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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 18, 2014

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 12:19:37
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.


STATE OF WASHINGTON CAP-AND-TRADE ANNOUNCEMENT

Washington governor proposes carbon pollution cap 
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday proposed an ambitious
cap-and-trade program to require the state's largest industrial
polluters to pay for every ton of carbon they release. The
proposal was part of a broader package that the Democrat said
would help the state meet a 2008 mandate to drastically reduce
greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_INSLEE_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/12/17/us/ap-us-inslee-climate-change.html?_r=3

Washington governor unveils carbon cap-and-trade plan
Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Wednesday laid out a plan for a
carbon cap-and-trade program aimed at fighting global warming and
raising $1 billion a year for state schools and public
transportation initiatives, but he will first need the support of
a divided state legislature.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/washington-carbon-policy-idUSL1N0U202G20141218


Washington Governor Proposes Carbon Market, Fuel Standard 
Washington Governor Jay Inslee proposed a carbon market, a
statewide fuel standard and $60 million dedicated to clean energy
projects and technologies in an effort to help curb global
warming.  The carbon market, similar to ones run by California
and a group of states in the eastern U.S., would generate about
$1 billion annually, according to an overview of the plan posted
on the governor’s website. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-17/washington-governor-proposes-carbon-market-clean-fuel-standard.html


Inslee targets polluters with billion-dollar cap-and-trade plan
Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday laid out an ambitious plan for
cutting Washington’s carbon emissions that would vault the state
to the forefront of global efforts to combat climate change.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2025255218_insleeclimate1xml.html



CAP AND TRADE

Calif. looks at allowing first farming offsets for cap and trade
Rice farmers across the country could start earning money next
year by changing their practices to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, under a proposal California's Air Resources Board is
expected to consider today. The Golden State, which has an
economywide cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions, is
looking at adding a rice farming protocol…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/12/18/stories/1060010757 



AIR POLLUTION

EPA punts decision on methane regs
The Environmental Protection Agency is punting a decision on
whether to pursue regulations on methane emissions from
industrial sources until after the holidays. An EPA official told
The Hill on Wednesday that the agency is holding off on its
decision until after the holidays despite consistent statements
by Administrator Gina McCarthy that the EPA would make a call
this fall.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/227489-epa-punts-decision-on-methane-regs


Officials Stress Importance of Carbon Monoxide Detectors
It's important to make sure carbon monoxide detection devices are
working in homes, especially in the winter months.   That's
according to the California Air Resources Board, which says at
this time of year, danger's especially high for carbon monoxide
poisoning. "It's very important this time of year because we have
many combustion sources in our homes and really any one of them
can cause a problem, for example heaters can crack," said, Peggy
Jenkins, manager of the Indoor Air Quality Program for the
California Air Resources Board. State law requires every home
with an attached garage or fossil fuel source appliance to have a
functioning carbon monoxide detector or alarm installed.  Carbon
monoxide is a silent killer.
http://www.kfbk.com/articles/kfbk-news-461777/officials-stress-importance-of-carbon-monoxide-13079588/#ixzz3MH8A3CeQ

Air Pollution Exposure in Pregnancy Linked to Autism in Study
Women who are exposed to high levels of air pollution during
their third trimester of pregnancy may be twice as likely to have
an autistic child, a study found. Researchers from the Harvard
School of Public Health found the risk of autism rises in
parallel with exposure to fine particulate matter…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-18/air-pollution-exposure-in-pregnancy-linked-to-autism-in-study.html?hootPostID=73e99b5ae1e1a3bb6db052bceb9858e9

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/us-autism-idUSKBN0JW0B020141218


Bay Area Air Quality Management District approves plan to cut
pollution at oil refineries
Regional air pollution regulators on Wednesday approved a
far-reaching blueprint to cut Bay Area oil refinery emissions by
20 percent. Under the plan, the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District board will consider a package of air pollution rules in
2015 to reduce emissions from five refineries.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_27158619/air-board-approves-plan-cut-pollution-at-oil



CLIMATE CHANGE

Green bonds sell big in 2014 as finance bids to help climate
A "green" bond market has taken root this year, with
municipalities and corporations issuing new
environmentally-focused bonds and money managers jumping in to
buy them. But it's too soon to tell whether all the new activity
- less than a sliver of the $91 trillion worldwide bond market -
will send much new money to projects like efficient buildings and
better water systems. Instead, the new bonds reflect the
complexities of using finance to address issues like climate
change.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/us-bonds-green-junk-insight-idUSKBN0JW0CP20141218


Tropical deforestation threatens global food production – TRFN
Tropical deforestation in the southern hemisphere is accelerating
global warming and threatening world food production by
distorting rainfall patterns across Europe, China and the U.S.
Midwest, a study released on Thursday said. By 2050,
deforestation could lead to a 15 percent drop in rainfall in
tropical regions including the South American Amazon, Southeast
Asia and Central Africa…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/food-climatechange-forests-idUSL6N0U147220141218

