What's New List Serve Post Display

CARB Newsclips for May 17, 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

The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) invites you to
participate in a public workshop to discuss proposed regulatory
amendments to CARB’s Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program
(HDVIP) and the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP).  
Staff
will discuss proposed amendments that would: 1) reduce the
current 40 percent opacity limit; 2) require opacity testers to
be trained to ensure compliance with the SAE J1667 snap
acceleration test procedures; and 3) require web-based fleet
reporting.  Staff also will briefly discuss its ongoing efforts
to develop a comprehensive inspection and maintenance (I/M)
program for heavy-duty (HD) vehicles with a gross vehicle weight
rating over 14,000 pounds for implementation in the post-2020
timeframe.

The workshop will be held at the following location and time, and
will be webcast for those unable to attend in person.  This is
the third public workshop, and staff is scheduled to present the
proposed amendments to the Board at the October 26-27, 2017,
public meeting in Riverside, California.

Date:		Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Time:		1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location:	CalEPA Headquarters Building
		Sierra Hearing Room, 2nd floor
		1001 I Street
		Sacramento, California 95814

_________________________________________

Presentation is available for downloading!. 

Suzanne Paulson, Ph.D.,
J. R. DeShazo, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles
and
Akula Venkatram, Ph.D.
University of California, Riverside

Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 1:30 p.m., PDT  (WEBCAST) Sierra
Hearing Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento, California

This project investigates the direct and quantitative effects of
complicated urban built-environment on near-road dispersion and
levels of on-road air pollution at scales from a few meters away
from the center of the street to several city blocks. This was
studied using ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations as a
surrogate for on-road air pollution, as it is an excellent proxy
for motor vehicle emissions at short time scales. The project
studies design features of transit oriented developments (TODs);
types of development that are needed to move California
communities toward improved public health combined with SB 375
(SB 375, Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of
2008) goals of sustainability.  For more go to the announcement
at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/paulson5/paulson.htm

_______________________________________

Dept. of Public Health Webinar & Webcast
TOPIC:  	Public Health Dimensions of Oil and Gas Production in
California. 
DATE:  	Tuesday, May 23, 2017
TIME:  	1:00 to 4:00 pm PDT (WEBINAR & WEBCAST)
LOCATION:  CalEPA, Sierra Hearing Room, 2nd Floor
           	1001 I Street, Sacramento, California

WEBINAR - register here:
https://cdph.webex.com/cdph/onstage/g.php?MTID=ed68c92894d8105b772615a49bbb6bacf
 

WEBCAST Option:  http://video.calepa.ca.gov  

_____________________________________________

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.    

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/      
_________________________

The California Air Resources Board in collaboration with the
South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, is holding a free professional wet
cleaning demonstration workshop.   

The free workshop will be held on Sunday, June 11, 2017 from
2:00PM - 4:00PM in
Los Angeles.  Doors open at 1:45 PM.

Venue: London Cleaners, 1073 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024. 

Space is limited.  Register early at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-professional-wet-cleaning-demonstration-workshop-for-dry-cleaners-tickets-33498967313
  
 
or by searching for "wet cleaning workshop" on Eventbrite at:
http://www.eventbrite.com 

For more details about the workshop, please visit ARB's Non-Toxic
Dry Cleaning Incentive Program (AB998) website at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/dryclean/ab998.htm  

__________________________

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        
  


CAP AND TRADE

Bid to reform cap and trade rests on its shaky legal foundation.
California lawmakers' push to reform the state's greenhouse gas
program stems from long-standing legal perturbations that have
dogged the market since its inception. The cap-and-trade market,
which is tasked with ensuring that California reaches its target
of 1990 emissions levels by 2020…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060054575/search?keyword=california


AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution kills more people in the UK than in Sweden, US and
Mexico. WHO figures show people in Britain are more likely to die
from dirty air than those living in some other comparable
countries. People in the UK are 64 times as likely to die of air
pollution as those in Sweden and twice as likely as those in the
US, figures from the World Health Organisation reveal.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/17/air-pollution-kills-more-people-in-the-uk-than-in-sweden-us-and-mexico


CLIMATE CHANGE

A climate change solution beneath our feet. There’s too much
carbon in the atmosphere and not enough in the ground where it’s
useful. Healthy soil can help flip the picture. When we think of
climate change solutions, what typically comes to mind is the
transportation we use, the lights in our home, the buildings we
power and the food we eat.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/ucdavis/a-climate-change-solution-beneath-our-feet/


