SPACE JAM: Lowell terminal garage project will take out 561 parking spots

LOWELL -- Hundreds of parking spaces will be lost for commuters who leave their cars at the Gallagher Terminal, where commuter-rail trains run to Boston, when a parking garage next to the station is demolished and rebuilt. One of three parking garages on the site will be demolished. A second garage, which is located closest to Thorndike Street and where Lowell Regional Transit Authority buses park, relies on the first garage for vehicle access. In all, 561 parking spots will be lost for about a year beginning in early April. Article Courtesy of The Lowell Sun by Grant Welker Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_24891605/space-jam-lowell-terminal-garage-project-will-take#ixzz2uGjrGRzb

Huge thermal plant opens as solar industry grows

PRIMM, Nev. (AP) — A windy stretch of the Mojave Desert once roamed by tortoises and coyotes has been transformed by hundreds of thousands of mirrors into the largest solar power plant of its type in the world, a milestone for a growing industry that is testing the balance between wilderness conservation and the pursuit of green energy across the West. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2014/02/13/huge-thermal-plant-opens-solar-industry-grows/J9oapTheyPlAfEvZiDB6aJ/story.html Article courtesy of The Boston Globe/Associated Press by Michael R. Blood and Brian Skoloff

Firm seeks to harness Wyoming's wind energy for California

RAWLINS, Wyo. — A relentless wind howls day after day across this high desert, pouring through a low gap on the Continental Divide. It would produce as much power as three nuclear reactors, making it the largest wind-generation facility in the nation, if not the world. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-wyoming-wind-20140209,0,3366359.story#ixzz2tC5r854g Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Ralph Vartabedian

California should set interim goal for cutting emissions, report says

California is on track to reach its target for reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, but much tougher choices loom if the state is to meet its goal for the year 2050, state air quality officials say in a new report. The changes needed to slash emissions enough to reach the mid-century target will be so great that the state should set an interim goal for about 2030, the California Air Resources Board said in a report released Monday http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0211-climate-change-20140211,0,636855.story#ixzz2tC55UfI1 Article courtesy of The Los Angles Times by Tony Barbosa

One-third in state still live where air does not meet U.S. standards

Despite falling 15% to 20% in urban areas since 2003, smog remains above federal health standards in parts of Greater Los Angeles, the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento and San Diego, the board's report said. Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times-Science Now by Tony Barboza http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0124-california-air-20140124,0,2523617.story#ixzz2rcGNpKZk

China's industry exporting air pollution to U.S. study says

About one-fifth of the pollution China spews into the atmosphere comes from producing goods for export to the United States and other countries, according to the paper by a group of scientists that was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Winds blow pollutants from Chinese power plants and factories across the Pacific in about six days, where they boost levels of smog in the United States. Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times-Science Now by Tony Barboza http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-china-exports-air-pollution-united-states-20140120,0,1142263.story#ixzz2rcEry6Hh

Water is contaminated at LAX's Tom Bradley Terminal

Something bad has been in the water at Los Angeles International Airport for the last several weeks. According to airport emails obtained by The Times, the water is brown and contains high levels of bacteria and particles of copper, brass and rust. Officials have conducted a review to see if contamination has also surfaced in the water fountains, dining concessions and restrooms used by passengers in the rebuilt terminal. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-lax-bradley-water-20131207,0,3137637.story#ixzz2mtTwoMwg Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Daniel. Weikel