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ARB Newsclips for February 1, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

EPA greenlights Alaska fine particles plan. U.S. EPA has
tentatively approved an Alaska plan for bringing the Fairbanks
area into attainment with a key federal standard for fine
particle pollution, the latest step in regulators' quest to limit
pollution from widely used wood stoves. The proposed rule,
required by a consent decree to a lawsuit brought last June by
environmental groups, is set for publication in tomorrow's
Federal Register.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/02/01/stories/1060049373 

CLIMATE CHANGE

2,300 California scientists write to Trump over climate fears. In
response to reports that President Donald Trump would break an
international climate agreement, more than 2,300 California
scientists have signed an open letter to the White House urging
the administration to uphold commitments to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article129876834.html#storylink=cpy


Climate ignored as Exxon Mobil takes earnings hit. US
supermajor’s profits have halved since last year, on a $2bn
write-down of gas assets, but executives still don’t mention
climate risk. In a much-repeated quote, Rex Tillerson told Energy
Intelligence in 2015: “we don’t do write-downs.” That’s how
confident Exxon Mobil’s former CEO was oil and gas reserves would
withstand volatility in the market – not to mention the impact of
a clean energy transition.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/02/01/climate-ignored-as-exxon-mobil-takes-earnings-hit/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=6c78021d73-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-6c78021d73-327747457


Will EPA 'repeal and replace' climate regs, or just repeal? White
House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to detail the timing
yesterday of President Trump's potential efforts to revoke the
Clean Power Plan, a cornerstone of the past administration's
climate policies. That comes as Republican sources point to an
uncertain timeline about addressing the controversial Obama-era
rule…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/01/stories/1060049320 

DROUGHT


Sierra Nevada snowpack is biggest in 22 years — and more snow is
on the way. California Gov. Jerry Brown isn’t likely to amend or
rescind the state’s emergency drought declaration until April.
After a month of huge blizzards and “atmospheric river” storms,
the Sierra Nevada snowpack — source of a third of California’s
drinking water — is 177 percent of the historic average, the
biggest in more than two decades.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/01/sierra-nevada-snowpack-is-biggest-in-22-years-and-more-is-on-the-way/


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

North America’s First Electric School Bus Unveiled In Palo Alto.
The Canadian manufacturer of the eLion, the first Type C electric
school bus made in North America, plans to locate a new
manufacturing facility in California. The eLion electric school
bus, the first Type C electric school bus manufactured in North
America, was recently unveiled in Palo Alto, CA.
https://businessfacilities.com/2017/02/north-americas-first-electric-school-bus-unveiled-in-palo-alto/

http://www.techwire.net/innovation/canadian-electric-bus-manufacturer-plans-to-set-up-shop-in-california.html


VEHICLES

VW likely to win global sales crown as Toyota growth slows.
Volkswagen can in all likelihood claim the title of world's
biggest automaker for the first time. Toyota reported Monday that
it sold 10.175 million vehicles worldwide in 2016, fewer than
Volkswagen's 10.31 million. The only contender left is General
Motors Co., which is unlikely to come near VW's number because
sales fell last year in the U.S., its second-biggest market.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_TOYOTA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/30/vw-diesel-emissions-scandal-volkswagen-audi-porsche-skoda-toyota


After a wild 2016, Tesla Motors has officially changed its name —
here's a look back. The automaker had already made the change to
its website address, and the switch reflects the company's
evolution, from an upstart maker of electric cars to an
integrated auto, energy storage, and solar panel company — this
last piece coming with the acquisition of SolarCity in 2016.
http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-year-in-review-again-2017-2


VW RECALL

VW to pay $1.2 billion or more to US owners of big diesels.
Volkswagen has agreed to pay at least $1.2 billion in buybacks
and compensation to settle claims from U.S. owners of cars with
larger diesel engines that the company rigged to cheat on
emissions tests. And the German automaker could pay even more -
as much as $4 billion - if it can't repair many of the cars in a
way that satisfies regulators.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN_EMISSIONS_SCANDAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-factbox-idUSKBN15G4XZ

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/volkswagen-to-pay-at-least-12-billion-for-bigger-diesels/2017/02/01/21d4b98c-e85c-11e6-903d-9b11ed7d8d2a_story.html?utm_term=.80a580e1e6a7

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/business/bosch-vw-diesel-settlement.html?_r=0

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article130018864.html 
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/vw-emissions-scandal/2017/02/01/vw-spend-fix-buy-back-diesels/97333164/

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/02/01/Volkswagen-to-pay-12B-to-car-owners-in-emissions-scandal/5561485952360/

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/volkswagen-to-pay-more-than-dollar1-billion-to-owners-of-big-diesels/ar-AAmuj15

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/volkswagen-1-6-billion-settlement-3-0-liter-diesel-engines-article-1.2961562


Investor Standard Life seeks change at Sports Direct, Volkswagen.
Standard Life Investments, the fund arm of insurer Standard Life
(SL.L), has concerns about governance at Sports Direct (SPD.L)
and Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and will press for more change at the
companies, it said in its annual governance report on Wednesday.
Mike Ashley's previous role as executive deputy chairman of
Sports Direct had been "ill-defined…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-governance-standard-life-idUSKBN15G48P


FIAT/CHRYSLER (FCA)

FCA is Working on Getting its 2017 Diesel Models Certified. The
2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 diesel models should be
available soon. Earlier this month, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
(FCA) was accused of using emissions cheating software on its
3.0-liter EcoDiesel engines found in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand
Cherokee models. Now, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has said the
automaker…
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/01/fca-is-working-on-getting-its-2017-diesel-models-certified.html


GREEN ENERGY

States were busy with solar policies in 2016 — study. Nearly
every state wrestled with questions of how to incorporate more
solar power into their electricity grids in 2016, reflecting
solar's dramatic growth nationally and its promise of providing
renewable energy to millions of American consumers. But the
fluidity of state policies also reveals the disruptive nature of
solar as regulators sought ways to bring large amounts of clean
energy to market…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/01/stories/1060049322 


BLOGS

How Gorsuch Could Mean Change For U.S. Energy Sector. Change is
in the offing in Washington, especially energy and environmental
policies -- and potentially with a new U.S. Supreme Court nominee
who may try to nullify existing rulings. But such a revolution
requires widespread support, which President Donald Trump does
not have — best evidenced by his loss in the popular vote by 3
million and the angst he has already created.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2017/02/01/even-trump-is-making-the-oval-office-spin-is-energy-policy-next-with-the-gorsuch-pick/#4a0e24433768
 
 
Donald Trump and “Deep Ecology”. Pushing GMOs, Minimizing
Environmental Protection. In summarizing environmental issues
from the previous year, I would like to say that Donald Trump’s
wining of the presidential race was the most significant
eco-event of 2016. And all other events, regardless of their
apparent importance (from the merger of GMO giants Bayer and
Monsanto to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Marrakesh) pale in comparison when you imagine the possible
consequences.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/donald-trump-and-deep-ecology-pushing-gmos-minimizing-environmental-protection/5572217





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Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.