What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for October 21, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Return of Bicycle Culture In China Adds To Billionaires'
Wealth.	China's campaign to re-embrace its biking tradition is
catapulting the wealth of two Chinese billionaires.    To reduce
air pollution and traffic jam, the country has become a leader in
building sharable biking systems. Last year, China, with its
fleet of 650,000 public bikes, surpassed Italy as the country
with most bike-share programs. Now, the world's top four...	
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ywang/2014/10/20/return-of-bicycle-culture-in-china-adds-to-billionaires-wealth/


CAP AND TRADE

California farmers getting $3.6 Million in grants.	SACRAMENTO   
• To help them pay for ways to reduce water use    • ?These
projects are critical because?    Three-point-six million dollars
-- the state?s portion of Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds -- are
being sent to farmers in California to help them pay for systems
to save water, the California Department of Food and Agriculture
says Monday.    The money will pay for 93 different projects to
implement...	
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=26971 

CLIMATE CHANGE

U.S. Oil Exports Would Worsen Global Warming, Government Auditors
Say.	...the vantage point of the climate crisis, GAO report
discussing several benefits of lifting the oil export ban is more
disturbing.    Allowing United States oil producers to export
crude would not only sway markets at home and abroad, it would
also worsen global warming and present other environmental risks,
the Government Accountability Office said in a new survey of
experts.    "Additional crude oil production may pose risks to
the quality and quantity of surface groundwater sources; increase
greenhouse...	
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20141020/us-oil-exports-would-worsen-global-warming-government-auditors-say
 
As Peru's glaciers shrink, government says climate change is to
blame.	Our software detected that cookies are disabled in your
browser.     Cookies need to be enabled to access E&E
Publishing's premium content.     Please allow cookies from
www.eenews.net and refresh this page. You may need to relaunch
your web browser.     Need...	
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/10/20/stories/1060007542 

EMISSIONS: U.S. should focus on black carbon, methane at Arctic
Council. -- The United States should use its coming leadership of
the Arctic Council to reduce black carbon and methane emissions
that have a disproportionate impact on the rapidly melting polar
region, according to a new study from an environmental advocacy
group.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/10/20/stories/1060007548 

Climate wars: The Pentagon doesn't need more global
hotspots.	Pittsburgh Post-GazetteOctober 20, 2014 Updated 3 hours
ago    The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette on Friday, Oct. 17:    Conservative members of
Congress may not be ready to acknowledge the reality of climate
change, but the Pentagon sees it for what it is - a threat to
national security.    On Monday, the Pentagon issued a report
assessing the immediate dangers of climate change. The military
is no longer treating it as a theoretical...	
http://www.modbee.com/2014/10/20/3600613/climate-wars-the-pentagon-doesnt.html
	

Warming Earth heading for hottest year on record.	...normal,
Blunden said.    If 2014 breaks the record for hottest year, that
also should sound familiar: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2005 and 2010 all
broke NOAA records for the hottest years since records started
being kept in 1880.    "This is one of many indicators that
climate change has not stopped and that it continues to be one of
the most important issues facing humanity," said University of
Illinois climate scientist Donald Wuebbles.    Some people,
mostly non-scientists, have been claiming that the world...	
http://www.modbee.com/2014/10/20/3600864/another-month-another-global-heat.html


How Climate Change Is Fueling the Miami Real Estate Boom.	As a
city sitting virtually at sea level, Miami has been called ground
zero for the problems posed by climate change, a place where
rising sea levels threaten its future existence. The latest
forecast of sea level rise from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change,...	
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-20/how-climate-change-is-fueling-the-miami-real-estate-boom


DROUGHT

California drought: Governor Jerry Brown touts water bond measure
at Stanford summit.	...his first two terms as governor, he set
the table and made the proposals, he said. Another two terms are
needed, he said, "to finally carry the ball across the finish
line."    More than 70 percent of the western United States is in
the grip of an ongoing drought that shows no signs of ending.
California is experiencing its third year of historic drought
conditions, with losses to the agricultural sector totaling about
$2.2 billion in 2014 alone.    The governor has asked residents
to cut back...	
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_26763293/california-drought-governor-jerry-brown-touts-water-bond


