What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for January 6, 2015. **UPDATED WITH BROADER RANGE
OF STORIES**

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

Cap and trade expands to cover gasoline, diesel, but slumping
pump prices hide impact. California's landmark cap-and-trade
program to limit carbon emissions just got bigger. Effective Jan.
1 it expanded to wrap in gasoline and diesel, a move oil
companies have warned would trigger higher pump prices. Fuel
distributors now must buy and submit permits covering greenhouse
gas pollution tied to the fuels they sell.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011157/print 

AIR POLLUTION

Fifth straight Spare the Air alert called as pollutants linger in
the Bay Area. Unhealthy air will linger over the Bay Area on
Tuesday for a fifth consecutive day -- and possibly longer -- as
weather conditions trap smoke and other pollutants near the
ground. The latest Spare the Air alert, called for Tuesday,
extends a wood-burning ban another day because of predicted
concentrations of ultra-fine particles. They form a thick haze in
the air.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_27262190/fifth-straight-spare-air-alert-called-pollutants-linger


Drop in Winds Restricts Wood Burning in Sacramento County. With a
very stagnant air mass over Northern California, wood burning was
prohibited in Sacramento County over the weekend, and on again
Monday. The “stage two, all burning prohibited” restriction is
expected to continue through at least Wednesday. San Joaquin and
Stanislaus Counties have also placed restrictions on wood burning
during this same period, though they have allowed burning in
registered clean-burning devices.
http://fox40.com/2015/01/05/drop-in-winds-restricts-wood-burning-in-sacramento-county/


Calif. judge orders L.A. to control dust from dried-up lake. A
California Superior Court judge has ordered the city of Los
Angeles to control additional dust pollution from a dried-up lake
that it diverted water from more than a century ago. Sacramento
Superior Court Judge Shellyanne Chang issued a decision Dec. 30
ordering the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to control
dust on a 48.6-square-mile area of Owens Lake…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060011106/print 

EPA proposes to keep existing lead standard. U.S. EPA is
proposing to retain the national air quality standard for lead
after a review of scientific data on the public health effects
tied to exposure. In a Federal Register notice published today,
the agency said it would keep the existing standard of 0.15
microgram per cubic meter. EPA will accept public comment on the
proposal until April 6.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060011084/feed 

CLIMATE CHANGE

California governor toughens climate-change goals.  As he was
sworn in for a record fourth term, Gov. Jerry Brown charted an
ambitious new goal on Monday for California in its fight against
climate change, challenging the nation's most populous state to
increase renewable energy use to 50 percent in the next 15 years.
Brown, a Democrat, specifically called for the state to increase
renewable electricity sources…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_GOVERNOR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/05/us/ap-us-california-governor.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A9%22}&_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/us/california-governor-focuses-on-energy-consumption-as-final-term-begins.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A9%22}

http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-brown-inauguration-20150106-story.html#page=1

http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-jerry-brown-fourth-inauguration-california-20150105-story.html

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article5448294.html

http://www.bna.com/california-gov-brown-n17179921841/ 

Australia swelters through its third-hottest year in 2014.
Australia sweltered through its third-hottest year on record in
2014, following a record hot 2013, weather authorities reported
Tuesday. The southern spring from September through November last
year was Australia's hottest on record, the government's Bureau
of Meteorology said in its annual climate statement.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_HOT_YEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2015-01-06/australias-wildfires-are-getting-worse-because-of-climate-change


Big threat for Obama's climate efforts from GOP-run Congress.
President Barack Obama's determined efforts to combat global
warming face their biggest trial yet as Republicans take full
control of Congress this week. The GOP vows to move fast and
forcefully to roll back his environmental rules and force his
hand on energy development.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_REPUBLICANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Green benefactor Tom Steyer gives high marks to Brown's climate
push. Climate change crusader Tom Steyer watched Gov. Jerry
Brown's swearing-in Monday morning from the gallery of the
Assembly chamber -- and he liked what he saw. Brown dedicated a
significant portion of his inaugural address to environmental
policy, particularly setting new goals to reduce the state's
carbon emissions.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-tom-steyer-inaugural-20150105-story.html


DROUGHT

Citing drought, San Luis Obispo County town rushes desalination
plant. California's drought declaration has triggered only local
limits such as restrictions on washing cars or watering lawns for
most communities, but one Pacific Coast tourist town has seized
it as an opportunity to build a long-desired desalination plant. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27261242/citing-drought-san-luis-obispo-county-town-rushes


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

CARB offers free classes on California emissions compliance. The
New Year brings additional emissions requirements for trucks
operating in California. To address the state’s multiple
emissions regulations, the California Air Resources Board is
hosting multiple free classes to help truck owners and drivers
comply, including a class that can be viewed remotely. One course
will be offered online by webinar.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=28285#.VKwJ1RamOa8 


