California air regulators have broadened their reach into Silicon Valley, implementing rules intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions from semiconductor plants. The state Air Resources Board voted unanimously to regulate some of the most potent gases produced by the semiconductor industry, which makes chips for cell phones, computers and cars. By Jan. 1, 2012, more than a dozen California chip manufacturers must reduce their use of fluorinated gases. Scientists say such emissions trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere at a rate 23,000 times higher than carbon dioxide.