FUELS

Diesel price continues near 4-month downslide, remains at
28-month low.	...ended Oct. 20 to $3.656, according to the 
Department of Energy's weekly report , marking the 16th week in a
row without an increase. Related Cheaper crude driving down
diesel prices; price drop expected to continue The country's
average price for a gallon of diesel fuel should continue to fall
this year and next, according to the Department of Energy, who
... The price of diesel has now fallen every week since the first
week of the July, save for a week with no change in early
September. It has fallen...	
http://www.overdriveonline.com/diesel-price-continues-near-4-month-downslide-remains-at-28-month-low/


VEHICLES	

Carmakers, utility research group unveil new EV charging
software.	Beginning with electric cars, appliances of the future
may interact with the power grid and utilities via a two-way
street -- receiving and even sending electricity more
efficiently.In the electric car world, the phenomenon is called
vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, technology.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/10/20/stories/1060007547
	

EV charging comes to S.F. apartment buildings. ...announced the
size of those fees.)    The idea has one other twist: All tenants
who sign up with the service can use Powertree's chargers in any
building, so long as there's space available. Need to run an
errand in another neighborhood? You can drive your EV there, use
Powertree's mobile app to locate a nearby garage and use the same
app to open an electric garage door that Powertree will install
in each building. Plug the car in, run your errand, then drive
home. As an added bonus, you'll actually have...	
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/EV-charging-comes-to-S-F-apartment-buildings-5835409.php

GREEN ENERGY	

College View to go solar.	...panels at 13 campuses in the last
two years, Glendale school officials are now looking to to add
them to College View School.    School officials dedicated about
$8 million in Measure S funds to place panels at seven schools
and another $4.6 million with clean renewable energy bonds for
six other campuses.    The school board last week agreed to hire
Clyde Murley, an independent energy consultant, to look at
options for installing panels at what would be a 14th school,
College View School, a campus that...	
http://www.latimes.com/tn-gnp-college-view-to-go-solar-20141018-story.html


Geothermal power industry lost steam but may be poised for
comeback.	
Geothermal power was once king of California's renewable energy.
So many companies were clamoring to transform steam into
electricity that they sucked the world's largest geyser field
dry.    But the industry's shortsightedness — and its slowness to
innovate — left geothermal floundering for...	
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-geothermal-20141020-story.html


Big Box Retail's Latest Bright Idea: Solar Power.	Big companies
are finally beginning to see the light. Over the past two years,
the top 25 corporate solar users in America have more than
doubled their capacity, according to a new report by the Solar
Energy Industries Association. Cumulatively, these companies
produced enough electricity last year to power more than 115,000
homes.    Leading the pack by a significant margin: Wal-Mart
Stores (WMT). The retail giant produced 105 megawatts...	
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-20/big-box-retails-latest-bright-idea-solar-power


For Waller Wind Turbines, Iowa Engineer Looks to Concrete. If
wind turbines stood 20 or 40 meters taller than they typically do
today, they would produce more energy and possibly make wind
energy economically viable in areas where it currently is not.   
An Iowa engineer says the solution to provide the necessary
growth spurt is to switch from steel to
concrete.	http://insideclimatenews.org/content/waller-wind-turbines-iowa-engineer-looks-concrete


Cheap African Solar Energy Could Power U.K. Homes in
2018.	Investors are seeking funding from the U.K. government for
an ambitious plan to import solar energy generated in North
Africa.	http://insideclimatenews.org/content/cheap-african-solar-energy-could-power-uk-homes-2018


New solar modules set efficiency records and enter the power
market. This summer, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for
Solar Energy Systems unveiled a solar module that operates with
36.7 percent efficiency, a world record. The device uses
concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology, bypassing some of
the fundamental performance limitations in conventional solar
panels. 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/10/20/stories/1060007546 

Solar Consolidation Expected as Tax Credit Drives
Deals.	Acquisitions in the solar industry will take off as
manufacturers and developers prepare for the expiration of a tax
credit that's helping drive a U.S. installation boom.    With
renewable-energy executives gathering for the Solar Power
International conference that began yesterday in Las Vegas, some
will be shopping their companies around and others may be
evaluating potential purchases, said Michael Horwitz,...	
http://insideclimatenews.org/content/solar-consolidation-expected-tax-credit-drives-deals
	