Placer County Grant Program Targets Air Pollution. The goal of
the Clean Air Grant program is to reduce criteria pollutant
emissions, nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), from
sources not already required by law or regulation to do so. This
program is a proactive approach to help incentivize clean
technologies and programs which ultimately provide the benefit of
measurable and cost effective emission reductions.
http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templates/community_news.asp?articleid=13716&zoneid=4


FUELS

US stocks turn lower; price of crude oil extends its decline.
Stocks are extending a slump from the day before as the price of
crude oil continues to slide. Crude fell sharply in midday
trading Tuesday and is now well below $50 a barrel. That has
traders worried that the global economy may be slowing and that
energy companies could slash their spending and cut jobs as
revenue dwindles.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FINANCIAL_MARKETS_US_MIDDAY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Oil’s Fall Continues Into 2015, and Stock Markets Shudder. Oil
prices tumbled below $50 a barrel on Monday, spooking global
financial markets and signaling that the remarkable 50 percent
price drop since June was continuing this year and even
quickening. The new drop in American and global benchmarks of
more than 5 percent was accompanied by reports of increased
Middle Eastern oil exports…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/business/oils-fall-continues-to-below-50-a-barrel.html?_r=0


Natural Gas No Savior for Investors Seeking Oil Refuge. A warm
start to winter is disappointing investors who bet U.S. natural
gas producers would offer a refuge from falling oil prices. Gas
companies including Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN) and Range
Resources Corp. (RRC) have fallen by more than 40 percent since
June. That’s similar to the decrease experienced in the past six
months by companies producing mainly oil...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-06/natural-gas-no-savior-for-investors-seeking-oil-refuge.html


Is the Time Right for a Gas-Tax Hike? As gas prices continue to
fall, policy wonks are eyeing a potential increase in the federal
gas tax. But will there be a political opening for an increase?
Drivers across the U.S. are now filling up their gas tanks for
less than $2 a gallon, a trend that has been driven by plummeting
prices for crude oil. Low gas prices are prompting calls for an
increase in the country's 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gasoline.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/policy/insiders/energy/is-the-time-right-for-a-gas-tax-hike-20150105


Gas Prices Continue Dive As Crude Oil Falls Below $50 Per Barrel.
Drivers are rejoicing after the price of crude oil dropped again
Monday, signaling another fall for gas prices. Crude oil slipped
to below $50 per barrel for the first time in five years, and
experts predict prices at the pump could remain in the range of
$2 per gallon into the spring. The dwindling numbers are tied to
a global glut and a sharp decline in crude oil, now priced at
nearly half of what it was a year ago.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/01/05/gas-prices-continue-dive-as-crude-oil-falls-below-50-per-barrel/


Clean Energy Sells Majority Stake in Biomethane Facility. Clean
Energy Fuels sold a majority interest in the McCommas Bluff
biomethane production facility to minority interest owner
Cambrian Energy. The interest was sold for $40.6 million to
Cambrian Energy, which had partnered with Clean Energy on the
Dallas-Texas-based project in 2008. Clean Energy will receive
approximately $3 million in additional compensation pending
further performance tests of the McCommas Bluff facility…
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2015/01/clean-energy-sells-controlling-interest-in-biomethane-facility.aspx


Calif. court strikes down industry-favored referendum language. 
A California court last week struck down contentious wording in a
ballot initiative that would ban new oil and gas wells in La
Habra Heights, a city of 5,300 in Los Angeles County.
Environmentalists campaigned for the referendum last year, but
say city officials bowed to industry in agreeing to change the
language of the measure.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060011139/print 

Changes afoot for low-carbon fuel standard. California is
considering an array of changes to its pioneering carbon standard
for transportation fuels. The California Air Resources Board
(ARB) released an updated version of its low-carbon fuel standard
(LCFS) Tuesday that envisions extending the policy through 2030
and would also ease the current annual carbon reduction targets
for fuel suppliers.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/01/05/stories/1060011059 

EPA tentatively OKs biomass sorghum to be included in RFS. U.S.
EPA has given biofuels produced from biomass sorghum -- a
high-yield type of grass -- a tentative green light to be
included in the renewable fuel standard. In a Federal Register
notice Dec. 31, the agency said that its analysis of lifecycle
greenhouse gas emissions from biomass sorghum biofuels shows that
they could be eligible for the highest tier in the RFS.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060011093/print 

VEHICLES

Toyota Fuel Cells, Google, Dotcom: Intellectual Property. Toyota
Motor Corp. (7203), maker of the Prius hybrid car, said it will
make about 5,680 patents related to fuel cell technology
available royalty-free through 2020. In a speech yesterday at the
2015 Consumer Electronics Show, Senior Vice President Bob Carter
of Toyota Motor Sales said the company is making the patents
available to “speed the development of new technologies…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-06/toyota-fuel-cells-pabst-google-dotcom-intellectual-property.html


