What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for March 11, 2015. 

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

Duke Energy fined $25 million over coal ash pollution. North
Carolina environmental officials said Tuesday that they are
fining Duke Energy $25 million over pollution that has been
seeping into groundwater for years from a pair of coal ash pits
at a retired power plant. The state Department of Environment and
Natural Resources called it the state's largest penalty for
environmental damages.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COAL_ASH_FINE_NORTH_CAROLINA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


EPA chief hits back at states that 'just say no' to carbon rule.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on
Wednesday warned opponents that the agency will enforce
regulations to slash carbon emissions from power plants even if
states choose not to cooperate. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy
hit back at lawmakers who have called on state officials to
ignore federal deadlines to submit plans to comply with the
agency's Clean Power Plan…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/11/usa-climate-epa-idUSL1N0WD1KM20150311


Delhi to Delay Release of Air Quality Data. This megacity’s
modest effort to warn residents about unhealthy spikes in air
pollution levels will soon end after a government decision to
delay releasing the data by at least a day, ostensibly to
authenticate it. “The unified system, expected to be in position
in maximum two weeks’ time, will ensure authentic air quality
information of Delhi to public at large…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/world/asia/delhi-to-delay-release-of-air-quality-data.html


State Senate leader urges regulators to close Exide plant in
Vernon. California's senate leader is demanding that state
regulators immediately close and begin cleaning up an embattled
Vernon battery recycling plant that has spewed lead and arsenic
into surrounding neighborhoods over decades of operation.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-exide-violations-20150310-story.html


GOP senators raise 'red flags' over EPA ozone analysis.
Republican members of the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee yesterday raised what they called six "red flags" about
U.S. EPA's cost estimates of a recent proposal to tighten the
national ozone standard. Among the issues raised by the GOP
senators: EPA allegedly used inflated base-line controls, put an
arbitrary cap on known pollution control costs…
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060014813/feed 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Cardinal indicates themes of pope's climate change document. A
Vatican official who helped write a first draft of Pope Francis'
upcoming encyclical on climate change acknowledged disagreement
over the causes of global warming but said "what is not contested
is that our planet is getting warmer" and Christians have a duty
rooted in "ancient biblical teaching" to address the problem.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_POPE_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-bc-eu--pope-climate-change-20150310-story.html


Group wants probe of whether Fla. banned climate-change talk. Did
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's administration ban state environmental
scientists from using the terms "climate change" and "global
warming" in their work? Scott says no, but some former employees
say supervisors forbade them from using the terms - a striking
charge in a U.S. state considered by climate scientists to be one
of the most at risk of damage due to sea rise…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FLORIDA_GOVERNOR_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=392263831 

Kochs say no to Dems' probe into climate research funding. The
industrial conglomerate run by the billionaire brothers Charles
and David Koch is refusing to provide Democratic lawmakers with
information on whether it has paid for climate change research.
Last month, three Democratic senators sent 100 letters to an
assortment of fossil-fuel companies and organizations...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_KOCH_INDUSTRIES_CLIMATE_SCIENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


China's Chongqing cuts carbon permit supply. Companies obliged to
reduce their carbon emissions in China's pilot carbon exchange in
Chongqing will be allocated a smaller number of permits for 2014,
with the government tightening its grip on the market to tackle
climate change. Market regulators in the southwestern city of
Chongqing handed out 116 million 2014 permits early this month…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/10/china-carbon-chongqing-idUSL4N0WC3OU20150310


Why a changing climate could destroy the world’s oldest mummies.
Some seven millennia ago or more, a group of people called the
Chinchorro lived along the coasts of northern Chile and southern
Peru. Their lives revolved around fishing from the rich Pacific
waters, even as a uniquely arid desert — the Atacama — lay inland
behind them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/09/why-a-changing-climate-could-destroy-some-of-the-worlds-oldest-mummies/


As Climate Wars Heat Up, Some Skeptics Are Targets. Scientists
who warn that the earth's climate is changing have been subjected
to hacking, investigations, and even court action in recent
years. That ire usually comes from conservative groups and
climate skeptics seeking to discredit the research findings. Now
it appears that liberals and environmentalists may be using some
of the same tactics against the handful of scientists who either
deny climate change outright, or think the risks are not as great
as stated.
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/10/391253086/as-climate-wars-heat-up-some-skeptics-are-targets


