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CARB BUSINESS

The Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) will conduct a public
hearing at the time and place noted below to consider approving
for adoption the proposed amendments to California Evaluation
Procedures for New Aftermarket Catalytic Converters. 

DATE:                    September 28, 2017

TIME:                    9:00 A.M.

LOCATION:         California Environmental Protection Agency
                	       Air Resources Board
                	       Byron Sher Auditorium
                	       1001 I Street
                	       Sacramento, California  95814
Electronic submittal:  
              http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bclist.php     

______________________________

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) invites you to
participate in a public workshop to begin discussing concepts for
minimizing community health impacts from seaports, railyards, and
warehouses/distribution centers.   

Workshops will be held at the locations and dates shown below.
Both workshops will follow the same format and present the same
material.

LOS ANGELES
Tuesday, August 29, 2017, (1:00 – 3:00 pm) Junipero Serra
Building
320 West 4th Street, Los Angeles, California 90013

SACRAMENTO (also webcast)
Wednesday, September 6, 2017, (1:00 – 3:00 pm) California
Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters, Sierra Hearing
Room
1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814

For more information on this workshop, please see the meeting
notice at:  https://www.arb.ca.gov/gmp/sfti/FreightFacility.htm  
            

______________________________

Northern California Truck Owners and Operators -- You’re invited
to attend a One-Stop Truck event in Santa Rosa on Wednesday,
August 30. At this event, you’ll be able to get help with all of
your CARB compliance questions, get up-to-date info on truck
rules, learn about financial incentives to help purchase new
trucks, visit with vendors, and check out the latest clean
trucks.

Here's what you will find at this One-Stop event: 
• One-on-one compliance assistance (Asistencia en español
disponible)
• Enforcement inspection demo
• Truck and bus and off-road regulation overview • New technology
options for compliance • Funding options for on-road trucks • CHP
Inspection update • Industry vendors & local agency booths •
Clean vehicle/technology displays
For more information and to sign up to attend, please visit our
One Stop Truck Event webpage:
www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/truckstop/azregs/onestop.htm  or call the
Diesel Hotline at 866-634-3735     

______________________________  

CAP AND TRADE

East Coast states agree on greater carbon cuts for regional
cap-and-trade pact. Maryland and eight other states that have a
regional compact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have agreed
to deeper cuts to carbon emissions over the next decade.
The states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative are pledging… 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/east-coast-states-agree-on-greater-carbon-cuts-for-regional-cap-and-trade-pact/2017/08/23/e0283710-882a-11e7-a94f-3139abce39f5_story.html?utm_term=.7c9c48bfdffb

http://www.powermag.com/eastern-states-expand-emission-cuts-as-part-of-cap-and-trade/


Nine states aggressively step up plans to cut emissions. A
coalition of nine states from Maryland to Maine on Wednesday
announced an aggressive plan to cut power plant emissions in the
next decade, one of the broadest efforts to address climate
change since President Trump said the United States would
withdraw from the Paris accord. After more than a year of
negotiations…
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/08/23/emissions/Bu8VXv5jqkqldVNKXpafON/story.html

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23082017/rggi-northeast-states-tighten-power-plant-emissions

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-hogan-carbon-emissions-20170823-story.html

http://wnpr.org/post/nine-states-agree-accelerate-emissions-reduction-next-decade

http://www.pressherald.com/2017/08/23/maine-eight-other-states-in-rggi-cut-cap-on-carbon-emissions-further/


Northeast strengthens carbon goals as federal rules fade. Nine
Northeastern states delivered a boost to U.S. climate efforts
yesterday. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
announced a proposal to cut power plant emissions 30 percent
between 2021 and 2030. The plan puts the regional cap-and-trade
program's members on pace to greatly exceed the emissions
targets…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/08/24/stories/1060059139


Assembly GOP leader steps down over pressure on climate vote. The
California Assembly's top Republican said Thursday he will resign
his leadership post after weeks of pressure from his party over
his support for major climate change legislation. Assemblyman
Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley will be replaced as leader by
Assemblyman Brian Dahle of Bieber, a tiny town in far northern
California.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article169099287.html

AIR POLLUTION

China commits to cut northern air pollution by 15 percent. China
has pledged to cut average concentrations of airborne particles
known as PM2.5 by more than 15 percent year-on-year in the winter
months in 28 northern cities to meet key smog targets, the
environment ministry said. In a 143-page winter smog "battleplan"
posted on its website on Thursday…
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-idUSKCN1B40CM


CLIMATE CHANGE

Warming Arctic spurs battles for riches, shipping routes. From a
distance, the northern shores of Baffin Island in the Arctic
appear barren - a craggy world of snow-capped peaks and glaciers
surrounded by a sea of floating ice even in the midst of summer.
Yet beneath the forbidding surface of the world's fifth largest
island…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BATTLE_FOR_THE_ARCTIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Exxon Misled the Public on Climate Change, Study Says. As Exxon
Mobil responded to news reports in 2015 that said that the
company had spread doubt about the risks of climate change
despite its own extensive research in the field, it urged the
public to “read the documents” for themselves. Now two Harvard
researchers have done just that, reviewing nearly 200 documents
representing…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/climate/exxon-global-warming-science-study.html
http://mashable.com/2017/08/23/exxon-misled-public-global-warming-study-finds/#aDmVdXHlVsqH

