Free Republic

SACRAMENTO — Even during this deep recession, California's air-quality regulators are on an accelerated schedule to adopt a series of global warming initiatives considered unmatched worldwide. Their aggressive push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming will eventually touch everyday life in both small and significant ways. Just Thursday, the state Air Resources Board moved to regulate fluorinated gases commonly used by the Silicon Valley-centered semiconductor industry to make chips used in cell phones and computers. A few weeks earlier, do-it-yourself mechanics were the target. Regulators adopted tighter rules on small cans of refrigerants that recharge vehicle air...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Air regulators said Monday that dairies are the number one source of smog-producing pollution in the San Joaquin Valley, producing more than even cars and light trucks. In a much-disputed report released Monday, the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District determined that a cow annually emits 19.3 pounds of volatile organic compounds, the gases that contribute to smog. That's 50 percent more than currently thought. At that new rate, dairies in the San Joaquin Valley produce more than 50 tons of VOCs a day, exceeding the amount released by cars and light trucks in the...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - State air regulators are considering adopting fuel standards for watercraft and locomotives Thursday, another entry by California into areas that have generally been reserved for the federal government. The Air Resources Board has been trying to cut auto emissions by requiring manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency, precedent-setting efforts the industry has fought in court with the support of the Bush administration. The board on Thursday will consider similar efforts for diesel-electric locomotives and both commercial and recreational boats that use diesel fuel, expanding on existing diesel regulations that govern land-based vehicles and stationary diesel engines. "These (pollution)...