Major new cuts eyed for greenhouse gases. Nearly a decade after
California’s landmark law curbing greenhouse gases was signed, a
key author of AB 32 wants to dramatically boost the crackdown on
climate-changing carbon emissions over the next 35 years. The
principal author of that legislation, Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura
Hills, has introduced a new bill, SB 32…
http://capitolweekly.net/greenhouse-gases-cut-legislation-california/


State regulators to tell senators they need more flexibility on
carbon rule. State regulators will offer senators varied insights
Wednesday on the proposed federal rule to slash carbon emissions
at existing power plants, with Wisconsin warning of potential
economic consequences and California seeking more flexibility
from the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://energyguardian.net/state-regulators-tell-senators-they-need-more-flexibility-carbon-rule


Climate change could be good news for gray whales. The gray whale
may turn out to be one of the winners in a warmer world. Until a
few hundred years ago, gray whales thrived in the Atlantic ocean,
but then mysteriously went extinct. A new study published Tuesday
suggests that rising sea temperatures due to climate change could
help them return to their old habitat once again.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-could-be-good-news-for-gray-whales/


Why Care about Global Warming? Droughts, Poor Harvests, and
Social Upheaval
Like it? In both industrialized countries and developing
countries there may be those who ask “why should we care about
global warming?”  After all, many people may not feel that they
are affected by warming, and may pay scant attention to reports
showing the effects of extreme weather and climate events.
http://theenergycollective.com/henry-auer/2203036/why-care-about-global-warming-droughts-poor-harvests-and-social-upheaval


Climate sceptics attempt to block Merchants of Doubt film.
Climate denier Fred Singer lobbied fellow sceptics to create a
backlash, and proposed legal action, against the film that
exposes industry’s role in manipulating US debate on climate
change. On screen, the man widely regarded as the grandfather of
climate denial appears a genial participant in a newly-released
expose about industry’s efforts to block action on global
warming.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/11/climate-sceptics-attempt-to-block-merchants-of-doubt-film


 Ark. joins legal fight against EPA's carbon rule. Arkansas has
joined 13 states that are asking the courts to block U.S. EPA's
Clean Power Plan, following a Republican takeover of the
governor's and attorney general's offices in January. In a
statement, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said the
draft rule for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the power
sector…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060014826/print 

How ambitious of a plan will the U.S. submit to global climate
talks? As the Obama administration puts the final touches on its
submission for a new global climate deal, international leaders
and environmental activists say they expect the United States to
set an example for the rest of the world. The numbers that the
United States will offer up are no secret: Already, the
administration has pledged it will cut America's greenhouse gas
emissions…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060014829/print 

Melting Arctic sea ice may expand range of gray whales. While
polar bears and walruses struggle to survive in a rapidly
changing climate, gray whales could make a comeback in the
Atlantic Ocean. Gray whales disappeared from the Atlantic several
hundred years ago, but two recent sightings in the Atlantic and a
new study from the City University of New York (CUNY)…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060014811/print

DROUGHT

As official data dries up, Zimbabwe's farmers gauge rainfall
themselves. Two months after the first rains fell in Zunzanyika
village last autumn, tensions were high. The rains - which mark
the start of the planting season - had disappeared as quickly as
they had come, and crops planted in October failed to germinate.
But unlike many of the smallholder farmers in his village,
Takesure Chikata never panicked.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/11/zimbabwe-rainfall-idUSL5N0WC3LM20150311


Bureaucratic infighting hampers action on droughts: U.N.
official. Infighting between competing government departments has
weakened the world's ability to tackle droughts, a U.N. official
said as scientists meet at an international conference in Mexico
this week to discuss desertification. Most governments do not
have a separate ministry to handle issues related to water,
droughts or land management…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/10/us-food-climatechange-disaster-idUSKBN0M60XF20150310

Reservoirs for East Bay water users near 38-year lows. Levels at
Sierra reservoirs that supply water for 1.3 million East Bay
customers are as low as they’ve been in nearly 40 years, and it
could take a miracle to make them better before the onset of the
long dry season, officials were told Tuesday. The East Bay
Municipal Utility District reservoirs contain less than half the
water they usually do at this time of year.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Reservoirs-for-East-Bay-water-users-near-40-year-6126613.php?t=746d0d813f00af33be&cmpid=twitter-premium


