What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 25, 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

States Won’t Leave Carbon Market for California, Quebec.
California and Quebec, which together created the largest carbon
market in North America this year, face an uphill battle as they
woo northeastern U.S. states to join their system. States
including Vermont, which Quebec’s premier said is particularly
interested in uniting, are members of a Northeast group that has
been operating an emissions-trading system since 2008. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-09-25/rggi-chair-says-states-won-t-join-california-quebec.html

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/218734-california-quebec-want-to-expand-carbon-trading-system
 

Energy dealmaker girds for new Sacramento battles. The Democratic
state lawmaker who led a rebellion against California’s carbon
cap on motor vehicle fuels — and lost — is staking claim to the
anticipated multibillion-dollar windfall from the sale of
pollution allowances. Come Jan. 1, California’s market-based
approach to limiting heat-trapping gases linked to global warming
will be extended to providers of gasoline, diesel and other motor
fuels. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/24/next-energy-battle-sacramento/


A hidden gas tax? Climate change regulations stir debate.  You've
probably seen the ads. Come Jan. 1, they warn, a new "hidden
gasoline tax" will go into effect, one expected to increase the
cost to fill up your car between 16 and 76 cents a gallon. 
"There's still time to stop it, but we must act now," says the
ad, sponsored by a group called the California Drivers Alliance.
"Contact state officials today and urge them to put the brakes on
the hidden gas tax!"  Posted. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26578978/hidden-gas-tax 

AIR POLLUTION

Agency's asbestos experiments threatened human health – IG. U.S.
EPA spent more than a decade conducting asbestos removal
experiments that threatened public health, the agency's
independent watchdog says in a new report. The agency
experimented with alternative methods of removing asbestos -- a
dangerous pollutant -- for more than a decade without adequate
oversight or clear goals, resulting in wasted cash and posing
risks to workers and the public…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060006448/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

KING FIRE

King fire: 2,000 firefighters added to fight massive wildfire as
winds expected.  Nearly 2,000 firefighters were added Tuesday to
battle a massive Northern California wildfire that threatened
thousands of homes and fouled the air 50 miles away in Reno,
Nevada, which was blanketed by smoke.  Posted. 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_26596415/King-fire:-2000-firefighters-added-to-fight-massive-wildfire-as-winds-expected


CLIMATE CHANGE

Government officials see slow, hard work to engage U.S. public on
risks of sea-level rise.  A trio of senior environmental
officials from local and federal government yesterday offered its
views on how the average American might need to get a better
grasp of the risks posed by climate change. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006405/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

UN SUMMIT

Putting a price on carbon emissions emerges as a key strategy for
nations and businesses to pursue. The colorful Climate Summit
2014 banners have vanished from the hallways, and the talk here
has turned from the threat of global warming to air strikes
against Syria and the deadly Ebola virus. But Christiana
Figueres, the leader of the U.N. agency tasked with bringing
nations together to work out a new global climate agreement, said
now is when the real work begins. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006420/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Drought worsens China's long-term water crisis. The corn has
grown to only half its normal height on Yan Shuqin's ranch in the
hills of Inner Mongolia this year, as a swath of northern China
suffers its worst drought in 60 years. The ruddy-faced woman said
that even before the rains stopped, the groundwater in her region
had been sinking, from 20 meters (about 70 feet)…Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_DROUGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-24-01-48-16


Parched California expected to miss out on typical fall rains.
Northern and Central California typically receive 30% to 40% of
their precipitation over the next three months, but this year,
forecasters say the upper two-thirds of the state can expect to
miss out on much of that badly needed moisture. The lack of
significant rain will mean little relief for thousands of
firefighters battling a series of destructive wildfires…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-conditions-forecast-california-20140924-story.html


As the California drought enters its fourth year, are we doing
enough to conserve water? After a sweaty day outdoors, you're
only halfway through an evening shower with shampoo stinging your
eyes when it hits you: You've just about used up your water
ration for the day. And you still have to water your petunias and
wash your dirty socks.
What to do? Though it may sound exaggerated, California is
inching closer to a reality just like that in the not-too-distant
future if the drought…Posted
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_26605101/california-drought-enters-its-fourth-year-are-we
BY SUBSCRIPTION

Drought plays out differently in various regions of California.
Most of California is experiencing a “severe” or “exceptional”
drought, impacting more than 37 million Golden State residents,
according to the Drought Monitoring Center at the University of
Nebraska. But as Californians know, the state feels more like
three states — southern, central and northern — and while there’s
a shared response from residents up and down the state…Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140924/drought-plays-out-differently-in-various-regions-of-california


Dry year means smooth sailing for rice growers, if they had
water. Rice fields are looking beautiful this time of year. The
tops of the spindly plants are heavy with rice kernels and the
straw has turned a slightly chartreuse shade of green. As far as
yield and ease of growing, farmers don't have many complaints.
However, that's only if there was enough water. Posted.
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_26601101/dry-year-means-smooth-sailing-rice-growers-if