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/23/exxon-mobil-misled-the-public-on-climate-change-harvard-study-finds.html


Another US agency deletes references to climate change on
government website. The National Institutes of Health deleted
multiple references to climate change on its website over the
summer, continuing a trend that began when the Trump
administration took charge of the dot.gov domain. The changes
were first outlined in a report by the Environmental Data and
Governance Initiative (EDGI), which has been using volunteers to
track changes to roughly…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/23/us-government-agency-climate-change-references-removed-again
 

4 things to watch as Trump team readies rollback. The Clean Power
Plan has been considered dead since President Trump's election,
but exactly how he kills it is important. Five months ago, Trump
signed an executive order aimed at repealing the Obama-era rule,
which would limit power plants' greenhouse gas emissions. The
Clean Power Plan is on hold for now, after the Supreme Court
blocked it last year.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/08/24/stories/1060059135


FUELS

Scientists Hope To Farm The Biofuel Of The Future In The Pacific
Ocean. The push for renewable energy in the U.S. often focuses on
well-established sources of electricity: solar, wind and
hydropower. Off the coast of California, a team of researchers is
working on what they hope will become an energy source of the
future — macroalgae, otherwise known as kelp.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/08/22/542903378/scientists-hope-to-farm-the-biofuel-of-the-future-in-the-pacific-ocean

 
VEHICLES

German Auto Giants, Once Courted, Become Political Pariahs. After
decades of cozying up to car makers, German politicians are
turning their backs on a scandal-ridden industry many voters now
see as an embarrassment rather than a source of national pride.
In the first public speech of her campaign to win a fourth term
in next month’s election, Chancellor Angela Merkel lambasted the
country’s leading auto makers and their top management earlier
this month for their response to a now two-year-old diesel
emission scandal. The comments came a day after her main rival,
Social Democratic Party chairman Martin Schulz, pledged to
implement a mandatory quota for electric vehicles—a technology
German manufacturers have been slow to embrace—on new car sales
if
elected.https://www.wsj.com/article_email/german-auto-giants-once-courted-become-political-pariahs-1503567001-lMyQjAxMTI3MTI1NDQyMjQ4Wj/

Used electric cars: the best bang for your buck? Electric
vehicles are cheaper than conventional cars to maintain, but
they're more expensive upfront and lose value at a much faster
pace over time, according to a new study. Takeaway: Consider
buying a used electric car, said AAA, which releases its annual
True Cost of Vehicle Ownership report Wednesday.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/08/23/aaa-cost-of-ownership-study/589833001/


GREEN ENERGY

Energy Dept: Government should ease rules on power plants. The
Energy Department said Wednesday the government should make it
easier and cheaper to operate power plants, including coal and
nuclear plants, to strengthen the nation's electric grid. The
department said in a new report that the closure of many plants
that once formed the backbone of the grid has raised the risk
that consumers might not have…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ELECTRIC_GRID?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Perry’s Grid Study Calls for Easing Pollution Rules on Power
Plants. The Department of Energy study also concedes that the
electricity grid can handle renewable power. A rush study on the
reliability of the nation's electric grid ordered by Secretary of
Energy Rick Perry concedes that the rapid increase of clean,
cheap solar and wind power hasn't thrown the power network out of
kilter.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23082017/perry-grid-study-protect-coal-nuclear-renewable-energy-dominance-clean-air-act

California Lawmakers Begin Push for 100% Clean Energy by 2045.
California could solidify its position as a global leader on the
issue of climate change in the coming weeks, when the state
Legislature considers a bill that would push for the state to
obtain all its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. Hawaii
is the only other state in America to have committed to that
ambitious goal…
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-lawmakers-begin-push-100-clean-energy-2045-n795411


City buildings move closer to solar energy. The buildings for
City Hall, Fire Department, WIC and YMCA are looking at making a
change to solar energy, and the Soledad City Council approved
further research into projects on Aug. 2. “There were five
projects that were considered citywide,” said Richard Guillen,
engineering consultant for the city. “The City Hall, Fire
Department and the WIC building, the YMCA building…
https://soledadbee.com/article/city-buildings-move-closer-to-solar-energy

Grid study omits climate change from final version. The
Department of Energy removed the words "climate change" from the
final version of the agency's long-awaited study on electric grid
stability. The only reference to rising average temperatures was
in the context of rolling back environmental rules under
Executive Order 13783.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/08/24/stories/1060059141


OPINIONS

California cap-and-trade program generates more than $1 billion.
Who gets the money? Yesterday’s carbon permit auction, the first
since California extended its cap-and-trade system through 2030,
was among the most successful the state has held in the program’s
five years. After several quarters of anemic auction results,
businesses bought $935 million in credits to emit polluting
greenhouse gases.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article168777792.html#storylink=cpy


