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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 9, 2017.
Posted: 09 Feb 2017 14:30:23
ARB Newsclips for February 9, 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. ARB BUSINESS Low Carbon Fuel Standard Discussion Paper and Materials for February 10, 2017 Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Working Meeting. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff has posted the discussion paper and additional materials for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Fuel-Specific Working Meeting focusing on Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel on February 10, 2017. The above can be found at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs_meetings/lcfs_meetings.htm. CAP AND TRADE How will California battle climate change? A new proposal revs up debate over cap-and-trade program. California lawmakers are moving to reshape the state’s climate change policies by focusing on social justice issues such as alleviating local pollution and creating job opportunities, laying down a marker in conversations about the future of the cap-and-trade program. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-cap-trade-proposal-20170209-story.html Here's what you should know about this year's debate over California's cap-and-trade program. Battles over climate change policies have become an annual fixture at the state Capitol, and this year appears to be no different. Lawmakers are preparing to decide the future of the cap-and-trade program, the centerpiece of California’s battle against global warming. Cap and trade is extremely complex, and so are the politics involved. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-cap-trade-debate-20170209-htmlstory.html Republican Carbon Tax Proposal: Novel Climate Solution or Regulatory Giveaway? A new plan offered by veteran Republican policymakers trades off a price on carbon for de-fanging the EPA on regulating carbon dioxide. A group of eminent establishment Republicans have proposed a grand compromise on climate change policy: a carbon tax, offset by a payout to individuals and families, in exchange for repeal of other regulations on industry. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08022017/carbon-tax-epa-clean-power-plan-climate-change-donald-trump Conservatives Push Carbon Tax to Address Climate Crisis. With President Trump and Republicans in Congress moving swiftly to repeal regulations that slow global warming, a group of prominent conservatives on Wednesday touted a different potential solution — a carbon tax that pays cash dividends to Americans. In a paper titled “The Conservative Case For Carbon Dividends,” op-eds in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/conservatives-push-carbon-tax-to-address-climate-21148 CLIMATE CHANGE Good Luck Killing the EPA. Dismembering the agency requires changing 45 years worth of laws, warns one Republican who ran it. Republicans have been known to threaten this from time to time, with the understanding that it was red meat for ideological or business interests with no real chance of success. “Everybody hates regulation,” said Republican Christine Todd Whitman, a former EPA administrator and New Jersey governor, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-08/good-luck-killing-the-epa EPA Officials Yanked From Alaska Event as Trump Team Weighs In. Just three days before this week’s environment conference in Alaska, the top Environmental Protection Agency official in Anchorage called the organizer with some news: The agency had been instructed by the White House to slash the number of EPA staffers who could attend. https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-02-09/epa-officials-yanked-from-alaska-event-as-trump-team-weighs-in Former EPA head Gina McCarthy: “I don’t know why climate change got to be a religion”. Former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy says she has deep concerns about the agency’s direction under the Trump administration and is urging California and other states to take the lead on slowing climate change. “I think I’m concerned about this administration and their commitment… http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/08/former-epa-administrator-i-dont-know-why-climate-change-got-to-be-a-religion/ Obama EPA Head Says Calif. Must Lead Climate Change Action. Less than three weeks out of her job as the nation’s top environmental regulator, former E.P.A. Administrator Gina McCarthy flew to California to discuss environmental action with Democratic lawmakers. McCarthy says, since President Donald Trump and new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt have rejected mainstream climate science… http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/02/08/obama-epa-head-says-ca-must-lead-climate-change-action/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049800 Were World Leaders Duped Over Manipulated Global Warming Data? The world’s leading source of climate data rushed to publish a landmark paper that exaggerated global warming and was timed to influence the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change reports David Rose. A high-level whistle blower reported that America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) breached… http://canadafreepress.com/article/were-world-leaders-duped-over-manipulated-global-warming-data What climate change action, Republican-style, might look like. A group of prominent conservatives put forward a plan for addressing climate change. In some ways, it's a marker for the future. Climate-change activists keep knocking on President Trump’s door. Only this time, it’s not Al Gore or Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s former Reagan Treasury Secretary James Baker – backed up by a Mitt Romney tweet. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Inhabit/2017/0208/What-climate-change-action-Republican-style-might-look-like Nine Northeastern States Cut Global Warming Pollution. Over the past 12 years, a pollution-trading program has helped states reduce carbon emissions, save money, and create jobs. Dykes: “Pollution reduction and economic growth can go hand-in-hand.” That’s Katie Dykes, the chair of the board of directors of the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, affectionately known as “Reggie.” http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2017/02/nine-northeastern-states-cut-global-warming-pollution/ Sea ice levels hit record low. Arctic sea ice levels hit record lows in January, continuing a months long pattern of depleted ice volume that began last October. The sea ice extent was particularly low in the Bering Sea, along Alaska's southwest coast, as well as in the Barents and Kara seas north of Russia and Norway… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049773 Tree-lined suburbs increasingly threatened by climate change. The suburbs evoke images of white picket fences and organized sports, a peaceful escape from big-city living. But new research finds verdant residential communities are increasingly likely to go up in smoke. In an analysis of more than 23 million fires… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049767 DROUGHT California retains drought measures, despite wet weather. Water regulators in California on Wednesday extended what are now largely symbolic conservation measures lingering from the drought after the state has seen one of the wettest winters in years. Regulators decided to retain the measures at least until spring as a precaution against the possible return of dry weather — even as another major storm bears down on the state. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/california-retains-drought-measures-despite-wet-weather/2017/02/08/06a5425c-ee61-11e6-a100-fdaaf400369a_story.html?utm_term=.1b229cd4cbfc Despite epic rain and snow, California keeps emergency drought restrictions in place. California’s snowpack is at 184% of average for this time of year. Cities from San Francisco to Los Angeles have recorded their highest rain levels in years. Rockslides and flooding hit Northern California. And the spillway of the state’s massive dam at Lake Oroville, once a symbol of the state’s brutal drought when it sat near empty, is actually eroding due to so much runoff from fall and winter rains. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-emergency-regulations-20170208-story.html California extends emergency drought regulations despite heavy rain, snow. The State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday voted to keep statewide emergency drought controls in effect, even as most of California sees historic amounts of rain and snow. The drought regulations, which have been greatly relaxed in recent months, will run at least another 270 days. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article131586379.html#storylink=cpy California storms: Drought gone in 53 percent of state, most since 2013. For the first time in four years, more than half of California is no longer classified as being in drought conditions by the federal government — the latest milestone signaling the end of the state’s historic drought. Altogether, 53 percent of California has seen enough precipitation, and its reservoirs and groundwater levels filled so much that it is not in drought… http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/09/california-storms-drought-gone-in-more-than-50-percent-of-state-for-first-time-since-2013/ Why the worst drought in U.S. history was a 'climate surprise'. For a while, it seemed as though the big questions about what weather forecasters call the "Great Plains Drought" in the summer of 2012 had been answered. It was the most peculiar and damaging drought in U.S. history. As it parched the earth over U.S. breadbasket states from May through August, it caused $30 billion worth of damage. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049766 DIESEL ACTIVITIES California Pilot Project Pushes Alt-Fuel School Buses. A California program is offering $10 million for purchasing school buses powered by electricity (pictured), renewable diesel, natural gas, or propane. A California program is offering $10 million for purchasing school buses powered by electricity (pictured), renewable diesel, natural gas, or propane. http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/news/719955/california-pilot-project-pushes-alt-fuel-school-buses?utm_campaign=Newsline-Thursday-New-20170209&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter FUELS As feds roll back methane rule, California pushes ahead with its own. As Congress moves towards scrapping a federal rule regulating methane, California is plowing forward with the nation's strictest rules designed to curb the emissions of the potent greenhouse gas from oil and gas sites – the latest example of the state going it alone on climate change. The rule was one of a suite of environmental regulations passed in the waning days of the Obama Administration. http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/02/08/68859/as-feds-roll-back-methane-rule-california-pushes-a/ VEHICLES There Are Now More Plug-in Cars For Sale In the US Than Hybrids. Just six years ago when the first major manufacturer plug-in electrified vehicles were experimentally launched, who knew that by now there’d be more plug-ins for sale in the U.S. than more-established regular hybrids? What began with the extended range 2011 Chevy Volt and all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf… http://www.hybridcars.com/there-are-now-more-plug-in-cars-for-sale-in-the-us-than-hybrids/ Tesla factory getting upgrades as Model 3 electric car approaches. Tesla plans to shut down its California assembly plant for a week to make equipment upgrades for production of its new mass-market electric car in a sign that the vehicle might be on track to hit ambitious production goals. The automaker confirmed that would halt manufacturing temporarily in February to add capacity… http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/02/09/tesla-model-3/97684884/ California goal: eliminate gasoline, diesel light vehicles altogether. What if gasoline and diesel cars and light trucks were simply eliminated altogether from the new vehicles sold in a state? Residents of one state in the U.S. may, eventually, find out. California already leads the nation in promoting zero-emission vehicles, but the Golden State may soon take that policy a step further. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108799_california-goal-eliminate-gasoline-diesel-light-vehicles-altogether Not enough charging points for electric cars; fracking in Scotland economically marginal. While it is good news for the environment that UK sales of electric cars are rising (Report, 7 February) this trend is unlikely to really take off while we have such a disjointed and shortsighted policy regarding electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Boris Johnson sold the London-wide charging network to a French company… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/09/not-enough-charging-points-for-electric-cars-fracking-in-scotland-economically-marginal VW RECALL VW turns on ex-chairman over emissions allegations. Volkswagen signalled it could take legal action against former chairman Ferdinand Piech after a media report said he had informed top directors about potential cheating of diesel emission tests six months before the scandal became public. The report, without citing sources, said Piech raised the issue with then-Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-idUSKBN15O18H VW diesels that can be fixed to meet