Under Fire, Climate Scientists Unite With Lawyers to Fight Back.
Lawyers and scientists do not always get along, but some are now
finding common cause in an effort to defend the integrity of
science — especially climate science — in government and
academia. Climate scientists are feeling the heat as Republicans
cement control of the executive branch and Congress.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/science/under-fire-climate-scientists-unite-with-lawyers-to-fight-back.html?_r=1


All but two countries are in the Paris climate agreement. US
could be the third. One of Donald Trump's prominent campaign
promises - to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, a 2015
U.N. accord that aims to combat climate change - may soon become
reality. The move, which senior officials have said could come as
early as this week, would be one of several Obama-era
environmental…
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/All-but-two-countries-are-in-the-Paris-climate-11149670.php


Combating Climate Change, Native American Venture Fund to Engage
With World Wide Carbon, LLC to Place 360M Carbon Offsets
Annually, Valued at $2.5B USD, Produced From Future Tribal
Projects. The Native American Venture Fund (NAVF) and World Wide
Carbon WWC ACCF Global Management (WWC) announced today that they
have entered into a futures buying agreement for up to 360
million carbon offsets/credits annually over a 10-year period.
http://www.kxxv.com/story/35442977/combating-climate-change-native-american-venture-fund-to-engage-with-world-wide-carbon-llc-to-place-360m-carbon-offsets-annually-valued-at-25b-usd


Climate change threatening some migratory birds that breed in
Canada. Study finds nine species of birds are struggling to
adjust to earlier spring Researchers have found that nine species
of birds, including the indigo bunting seen here, are having
difficulty adjusting to earlier spring greening, which could
threaten their existence. Researchers have found that nine
species of birds…
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-change-migratory-birds-1.4115573


FUELS

Gov. Brown clashes with environmentalists over fracking. Gov.
Jerry Brown was on a roll, enthusiastically preaching to a choir
of environmentalists about how carbon use and global warming are
a looming catastrophe for California and the world. “Stopping
carbon will be like stopping a heroin addiction,” Brown told a
standing-room-only crowd at a downtown San Francisco hotel last
month.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Gov-Brown-clashes-with-environmentalists-over-11151180.php

 
 VEHICLES

California may start offering point-of-sale plug-in rebates.
Pilot program could begin in San Diego this year. California may
start funding point-of-sale rebates on electric vehicles and
other zero-emissions vehicles in order to spur more green car
purchases, especially among those in the lower income brackets
who may be turned off by their higher prices. The California Air
Resources Board's (CARB) Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP)…
http://www.autoblog.com/2017/05/15/california-point-of-sale-plug-in-rebates/

Automakers are betting on hydrogen-powered cars— here are 12 in
the works. Automakers are lining up to invest in hydrogen-powered
vehicles, even though the big bucks are still being spent on
battery-powered cars. From an infrastructure standpoint, purely
electric vehicles make more sense. There are 15,959 electric
charging stations in the United States, but only 35 hydrogen
stations in the entire US…
http://www.businessinsider.com/12-hydrogen-car-projects-2017-5 

Ford is pushing back its hydrogen car plans — here's why. Ford
announced in 2013 that it was forming an alliance with
Mercedes-Benz and Nissan to develop hydrogen fuel-cell technology
with the goal of releasing a mass-market vehicle by 2017. But
Ford CTO Raj Nair told Business Insider that a hydrogen car isn't
on the way this year and the timeline has changed.
http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-cto-raj-nair-ford-wont-release-hydrogen-car-in-2017-2017-5


VW RECALL
Federal court approves $225 million settlement in VW 3.0 liter,
diesel cheating case. Volkswagen will pay $225 million, including
$66 million to California, for harm resulting from the sale of
its 3.0-liter diesel passenger cars that included emissions
control “defeat devices,” under partial Consent Decrees signed
today. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer signed the
agreements between the automaker, the California Air Resources
Board (CARB), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
and the U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ).
https://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/newsrelease.php?id=922

VW Engineers Wanted O.K. From the Top for Emissions Fraud,
Documents Show. Even after Volkswagen pleaded guilty to a
nine-year conspiracy to dupe regulators and consumers, the
carmaker has continued to insist that top executives played no
role in the emissions fraud. But internal company emails and
memos, which were reviewed by…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/business/volkswagen-muller-diesel-emissions.html?_r=0


