or spherical. The confusion derives from the complexity of the physics involved and the ages-old perversion of the related “science” caused by those “scientists” who are focused on the campaign for the funding that is available. Posted. http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/06/30/global-warming/11724055/ BLOGS Night Vision: China Enlists Drones in Fight Against Pollution. Watch out, big Chinese polluters: The cover of night won’t help you anymore. So say Chinese officials who are deploying aerial drones equipped with infrared cameras to spot pollution emissions after the sun sets. The Ministry of Environmental Protection said Saturday that 11 unmanned aerial vehicles were used this month to inspect 254 factories in the provincial-level regions of Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/06/30/night-vision-china-enlists-drones-in-fight-against-pollution/ Is ammonia the secret to better hydrogen cars? Hydrogen cars are on their way, and they aren't bringing harmful emissions with them. That doesn't mean they aren't without their problems. There are safety concerns about storing it under high pressure, whether that's inside the car or in a tank at the fueling station, for example. Also, the challenge of creating a hydrogen infrastructure at a large enough scale to actually make the cars practical is a daunting one. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2014/06/30/ammonia-secret-to-better-hydrogen-cars/ Climate Change This Week: Packing Record Heat, Fracking Leaks and More! Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded. Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, June 28 2014 How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-ellen-harte/climate-change-this-week_b_5540419.html Why climate change inaction will cost us dearly. Two important studies recently released on the economic costs of climate change show us the very high costs of continuing on our current carbon pollution trajectory. The first, commissioned by the prominent bipartisan Risky Business Project, finds significant economic losses for the U.S. from only six climate damages. Posted. http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/06/30/why-climate-change-inaction-will-cost-us-dearly California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Will Fund Environmental Justice. Have poor Californians hit the environmental-health jackpot? The money raised through the sale of carbon credits under the state’s young carbon-trading program is earmarked for projects that help the climate and the environment. And under a law passed a couple of years ago, SB 535…Posted. http://greenlining.org/issues/2014/californias-cap-trade-program-will-fund-environmental-justice/ Hacking the climate: The search for solutions to the world’s greatest challenge. In recent years, weather patterns around the world have grown fiercer than ever. Blizzards paralyze daily life across large areas of the nation, while intense heat waves and enduring droughts cripple food production in the West. Huge storms threaten to sweep away coastal communities. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/hacking-the-climate-the-search-for-solutions-to-the-worlds-greatest-challenge/ The secret to richer, carbon-capturing soil? Treat your microbes well. Imagine if someone invented machines to suck carbon out of the atmosphere — machines that were absurdly cheap, autonomous, and solar powered, too. Wouldn’t that be great? But we already have these gadgets! They’re called plants. The problem is, plants die. So there’s one hurdle remaining: We have to figure out how to lock away the carbon in dead plants so that it doesn’t just return to the atmosphere. Posted. http://grist.org/food/the-secret-to-richer-carbon-capturing-soil-treat-your-microbes-well/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.