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newsclips -- CARB Newsclips for May 4, 2017.
Posted: 04 May 2017 11:34:00
CARB Newsclips for May 4, 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. CARB BUSINESS Staff from the California Department of Transportation, the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission, and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development invite you to participate in workshops to discuss implementation of the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan (Action Plan). The workshops will be held at the locations and on the dates noted below. The agencies will follow the same format and show the same presentation at each of the workshop locations. OAKLAND: May 9, 2017 LOS ANGELES: May 30, 2017 SAN DIEGO: May 31, 2017 For more information on the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan including upcoming workshops, please visit the webpage at http://www.casustainablefreight.org/ _________________________ David Cocker, PhD University of California, Riverside. Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., PDT (WEBCAST) Sierra Hearing Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California Low vapor pressure-volatile organic compounds (LVP-VOCs) are a set of VOCs currently exempted for VOC content based on a combination of boiling point, vapor pressure, and/or elution time from a GC-column. This work explores evaporation rates and secondary pollutant formation from a series of individual LVP-VOCs associated with consumer products, select generic consumer products that include these LVP-VOCs, and several hydrocarbon solvents. For more go to the announcement at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/cocker/cocker.htm May 8, 2017: Public Workshop to discuss ARB's Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Program. At this workshop, ARB staff will present an overview of activities taken by the CCS program in 2016, and an initial concept of a Quantification Methodology (QM) and Permanence Protocol for CCS. https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/ccs/meetings/meetings.htm Air Resources Board staff have posted a white paper on the health benefits of physical activity and air pollution exposure while walking and bicycling for transportation. Download the White Paper: https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/vprp/physical_activity_and_health_final_161216.pdf For more information, including the White Paper and other resources, visit our Built Environment webpage: https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/vprp/vprp.htm A fact sheet summarizing this document can be found here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/html/fact_sheets/physical_activity_fact_sheet.pdf AIR POLLUTION Sandstorm blankets huge area of China in dusty pollution. A sandstorm blown by gusting winds enveloped a huge area of central and northern China on Thursday in thick pollution hazardous to people venturing outdoors. The Beijing Meteorological Observatory advised people to minimize time spent outdoors and forecast that the murky conditions would linger into Friday morning. https://www.apnews.com/01cf539e0fa64c33ae03fef9e2e1d164/Sandstorm-blankets-huge-area-of-China-in-dusty-pollution Lakeview Collins sawmill hit with DEQ fine. Collins Pine Co.’s sawmill operation in Lakeview was issued a $7,200 fine for exceeding air pollution restrictions, according to a release by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The penalty was issued for exceeding grain loading particulate matter emission limits from one of its two boilers at the facility’s wood products mill, located just north of Lakeview. http://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/lakeview-collins-sawmill-hit-with-deq-fine/article_c8bedd94-2c24-5f9f-a8ce-004d76faf39c.html The cost of air conditioning: Major emissions spike. When summer temperatures climb, so do power plant releases of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants. With air conditioning being one obvious connection, a new study seeks to quantify the impact on a state-by-state basis, finding that the price of indoor cooling is hundreds of tons of added emissions each day. https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/05/04/stories/1060054071 CLIMATE CHANGE Cuomo joins governors urging Trump to uphold climate deal. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has joined 11 other governors prodding President Donald Trump to participate in international efforts to combat climate change. The governors sent a joint letter to Trump on Tuesday urging him to uphold the United States’ greenhouse gas reduction goals outlined in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. https://www.apnews.com/0f5b0b10cd71402b9d8b0b86016242b7/Cuomo-joins-governors-urging-Trump-to-uphold-climate-deal Can state run on sun and wind alone? California weighs aggressive climate change measures. Faced with a presidential administration that’s dialing back climate change policies, California is getting even more aggressive on battling greenhouse gases. Electric utilities in California already are working to generate half of their power through solar and other renewable energy sources by 2030, one of the most aggressive timetables in the nation. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article148503269.html#storylink=cpy Could making climate change a 'pro-life' issue bring conservatives on board? The message is targeted at evangelicals and other conservatives, but many Americans do not see climate change as a moral issue, at least not yet. The terms "pro-life" and "pro-environment" are not normally linked, but a growing number of Christian leaders insist they should be. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2017/0502/Could-making-climate-change-a-pro-life-issue-bring-conservatives-on-board Another study disputes uncertainty over global warming 'pause'. A growing body of evidence has diminished a favorite talking point of Washington politicians who reject mainstream climate science. For conservatives who oppose environmental regulations, the appearance of a "pause" in global warming between 1998 and 2012 is evidence that the understanding of climate science is limited and… https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/04/stories/1060054027 DIESEL ACTIVITIES BYD showcases battery-electric trucks, buses at ACT Expo. BYD is showcasing the latest advancements in battery-electric buses, trucks and materials handling equipment this week at the 2017 ACT Expo at the Long Beach Convention Center. “BYD continues to lead the industry with its advanced battery technologies that make electric buses, trucks and materials handling equipment cost competitive with other alternative fuel vehicle options today… http://fleetowner.com/equipment/byd-showcases-battery-electric-trucks-buses-act-expo Proterra Initiates America’s First Autonomous Bus Test Project in Nevada. Electric bus maker Proterra wants people to feel comfortable about traveling by autonomous buses and its test program in Nevada is to be a first step. The company is working with transportation agencies and the University of Nevada-Reno’s Living Lab Coalition to launch a three-phase R&D pilot project for “safer mobility solutions” … http://www.hybridcars.com/proterra-initiates-americas-first-autonomous-bus-program-nevada/ FUELS Reliance Becomes First Customer for Its Own Coal-Bed Methane. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd. has become the first buyer of coal-bed methane produced from its own block in central India after agreeing to pay the highest price for the fuel, according to the company’s website. The company bid $4.23 per million British thermal units… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-04/reliance-becomes-first-customer-for-its-own-coal-bed-methane Methane Rule Repeal Hits Snag in Senate Over Ethanol. A top oil industry priority on Capitol Hill may fall victim to an unrelated dispute over ethanol. At stake is an Interior Department rule forcing energy companies to curb emissions of methane escaping from wells and pipelines on public land. Senate Republican leaders say they are close to getting the 51 votes they need to overturn that Obama-era regulation… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-02/methane-rule-repeal-said-to-hit-snag-in-senate-over-ethanol Inside The Debate Over Repealing Curbs On Methane Leaks. A deadline is fast approaching for Republican lawmakers who want to undo an Obama-era regulation that aims to limit the emissions of methane — a powerful greenhouse gas — from energy production sites on public lands. The oil and gas industry is lobbying lawmakers to permanently repeal the rule, as it has other recent environmental regulations… http://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526729339/inside-the-debate-over-repealing-curbs-on-methane-leaks Pruitt considering Senate-sought ethanol waiver. PATH FORWARD ON ETHANOL, METHANE? EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt may have opened a path for Senate Republicans to appease a small bloc of their caucus seeking a year-round waiver to sell 15 percent ethanol fuel and thereby boost the chamber’s odds of repealing of an Obama-era methane regulation, Pro’s Eric Wolff reports. http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-energy/2017/05/pruitt-considering-senate-sought-ethanol-waiver-220130 Ethanol fight complicates push to repeal Obama drilling rule. A handful of GOP senators have said they might hold up legislation to repeal an Obama administration oil and natural gas drilling rule to secure a vote on an ethanol policy change. The group, led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Thune (R-N.D.), have long pushed legislation to overturn federal policy that effectively prevents sales of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol — known as E15… http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/331757-ethanol-fight-complicates-push-to-repeal-obama-drilling-rule Biofuels firm indicted in fraudulent fuel credit scheme: Justice Department. A Pennsylvania biofuels firm and its co-owners have been indicted on conspiracy charges in a scheme that generated $10 million in renewable fuel credits from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-crime-biofuels-keystone-idUSKBN18023X Bioenergy increases emissions in Europe. The way the EU Emission Trading (ETS) has been set up, means that replacement of coal or gas with biomass will lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions, writes Rauli Partanen, freelance author and analyst. And in combination with the renewable energy targets all EU member states have, this is exactly what our policies encourage us to do. http://www.theenergycollective.com/raulipartanen/2403678/bioenergy-increases-emissions-europe Boating leaders ask Trump to change ethanol policy. Boating and fishing industry leaders sent a letter to President Donald Trump Wednesday asking the administration to reexamine the Renewable Fuel Standard that dictates how much of the nation's fuel supply must be from alternative energy sources. http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2017/05/boating_leaders_ask_trump_to_c.html VEHICLES California has invested $559M in cap-and-trade funds in ZEVs; state represents more than 40% of US ZEV sales. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced that California Climate Investments in zero-emission vehicles have reached $599 million since 2013, putting hundreds of thousands of ultra-clean cars, and entire fleets of zero-emission trucks and buses on California roads and highways. ARB made the announcement at the annual Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/05/20170504-cci.html 2017 Could Prove to Be a Turning Point for Plug-In Hybrids. Until recently, if you wanted to ditch your gas guzzler and go electric, there were few choices. You could take the high road and opt for a $70,000 luxury vehicle, like the Tesla Model S, or take the low road and choose a more modest commuter, like the $31,000 Nissan Leaf. But this year, all that appears to be changing. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/automobiles/wheels/plug-in-electric-hybrid-automobiles.html?_r=1 Which carmakers show CA 2025 zero-emission vehicle rules are already within reach? The sales growth of electric cars has made strides in recent years, and California's Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate has more than a little to do with that. The program adopted by the state of California more than 20 years ago, and much modified since then, requires that carmakers sell a certain number of zero-emission models in California and 10 states that have adopted its emission rules. What's less well known is that certain automakers have already surpassed the expectations, according to David Reichmuth, senior engineer in the Union of Concerned Scientists' Clean Vehicles Program. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110266_which-carmakers-show-ca-2025-zero-emission-vehicle-rules-are-already-within-reach Tesla 1Q loss widens on higher spending ahead of Model 3. Electric car maker Tesla’s first-quarter loss widened 17 percent to $330 million as it ramped up spending ahead of the launch of its Model 3 sedan and its growing solar energy business. The loss equaled $2.04 per share, compared to a loss of $2.13 a year ago. Excluding one-time items, Tesla reported a loss of $1.33 per share… https://www.apnews.com/7efff91cbe6a4f27b80b2bb4167809ac/Tesla-1Q-loss-widens-on-higher-spending-ahead-of-Model-3 China Bets $1.2 Billion on E-Cars in Volkswagen's Germany. China’s Beijing WKW Automotive Parts Co. is betting on the future of electric mobility in Germany with a billion-euro factory nearby plants owned by Volkswagen AG and BMW AG. Beijing WKW will invest as much as 1.13 billion euros ($1.24 billion) on an electric car factory in the eastern state of Saxony that will create over 1,000 new jobs… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-04/china-bets-1-2-billion-on-electric-cars-in-volkswagen-s-germany Zero-emission vehicles are big business in California. The California Air Resources Board says the state’s “climate investments” in zero-emission vehicles have reached $599 million since 2013, putting hundreds of thousands of ultra-clean cars, and entire fleets of zero-emission trucks and buses on California roads and highways. “Investing in zero-emission cars, trucks and buses is a smart… http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=32566 http://electriccarsreport.com/2017/05/infographic-california-invested-559m-zero-emission-vehicles-since-2013/ http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/05/20170504-cci.html https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060054045/feed Energy use for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles: higher than electrics, even hybrids (analysis). It's now clear that the zero-emission vehicles of the future will be powered by electric motors. The electricity to power those motors, however, will come from one of two competing technologies: high-capacity batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. The debate over which technology is superior, which has the lowest wells-to-wheels carbon footprint… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110239_energy-use-for-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles-higher-than-electrics-even-hybrids-analysis Which carmakers show CA 2025 zero-emission vehicle rules are already within reach? The sales growth of electric cars has made strides in recent years, and California's Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate has more than a little to do with that. The program adopted by the state of California more than 20 years ago, and much modified since then, requires that carmakers sell a certain number of zero-emission models… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110266_which-carmakers-show-ca-2025-zero-emission-vehicle-rules-are-already-within-reach Plug-in electric car sales for Apr: Bolt EV back over 1,000 (updated). WIth four-figure sales for both its all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV and the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, GM probably led April's plug-in electric car sales. The "probably" comes because Tesla refuses to release its deliveries broken down either by month or by country, meaning there's no data to compare. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110224_plug-in-electric-car-sales-for-apr-bolt-ev-back-over-1000 VOLKSWAGEN VW Squeezes Costs to Brace for Cash Drain From Diesel Damages. Volkswagen AG’s push to squeeze costs from its struggling namesake car brand provided a critical lift to earnings as the world’s biggest automaker braces for an unprecedented cash drain from the diesel-cheating crisis. First-quarter operating profit widened to 7.8 percent of revenue from 6.8 percent a year earlier… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-03/volkswagen-profitability-surges-on-turnaround-following-scandal VW looks to natural gas as it pivots away from diesel. Natural gas VW could help keep fleet emissions low, but no word yet on timing. In the wake of the ongoing Volkswagen diesel scandal, VW is exploring options outside diesel that could help it lower emissions and improve fleet fuel economy. One potential avenue is cars that run on natural gas, and VW has been talking with… http://autoweek.com/article/green-cars/vw-looks-natural-gas-lower-fleet-emissions-it-pivots-diesel#ixzz4g7hsAbAm GREEN ENERGY Italy's Building Energy Completes Its Wind Project in Iowa. Building Energy SpA, an Italian renewable-energy company, completed a 30-megawatt wind farm in Iowa, its first in the state. The project in Story, Boone, Hardin and Poweshiek counties can power about 11,000 households, Milan-based Building Energy said in a statement Thursday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-04/italy-s-building-energy-completes-its-wind-project-in-iowa President