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newsclips -- CARB Newsclips for May 5, 2017.
Posted: 05 May 2017 16:33:48
CARB Newsclips for May 5, 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 _________________________ 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 CAP AND TRADE California Reports $559M In Cap-and-Trade Revenue Has Gone Into Clean Vehicles. California has put $559 million into electrified cars, trucks, and buses through the state’s cap-and-trade revenue since 2013. During ACT Expo in Long Beach, Calif., the California Air Resources Board announced that the state has invested those funds into thousands of electrified and fuel cell vehicles and demonstration projects. http://www.hybridcars.com/california-reports-559m-in-cap-and-trade-revenue-has-gone-into-clean-vehicles/ California Bill to Make Cap and Trade Similar to Carbon Fee and Dividend. California state Senators Bob Wieckowski and Kevin De León introduced a bill this week that would update the state’s 5-year-old cap and trade system to have some remarkable similarities to CCL’s Carbon Fee and Dividend. The bill would shift cap and trade starting in 2021 to include a steadily rising carbon price… http://citizensclimatelobby.org/california-bill-make-cap-trade-similar-carbon-fee-dividend/ Offset providers say new carbon-pricing bill is 'horrific'. The carbon offset industry is reeling from a new proposal by California lawmakers that would shut them out of the state's carbon market after 2020. S.B. 775, unveiled Monday by state Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León (D) and Senate Environmental Quality Committee Chairman Bob Wieckowski (D), would end the state's current cap-and-trade system… https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/05/stories/1060054111 AIR POLLUTION Court ruling is a first step toward controlling air pollution from livestock farms. (THE CONVERSATION) Editor’s note: Most livestock farming in industrialized countries takes place on large enclosed farms, known in the United States as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), that house hundreds or thousands of animals. Many environmental and public health groups say CAFOs are major air and water polluters and should be regulated more stringently. https://apnews.com/b94101738d7a47c3ba299f7b979ed176 Bay Area air hits healthy milestone thanks to tough wood-burning rules. The Bay Area has cleaned up its air enough to meet the federal health standard for soot and fine pollution particles after a long and controversial campaign to reduce wood burning. In making the announcement Thursday, Bay Area air quality regulators said it’s good news for people at risk of asthma and emphysema attacks… http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/04/bay-area-air-hits-healthy-milestone-thanks-to-tough-wood-burning-rules/ State of the Air: California and Bay Area cities among top 10 most polluted in nation. California cities dominated a list of top 10 most polluted regions published by the American Lung Association. The State of the Air 2017 is based on air quality monitoring from 2013 to 2015. The Visalia-Porterville-Hanford areas in San Joaquin County had the highest level of year-round-particle pollution in the country. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/05/state-of-the-air-california-and-bay-area-cities-among-top-10-most-polluted-in-nation/ Air pollution lawsuit set to go ahead despite delayed government plan. Class action on behalf of asthma suffers may still go ahead over repeated failure to tackle illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. Lawyers are taking a class action against the government over its repeated failures to clean up illegal levels of air pollution, the Guardian can reveal, as ministers publish a long-awaited plan to reduce diesel emissions. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/04/government-faces-class-action-on-air-pollution-in-landmark-case Survey: Environment and sustainability professionals united over air pollution fears. Some 97 per cent of UK environment and sustainability experts believe tackling air pollution should be a top priority for the next government. The vast majority of environment and sustainability professionals want to see the government take urgent action to tackle air pollution… http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3009510/survey-environment-and-sustainability-professionals-united-over-air-pollution-fears Air pollution from fumes. Construction firm burns discarded shoes to melt pitch. Burning of discarded shoes made of synthetic materials to melt pitch is causing severe air pollution in Dakkhin Motukpur village of Domar upazila. Messrs SM Shafiqul Alam, a construction firm in the district, is using the discarded shoes for melting pitch instead of coal or wood. This causes air pollution from dense smoke and fumes. http://www.thedailystar.net/country/air-pollution-fumes-1401007 Researchers find monetary value of air quality in China. Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health and Peking University have found that Chinese families are willing to invest up to 6 percent of their annual income in efforts to improve air quality. Published in Ecological Economics on March 7, the study aimed to determine the amount people are willing to pay for efforts to reduce air pollution… http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/51189 CLIMATE CHANGE Scientists call for more precision in global warming predictions. Researchers from Harvard University, Princeton University and the Environmental Defense Fund proposed a new, more precise way to measure the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on Earth's climate in an article published on Thursday in the academic journal Science. The proposal, titled "Unmask temporal trade-offs in climate policy debates”… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-model-idUSKBN1802E2 States Move to