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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 31, 2017

Posted: 31 Jan 2017 15:56:54
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.
 AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution linked to Alzheimer's disease, study says. USC
study on elderly women links particle pollution to brain disease.
Research led by USC scientists provides new evidence that
exposure to diesel soot and other kinds of fine-particle air
pollution may increase our risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s
disease. The study, published today in the journal Translational
Psychiatry, found that elderly women living…
http://www.pe.com/articles/study-824424-pollution-alzheimer.html


Spare the Air Alert in effect for Wednesday.  A Spare the Air
Alert is in effect for Wednesday. What are Spare the Air days?
Air quality in the Bay Area can be unhealthy at times throughout
the year. During the summer months, ozone pollution can become a
health problem in the Bay Area. The summertime Spare the Air
program notifies residents when air quality is forecast to be
unhealthy and urges residents to drive less and…
http://abc7news.com/weather/spare-the-air-alert-in-effect-for-wednesday/54306/


CLIMATE CHANGE

Storms preview ocean-rise damage to California cities, roads.
Ocean rise already is worsening the floods and high tides
sweeping California this stormy winter, climate experts say, and
this month's damage and deaths highlight that even a state known
as a global leader in fighting climate change has yet to tackle
some of the hardest work of dealing with it. The critical steps
yet to come include starting to decide which low-lying cities,
airports and highways…
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_CLIMATE_CHANGE_FLOODING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=7c2f7c99e3-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-7c2f7c99e3-327747457


Exclusive: Olympics - Green Paris bid pledges to slash carbon
emissions. The Paris 2024 Olympics bid committee is proposing a
strong eco-friendly plan that will slash carbon emissions by more
than half compared to the last two Games in London and Rio.
Speaking to Reuters on Tuesday, three days before the third part
of their bid book is submitted to the International Olympic
Committee (IOC)…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-paris-exclusive-idUSKBN15F10M


Storms preview ocean-rise damage to California cities, roads.
Ocean rise already is worsening the floods and high tides
sweeping California this stormy winter, climate experts say, and
this month's damage and deaths highlight that even a state known
as a global leader in fighting climate change has yet to tackle
some of the hardest work of dealing with it.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Storms-preview-sea-rise-damage-to-California-10893110.php


Inside the Trump administration's power struggle over CO2 regs.
Transition officials debated internally about whether the Trump
administration should seek a major reversal of U.S. EPA's core
authority to regulate greenhouse gases, and it continues today,
according to sources. No decision was made about potentially
overturning the agency's endangerment finding before President
Trump was sworn in…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049261 

Climate experts cast doubt on claim of imminent withdrawal. A
pronouncement by a key former Trump administration transition
team member that the White House may soon unveil plans to
withdraw from the Paris Agreement was met with skepticism
yesterday by climate diplomacy hands on both sides of the aisle.
Myron Ebell, who left Trump's U.S. EPA transition team after the
inauguration…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049263 

Canadian scientists have advice on dealing with Trump
administration. As American scientists navigate the tricky
process of working under the Trump administration, their Canadian
counterparts are offering support. The first week under the new
administration has given scientists plenty to be concerned about,
with multiple reports of climate change information being purged
from…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049237

Carbon capture necessary to meet Paris goal — study. The global
climate can survive the United States abandoning the Paris
Agreement, but not a world without widespread carbon capture
technologies, researchers said this week. One new study found
that if nations fail to invest in technology that captures carbon
emissions…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049241 

Once unthinkable, 'planned retreat' enters the climate dialogue.
As sea levels rise, U.S. communities have several strategies to
cope with the effects of climate change, the president of the
National Academy of Sciences said yesterday. There's triage for
high-dollar assets, like airports and military installations and
even the Statue of Liberty, Marcia McNutt said.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049240

Fish adapting reproductive cycle to warming.  As temperatures in
Alaska rise, a small species of fish is responding by switching
up its breeding schedule. Scientists studying Lake Aleknagik, in
the Bristol Bay area, have found evidence that a fish called the
threespine stickleback has adapted its reproductive cycle to
changes in the temperature.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049238