Despite Drought, Not Time For Drastic Measures. Here in
California it can be frustrating to see the East Coast and
Midwest buried in snow while the west remains bone dry. But the
news can be hard to avoid. Snow piling up so high, cities are
struggling to get rid of it, while the west remains stormless.
Seems like a waste. Surely there's a way some of that extra snow
can be moved to where it's needed.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/03/11/despite-drought,-not-time-for-drastic-measures/


Big water rate hike plan reduced by Santa Clara Valley Water
District. Facing a public outcry and some skepticism from their
board of directors, the top staff of the Silicon Valley's largest
drinking water provider on Tuesday suggested reducing a proposed
drought-related water rate hike this year from 31 percent to 19
percent.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_27687593/california-drought-big-water-rate-hike-plan-reduced


LUMBER LIQUIDATORS/FORMALDEHYDE

Consolidation sought for Lumber Liquidators lawsuits. A
California lawyer is seeking to consolidate 10 proposed class
actions filed by consumers claiming that Chinese-made flooring
products sold by Lumber Liquidators contained excessive levels of
formaldehyde. On Monday, San Diego-based attorney Ronald Marron
asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to
transfer Lumber Liquidators litigation to the…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/10/products-lumber-mdls-idUSL1N0WC29J20150310


Homeowners Try to Assess Risks From Chemical in Floors.
Installing a new wood floor is usually about aesthetics: brown or
black? Glossy or matte? Now, some Americans and businesses are
grappling with another feature: formaldehyde. Uneasy consumers
have flooded state and federal safety agencies with inquiries
about Lumber Liquidators, the discount flooring retailer accused
in a “60 Minutes” episode of selling laminate wood with high
levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/business/homeowners-try-to-assess-risks-from-chemical-in-floors.html?_r=1


Embattled Lumber Liquidators says it has enough cash for
‘foreseeable future’ Lumber Liquidators shareholders will get
their first look on Thursday at how the hardwood floor retailer
is dealing with the fallout from a damaging “60 Minutes” report.
The Toano, Va.-based company said Tuesday it will discuss the
safety of its products, its outlook for the first quarter and its
liquidity during a conference call with investors.
http://nypost.com/2015/03/10/embattled-lumber-liquidators-says-it-has-enough-cash-for-foreseeable-future/


Lumber Liquidators Stock Soars as Investors Question '60 Minutes'
Report. A growing number of hedge funds and large investors are
questioning the methodology behind CBS' “60 minutes” report that
suggested Lumber Liquidators' (LL) laminate flooring product has
high levels of the cancer-causing toxin formaldehyde. In recent
days, the stock has been pummeled since the network's expose, the
FOX Business Network has learned.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/03/11/lumber-liquidators-stock-soars-as-investors-question-60-minutes-report/


Has Lumber Liquidators finally found a floor? On a day when the
broad market was battered, beaten-down Lumber Liquidators LL
jumped as much as 14% in early Tuesday trading, ahead of a
Thursday conference call with Wall Street analysts to discuss its
current woes and offer first-quarter earnings and revenue
guidance. Shares ended the session up 6% to $29.58.
http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2015/03/10/has-lumber-liquidators-finally-found-a-floor/


Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc (NYSE:LL) Sets Date To Put
Records Straight. Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc (NYSE:LL) is
not willing to take the attacks on the quality of its products
lying down. The company has decided to act with the date set on
March 12 for what it calls Business Update. Lumber intends to use
the opportunity to set the records straight about its liquidity
and claims that its flooring products contain higher levels of
toxin.
http://www.usmarketsdaily.com/lumber-liquidators-holdings-inc-nysell-sets-date-to-put-records-straight-10231


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Cruise Lines Are Urged to Cut Fuel Emissions. Operators of some
of the world’s biggest cruise ships are facing calls to bring
their fuel emissions while at Asia-Pacific ports into line with
stricter air-quality standards in the U.S. and Europe. Many
popular destinations, including Singapore, Australia and several
of the Pacific Islands, apply international maritime guidelines
restricting ships’ emissions of sulfur…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/cruise-lines-are-urged-to-cut-fuel-emissions-1426090406