Carmakers Finish Strong in 2014; Are Even Better Days Ahead?
Confident in the economy and cheered by cheap gas, Americans are
likely to push new car sales to their highest level in a decade
this year. Analysts expect sales to reach 17 million for the
first time since 2005. That's close to the record of 17.3 million
set in 2000. Low gas prices are giving buyers more confidence. 
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/05/us/ap-us-auto-sales.html
 

California to begin work on nation's first bullet train.
California's high-speed rail project reaches a milestone Tuesday
as officials mark the start of work on the nation's first bullet
train, which is designed to whisk travelers at 200 mph between
Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than three hours.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article5482341.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/article/20150106/NEWS/150109716 
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27486 
http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/01/06/california-to-begin-work-on-nations-first-bullet-train


Owners of BMW electric cars get paid not to drive. Some Bay Area
drivers of the BMW i3 electric hatchback may soon qualify for an
odd perk — getting paid to delay recharging their cars. Drivers
who participate in the German automaker’s new i ChargeForward
program will receive up to $1,540 in return for letting BMW delay
the recharging process whenever California’s electricity grid
faces a heavy strain.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Owners-of-BMW-electric-cars-get-paid-not-to-drive-5995359.php


GREEN ENERGY

New Congress Grapples With Energy Issues. Legislation approving
the Keystone XL pipeline, which lawmakers will take up as soon as
this week, will open the first broad debate on energy policy in
Congress in eight years and give the new Republican majority a
chance to push for significant changes to President Barack
Obama’s agenda. 
http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-congress-grapples-with-energy-issues-1420515420
 

Gov. Brown revives Manuel Pérez’s renewable energy plan. A
locally authored plan to dramatically increase the state’s
renewable energy goals is regaining momentum, as part of a series
of ambitious goals California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to achieve
in the next 15 years. Brown, who delivered his inaugural address
on Monday, called on California to increase the amount of
electricity derived from renewable sources from one-third to 50
percent.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/tech/science/greenenergy/2015/01/05/brown-renewable-energy-goals/21311419/


Texas, Calif. throw their weight around on power plant
regulations. The caricatures of the swaggering, independent Texan
and the elitist, trend-setting Californian are on full display in
the otherwise dry, technical comments the two major economic
drivers submitted on U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan. The states have
unapologetically taken starkly different routes in transitioning
to a cleaner energy future…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/01/05/stories/1060011064 

Punitive solar tariffs against China may shrink. Chinese solar
manufacturers whose products have been subject to stiff U.S.
tariffs for two years could see those penalties reduced by nearly
half this spring after the Commerce Department found the degree
of illegal dumping by Chinese firms between 2012 and 2013 was
lower than previously estimated.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011137/print 

Tropical forests appear to take in more CO2 as emissions rise.
The world's tropical forests -- responding to carbon dioxide as
the Incredible Hulk responds to anger -- might be getting bigger,
greener and more powerful as the globe adjusts to rising
greenhouse gas emissions. Climate scientists have long debated
whether tropical rainforests are taking in more CO2 as emissions
rise… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011141/print


OPINIONS

EPA Has Followed the Law on the Clean Power Plan. our proposal
sets up a national framework that gives states the power to chart
their own customized path to meet the carbon-dioxide-emissions
targets proposed for each state. In regard to Laurence H. Tribe’s
Dec. 23 op-ed “The Clean Power Plan Is Unconstitutional”: When
Prof. Tribe cites Justice Jackson as saying that “ours is a
government of laws,”…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-has-followed-the-law-on-the-clean-power-plan-letters-to-the-editor-1420408715


Alaska's warm year is a bad sign for the climate. To the editor:
The article reporting the record warm year in Alaska sounds like
a weather story. It's not. A good chunk of Alaska is part of the
Arctic, global warming's canary in the coal mine. ("Alaska's
toasty temperatures in 2014 worry observers," Jan. 2) According
to the Natural Resources Defense Council, "Average temperatures
in the Arctic region are rising twice as fast as they are
elsewhere in the world."
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0106-tuesday-alaska-climate-change-20150106-story.html


Carbon fee and dividend: a win-win for consumers and the planet.
To the editor: In its wishes for 2015, The Times suggested that
we should decrease gasoline prices to help consumers or increase
them to provide incentives for developing cleaner fuels. The
Times wished we could do both. ("Our wishes for 2015," Editorial,
Jan. 1) Through fees levied on carbon emitters at the source (oil
fields, coal mines and so on, as well as a fee for incoming
carbon emitters)…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0104-newsunday-new-years-20150104-story.html