Experts gather at Aquarium of the Pacific to talk drought,
climate change. States such as California that draw water from
Lake Mead are about 6 feet away from mandatory rationing, experts
said Wednesday at a symposium at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Officials have never declared this level of emergency and are
watching water levels closely, UCLA professor Glen M. MacDonald
said. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140924/experts-gather-at-aquarium-of-the-pacific-to-talk-drought-climate-change


FUELS 

UPDATE 1-Canadian PM says U.S. will approve Keystone XL pipeline
eventually.
Logic dictates that the United States will one day approve the
northern leg of TransCanada Corp's controversial Keystone XL
crude oil pipeline, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told
an audience of executives in New York on Wednesday.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/24/canada-keystone-harper-idUSL2N0RP28F20140924


India’s Top Court Revokes Coal Leases. India’s top court on
Wednesday canceled years’ worth of coal field leases, a judgment
that drew wide attention in a nation with persistent fuel
shortages. The leases, an earlier investigation had found, had
been sold below market price and cost the government about $30
billion, a scandal that has added to concerns of corruption and
crony capitalism at high levels. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/business/international/indias-supreme-court-revokes-hundreds-of-coal-concessions.html?_r=0


VEHICLES

Brown Says Global Lead on Zero Emissions Beating Forecast. For
four decades, California has set the pace for clean-air
initiatives, from curbing tailpipe emissions to promoting
renewable energy. Now the world’s eighth-largest economy is
forging a path for electric cars. Californians bought as many as
26,482 electric vehicles this year…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-24/brown-says-global-lead-on-zero-emissions-beating-forecast.html


GREEN ENERGY

Swiss Pilots to Fly Solar Plane Around World. Last year, two
Swiss pilots became the first to fly across the United States in
a featherweight plane using the power of the sun. Now they are
back with a more ambitious plan, to be announced on Thursday, to
fly an even more advanced solar airplane around the world early
next year, beginning and ending in oil-rich Abu Dhabi. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/business/energy-environment/swiss-pilots-to-fly-solar-plane-around-world.html
 

Natural Gas Reliance Impediment to Renewables.  Using natural gas
to produce electricity is a major part of the Obama
administration's policy on climate change, which aims to reduce
carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in favor of
renewables and natural gas-fired plants that emit less CO2. But a
new University of California-Irvine study published Wednesday in
the journal Environmental Research Letters suggests…Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/state/study-natural-gas-reliance-impediment-to-renewables_20683623

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/09/140924-natural-gas-impact-on-emissions/


UCI study: natural gas is not a long-term solution.  Researchers
at UC Irvine in a study published Wednesday said natural gas does
little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because inexpensive gas
boosts energy consumption and hinders the expansion of cleaner
energy sources such as wind and solar in the short term.  Posted.
 http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gas-636273-natural-study.html


Rooftop solar reduces utility revenues more than costs -- federal
study. Customer-owned solar panels are chipping away at revenues
of electric utilities and will increasingly cut into shareholder
returns as their popularity grows, according to a report released
yesterday by a federal laboratory. The study by Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory researchers found that as distributed
generation grows, it reduces utility revenues more than it
reduces costs. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006415/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

SolarCity's big solar plant lands in Buffalo. The nation's
biggest rooftop-solar installer, SolarCity, has chosen Buffalo,
N.Y., as the site of what it says will be the largest solar-panel
manufacturing plant in the Western Hemisphere. The company and
New York officials were effusive in praising each other Tuesday
at the prospect of a 1.2-million-square-foot factory and the
opportunity it presents to revitalize the economy of Buffalo with
up to 3,000 manufacturing and support jobs. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2014/09/25/stories/1060006417 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

"One-Stop Diesel Truck Event" Friday in Alameda. The state Air
Resources Board will join other agencies for a truck and bus
regulation information session and conference Friday at College
of Alameda. There will be regulatory trainings and truck
inspection demonstrations at the "One-Stop Diesel Truck Event."
Truckers will also get one-on-one assistance from ARB staff to
learn about requirements for their specific vehicles and funding
programs. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26599264/one-stop-diesel-truck-event-friday-alameda?source=rss


California Indian tribes honor water at Friday event. Indian
tribes from across California will converge on the state Capitol
Friday for an event meant to draw attention to the drought and
celebrate water as a sacred substance. The annual Native American
Day at the Capitol will feature representatives from every
American Indian tribe in the state. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/24/6732896/california-indian-tribes-honor.html#storylink=cpy


OPINIONS

Give people worst-hit by climate change a voice: activists.
Communities hard hit by climate change impacts are finding ways
to adapt on their own, but they need a larger voice in
international decision making about how to deal with climate
change, activists said a U.N. climate summit this week. Speaking
at a New York gathering of world leaders called by U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to spur action on climate
threats…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-foundation-climatechange-idUSKCN0HK0FW20140925?feedType=RSS