VW still won't publish diesel investigation findings, citing more
fines. Report: Jones Day findings pose further financial risk to
VW even after $4.3 billion fine. Volkswagen chairman Hans Dieter
Poetsch rejected calls by shareholders to publish an internal
report on the diesel scandal compiled by the U.S. law firm Jones
Day, a year after scuttling a planned release of the report
ahead…
http://autoweek.com/article/vw-diesel-scandal/vw-still-wont-publish-diesel-investigation-findings-citing-more-fines#ixzz4hBoQgPud


FIAT/CHRYSLER

European Commission launches legal action against Italy over Fiat
Chrysler cars. The Italian government is facing demands for
answers from the European Commission over emissions cheating
allegations for cars sold by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The
European Commission, an arm of the European Union, has given
Italy two months to respond  and the country could ultimately
face action in the European Court of Justice.
http://www.freep.com/story/money/2017/05/17/italy-under-pressure-over-fiat-chrysler-emissions-case/328059001/


EU starts legal action against Italy over Fiat Chrysler
emissions. The European Commission launched legal action against
Italy on Wednesday for failing to respond to allegations of
emission-test cheating by Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI), in a procedure
that could lead to the country being taken to court. The
Commission said Italy had failed to convince it that devices used
to modulate emissions on Fiat Chrysler vehicles outside of narrow
testing conditions were justified.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-fiatchrysler-emissions-idUSKCN18D1DS


GREEN ENERGY

San Jose approves clean energy program. San Jose approved a
program Tuesday to pool funds from residents to purchase energy
from green sources, becoming the largest city in the country to
do so. Several other Bay Area communities have established such
programs, known as Community Choice Energy programs. They are an
alternative to purchasing power from the major state utilities —
Pacific Gas & Electric in this case.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/San-Jose-approves-clean-energy-program-11151114.php


The 'Buy America' company that sourced from abroad. Suniva Inc.
is an American solar manufacturer that has often waved the flag,
claiming that its products are 80 percent American-made. When it
went bankrupt last month, it asked the Trump administration to
raise worldwide tariffs, saying it was the only way the
beleaguered American manufacturer would survive.
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/05/16/stories/1060054585 
 
MISCELLANEOUS

GOP lawmakers take aim at social cost of carbon. Senate
Republicans are calling on U.S. EPA to take a closer look at
regulations that consider "co-benefits" and the social cost of
carbon. In a letter yesterday to the agency's regulatory reform
officer, Samantha Dravis, members of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee applauded EPA's moves to get rid of
"burdensome regulations."
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/16/stories/1060054594


OPINIONS

NY Times’ Stephens can’t see the elephant in the room on climate
change. There was tremendous outcry when the New York Times hired
opinion columnist Bret Stephens, who has a long history of making
misinformed comments about climate change. Stephens didn’t
assuage those fears when he devoted his first column to punching
hippies, absurdly suggesting that our lack of progress on climate
policy…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/may/16/ny-times-stephens-cant-see-the-elephant-in-the-room-on-climate-change


One simple trick for California’s carbon diet: a robust
cap-and-trade system. Almost every January 1st I set a personal
goal for weight loss. That’s easy. The hard part comes the
following 364 days while I try different strategies to shed the
pounds. On January 1, 2021, California must begin implementation
of its ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40
percent below the 2020 levels.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2017/05/one-simple-trick-californias-carbon-diet-robust-cap-trade-system/


BLOGS

Big energy wants Trump to slow deregulation binge, columnist
says. •The energy industry wants to make sure Pres. Trump does
not get too carried away repealing too many regulations, worried
that Trump’s campaign rhetoric on killing Obama-era regulations
could end up backfiring when put into practice, Axios columnist
Amy Harder writes.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3267592-big-energy-wants-trump-slow-deregulation-binge-columnist-says


Madrid's diesel ban panics carmakers, shifts pollution problem.
To fight air pollution, Madrid is among cities around the world
that have vowed to ban diesel vehicles by 2025. This leaves car
dealers with lots full of autos no one will buy - what will
happen to all the diesel cars?
http://www.dw.com/en/madrids-diesel-ban-panics-carmakers-shifts-pollution-problem/a-38584982


Climate change spells dry times ahead for the West. Picture a
snowflake drifting down from a frigid February sky in western
Colorado and settling high in the Rocky Mountains. By mid-April,
the alpine snowpack is likely at its peak. Warming temperatures
in May or June will then melt the snow, sending droplets rushing
down a mountain stream or seeping into the soil to replenish an
aquifer.
http://grist.org/article/climate-change-spells-dry-times-ahead-for-the-west/