FUELS

Coal Assets Abound for Those Willing to Bet on Rebound: Real M&A.
 For patient investors brave enough to call a bottom on coal, now
may be the time to invest in the estimated $15 billion of mines
up for grabs. Coal has lost more than half its value in the past
four years. Expanding production and an economic slowdown in
China, the largest market for the fuel, created a supply glut.
Now Glencore Plc, the world’s biggest shipper of power-station
coal…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-10/coal-assets-abound-for-those-willing-to-bet-on-rebound-real-m-a


Biofuels Group to Ask Congress for Revamped Renewable Fuel
Standards. Biofuels companies have been pressured by lower oil
prices and regulatory uncertainty. Companies that make
alternative fuels, pressured by lower oil prices and regulatory
uncertainty, are launching a push for legislation to make it more
likely fledgling segments of the biofuels industry can survive.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/biofuels-group-to-ask-congress-for-revamped-renewable-fuel-standards-1426071642

California Regulators Say Lax Oversight Allowed Oil-Industry
Contamination. California regulators on Tuesday acknowledged lax
oversight by the state had allowed oil and gas industry
contamination of protected water aquifers and other threats to
public safety, and they pledged to intensify protection of water
sources and public health.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/california-regulators-say-lax-oversight-allowed-oil-industry-contamination-1426025444

 
China’s push to cut coal use may be bad news for U.S. exporters.
As its national legislature adjourns this week, China has
signaled it intends to further lower coal consumption, reducing
pollution but also rocking coal-export industries from Australia
to the Pacific Northwest. China is the world’s largest energy
user, with an economy heavily dependent on cheap, coal-generated
power.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/03/11/4420648_chinas-push-to-cut-coal-use-may.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


BioMass Module Reduces Plant CO2 Emissions 85%. MARG Energy,
which converts CO2 emissions into algae that can then be used by
the fuel, food and pharmaceutical industries, says its technology
can help power plants, smokestacks, businesses and schools reduce
CO2 emissions by 85 percent. The company says the US algae
marketplace is estimated at $400 billion, and $12 trillion
globally.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/03/11/biomass-module-reduces-plant-co2-emissions-85/#ixzz3U6BnwTUi


VEHICLES

Tesla battery swap at Harris Ranch? Not quite. Rumors, news
reports and social media posts suggest that Tesla Motors has
opened a battery swap facility at its Harris Ranch, Calif.,
supercharger station. It is said to be capable of replacing the
battery in a Model S electric sedan in under three minutes. Not
exactly. A battery swap facility has opened next to the
Tesla-branded supercharger, at the famed gas-and-grub motorists'…
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-battery-swap-harris-ranch-20150310-story.html
 

Have diesel cars been unfairly demonised for air pollution? The
car industry on Wednesday launched a campaign to “challenge the
increasing demonisation of diesel” vehicles. The campaign,
launched by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
(SMMT), promotes the credentials of the new Euro-6 standards.
This Europe-wide law, which will come into force in September,
limits nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new diesel cars to
80mg/km in order to bring down air pollution levels that breach
health regulations in many EU cities.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/11/have-diesel-cars-been-unfairly-demonised-for-air-pollution


GREEN ENERGY

US, California modify area for renewable energy plants. The state
and federal governments will move forward on less than half the
California desert land initially designated for renewable energy
plants, officials said Tuesday, leaving millions of acres in
limbo as local governments decide how they want to handle
large-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_RENEWABLE_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/03/10/us/ap-us-california-renewable-energy.html


US lifts sanctions on Belarus energy company. The United States
is lifting sanctions on a Belarus energy company, underscoring a
thaw in relations in the wake of Minsk's key role in negotiations
over Ukraine. The US announced online that it was lifting
sanctions against Belorusneft that were implemented in 2011 in
response to the company's announcement that it would begin work
in Iran.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BELARUS_SANCTIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Solar plane pilots urge India to support clean energy drive. The
Swiss pilots of a solar-powered airplane on a historic
round-the-world journey said Wednesday that they want the people
of India to support their campaign for clean energy, a day after
the aircraft landed in the country.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOLAR_PLANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Greek minister: government opposes energy privatizations.
Greece's energy and environment minister says his new government
is "radically opposed" to the privatization of "strategic sectors
and businesses," particularly in the energy and infrastructure
sectors. Speaking at an energy conference in Athens on Wednesday,
Panagiotis Lafazanis said he didn't understand why privatizations
"have become synonymous with reforms" for some.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GREECE_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Germany seeks to boost renewable sources of heating. Germany's
government set out changes to subsidy guidelines on Wednesday to
try and boost the renewable sources of energy used to heat
buildings and offices as it strives to avoid missing its
ambitious climate targets. Renewable sources of energy accounted
for almost 28 percent of Germany's electricity last year, but
only 9.9 percent of its heating, far below a target for a 14
percent share by 2020.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/11/us-germany-energy-heating-idUSKBN0M717J20150311