Roll Back Environmental Rules in Trump’s Wake. Emboldened by the environmental rollbacks of President Donald Trump, state legislatures are following suit, taking aim at items as varied as solar incentives, chemical spill protections and, even, anti-pipeline protesters. The legislation in states from Florida to Wisconsin comes as the Environmental Protection Agency under… https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-05/states-move-to-roll-back-environmental-rules-in-trump-s-wake We would need 1.7 Earths to make our consumption sustainable. President Trump has acted on his campaign promises to reverse Obama’s environmental policies and proposed a budget that would significantly slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s funding in an effort to take federal responsibility out of environmental regulations. https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/we-would-need-17-earths-to-make-our-consumption-sustainable/2017/05/04/2b2c2de8-30e2-11e7-8674-437ddb6e813e_story.html?utm_term=.3ada21b41496 Logging Plays Bigger Climate Change Role Than U.S. Acknowledges, Report Says. Officials underestimate the role that preserving forests can play in addressing the climate crisis, according to the Dogwood Alliance. The U.S. has consistently underestimated the impact that logging has on accelerating climate change and the role that preserving its forests can play in sucking carbon out of the atmosphere. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05052017/climate-change-biomass-renewable-energy-coal-deforestation-paris-climate-agreement Climate Change Is Causing The Dissolved Oxygen In World's Oceans To Plummet. The planet is warming, and so are its oceans. Between 1901 and 2015, as the oceans’ heat absorbing capacity was stretched to its limits, the average surface temperature of the world’s oceans of rose at an average rate of 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, and temperatures in the shallowest waters… http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-causing-dissolved-oxygen-worlds-oceans-plummet-2535134 Republicans in California say they're ready to work on climate change. Should Democrats take them seriously? As Republican leader of the California Assembly, Mayes oversees just 25 of the body's 80 members, giving him little political power. Democrats hold two-thirds supermajorities in both houses of the state Legislature, meaning they can pass whatever measures they want if they mostly stick together… http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2017/05/05/republicans-california-say-theyre-ready-work-climate-change/310421001/ Total EU emissions tied to fossil fuels declined last year. Combined emissions of carbon dioxide for the European Union declined slightly from last year, though big contributors to pollution posted gains, data show. Eurostat, the record-keeping arm of the European Union, reported a preliminary estimate for carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels declined 0.4 percent compared with last year. http://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2017/05/05/Total-EU-emissions-tied-to-fossil-fuels-declined-last-year/6741493984306/ Negative emissions tech: can more trees, carbon capture or biochar solve our CO2 problem? As CO2 levels rise, controversial techniques including carbon capture and storage, enhanced weathering and reforestation may be solutions. In the 2015 Paris climate agreement, 195 nations committed to limit global warming to two degrees above pre-industrial levels. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/may/05/negative-emissions-tech-can-more-trees-carbon-capture-or-biochar-solve-our-co2-problem California celebrates emissions-funding milestone at ACT Expo. Nearly $600 million from new program spurring clean technologies, but CARB warns stricter rules still needed. California often is considered a dirty word among truckers. That is partly due to the state’s aggressive truck and bus emissions regulations, which truckers say adds costs to an already complex regulatory environment at the federal level. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/california-celebrates-emissions-funding-milestone-act-expo Court to decide if state can cap sea walls at 20 years. The California Supreme Court is deciding whether the state can place limits on homeowners who want to build a sea wall. California Supreme Court justices yesterday scrutinized state rules on sea walls in a case that could impact myriad homes on bluffs and beaches affected by climate change. https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/05/stories/1060054088 Global methodology aims to make 'no deforestation' easier. A metric widely used by companies, governments and communities to protect the world's most carbon-rich forests is getting a face-lift. The High Carbon Stock (HCS) Approach is a science-based methodology that categorizes forests based on how much carbon they store and their biodiversity. https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/05/stories/1060054090 DIESEL ACTIVITIES Trucking Industry Poised for Electric Heavy-Duty Truck Growth. Sexy Tesla sports cars aren’t the only vehicles that deserve the battery treatment – drayage vehicles, school buses, garbage trucks and cargo haulers are also going electric. And the ranks of those medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles are swelling… https://www.trucks.com/2017/05/05/trucking-industry-electric-heavy-duty-truck-growth/ VDL Bus & Coach Receives Order For Largest Electric Bus Fleet In Europe. Electric bus manufacturer VDL Bus & Coach has announced the receipt of an order for 100 of its VDL Citeas SLFA electric buses and 18 of its VDL Futura FDD2, the company’s flagship electric double-decker bus. https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/05/vdl-announces-order-for-118-electric-buses/ EPA Announces Settlements for California Truck, Bus Regulation