Trump taps solar-funding critic to run renewable energy office. The Trump administration has named a fervent critic of government support for wind and solar projects to oversee federal renewable energy programs. The Department of Energy confirmed Wednesday that Dan Simmons will lead its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-taps-solar-funding-critic-run-renewable-energy-office-article-1.3135553 http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-renewable-energy-critic-to-oversee-wind-and-solar-programs-2017-5 President Trump Could Save First Solar. A new legal petition could provide pricing relief for U.S. solar companies. Shares of First Solar, Inc. (ticker: FSLR) surged more than 12 percent on Wednesday following a big first-quarter earnings beat and guidance raise. However, the long-term outlook for U.S. solar stocks could hinge on… http://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/2017-05-04/president-trump-could-save-first-solar-inc-fslr Pitting Wind and Solar Against Nuclear Power. With US electricity demand stalled, expanding wind and solar power is increasing the economic pressure on equally low-emission nuclear power. New state incentives for nuclear plants are facing resistance from the beneficiaries of renewable energy subsidies, as both battle for market share. It’s an old adage that a growth market… http://www.theenergycollective.com/geoffrey-styles/2403683/pitting-wind-solar-nuclear-power US Wind Industry To Install 59 Gigawatts Over Next Decade, Forecasts MAKE Consulting. MAKE Consulting has published its latest forecast for the North American wind industry, predicting that the United States will install approximately 59 gigawatts of new wind capacity between 2017 and 2026, driven by a “precarious boom and bust” cycle. https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/04/us-wind-industry-install-59-gw-next-decade-make/ MISCELLANEOUS California Agency Endorses LA 2024 Clean Air Policies. Los Angeles’ bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and its commitment to stage the “greenest Games in history” has been endorsed by California’s clean air agency, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which last month issued a letter to bid chair Casey Wasserman lauding the project’s approach to environmental protection. https://gamesbids.com/eng/featured/california-agency-endorses-la-2024-clean-air-policies/ OPINIONS Trump: Crazy Like a Fox, or Just Crazy? Has the first 100 days of the presidency made Donald Trump nuts? I don’t ask that question as a doctor. I don’t do medical diagnoses. I ask it as a newspaper reader. You read all of Trump’s 100-day interviews and they are just bizarre. Out of nowhere Trump tells us he would be “honored” to negotiate directly with the leader of North Korea, after weeks of threatening war. Out of nowhere he says he would consider a gasoline tax… https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/opinion/trump-crazy-like-a-fox-or-just-crazy.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthomas-l-friedman&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=1 Yay, the drought is over. Now let's save our dying urban trees. When Gov. Jerry Brown pronounced an end to the drought emergency last month — but not to the possibility of another drought — it would have been just like him to quote another eminent Californian, the naturalist John Muir, who said that “we all travel the Milky Way together, trees and men.” http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-ol-patt-morrison-igor-lacan-drought-trees-20170503-htmlstory.html Will we be passive or confront coming climate changes? | Letters. I have read with interest a number of letters to the editor describing climate change as just another natural adjustment by Mother Nature, comparable to ice ages and warming periods of the distant past. This passive acceptance of what's to come leaves out a few important differences. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/letters/fl-letter-climate-change-acceptance-20170504-story.html EPA committed to regulating mercury 17 years ago. Now it’s having second thoughts. Jack Lienke is a senior attorney at the Institute for Policy Integrity and a coauthor, with Richard L. Revesz, of Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the “War on Coal.” Have you read Bleak House by Charles Dickens? Me neither — it’s very long — but I did watch the miniseries plants. http://grist.org/opinion/epa-committed-to-regulating-mercury-17-years-ago-now-its-having-second-thoughts/ Struggling to make California affordable. The issue of affordability is hitting critical mass in regions throughout the state. However, Sacramento seems completely disconnected from this reality. In fact, Sacramento has the entire state on the fast lane towards making California even more unaffordable. http://capitolweekly.net/struggling-make-california-affordable/ BLOGS At ACT Expo, Automakers Bullish on Landscape for Advanced Fuel Vehicles. Everything from smart cities to connected heavy-duty trucks to autonomous vehicles (AVs) to electrification to energy policy were hot topics at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Long Beach this year. There’s clearly growing momentum in the alternative vehicle space that has vast potential to chip away at petroleum’s hold over transportation. http://energyfuse.org/act-expo-speakers-attendees-bullish-solutions-fighting-petroleums-monopoly-transportation-sector/ The case for President Trump to uphold the Paris climate agreement. In February, in his joint address to Congress, President Trump promised to work with both parties to promote clean air and clean water. The president’s actions, however, do not reflect the words he delivered to us that day. Among his first actions: appointing an Environmental Protection Agency administrator who made his name trying to block that very agency from keeping our water clean. http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/331841-the-case-for-president-trump-to-uphold-the-paris