Jerry Brown offers big plan to cut gasoline use, details to come
later. In an inaugural speech seemingly calibrated for a national
audience, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday set forth a lofty goal:
reduce California petroleum use by 50 percent by 2030, a mere 15
years from now. Brown left unanswered how to achieve the
ambitious goal in a state where the car culture still dominates.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article5472657.html#storylink=cpy


EDITORIAL: Brown challenges car culture in inaugural speech. In
an inaugural speech Monday seemingly aimed at a national
audience, Gov. Jerry Brown set forth a lofty goal: Reduce
California’s petroleum use by 50% in 15 years. He left unanswered
how to achieve the ambitious goal in a state where the car
culture dominates. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/05/4315756_editorial-brown-challenges-car.html?sp=/99/274/&rh=1#storylink=cpy


Recycling deal on front burner. The Humboldt Waste Management
Authority’s recycling contract, signed in 2011 with Solid Waste
of Willits expires in 2016. The HWMA has begun a Request For
Proposals (RFP) process which will inform potential contractors
about desired operation attributes and be used to score and rank
proposals. A final RFP will be released in approximately July
2015 and a contract awarded in the fall 2015.
http://www.times-standard.com/article/20141230/LOCAL1/141239996 

BLOGS

Two Ways Infrared Cameras Have Boosted the Case for E.P.A. Rules
Cutting Methane Leaks. I first realized the enormous value of
infrared imagery in pollution detection in 2009, when I co-wrote
“Curbing Emissions by Sealing Gas Leaks” with Clifford Krauss. In
the related Dot Earth post, I included some remarkable video shot
for the Environmental Protection Agency showing the difference
between…
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/two-ways-infrared-cameras-have-boosted-the-case-for-e-p-a-rules-cutting-methane-leaks/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=pollution&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs®ion=Body


Legalize ferrets or fight climate change? Quite a dilemma. Robert
Hertzberg, the former speaker and newly elected state senator,
has a big idea: extending California’s sales tax to services,
generating $10 billion a year, and giving a break to low-income
working stiffs. Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, nearing the end
of her tenure in the Legislature, hopes to expand AB 32…
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article5284155.html#storylink=cpy
   

California’s cap-and-trade program now covers cars. After a long
PR battle between oil industry lobbyists and California’s
regulatory agencies, the state’s cap-and-trade program was
extended on Jan. 1, on schedule, to cover companies that sell
fuel to drivers. That means fuel retailers will have to either
provide lower-carbon fuels or buy permits for the pollution their
products put into the air.
http://grist.org/news/californias-cap-and-trade-program-now-covers-cars/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed&utm_reader=feedly


Clean And Dirty: The 30-Under-30 In Energy. It’s always a
challenge to find a new set of nominees for Forbes’ 30-Under-30
list in energy. This despite the fact that the “energy industry”
is quite likely the biggest in the world. According to the
International Energy Agency, keeping the people of the world
supplied with energy in all its forms costs about $1.7 trillion a
year. (That’s double what we spent in 2000.)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2015/01/05/clean-and-dirty-the-30-under-30-in-energy/


Larry Summers Calls For A Carbon Tax Now That Oil Prices Have
Fallen. There’s rather a joy at being ahead of the crowd and when
that following crowd is an economist and public policy maker of
the calibre of Larry Summers it’s really very enjoyable indeed.
And that’s the position I find myself in today as Larry Summers
has come out and said that the recent fall in the oil price makes
this a great time to institute a proper carbon tax.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/01/05/larry-summers-calls-for-a-carbon-tax-now-that-oil-prices-have-fallen/


California Governor calls for 50% reduction in petroleum use in
cars and trucks from today’s levels by 2030. In his inaugural
address delivered today in Sacramento, re-elected California
Governor Jerry Brown set out three major environmental goals for
the next 15 years, to 2030: reducing today’s petroleum use in
cars and trucks by up to 50%; increasing renewable electricity
levels from one-third to 50%; and doubling the efficiency of
existing buildings and making heating fuels cleaner.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/01/20150105-brown.html 

Plug-In Electric Car Sales Continue Rise In 2014: 100,000-Plus
Last Year: MORE UPDATES.  Plug-in electric car sales for calendar
year 2014 rose above the 100,000 level, the third annual increase
in full-year sales in the U.S. since modern electric cars first
went on sale in December 2010. The highest-selling electric car
in the world, the Nissan Leaf, set a new U.S. record for plug-in
sales of a single vehicle in one year …
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096120_plug-in-electric-car-sales-continue-rise-in-2014-100000-plus-delivered-this-year


ChargePoint To Release Home Charging Station For Electric Cars.
ChargePoint, which operates a network of public charging stations
for plug-in electric cars, announced today that it would offer a
home charging station this summer. The ChargePoint Home, as it's
logically dubbed, has a sleek modern design--and it's compact, at
only about the size of a tablet device, the company says.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096126_chargepoint-to-release-home-charging-station-for-electric-cars





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