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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 19, 2017.
Posted: 19 Jan 2017 14:17:29
ARB Newsclips for January 19, 2017. 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. CAP AND TRADE TESTING CLIMATE LEADERSHIP WITH CAP AND TRADE. In Oregon environmental advocates hope a market-based program will help accelerate climate leadership. Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, has introduced a cap and trade bill that would repeal the state's existing emissions goals, and replace them with a new goal for 2025 and caps for 2035 and 2050. In 2050, carbon dioxide emissions would be capped at least 75% below 1990 levels. http://www.oregonbusiness.com/article/item/17463-oregon-tests-climate-leadership-with-cap-and-trade AIR POLLUTION London Mayor Issues Health Alert Over Air Pollution. London's mayor has issued a smog alert for the British capital, advising people with heart and lung conditions to avoid outdoor exercise. Mayor Sadiq Khan says Londoners with asthma or heart problems "are advised to consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors." The London Air Quality Network, run by King's College London… http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/19/world/europe/ap-eu-britain-air-pollution.html Trump's EPA pick casts doubt on California's power to regulate auto emissions. Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency cast doubt on whether California should continue to have power to impose its own emission rules for cars and trucks, an authority the state has enjoyed for decades that is also the cornerstone of its efforts to fight global warming. Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt said at a contentious confirmation hearing Wednesday that he cannot commit to keeping… http://www.latimes.com/nation/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/19/stories/1060048609 Bay Area to seek more greenhouse, smog controls. Two days before climate change skeptic Donald Trump becomes America’s president, the Bay Area’s clean air agency released a blueprint to reduce greenhouse gases, smog, soot and other pollutants. Bay Area Air Quality Management District officials said Wednesday they have the will and authority to push ahead with new industrial controls to reduce… http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/01/18/bay-area-to-seek-more-greenhouse-smog-controls/ Diesel Brothers’ lawsuit reveals challenges of emissions enforcement in Utah. A recent lawsuit has exposed a Woods Cross-based reality TV group’s alleged air-polluting antics, as well as gaps in enforcing laws meant to clear Utah smog. Utah Physicians for a Health Environment filed suit last week against hosts of the Discovery Channel show “Diesel Brothers” David W. “Heavy D” Sparks… http://www.standard.net/Environment/2017/01/18/Diesel-Brothers-lawsuit-reveals-challenges-of-emissions-enforcement-in-Utah In court, EPA defends analysis of mercury regs' benefits. U.S. EPA is asserting a wide prerogative to gauge the potential impact of proposed air quality regulations in a legal tussle over whether the agency properly considered compliance costs in going ahead with its regulations on power plant mercury emissions. Under its preferred approach, the agency interpreted the Clean Air Act "as not requiring a formal… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/19/stories/1060048661 CLIMATE CHANGE Trump's energy pick Perry softens stance on climate change. Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the U.S. Energy Department, said during a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday that global warming caused by humans is real, but that efforts to combat it should not cost American jobs. The comment marks a shift for the former Texas governor, who had previously called the science behind climate change "unsettled" and a "contrived, phony mess." http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-perry-idUSKBN1531OZ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-19/trump-nominees-accept-global-warming-but-only-to-a-degree http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rick-perry-spars-with-bernie-sanders-over-climate-change/article/2612338 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/18/epa-nominee-scott-pruitt-confirmation-hearing/96679106/ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/politics/confirmation-hearings-cabinet-donald-trump.html?_r=0 http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060048626 Climate change will hurt crops more than it helps them, study suggests. Out of the many consequences of climate change, from melting glaciers to changing weather patterns, its effect on agriculture has emerged as one of the most complex issues for scientists to investigate. It’s also among the most globally significant. As the world’s population approaches 8 billion people — and is expected to exceed 9 billion before midcentury… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/19/yet-another-study-suggests-that-climate-change-will-hurt-crops-more-than-it-helps-them/?utm_term=.23b3ee698ab1 Wisconsin state agencies are deleting talk of human-caused climate change from their websites. Information on the science of human-caused climate change has begun to disappear from Wisconsin state government websites. According to local news reports, both the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Public Service Commission have either altered or removed web pages devoted to global warming in recent months. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/19/wisconsin-state-agencies-are-deleting-talk-of-human-caused-climate-change-from-their-websites/?utm_term=.0ccbb90f5c99 Wildfires, sea level rise, coral bleaching: Climate change is already here. From extreme wildfires in the Western United States to melting ice sheets in Antarctica, the effects of rising temperatures on Earth have not gone unnoticed. On Wednesday, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced 2016 was the hottest year on record. Before that, the record was set in 2015. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-global-warming-effects-20170118-story.html Analysis: Climate change and mass migration: a growing threat to global security. When international leaders met in the Bangladeshi capital last month for ongoing discussions about a new global migration policy, they glossed over what experts say will soon become a massive driver of migration: climate change. “The international system is in a state of denial,” said A.N.M. Muniruzzaman, a retired major-general who now heads... http://yubanet.com/world/analysis-climate-change-and-mass-migration-a-growing-threat-to-global-security/ The 10 species most at risk from climate change. From penguins in Antarctica, to butterflies in Spain, and rodents and coral in the Great Barrier Reef, as the world warms these species are disappearing. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/19/critical-10-species-at-risk-climate-change-endangered-world Democrats fail to land fatal blow in Pruitt hearing. Scott Pruitt doesn't think climate change is a hoax and says he believes U.S. EPA has an obligation to regulate planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions. But Democrats and environmental advocates aren't breathing any sighs of relief. Although the Oklahoma attorney general has sued the federal government over its clean air and climate regulations more than a dozen times… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/19/stories/1060048624 DROUGHT California has the snow. It just needs to keep it frozen. With another round of winter storms hitting California this week, the question isn’t just how much rain and snow they will dump, but how cold they will be. The coldness of storms can make the difference between one that adds to the fast-rising snowpack — an essential source of water for the state — and one that also leaves a wet mess. Northern California was pulled out of a five-year drought by a series of storms over the last few weeks… http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/ 5 feet in Big Bear? 'The drought is going to get crushed,' forecaster says of new winter storms. SoCal skiers may see heavy snow pound their favorite resorts the next several days, as another winter storm system — again arriving in three overlapping chapters — rolls through the region. "Although we are not in an El Niño pattern, these weather systems affecting California are behaving much like El Niño, where you get these taps into the atmospheric rivers that enhance rainfall,”… http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-mammoth-thursday-20170118-story.html California drought continues to shrink, federal government says. With major reservoirs nearly full, the Sierra Nevada snowpack well above average and flood warnings in place for some rivers, federal scientists reported Thursday a continued weakening of California’s drought. Overall, 44 percent of the state remains in severe drought conditions or worse, down from 49 percent a week ago… http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/19/california-drought-shrinking-federal-government-says/ California Drought Retreats During Winter Rain Storms. California’s drought continues to wane just as the Bay Area is about to receive five straight days of rain, according to the National Weather Service. The U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly analysis, released on Thursday shows only 2 percent of the state remains in the most extreme category “exceptional drought,” down 43 percent from a year ago. https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/01/19/california-drought-retreats-during-winter-rain-storms/ How much drought can a forest take? Aerial tree mortality surveys show patterns of tree death during extreme drought. Why do some trees die in a drought and others don't? And how can we predict where trees are most likely to die in future droughts? Scientists from the University of California, Davis, and colleagues examined those questions in a study published in the journal Ecology Letters. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170119143406.htm FUELS Biodiesel faces a mixed forecast as the industry gathers in San Diego. As a new presidential administration comes into power, ambiguity reigns for the biodiesel industry. But at the same time, the California market appears to be growing solidly for the fuel derived from a diversity of products including soybeans, canola oil and animal fats. “We have learned to thrive on uncertainty,” said Jennifer Case, president of New Leaf Biofuel, based in San Diego. http://www.latimes.com/business/ VEHICLES Toyota, Shell Among Giants Betting $10.7 Billion on Hydrogen. Toyota Motor Corp. and four of its biggest car-making peers are joining oil and gas giants including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA with plans to invest a combined 10 billion euros ($10.7 billion) in hydrogen-related products within five years. In all, 13 energy, transport and industrial companies are forming a hydrogen council to consult with policy makers and… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-17/toyota-shell-among-auto-and-oil-giants-forming-hydrogen-council http://www.motortrend.com/news/toyota-help-lead-new-global-council-advance-hydrogen-adoption/ VW RECALL Ex-Volkswagen CEO denies early knowledge of diesel emissions cheating. Former Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn refused to tell German lawmakers when he first learned about systematic exhaust emissions cheating but said it was no earlier than VW has officially admitted. VW has said its executive board did not learn of the software violations until late August 2015 and formally reported the cheating to authorities in the United States in early September that year. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-winterkorn-idUSKBN15318J http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagens-ex-ceo-denies-prior-knowledge-of-emissions-cheating-1484834026 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/business/germany-investigation-volkswagen-winterkorn-diesel-emissions.html?_r=0 GREEN ENERGY GE signs $1.4B electricity deal in Iraq. General Electric Co. has landed another gigawatt-sized energy contract in the Middle East, further signaling its aggressive push to feed the region's growing demand for electricity. Yesterday, GE announced that it has signed an agreement with Iraq to add 2 gigawatts' worth of electricity generating capacity. The company said it would also invest in improved infrastructure necessary to deliver a further 1.75 GW to Iraq's grid. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/19/stories/1060048606 MISCELLANEOUS Developer Rick Caruso agrees to shave height of apartment tower. The developer of a residential tower planned near the Beverly Center offered new concessions to the city on Wednesday, saying he will reduce the height of his project by nearly 23%, taking it from 240 feet to 185. Businessman Rick Caruso, appearing before the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, said he has agreed to scale back the La Cienega Boulevard project… http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/ Isidro Baldenegro, Mexican Environmental Activist, Is Shot to Death. Isidro Baldenegro López, an indigenous activist whose struggle to protect the pine-oak forests of Mexico’s Sierra Madre range won him the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, has been killed by a gunman, the authorities said on Wednesday. A leader of the Tarahumara people who live among the jagged peaks of the western Sierra Madre, Mr. Baldenegro defended the area’s old-growth forests against powerful… https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/world/americas/mexico-environmental-activist-shot-sierra-madre.html OPINIONS As senators grilled Trump’s climate change skeptic EPA nominee, scientists said 2016 was warmest on record. Unsurprisingly, 2016 was the hottest year on record — the third straight year in which worldwide temperatures have reached record levels. Ironically, Scott Pruitt, the climate change skeptic whom Donald Trump has chosen to run the Environmental Protection Agency, just happened to be testifying before… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-global-warming-pruitt-20170119-story.html Jay Evensen: How to fund education and fight pollution. If Utah lawmakers are creative enough in the session that begins Monday, they might be able to tackle two vexing problems at once — education funding and air pollution. The only downside is that you, the taxpayer, would have to pay a bit more of your hard-earned money to the state; but let’s face it, just about every reliable political barometer is pointing in that direction anyway… http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865671349/How-to-fund-education-and-fight-pollution.html The Guardian view on Trump and global warming: the right fight. On climate change, like so many other things, the world is going one way and Donald Trump is going the other. On Twitter the president-elect has claimed manmade global warming was a hoax invented by China to increase its trade surplus with the US. However, for most Americans, like most other people on the globe, daily life is increasingly impacted by extreme weather. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/18/the-guardian-view-on-trump-and-global-warming-the-right-fight Protectionism and the fight against climate change. You rather spoiled your commendable editorial (19 January) on making America great again by going green, when you dismissed the idea of protectionist carbon tariffs on those US exports made artificially cheap by being produced using subsidised fossil fuels. This could be an important transitional step to shifting a world economy already falling out of love with globalisation towards… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/19/protectionism-and-the-fight-against-climate-change Climate change a growing challenge for a new president. In what amounts to blockbuster news in the field of climate change, scientists confirmed Wednesday that the Earth set a new record in 2016 — the third year in a row — for warmth. We await word of what President-elect Donald Trump plans to do about that. Climate change, and the threat it poses to our environmental, safety and the natural world… http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-climate-change-a-growing-challenge-for-a-new-president/ Climate change will affect all of us. So why the lack of urgency? Tomorrow the world shudders as Donald Trump becomes US president. Hopes that wise advisers would mitigate the erratic, half-crazed stream of contradictions pouring from his lips have been dashed as he picks fake news purveyors and climate change-deniers for his close consiglieri. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/19/climate-change-affect-all-urgency-trump-brexit Environmental Racism Is a Special and Urgent Concern. The focus of environmental justice has been the preservation of ecologies and spaces largely uninhabited by people of color. There is grave consideration for the preservation of national parks, but not for the preservation of black life and space. The ideas of justice and environment refer to the surrounding conditions of living things, yet the apathy that surrounds… http://www.theroot.com/environmental-racism-is-a-special-and-urgent-concern-1791343793 What does environmental justice organizing look like in the time of Trump? Environmental justice work will need to change in critical ways as Donald Trump ascends to the White House, but not in all ways, says Miya Yoshitani, executive director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). On-the-ground organizing around community members’ local concerns will still be the core. http://grist.org/opinion/what-does-environmental-justice-organizing-look-like-in-the-time-of-trump/ After the bust, industry begins rebalancing act. The great oil bust is over. But so is the boom. That's the consensus emerging in company boardrooms and among energy industry analysts. Recent government data are reaching that conclusion, too, suggesting an end to falling oil production in the United States… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/19/stories/1060048582 Challenging Arthur Little study on electric-car emissions: questionable assumptions. Transitions into new technologies always generate confusion and misinformation, and certainly that has been the case with modern electric cars. Buyers, automakers, and analysts debate their cost, suitability, real-world range, wells-to-wheels carbon footprint, and recyclability, among other issues. Six years after the first modern electric cars launched… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108418_challenging-arthur-little-study-on-electric-car-emissions-questionable-assumptions California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.