Desert renewable energy plan is altered to win counties' support.
The California desert may be a green energy developer's dream,
but county officials have serious concerns about a plan to manage
renewable energy projects on 22 million acres of the state's
sunniest public and private lands. In an effort to maintain
county support, state and federal sponsors of the Desert
Renewable Energy Conservation Plan…
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0311-desert-20150311-story.html

http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/03/11/50293/public-opposition-forces-retooling-for-california/


Turning San Diego’s Electrical Grid Into 100% Renewable Energy.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s Climate Action Plan calls for
many changes to the way we live day to day — everything from
reducing car use to boosting recycling. But one of its biggest
goals is making the city's electrical grid use only renewable
energy by 2035. Renewable energy means power that comes from
sources that don’t deplete over time, including solar power…
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/mar/10/turning-san-diego-electrical-grid-renewable-energy/
 

Nicaragua's Renewable Energy Revolution Picks Up Steam. Nicaragua
produces no oil, but is a land of fierce winds, tropical sun and
rumbling volcanoes. In other words, it's a renewable energy
paradise — and today the Central American nation is moving
quickly to become a green energy powerhouse.
http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=392111931 

First Solar, SunPower joint venture will own rooftop systems.
First Solar and SunPower, the two largest U.S. solar-panel
manufacturers, said their joint venture will own a stake in
residential rooftop systems in addition to large-scale projects
in California and Maryland. 8point3 Energy Partners will hold 432
megawatts in total
capacity…http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_27685388/first-solar-sunpower-joint-venture-will-own-rooftop


U.S. has a 15% share of trillion-dollar global clean energy
market, report finds. The United States commanded a 15 percent
share of the $1.3 trillion global market for advanced energy
systems in 2014, with revenue in this sector growing at five
times the rate as the economy as a whole, according to a report,
released yesterday.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060014827/print 

Discredited Solar Warming Theory Still Has a Long Reach. Climate
contrarian Willie Soon has been one of the most influential
promoters of the idea that 'isn't even remotely credible.' The
widely discredited theory that natural solar cycles are driving
global warming has been part of the national conversation
surrounding climate change for years…
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/11032015/discredited-solar-global-warming-theory-still-has-long-reach-climate-change-skeptic-willie-soon-inhofe

Report sees big gains from moving to renewables as SolarCity
unveils new plan. Texas could realize billions of dollars in
savings if more power generation made the transition toward
alternatives such as wind and solar while moving away from coal,
Public Citizen said yesterday in a new report. The study came the
same day SolarCity Corp. announced a new program for consumers
who want to produce electricity…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060014831/print

Energy development in eastern U.S. may jeopardize 5.4M acres of
forest – report. A swath of eastern U.S. forest bigger than the
state of Maryland is vulnerable to future energy development,
according to a new analysis backed by the Department of the
Interior and the Nature Conservancy. Appalachia is the East's
"energy resource hub," with a long legacy of coal mining and
other fossil fuel development, states the report…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060014828/print  

MISCELLANEOUS

California Safe Soil raising $7.1M to build plant at McClellan.
Safe Soil's Dan Morash, left, and Mark LeJeune are at the West
Sacramento plant in this 2013 file photo. With the success of the
pilot plant, the food recycling and fertilizing company is
raising money to build a new one at McClellan Business Park. The
company has operated a pilot plant in West Sacramento since 2012.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/03/10/california-safe-soil-raising-7-1to-build-plant-at.html