Harper Says Alberta Carbon Levy Model May be Worth Broadening
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Alberta’s model for
regulating greenhouse gas emissions may be worth broadening as
the country seeks a “continental response” to energy rules.
Harper, speaking in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation, said Alberta’s model, which imposes a carbon levy of
C$15 ($13.25) a metric ton on large emitters…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-12-17/harper-says-alberta-carbon-levy-model-may-be-worth-broadening.html

Snow Is Down and Heat Is Up in the Arctic, Report Says
The Arctic continues to warm faster than the rest of the globe,
and with greater repercussions, scientists are reporting. The new
findings appear in the Arctic Report Card, first published in
2006 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
updated annually. The report card catalogs the wide-ranging
changes caused by the rising temperatures, in large part driven
by emissions of greenhouse gases. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/science/snow-is-down-and-heat-is-up-in-the-arctic-report-says.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A10%22}&_r=0

Arctic has steep rise in warming this year, with many ripple
effects -- NOAA report
Rising sea surface temperatures. Snow disappearing three to four
weeks earlier in locations like western Alaska. A record low for
reflectivity of the Greenland ice sheet. A tundra that is 20
percent greener than it was in 1982. 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060010761/print 

5 Awesome Things About New York That Will Be Ruined By Climate
Change
...could've picked a better location.    New York City is poised
to bear the brunt of climate change's effects — from rising seas
to shifting temperatures...
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/5-Awesome-Things-About-New-York-That-Will-Be-5963692.php



DROUGHT

Researchers say Calif.'s droughts are caused by absence of very
large storms
Researchers believe they've found a link between California's
recurrent droughts and the absence of very large storms,
according to a study presented here at a meeting of the American
Geophysical Union. The linkage is apparent only in California,
which has a unique and rather simple hydroclimate system compared
to other states. 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060010756/print 

California Drought Continues To Concern Ranchers And Farmers
Paula Getzelman says recent rain brings a deep sigh of relief.
She and her husband run Tre Gatti Vineyards in Monterey County.
"We were extremely nervous in 2014. The harvest was a real nail
biter," saysGetzelman. Production at Tre Gatti was down twenty
percent. Getzelman says she feels luckier than some of her
neighbors who were down thirty percent.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/12/18/california-drought-continues-to-concern-ranchers-and-farmers/



FUELS

TransCanada’s Keystone Fight Turns to Exports on Oil Glut
Russ Girling’s Keystone XL saga is taking a new twist with a
global glut of cheap oil. Americans, including President Barack
Obama, are increasingly questioning whether the pipeline is
needed or if it will just be a corridor for Canadian oil-sands
crude to reach China. Girling’s answer is that the U.S. isn’t
weaning itself off foreign oil anytime soon and that Gulf Coast
refineries will be the buyers, not Asia. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-12-18/transcanada-s-keystone-fight-turns-to-exports-on-oil-glut.html


Exxon Mobil Shows Why U.S. Oil Output Rises as Prices Plunge
Crude oil production from U.S. wells is poised to approach a
42-year record next year as drillers ignore the recent decline in
price pointing them in the opposite direction. U.S. energy
producers plan to pump more crude in 2015 as declining equipment
costs and enhanced drilling techniques more than offset the
collapse in oil markets… 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-18/exxon-mobil-shows-why-u-s-oil-output-rises-as-prices-plummet.html


Enbridge Shuts Oil Pipeline to U.S. After Spill in Canada
Canadian oil supplies to the U.S. Midwest were disrupted after
Enbridge Inc. (ENB) shut a pipeline because of a leak.  The
company isolated its Line 4 pipe at the Regina terminal in
Saskatchewan yesterday after about 1,350 barrels of oil were
released within an on-site pumping station, according to a
statement. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-12-18/enbridge-shuts-oil-pipeline-to-u-s-after-spill-in-canada.html




VEHICLES

California adds new electric-vehicle perk
California’s plug-in electric vehicle drivers are about to get
new financial perks. Members of the California Public Utilities
Commission are scheduled to sign off today on guidelines for an
annual credit against utility bills or a one-time vehicle rebate.
The commission will let individual utilities decide which
incentive to offer. 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/dec/18/electric-vehicles-get-new-perk/


Honda's hydrogen fuel car to make U.S. debut at Detroit auto
show
Joining an increasingly crowded field of automakers producing
zero-emissions alternative fuel vehicles, Honda's FCV
hydrogen-powered concept car is to make its U.S. debut at the
January North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-honda-fuel-cell-car-detroit-20141217-story.html




GREEN ENERGY

Japan Toughens Rules for Renewable Energy Incentive Payments
Japan’s trade ministry is setting stricter rules for production
and sales of renewable energy in what it says is a drive to speed
up development of projects and ensure stable power supply. Japan
introduced a renewable energy incentive program in July 2012
after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, offering some of the
highest rates for solar-produced electricity in the world.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-12-18/japan-toughens-rules-for-renewable-energy-incentive-payments.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/japan-renewables-power-idUSL3N0U22K520141218