DROUGHT

Ethiopia faces new drought and seeks urgent aid for 5 million.
The carcasses of goats and sheep litter the ground near the
airstrip in this remote eastern region of Ethiopia, which is
struggling to counter a new drought that authorities say has left
5.6 million people in urgent need of assistance. U.N.
humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien visited a camp for displaced
persons on Saturday, saying that "these people are really
struggling…
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-ethiopia-drought-20170128-story.html


One month of storms erases big chunk of California’s snow-water
deficit.  Think of the snow that falls each winter in the Sierra
Nevada as something like a paycheck for California’s water
supply. The mountain snow melts and flows into downstream
reservoirs, helping pay the “bills” for the state’s agricultural,
urban and environmental water supply needs through the hot, dry
summer and fall.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article129658579.html#storylink=cpy


Planning for drought still important, experts say. Though nearly
half of California has recovered from a four-year drought, it’s
still important for ranchers to plan their irrigation and feeding
strategies for when the next water shortage occurs, experts
advise. Though 2016-17 turned out to be a wet winter, university
and industry experts urge ranchers to continue to plan for
drought in how they manage their pastures…
http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20170131/planning-for-drought-still-important-experts-say


FUELS

Valero says record biofuels compliance costs to continue in 2017.
Valero Energy Corp on Tuesday signaled that record high costs to
comply with the U.S. renewable fuels program will continue this
year, after the oil refiner was hit with a ballooning tab for the
program in 2016. Valero, the largest independent U.S. oil refiner
and the first of the sector to report 2016 results, said it
expects its costs to meet annual biofuel blending…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-valero-energy-results-biofuels-idUSKBN15F28S


Valero Energy profit beats estimates on higher ethanol margins.
Valero Energy Corp (VLO.N), the largest independent U.S. refiner,
reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit as higher
margins in its ethanol unit more than offset weakness in its
refining business. The company reported an operating profit of
$126 million in its ethanol business for the fourth quarter,
compared to a loss of $13 million a year earlier, helped by lower
corn and stronger ethanol prices.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-valero-energy-results-idUSKBN15F1D1

Cathay Pacific to cut emissions with switch to biofuel. Hong Kong
flag carrier Cathay Pacific will switch to biofuels made from
landfill rubbish on select long haul flights, reports said
Tuesday, in an effort to cut harmful emissions. Cathay flights to
Hong Kong from the US, where the new fuel is produced, will use a
combination of conventional jet fuel and biofuels starting in
2019…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cathay-pacific-cut-emissions-switch-biofuel-041224952--finance.html


What’s at stake if Congress cuts methane regs. ‘Tailings wars’ of
the past provide perspective on today’s flaring rules.In the
1880s, farmers on Colorado’s Front Range got fired up about— what
else? Water. Their irrigation water came from Clear Creek, a
stream that gets its start up on the Continental Divide, then
tumbles through mining country before spilling onto the plains
west of Denver.
http://www.hcn.org/articles/methane-rules-in-danger 

VEHICLES

Tesla Gives the California Power Grid a Battery Boost. Just off a
freeway in Southern California, 396 refrigerator-size stacks of
Tesla batteries, encased in white metal, have been hastily
erected with a new mission: to suck up electricity from the grid
during the day and feed it back into the system as needed,
especially in the evening. The installation, capable of powering
roughly 15,000 homes over four hours, is part of…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/business/energy-environment/battery-storage-tesla-california.html?emc=eta1


FIAT/CHRYSLER (FCA)

FCA nearing agreement with Feds over diesel. If FCA chief Sergio
Marchionne's recent statements are anything to go by, the
Italian-American automaker isn't far from reaching an agreement
on just how it will address the EPA's emissions concerns that
affect 140,000 turbodiesel Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs and Ram 1500
pickup trucks. A refresher: a couple of weeks ago, the EPA
announced that it was seeking an explanation from FCA about why…
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1108638_fca-nearing-agreement-with-feds-over-diesel


