newsclips--Newsclips 23. August 2010.

Posted: 23 Aug 2010 12:49:42 California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 23, 2010. This is a service of the California Air Resources Board?s Officeof Communications. You may need to sign in or register withindividual websites to view some of the following news articles.ARBCalifornia?s Clean-Air Chief Encourages Others To Join TheMovement. The Terminator, said Mary Nichols in Thursday?s morninglecture, has proven himself an ?unlikely champion? of clean air.Nichols, the California Air Resources Board chairman, said thatCalifornia Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ? despite the fact that hedrives Hummers, flies to work on a private jet and lives in amansion ? ?genuinely embraced the cause,? successfully lobbyingfor the nation?s first comprehensive law to reduce greenhousegases ?economy-wide.? Posted.http://www.chqdaily.com/post/979133012/californias-clean-air-chief-encourages-others-to-join#disqus_threadAB 32Victor Valley Politicians Come Out In Support Of Prop. 23.Politicians from the Victor Valley?s three largest municipalitiesgathered Friday afternoon at Hesperia City Hall to speak insupport of Prop. 23, a ballot initiative that would roll back a2006 environmental law. With the county in the ?vice-like grip?of the recession, the county cannot afford to abide by the GlobalWarming Solutions Act of 2006, said Hesperia mayor Thurston?Smitty? Smith. Posted.http://www.hesperiastar.com/news/politicians-3590-valley-victor.htmlClean Energy Investors Flash Cash for Ads in California ClimateLaw Battle. California?s clean energy investors are raisingmillions of dollars for an advertising battle with oil refinerswho want to delay the state?s new law on reducing greenhouse gasemissions. The gynexin uk
campaign, supported by investors such as TomSteyer, founder of San Francisco-based hedge fund FarallonCapital Management LLC, aims to convince residents to voteagainst the so-called Proposition 23 when it comes up forapproval in November. Posted.http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-20/clean-energy-investors-flash-cash-for-ads-in-california-climate-law-battle.htmlCLIMATE CHANGE/GHG?SLawyers Watch Calif. Waiver Case For First Clues On GreenhouseGas Challenges. An upcoming court case on U.S. EPA's decision toallow California to implement its own strict tailpipe emissionsrules may yield the first clues on how judges will respond to theObama administration's interpretation of its authority under theClean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases. Under the currentcourt schedule for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for theDistrict of Columbia, the California waiver case may be theopening legal salvo ahead of controversial lawsuits challengingEPA's endangerment finding and its "tailoring rule." Posted.http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/08/23/3Global Warming Measure Sets Off Alarms. A November ballot measurethat would suspend California's landmark global-warming law couldalso end up rolling back some of the state's other sweepingenvironmental standards -- including rules that require utilitiesto generate a third of their electricity from renewable sourcesand programs requiring oil refineries to make cleaner-burningfuels. How broadly courts might interpret Proposition 23 issetting off alarm bells among Silicon Valley executives andenvironmental groups. Posted.http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_15837869?source=most_emailedEarth Burns Through Environmental Capital, Group Says. Saturdayhas earned a dubious distinction among conservationists as EarthOvershoot Day -- the estimated point when the planet's 6.8billion people have consumed all of the biological resources thatEarth can provide annually. "From now until the end of the year,we will meet our needs by liquidating stocks and accumulatinggreenhouse gasses in the atmosphere," said Pati Poblete, at thenonprofit Global Footprint Network in Oakland. Posted.http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/20/earth-burns-through-environmental-capital/As We See It: Setting a Limit For Greenhouse Gases Really MightAs Well Be Anyone's Guess. Pick a number. Any number. Say,between zero and 13.7. You can even pick a negative number ifyou'd like. How about 7; it's pretty much a middle-of-the-packpick. Maybe 3. Eleven has a nice ring to it. Found one you like?Well, it might be just as good as the guesses local officials aretossing out as they try to figure out how much we should reducevehicle exhaust, or more specifically, greenhouse gas emissions,over the next 25 years. Posted.http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_15855960The Cost of Reducing Greenhouse Gases. Federal efforts atdeveloping climate change legislation have petered out. But thecost of climate policy is figuring strongly in Californiapolitics this fall. A new report aims to figure out how Americanfamilies will feel the price of making ?greenhouse gases? fall.Cutting carbon emissions means setting a price on polluting, likeburning coal, and making someone pay it. There?s research thatclaims the price will be too expensive. Posted.http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/08/23/climate-cost/AIR POLLUTIONEPA Delays Release Of Final Ozone Standards. U.S. EPA won't meetits goal of releasing new nationwide standards for ground-levelozone this month, the agency told a federal court Friday.Finishing the standards has taken longer than expected, EPA saidin a filing with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for theDistrict of Columbia. The agency will now move forward "on oraround the end of October," according to the filing. Posted.http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/08/23/1Editorial: Diesel Upgrades Help Everyone Breath Easier. Anyonewho?s ever stood on a busy street corner while a truckaccelerated past has surely cursed the day Rudolf Diesel inventedhis engine. Despite diesel?s many advantages as an enginetechnology, it can be sooty and ugly for anyone who might need tobreathe in a truck or bus?s vicinity. But diesel engines can alsobe cleaned up dramatically ? indeed, they already have been. Andthe north state?s air will enjoy the benefits. Posted.http://www.redding.com/news/2010/aug/23/diesel-upgrades-help-everyone-breath-easier/New Smog-Fighting Tactic Planned For San Bernardino. SouthernCalifornia's regional air quality agency wants to make SanBernardino a testing ground for a new, neighborhood-focusedapproach to protecting people's health in communities hammered bymultiple pollution sources such as freeways, rail yards and heavyindustry. Posted.http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_airplan22.30c073e.htmlEPA Agrees to Examine Truck Emissions Claims in NavistarSettlement. U.S. EPA has finalized a settlement with truckmanufacturer Navistar International Corp., which agreed earlierthis week to drop three lawsuits on the condition that EPAexamine whether truckers can cheat the emissions controltechnology used by Navistar's competitors. Posted.http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/08/19/19greenwire-epa-agrees-to-examine-truck-emissions-claims-i-75190.htmlObama Accelerates Crackdown on Dirty Trucks. Tough new U.S. rulesgoverning greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large trucks andbuses edged forward last week when the Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) sent draft proposals to the White House. The agencyhas been working with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)since May to craft improved emissions standards after PresidentBarack Obama announced that he wanted new rules to come intoeffect for medium and heavy-duty trucks between 2014 and 2018.Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS256749797120100823ENERGY/GREEN ENERGYBLM Releases Final EIS On 1,000 MW Calif. Power Plant. The Bureauof Land Management has issued its final environmental analysis ofa large-scale, 1,000 megawatt solar power plant that ChevronEnergy Solutions and Solar Millennium LLC want to build just eastof Joshua Tree National Park in California. Clearing the BLMenvironmental review is one of the final steps the developersmust take before they can begin construction. Also under way inparallel is a review from the California Energy Commission, whichhas yet to release its proposed decision on the plant. Posted.http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/08/23/1110 Eco-Tips for College Students. Headed off to college? Here are10 ways to green your dorm, your classes and even your beer whileyou're off at school. Posted.http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-living/ci_15831402?nclick_check=1Campus Receives Perfect Score in Green 'Honor Roll'. For thesecond year in a row, the Princeton Review has placed UC Berkeleyon its "Green College Honor Roll" as one of the 18 schools toreceive a perfect score this year. The company tallied the scoresof 703 institutions on a scale of 60 to 99 based on surveyresults from the 2009-10 school year concerning the schools'environmental policies, practices and academic offerings. Posted.http://www.dailycal.org/article/110079/campus_receives_perfect_score_in_green_honor_roll_RAILYARDS2 Studies Monitoring Pollution At Rail Yard. San Bernardino - Thepotential ill effects from diesel pollution around BNSF Railway'syard have received increasing attention since state officialswarned two years ago of elevated cancer risks, but scientistshave yet to quantify exactly how dangerous trains' emissionsactually are. That's expected to change in the next couple ofyears. Loma Linda University researchers are preparing a two-yearstudy to measure cancer incidents and respiratory ailments aroundthe Westside yard. Posted.http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/sanbernardinocounty/ci_15863585OPINION/EDITORIALSAnother View: No Serious Dispute Over Diesel's Role In Dirty Air.Despite Dan Walters' assertion in his Aug. 17 column, "Storm hitsagain over diesel rules," there is no scientific debate about thehealth dangers of diesel soot. To the contrary, there is strongscientific consensus. While the danger of breathing diesel fumesis obvious to anyone engulfed in smoke spewing from a dirtydiesel truck or bus, researchers also have carefully studied thehealth impacts. Posted.http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/22/v-print/2972914/no-serious-dispute-over-diesels.htmlhttp://www.modbee.com/2010/08/22/1304860/another-view-no-serious-dispute.html#ixzz0xRkVPmvLVEHICLESPlaying Up the Sporty Side of a Honda Hybrid Coupe. GIVEN thesputtering economy, it is hard enough for a marketer to sell afamiliar product, much less interest consumers in trying a newone. And if the new product is a durable good like a car, thechallenge could be as formidable as getting a mad man like DonDraper to stop smoking or drinking. Posted.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/business/media/23adco.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=printStalling Problems Could Affect 1.2 Million Toyotas. The NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration has intensified a safetyinvestigation on 2005-7 Toyota Corollas and Matrixes. Above, a2007 Corolla LE. The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration has intensified an investigation into stallingproblems on almost 1.2 million Toyotas. The models are the 2005-7Corolla and Matrix. The safety agency began an investigation,called a preliminary evaluation, last November. Posted.http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/stalling-problems-could-affect-1-2-million-toyotas/?pagemode=printMISCELLANEOUSUCLA Purge of Professor Who Blew Whistle on CARB ResearcherRaises New Questions about Runaway Environmental Correctness inCalifornia. The environmental wars have turned even uglier inCalifornia with the firing of controversial UCLA professor JamesEnstrom, whose outspoken views have made him the target of theenvironmental community and a friend to business folks who haveto comply with some of the strictest pollution regulations in thecountry. Posted.http://www.cunninghamreport.com/news_item.php?id=1341When a Superfund Site as a Neighbor Isn?t the Biggest Hazard. Forthe past three years, Manuel Pimentel and his wife and two smallchildren lived half a block from a toxic Superfund site in WestOakland. The site ? a gated concrete lot with the EnvironmentalProtection Agency?s yellow testing wells and a few buildingscovered in graffiti ? was the old AMCO chemical distributionfacility. The ground is full of cancer-causing contaminants likevinyl chloride, and the chemicals have seeped under the old rowhouses on Third Street. Posted.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/us/22bcmiguel.html?_r=1&pagewanted=printBLOGSStudy Finds No Link Tying Disaster Losses to Human-DrivenWarming. The pull of the ? front-page thought? and the eagernessof climate campaigners to jog the public have sometimes created atendency to tie mounting losses from weather-related disasters tohuman-driven global warming. But finding a statistically robustlink between such disasters and the building human climateinfluence remains a daunting task. A new analysis of nearly twodozen papers assessing trends in disaster losses in light ofclimate change finds no convincing link. Posted.http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/study-finds-no-link-tying-disaster-losses-to-human-driven-warming/
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