Violations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced recent settlements with three companies totaling $201,000 in penalties for violating California’s Truck and Bus Regulation. According to the EPA, the companies either failed to install particulate filters on their own heavy-duty diesel trucks or failed to verify that trucks they hired for use in California complied with the state rule. https://ngtnews.com/epa-announces-settlements-california-truck-bus-regulation-violations Elon Musk Explains Why Tesla Wants Electric Semi Truck. The first details are coming out about the plans of Tesla Inc. and its Chief Executive Elon Musk to build an electric semi-truck. “I don't want to jump the gun on the Tesla semi-truck unveiling later this year, but I think, it's going to be a good product… https://www.trucks.com/2017/05/04/elon-musk-tesla-electric-semi-truck-2/ Trucking Leaders Plan to Stay Course on Phase 2 GHG Regs. Government rules on trucking are getting trickier to navigate, especially amid challenges from the Trump administration and variations across the global market. But at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo – at the Long Beach, Calif., convention center this week – major industry players pledged to stay the course on advancements in fuel economy… https://www.trucks.com/2017/05/04/trucking-leaders-stay-course-phase-2-ghg-regs/ FUELS Pruitt wants Brown 'at the table' for standards review. U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has asked California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to participate in the review of federal vehicle emissions and mileage requirements. In a Tuesday letter to Brown, Pruitt said he had "made a commitment to follow the principles of cooperative federalism and underlying environmental statutes and that means ensuring states have a seat at the… https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/05/stories/1060054112 VEHICLES Electric Car Sales Are Suddenly Taking Off in Europe. After meager growth in 2016, this year is starting strong thanks to a new Renault. It’s no secret that Americans are embracing electric cars. But new data show that increasingly Europeans are too. Sales of battery-powered cars soared 38 percent in the first quarter after models including Renault SA’s improved Zoe won buyers in Germany and Spain. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-04/electric-car-sales-are-suddenly-taking-off-in-europe Navy base in San Diego gets fast-charging station as part of coming fleet of electric cars. The San Diego Naval Base unveiled on Friday its first so-called DC fast-charging station for electric vehicles, the latest move in a push to green up the regional military’s fleet of light-duty vehicles. Along with the dozens of recently installed chargers around California, officials plan to roll out more than 200 new electric vehicles in coming... http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-navy-charging-stations-20170505-story.html CARB Invests Heavily in New Generation of Clean Vehicles for California Roads. The California Air Resource Board is making moves to accelerate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by putting more clean vehicles on roads and highways in its home state. Since 2013, California Climate Investments – a statewide program that funds myriad efforts to improve the economy, environment and public health… https://www.trucks.com/2017/05/04/carb-invests-clean-vehicles-california/ Carmakers might need carbon trading to 'survive' in 2025. Carmakers will rely on carbon credits earned today from overcomplying with emissions and fuel economy standards to meet increasingly strict standards in the future, according to a new report. The new analysis will likely bolster automakers' arguments that the existing corporate average fuel economy regulations are too complicated and burdensome. https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/05/stories/1060054113 VW RECALL VW looks to halt losses in Americas, Russia by 2020. Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) core brand has pledged to end losses in the United States, Latin America and Russia by the end of the decade, counting on cost cuts and higher-margin new models as it tries to move beyond its diesel emissions crisis. Europe's largest automaker is pursuing efficiency measures to generate billions of euros for investment in electric cars… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-strategy-idUSKBN1810QE MISCELLANEOUS Tahoe National Forest’s Truckee Ranger District to Begin Spring Prescribed Fire Operations. The Truckee Ranger District, part of the Tahoe National Forest, will conduct prescribed fires this spring to reduce build-up of hazardous fuels and continue ecological restoration. Planned projects include low-to-moderate intensity understory burns of forest litter and vegetation on the forest floor. https://yubanet.com/regional/tahoe-national-forests-truckee-ranger-district-to-begin-spring-prescribed-fire-operations/ OPINIONS This Is the Pivotal Moment in the Fight Against Climate Change. Momentum is building in the Trump administration to leave the Paris Agreement on climate change in the coming weeks — which would put the global climate deal in danger of becoming a largely symbolic pact, rather than a meaningful move that slows the pace of global warming. Reports that the U.S. might soon leave the Paris Agreement — the decision is far from final… http://time.com/4766881/paris-agreement-climate-change-trump/ Natural Gas Exports Can Solve U.S. Energy Glut. Easing access to foreign markets is the key to lifting depressed prices. The slogan “Made in the U.S.A.” resonates with Americans, except when there’s too much of a given product being made, which forces down prices along with the industry. One example is natural gas, where U.S. inventories have been largely above average for the last two years. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-05/natural-gas-exports-can-solve-u-s-energy-glut Emphasizing uncertainty about climate change is the new form of denialism. To the editor: Jonah Goldberg delights in the fact that his fellow conservative writer Bret Stephens has “trolled” liberals in his inaugural column at the New York Times. Stephens’ position can be summed up as such: Yes, humans are causing global temperatures to rise, but the range of estimates includes numbers that are not so bad. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-climate-change-bret-stephens-20170504-story.html Letter: Climate change not a liberal-only cause. I thank you for the coverage you have provided of the March for Science. I was there myself, thankfully under a tent, and very glad to be part of a group that understood the grand importance of not losing sight of that which has contributed so much to our society and humanity as a whole: scientific thought and empiricism. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2017/05/05/letter-climate-change-not-liberal-only-cause/311266001/ The Drought Is Not Over. When we hear “The drought is over,” we know down deep it is not over. We have just received a reprieve. Clearly, California does not have enough water for the people and the products it grows. Something has to give. We can’t continue to increase the number of people, and keep our agriculture at the level it is now, unless we increase water conservation and water storage. http://www.mercedcountytimes.net/editorials/050417_drought.html BLOGS GREENHOUSE GAS MONEY FLOWS. California’s Cap and Trade program has surpassed $500 million for funding zero-emission vehicles in our state. The Air Resources Board says the money helped subsidize over 520 passenger vehicles in Kern County, plus 74 pollution-free trucks for local businesses. Companies in disadvantaged communities can see even more savings. http://www.kuzz.com/2017/05/03/greenhouse-gas-money-flows/ It's time for the Conservatives to clear up their air pollution mess. Today's air quality plan could provide a welcome boost to low emission technologies, or it could prove a cynical exercise in political positioning. Before we look at the somewhat dispiriting detail of the long-awaited draft air quality plan, it is worth setting the record straight on a few issues. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/blog-post/3009575/its-time-for-the-conservatives-to-clear-the-air Government Plans To Tackle Air Pollution ‘Woefully Inadequate’, Say Campaigners. Just 9,000 diesel cars out of two million could be eligible for scrappage under new scheme. Government plans to tackle air pollution across the country have been branded ‘woefully inadequate’ by leading campaigners. Defra was forced to publish its draft air quality strategy this week by the High Court… http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/government-plans-to-tackle-air-quality-woefully-inadequate-say-campaigners_uk_590c8b8de4b0e7021e9720e8 Is Climate Changing Cloud Heights? Too Soon to Say. A new analysis of 15 years of NASA satellite cloud measurements finds that clouds worldwide show no definitive trend during this period toward decreasing or increasing in height. The new study updates an earlier analysis of the first 10 years of the same data that suggested cloud heights might be getting lower. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6838 Renewable energy critic to oversee wind, solar power programs. 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.elp.com/articles/2017/05/renewable-energy-critic-to-oversee-wind-solar-power-programs.html Ancient Methane Seeps Tell Tale of Sudden Warming. Newly discovered rock mounds left by ancient methane seeps give scientists clues that methane on ancient ocean floor was released by ancient global warming. Krista Williscroft and her colleagues trudged for days through mud, often up to their knees, cataloging large mounds of rock across a desolate landscape. https://eos.org/articles/ancient-methane-seeps-tell-tale-of-sudden-warming How a digital dashboard could make cities’ power, water smarter. Technology revolutionizes the way people interact with the world. From video chats to securing homes from thousands of miles away, digital connections bring us closer to what matters most. This same connectivity can play a critical role in helping cities around the world in the fight against climate change… http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2017/05/05/how-a-digital-dashboard-could-make-cities-power-water-smarter/ The Real Uncertainties of Climate Science. In his controversial first op-ed for the New York Times last week, neoconservative writer Bret Stephens argued that there’s great uncertainty about the threat of climate change, and thus, environmentally minded scientists, activists, and politicians ought not be so confident about what they claim as fact. https://newrepublic.com/article/142505/real-uncertainties-climate-science Bucking Trump, US cities press ahead on clean energy, climate goals. More than two dozen cities now have renewable energy commitments, putting them on the front lines of climate action. This month, three senators introduced legislation that lays out how the United States can kick its fossil fuel habit by 2050. The bill also calls for half of all electricity in the U.S. to be generated by renewable sources by 2030. http://www.utilitydive.com/news/bucking-trump-us-cities-press-ahead-on-clean-energy-climate-goals/442001/ California SB-100 Would Mandate 100% Renewable Energy by 2045. On May 1, California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) on introduced an amended version of Senate Bill 100, The California Clean Energy Act of 2017, in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, which would put the Golden State on the path to 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2045. https://www.energymanagertoday.com/california-sb-100-mandate-100-clean-energy-2045-0169806/