GREEN ENERGY
EU set to meet green energy goal; UK trails: document. The
European Union is on track to meet its goal for renewables to
supply up 20 percent of its energy by 2020, the EU executive said
in a report seen by Reuters, although Britain, Ireland and
Luxembourg are lagging behind. In a stock take on the bloc's
climate targets, due to be published on Wednesday, the European
Commission saw renewables accounting for 16.4 percent of overall
consumption in 2015.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-renewables-idUSKBN15F0HI 

State renewable energy targets 'will be vital to meet emissions
goals'  RETs are the only policy tool left to shift Australia’s
electricity sector away from fossil fuels, RepuTex modelling
shows. State-based renewable energy targets are becoming
essential drivers of Australia’s carbon reduction framework and,
based on current policy settings, will be vital for Australia to
meet its 2030 emissions targets…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/30/australia-state-renewable-energy-targets-will-be-vital-to-meet-emissions-goals

DPL settlement to close two power plants, shift to green energy.
Dayton Power & Light Co. will close two Ohio coal-fired power
plants amid a proposed settlement with environmental groups that
stipulates the company invest in green energy and economic
development in Ohio. The company filed the settlement to its
Electric Security Plan at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
late Monday.
http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2017/01/31/dpl-settlement-to-close-two-power-plants-shift-to.html


World's largest energy storage project opening in San Diego. The
largest battery storage project in the world will open in days in
San Diego County, part of a surge of Southern California energy
storage projects coming online, energy officials said here
yesterday. AES Energy Storage installed lithium-ion batteries
with a capacity of 30 megawatts on property owned by utility San
Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049291 

Energy industry says 'no thanks' to Trump aid. Shopping lists for
billions of dollars in potential construction projects that
circulated last week raise questions about whether the nation's
sprawling energy sector will share in the spoils of an
infrastructure plan coming out of Trump's White House. The
National Governors Association distributed one list to state
governors after the election, and the second came…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/31/stories/1060049257 

MISCELLANEOUS

Emissions rules could cost 1 million jobs, Ford CEO tells Trump:
what's behind that number? Among his actions during a whirlwind
first week in office, U.S. President Donald Trump met last week
with the CEOs of U.S. automakers Fiat Chrysler, Ford, and General
Motors. He met on two consecutive days with Mark Fields, CEO of
Ford, in fact. Fields was part of a group of manufacturing
executives who met with the president separately the day before
the carmaker CEO gathering.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108629_emissions-rules-could-cost-1-million-jobs-ford-ceo-tells-trump-whats-behind-that-number


OPINIONS

The E.P.A. Gag Order. Re “Agencies Told to Halt Communications”
(news article, Jan. 26): In light of public communications
restrictions placed on federal agencies by the Trump
administration, including the Environmental Protection Agency gag
order, the Society of Environmental Journalists strongly urges
the federal government to commit itself to transparency and to
provide verifiable…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/opinion/the-epa-gag-order.html?mabReward=CTM&recp=1&module=WelcomeBackModal&contentCollection=Travel®ion=FixedCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article


Transitioning to an Emerging Green Economy. California may not be
alone in its efforts to deal with climate change but neither can
state officials ignore the need for a smooth transition to a
greener economy that would rely on traditional energy sources.
That was the message gleaned from the opening sessions of the
10th annual VerdeXchange conference in Los Angeles dedicated to
promoting a green economy.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2017/01/transitioning-emerging-green-economy/

BLOGS

Another alarm for scientists: Trump’s pick to guide NOAA
transition. President Donald Trump is taking aim at one of the
federal government’s main agencies for climate change research –
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – and NOAA
employees are girding for drastic changes in how they conduct
science and report it to the public. Trump has appointed a
leading denier of climate change, Kenneth Haapala of the
Heartland Institute…
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article129716229.html?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=7c2f7c99e3-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-7c2f7c99e3-327747457#storylink=cpy




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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