BLOG

How Many Celebrities Drive Toyota Prius Hybrids? Well, What's A
Celebrity? ...but the Toyota Prius hybrid's popularity with
celebrities is well known. It's as much a fixture of Hollywood as
gossip and botox. Celebrities looking to advertise their
environmentalist principles flock to the Prius, but competitive
hybrids and now plug-in electric cars have made the Toyota...	
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095029_how-many-celebrities-drive-toyota-prius-hybrids-well-whats-a-celebrity


Official: 2015 Green Car Of The Year finalists announced, run
alt-fuel gamut.	
...Audi A3 TDI), your 40+ mile-per-gallon gas engine (the Honda
Fit) and, finally, a car that can do a little bit of everything
(the VW Golf). The Golf is available – at least in some parts of
the US – with three different powertrains: a 2.0-liter diesel, a
gasoline engine and all-electric drive. The Impala can burn
either natural gas or gasoline in its 3.6-liter engine. The A3 is
an efficiency champ, able to get 73.5 mpg on some European tests.
The i3 can be a pure electric vehicle or...	
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/10/21/2015-green-car-of-the-year-finalists-announced/


Video proof that LaFerrari has a pure electric mode.	...us? Well,
it's quite obvious that you can drive a LaFerrari on nothing but
electric power. As for why Ferrari doesn't advertise this fact,
we're inclined to agree with the folks at Jalopnik, who uncovered
the video. It's more than likely that the hypercar's EV range is
so pitifully low that Maranello doesn't see it as worth
mentioning.    What do you think? Does an EV mode for a
949-horsepower, 205-mph hypercar even matter? Should Ferrari
include it as an actual, driver-accessible item, even if the...	
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/20/laferrari-pure-electric-mode-video/?icid=autoblog%7ccheck-these-out


Ford Focus Electric gets $6,000 price drop, now starts at
$29,995.	Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford, AutoblogGreen Exclusive  
     In early 2013, the Nissan Leaf shed a massive $6,500 from
its $35,200 base price to offer a new starting price of $28,800.
Since then, we have seen numerous other plug-in vehicles get
smaller price tags,...	
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/10/20/ford-focus-electric-ev-6k-price-drop-29995/


EV buyers not exactly happy with dealership
experience.	...prospect of Tesla getting direct-sales rights.
Michigan is the latest battleground between Tesla and
pro-dealership entities. See below for an abstract on the UC
Davis report and then read more here.    New Car Dealers and
Retail Innovation in California's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Market
   Abstract:    Innovative new products like plug-in electric
vehicles may need new approaches to market and sell them. We
conducted 43 interviews with automakers and dealers selling
plug-in vehicles in...	
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/10/20/ev-buyers-not-exactly-happy-with-dealership-experience/


EPA researchers find widespread use of nano cerium diesel fuel
additives could have measurable impact on air quality.	Predicted
surface-level concentrations of cerium due to use of nCe diesel
fuel additives. Credit: ACS, Erdakos et al. Click to enlarge.    
  Results of a modeling study by researchers from the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest that widespread use
of nanoparticulate cerium (nCe) diesel fuel...	
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/10/20141021-nce.html 

Delaware Vehicle-To-Grid Test Lets Electric Cars Sell Power. The
ability to have large numbers of electric cars store energy and
feed it back into electric grids is still many years away, but
researchers are studying how it could work in the real world.
Vehicle-to-grid technology is seen by some as a way to smooth out
demand for grid electricity...	
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094990_delaware-vehicle-to-grid-test-lets-electric-cars-sell-power


Amsterdam's Schiphol airport launches fleet of 167 Tesla electric
taxis.	...new fleet of 167 Tesla Model S taxis, giving it the
largest fleet of all-electric taxis of any airport in the world.
The cabs will be operated by two taxi companies – BBF
Schipholtaxi and BIOS-groep – who will shuttle passengers to and
from the airport with zero emissions.    "This represents a
crucial step in our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and become
one of the world's three most sustainable airports," said
Schiphol Group CEO Jos Nijhuis. Last year, the airport authority
brokered a deal to buy Europe's...	
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/10/20/schiphol-airport-167-tesla-model-s-taxis-official/







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