Solar Paired With Batteries to Reach $1 Billion in U.S. by 2018
Demand for rooftop solar paired with energy storage systems will
reach $1 billion in the U.S. within four years, according to the
Solar Energy Industries Association. About 318 megawatts of
solar-storage capacity will be in operation in the U.S. by 2018,
the Washington-based industry group said today in a report
produced with GTM Research. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-12-18/solar-paired-with-batteries-to-reach-1-billion-in-u-s-by-2018.html


Calif. releases handbook to speed rooftop solar installations
California is trying to reduce the installation costs of
residential solar with the release of a guidebook that aims to
streamline local government permits. The guidelines target a
longtime bugaboo of residential solar: the "soft costs" of
installations, both for photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060010759/print 

Falling Oil Prices Don’t Give Clean-Energy Stocks the All-Clear
These are dark days for investors in Big Oil. That doesn’t mean
clear skies for investors in clean energy. The sharp plunge in
oil prices has dragged down the share prices of many global
energy giants. But a number of companies that provide
alternatives to fossil fuel have taken a similar hit. U.S. oil
prices have fallen 15% this month through Wednesday, and the
$10.6 billion Vanguard Energy Fund, a mutual fund that holds
shares in large oil and gas producers, has fallen 4.9%. In the
same period, the New Alternatives Fund, one of the largest mutual
funds focused on alternative energy, is down 6.2%.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/falling-oil-prices-dont-give-clean-energy-stocks-the-all-clear-1418925990?KEYWORDS=green+energy



OPINIONS

A truly global summit on climate change
Regarding the Dec. 15 news article, “After 11 days of talks, a
climate agreement”: Delegates from more than 190 countries worked
for two weeks in Lima, Peru, to produce the framework of a
climate-change accord to be signed by world leaders in Paris next
year. Regrettably, Taiwan was excluded from this discussion and
related mechanisms… 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-truly-global-summit-on-climate-change/2014/12/17/e10960b6-84ac-11e4-abcf-5a3d7b3b20b8_story.html


Global-warming true believers are in denial
I have a theory as to why Americans don’t worry all that much
about global warming: High-profile purveyors of climate change
don’t push for reductions in greenhouse gases so much as focus on
berating people who do not agree with their opinions. They call
themselves champions of “the science” — yet focus on ideology
more than tangible results.Their language is downright
evangelical.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/saunders/article/Global-warming-true-believers-are-in-denial-5964057.php


Fracking undercuts climate change, water advances
Gov. Jerry Brown and the other West Coast leaders – Oregon Gov.
John Kitzhaber, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia
Premier Christy Clark – who have pledged to solve global warming
deserve a heartfelt “thank you” from the people of California and
around the world, especially as Congress stalls on climate
change.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article4530609.html

Earley: Think bigger on electric vehicles
Of all history’s surprises in recent years, few have been as
unexpected — or as uplifting — as the incredible about-face in
our country’s energy outlook. In just the last decade,
breakthroughs in areas from natural gas extraction to renewable
power have suddenly put the U.S. in the driver’s seat when it
comes to building a cleaner, more secure energy future for our
kids and grandkids. 
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2014/12/17/tony-earley-electric-vehicles/20499145/




BLOGS

LED Lights
The simple lightbulb is likely to play as big a role in fighting
global warming as windmills, solar panels or electric cars. The
light-emitting diode or LED light has created an energy
revolution, producing a crisp white glow with up to 80 percent
less power than traditional incandescent lamps. The inventors of
the LED were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in October for
creating the blue light needed to complete the color spectrum,
which spawned a new industry in 1997.
http://www.bloombergview.com/quicktake/led-lights 

New cooking method turns manure, corn husks into biofuels
Cooking farm waste - especially 'wet' waste such as corn husks,
tomato vines and manure - can turn it into biofuels to produce
energy, researchers led by an Indian-origin scientist have found.
Dry farm waste, such as wood chips or sawdust, is easier to use
for generating power. Scientists have struggled to find uses for
wet and green waste. 
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/news/auto-technology/new-cooking-method-turns-manure-corn-husks-into-biofuels/articleshow/45561658.cms


Mercedes B-Class Electric Car Cuts Lifetime Carbon Emissions Up
To 64 Percent 
The environmental impact of plug-in electric cars continues to be
the subject of significant discussion and debate among those less
familiar with the technology and its impacts. Virtually all
studies conclude that they use less energy on a well-to-wheels
basis than internal-combustion vehicles--especially when
recharged from low-carbon or renewable sources.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095968_mercedes-b-class-electric-car-cuts-lifetime-carbon-emissions-up-to-64-percent

Electric Cars Get Cleaner, 2016 Chevy Volt On-Demand Regen, 2015
Audi A3 TDI Driven: Today's Car News	
In just one year, electric cars have gotten cleaner. Here's how
they did that.  The 2016 Chevrolet Volt will add on-demand
regenerative braking, allowing the driver to change the degree of
regeneration in different conditions.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095977_electric-cars-get-cleaner-2016-chevy-volt-on-demand-regen-2015-audi-a3-tdi-driven-todays-car-news





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

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