emissions standards (and those that can't). So far only a relatively small number of settlement vehicles can be modified to meet emissions standards and stay on the road. More than 16 months after Volkswagen's use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel vehicles was announced by the Environmental Protection Agency… http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2017/0207/VW-diesels-that-can-be-fixed-to-meet-emissions-standards-and-those-that-can-t This Latest Revelation About Dieselgate Is Kind Of Insane. The main issue around Dieselgate for most people is how are all of VW’s cheater cars going to get fixed, but there’s a second question of when VW’s executives found out about the cheat and if there was an internal coverup. New news on that front involves backstabbing, lies and a former ambassador to Israel. http://jalopnik.com/this-latest-revelation-about-dieselgate-is-kind-of-insa-1792145655 Volkswagen has a new subbrand – Electrify America. The Dieselgate scandal is still making ripples across VW’s strategy – at least as far as America is concerned – where the German group has set up a completely new, green subsidiary. As part of the settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the automaker has revealed it has deployed a new subsidiary called Electrify America… http://www.inautonews.com/volkswagen-has-a-new-subbrand-electrify-america GREEN ENERGY Why two American billionaires are betting on renewable energy. According to a couple of American billionaires, the future of the energy grid looks very green. Philip Anschutz, of oil and entertainment industry wealth, is hoping to build what would become America's largest wind farm in Wyoming. What’s more, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, a large player in renewable energy… https://cms.marketplace.org/2017/02/08/world/why-two-american-billionaires-are-betting-renewable-energy Low solar costs could mean end of coal demand by 2020. The demand for coal and oil could peak as soon as 2020, according to a new report. The report, prepared by researchers from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College and the Carbon Tracker Initiative, attributes this trend to the rapid drops in the pricing of renewable energy, specifically solar power and electric vehicles. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049772 Storing power raises energy consumption and emissions — study. Storing solar energy for nighttime use actually increases consumption and emissions, according to new research from the University of Texas, Austin. The finding runs counter to the notion that solar panels are reliable 24-hour power sources only if the energy can be stored. Instead… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049777 Wind expands to country's 4th-largest electricity source. U.S. wind power developers installed nearly 6,500 megawatts of new generation capacity between October and December, marking the industry's second-largest quarterly growth and solidifying wind's position as the nation's No. 1 renewable energy resource, according to data released this morning by the American Wind Energy Association. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049827 MISCELLANEOUS Trump's last answer to a carbon tax? No way! The number of ideas for replacing the Clean Power Plan is beginning to grow. The proposal yesterday by former Secretary of State James Baker and other distinguished Republicans to tax carbon dioxide and return the revenue to Americans in quarterly dividend checks is an ambitious plan that could outperform Obama-era regulations in terms of reducing greenhouse gases. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/09/stories/1060049798 OPINIONS Want ‘climate change consensus’? Let’s form the McChrystal Commission. Imagine, if you will, an August 2017 Post headline: “McChrystal Commission report surprises, energizes and outrages.” The first paragraph reads: “The much-anticipated and closely guarded final report of the McChrystal Commission on Climate Change released Tuesday shook nearly every interest and player in the capital. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/want-climate-change-consensus-lets-form-the-mccrystal-commission/2017/02/09/1f5c346c-ee53-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html?utm_term=.9b9aefc0e3fc BLOGS GOP Climate Group Tries to Warm White House to Carbon Tax. The main issue around Dieselgate for most people is how are all of VW’s cheater cars going to get fixed, but there’s a second question of when VW’s executives found out about the cheat and if there was an internal coverup. New news on that front involves backstabbing, lies and a former ambassador to Israel. http://jalopnik.com/this-latest-revelation-about-dieselgate-is-kind-of-insa-1792145655 Something is very, very wrong with the Arctic climate. This Arctic winter has startled even the most even-keeled scientists, with records set for low sea ice extent, high temperatures and other indicators of a climate gone awry. Sea ice has plummeted to record lows and stayed there as pulses of unusually warm air have swept across the region, with the latest one set to reach the North Pole on Thursday. http://mashable.com/2017/02/08/sea-ice-record-low-january/#deKNKflk45qQ California Aims to Buy Clean — and it Starts with Buying American-Made. Sourcing steel, aluminum, & other industrial products from the U.S. can help lower carbon emissions. Environmental advocates, labor unions, Silicon Valley leaders and steel producers are joining forces to support new legislation in California that would add a Buy Clean mandate to state procurement rules. http://www.americanmanufacturing.org/blog/entry/california-aims-to-buy-clean-and-it-starts-with-buying-american-made UK grocer first in Europe to use new trucks fuelled by food waste. A British supermarket has become the first retailer in Europe to use a new type of tank that keeps trucks motoring on fuel made from food waste for 500 miles, almost twice the current average. The longer driving range - capacity had held back earlier green fuel options - could entice more business to turn to low-emission lorries and thereby help fight global warming. http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-uk-grocer-first-in-europe-to-use-new-trucks-fuelled-by-food-waste-2318197 EPA Comes Under the Gun in Congressional Hearing. The hearing also examined a complaint that a former NOAA scientist manipulated data in a high-profile global warming paper. Republicans in the new U.S. Congress unleashed on Tuesday some of their opening salvos against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which they say creates unnecessary and burdensome regulations… https://eos.org/articles/epa-comes-under-the-gun-in-congressional-hearing California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.