OPINIONS

End the Ethanol Rip-Off. WITH the collapse in global oil prices,
members of Congress are once again pushing to raise the federal
gasoline tax, with the proceeds going to new roads, bridges and
other infrastructure projects. While some in Congress might be
averse to a tax increase of any kind, they might find it more
palatable if it came packaged with a tax cut.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/10/opinion/end-the-ethanol-rip-off.html?_r=0


CASSIE MACDUFF: Sometimes, ‘red tape' wraps up public good.
Whenever I hear critics blasting regulation as some horrible
boogeyman, I think about Inland Empire air. 
When I moved to this area in 1986, the smog was so bad you often
couldn’t see across the street, let alone view the majestic
mountains all around. Gradual tightening of air-quality
regulations has slowly but surely cleaned up the air to the point
that smog-obscured views…
http://www.pe.com/articles/air-761840-pollution-lung.html?page=1


OUR OPINION: Wood-stove rules need some help to clear the air.
Stricter standards are a start, but incentives are needed to
replace older models. Wood stoves provide affordable, comfortable
heat for a good number of Mainers, and are a reliable backup
source of warmth for many more. They also produce pollution that
exacerbates health problems such as asthma and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease…
http://www.centralmaine.com/2015/03/11/our-opinion-wood-stove-rules-need-some-help-to-clear-the-air/


BLOGS

How Fast And How Deep Will Utilities Venture Into The Solar
Energy Craze? The recent showdown in Arizona between customers
who generate electricity using rooftop solar panels and the Salt
River Project is a microcosm of the national phenomenon:
Questions persist over how to allocate the cost of running the
grid and how utilities should be investing for the future.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2015/03/10/how-fast-and-how-deep-will-utilities-venture-into-the-solar-energy-craze/


A Hardwood Flooring Insider's Take On Lumber Liquidators. I am
president of a regional retail flooring company, as well as an
investor in a hardwood and laminate distribution company
operating through a network of over 250 retail stores, builders
and contractors in five states. Our retail business has
historically shown a high degree of correlation between its
financial performance and that of Lumber Liquidators (NYSE:LL).
http://seekingalpha.com/article/2991616-a-hardwood-flooring-insiders-take-on-lumber-liquidators


Noted Short Sellers Get Long Lumber Liquidators (LL), While
Others Dig In. While short sellers continue to attack Lumber
Liquidators (NYSE: LL), shares are up 4% in pre-open trading
Wednesday. This is on top of yesterday's 5.8% move higher. Shares
remain down 55% since word spread of the negative 60 Minutes
piece on February 25.
http://www.streetinsider.com/Insiders+Blog/Noted+Short+Sellers+Get+Long+Lumber+Liquidators+%28LL%29,+While+Others+Dig+In/10361385.html


32 States What? Senator Inhofe's Fuzzy Math on States and EPA.
Sen. Jim Inhofe opened an Environment and Public Works Committee
hearing today with chart that paints 32 states (in green no
less!) as though they have lined up solidly in opposition to
EPA's Clean Power Plan. Inhofe's chart is intended to give the
impression that states are in open revolt against EPA's
first-ever limits on power plant carbon pollution…
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ddoniger/32_states_what_senator_inhofes.html


Global Warming May Ramp Up Methane Flow from Groundwater into
Arctic Lakes. Global warming may ramp up the flow of methane from
groundwater into Arctic lakes, allowing more of the potent
greenhouse gas to bubble out into the atmosphere, according to a
new study led by researchers at UC Santa Cruz.
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=21577 

Audi to have a plug-in hybrid in every model series; new BEV in
2018. Audi will have a plug-in hybrid in every model series in
the coming years as part of its efforts in efficiency and
sustainability, said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of
the Board of Management at Audi AG for Technical Development,
during his speech at Audi’s Annual Press Conference in
Ingolstadt.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/03/20150311-audi-1.html 

UPDATE: Audi Q6 (Tesla Model X Competitor) Confirmed: Sleek
Electric SUV May Beat It On Range. With the all-new 2016 Audi Q7
now launched at last week's Geneva Motor Show, and a diesel
plug-in hybrid model to follow, luxury maker Audi can turn its
attention to its next utility project. That would be a stylish
all-electric crossover SUV that takes direct aim at the Tesla
Model X…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097157_tesla-model-x-competitor-confirmed-by-audi-sleek-electric-suv-may-beat-it-on-range



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