DARRELL FEIL: Rising gas prices come at the wrong time for small
business.    One always hears that small businesses are the
backbone of our economy, and I firmly believe this to be true.
Small businesses create jobs and provide valuable services to
their community. As owner of Abate-a-Weed, I'm proud to be such a
small business owner. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x167885540/Rising-gas-prices-come-at-the-wrong-time-for-small-business
 

The Politics of Climate Change.  Ah, climate change. A vast
majority of scientific studies that take a stand on global
warming have concluded that it’s caused by human behavior. The
results are awful. The penguins are dwindling. The polar bears
are running out of ice floes. The cornfields are drying. The
southwest is frying. There is very little on the plus side.
Except maybe for Detroit. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/opinion/gail-collins-the-politics-of-climate-change.html


RedBlueAmerica: Will America ever take bold action on climate
change? Should it? Hundreds of thousands of Americans on Sunday
marched in New York City, asking the country's leaders to take
bold action on climate change. President Barack Obama, California
Gov. Jerry Brown, actor Leonardo DiCaprio and other notables this
week addressed the United Nations about the climate challenges
facing the world. But skeptics abound - notably within the
Republican Party. Posted.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/09/25/3866766_redblueamerica-will-america-ever.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


BLOGS

Global solar flight to start, end in Abu Dhabi. A Swiss-made
solar-powered aircraft will start and attempt to finish its first
round-the-world flight from the United Arab Emirates capital of
Abu Dhabi, a government-backed renewable energy company in the
oil-rich Gulf federation said Thursday. The choice of Abu Dhabi
as the launch site for the historic journey is likely to bolster
the wealthy emirate's efforts to position itself as a champion of
renewable energy. Posted.
http://www.timesunion.com/business/energy/article/Global-solar-flight-to-start-end-in-Abu-Dhabi-5779479.php


Menu for a Hot Planet. In many ways the human race hit the skids
when we stopped throwing spears and gathering berries. Once we
started planting seeds and harvesting the produce, we grew
shorter, fatter, sicker, and considerably more overworked. An
alien visiting from another planet during that critical
transition period to a more settled existence might easily have
thought that we were being domesticated by our livestock and not
the other way around. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-feffer/menu-for-a-hot-planet_b_5881068.html


California Announces Plans To Spend $200 Million Of Drought Aid.
California water officials on Tuesday released plans for spending
almost a third of the $687 million emergency drought relief
package approved by lawmakers earlier this year. More than $200
million in expedited bond funding would benefit 110 projects
throughout the state, ranging from the city of Mt. Shasta to San
Diego…Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/california-drought_n_5875470.html?utm_hp_ref=green
 

35 years of shrinking arctic ice, all in one graphic.  The
melting of the Arctic has been so gradual and far-off it’s hard
to comprehend the huge amount of ice that has vanished. But with
this NASA visualization, seeing the disintegration of the polar
region is as easy as reading an eye chart with 20/20 vision. 
Posted. 
http://grist.org/living/35-years-of-shrinking-arctic-ice-all-in-one-graphic/
 

Strong Paris deal needed to make carbon pricing work.  One of the
main outcomes of this week’s climate change events in New York
was a declaration of support for carbon pricing.  More than 1,000
businesses and investors backed a World Bank campaign for taxes
and emissions tradings systems to make climate polluters pay. 
Posted. 
http://www.rtcc.org/2014/09/24/strong-paris-deal-needed-to-make-carbon-pricing-work-analysts/
 

This giant wind farm would dwarf the Hoover Dam.  That giant
sucking sound you hear on the West Coast these days is the state
of California, hoovering up as much renewable energy as
neighboring states can produce. The latest development: a
proposal from four major energy companies to build an $8 billion
wind energy farm in Wyoming to power the city of Los Angeles. 
Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/this-giant-wind-farm-would-dwarf-the-hoover-dam/
 

Natural gas is not a good climate solution, even without methane
leakage.  With the boom in shale gas opened up by fracking,
there’s been a lot more talk about natural gas as a “bridge
fuel,” an energy source that could wean us off coal and smooth a
transition to renewable energy. President Obama brought up this
“bridge fuel” idea in this year’s State of the Union
speech…Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/natural-gas-is-not-a-good-climate-solution-even-without-methane-leakage/
  

Biggest climate change march in NYC feels like something even
bigger. Is it just us, or did something happen at that 2014
United Nations Climate Summit in New York City this week? The
largest-ever climate change march took place in the city and the
headlines were full of interesting items, from the famous oil
family the Rockefellers divesting their charity from fossil fuels
to Google telling ALEC goodbye over climate change lies. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/24/biggest-climate-change-march-in-nyc/




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