What California should really do with cap-and-trade windfall.
Starting with Thursday’s Senate budget subcommittee hearing,
lawmakers can use a $1.4 billion cap-and-trade windfall to bring
about important change in the lives and lungs of Californians, or
they can squander it. Lawmakers last month approved legislation
extending the cap-and-trade program through 2030.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article169011037.html#storylink=cpy


Ignore climate change, and California wildfires will get worse.
In John Lindsey’s July 16 column, “It’s getting hotter and
hotter, and that’s not good news,” he reports that Cal Fire
predicts by 2050 a 300 percent increase in wildfire risk “due to
climate change.” 
So, should we just crank up the air conditioner and go about our
business as usual? Powering our air conditioners will add to…
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article168838212.html#storylink=cpy


Rebates a prudent way to save world from climate change.
California Gov. Jerry Brown may soon sign legislation extending
cash rebates given to residents who buy low-emission vehicles
from Tesla and other automakers. While the bill’s details are
still evolving, the governor should in principle sign off on…
http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/opinion/18178/rebates-a-prudent-way-to-save-world-from-climate-change

Another roadblock for Newhall Ranch. Environmentalists are once
again standing in the way of the Newhall Ranch development in the
Santa Clarita Valley. Two environmental groups have filed suit
against Los Angeles County and the developer over the Board of
Supervisors’ vote to allow two of five planned segments of the
development to proceed.
http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20170823/another-roadblock-for-newhall-ranch


New study finds that climate change costs will hit Trump country
hardest. Humans are causing Earth’s climate to change. We know
that. We’ve known it for decades. Okay so what? The follow-up
questions should be directed to what the effects of warming will
be. What will the costs be to society, to the natural biosystem,
and to human lives? Let’s be honest, if the consequences of
warming are not large, then who cares?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/aug/24/new-study-finds-that-climate-change-costs-will-hit-trump-country-hardest

How natural gas became the dirty fuel, at least in your home. Not
long ago natural gas – the fuel that probably gave you your hot
shower this morning – was hailed as the clean “bridge fuel,” the
one that would create a safe transition for society from
yesterday’s dirtier home fuels, coal and oil, to a fully
renewable future. But now the gold standard for a home, from a
climate-change perspective, is to go all electric…
http://inewsource.org/2017/08/23/natural-gas-vs-electric/ 

BLOGS

California-Quebec August auction results reflect a secure
cap-and-trade future. Strong results from the California-Quebec
August auction released today reflect that the future of cap and
trade is secure in California. The August 15 auction saw
increased demand and prices for carbon allowances, which will now
be usable at least through 2030. These strong results are
particularly significant because the auction …
http://blogs.edf.org/climatetalks/2017/08/22/california-quebec-august-auction-results-reflect-a-secure-cap-and-trade-future/


Cap and Trade Has a Good Week in California. A month after a
bruising political battle to extend California's cap-and-trade
program, the state received a big vote of confidence in the
policy's future. Cap and trade requires oil refineries, food
processors and other facilities to buy permits to release
greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and state
regulators auction off the permits several times a year.
http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/tns-cap-trade-california.html


Can California Protect Frontline Communities From Climate Change?
In the last five years, San Jose has seen severe drought followed
by the worst floods in a century, and to top it off,
record-breaking temperatures. These extreme weather events are
not unique to the Bay Area, but are happening all around
California as well as the U.S. and the world. Climate change
makes them more common and more severe.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/can-california-protect-frontline-communities-climate-change


EPA Plan to Revisit GHG Phase 2 Raises Questions. Less than five
months from the starting date of Phase 2 of the federal rule on
greenhouse gas emissions from trucks, a brief statement from EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt on his plan to revisit the
regulation’s sections on trailers and glider kits has created
confusion and uncertainty among the manufacturers and purchasers
of those products.
http://www.ttnews.com/articles/epa-plan-revisit-ghg-phase-2-raises-questions


California Vehicle Emissions Are Up, Despite Strict Pollution
Controls. In spite of tough CARB standards, road vehicle
emissions rose 3.1 percent in 2015. California is known for being
among the most restrictive states when it comes to legally
modifying cars. Their emission requirements are much more strict
than other states'—except for those parts of the Union that have
adopted California's standards for themselves.
http://www.thedrive.com/news/13738/california-vehicle-emissions-are-up-despite-strict-pollution-controls


National Institutes of Health wipes references to climate
'change' from site. References to "climate change" have been
wiped from parts of The National Institutes of Health's (NIH)
Environmental Health Science division website, according to a
report by the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative. In one
of the changes, for example, an article formerly titled "Climate
Change and Human Health," now reads, "Climate and Human Health."
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/347798-nih-unit-deletes-references-to-climate-change
 

Wind Energy Isn’t a Breeze. Nearly 175 years ago, Lana Wanders’
ancestors settled in what would soon become the state of Iowa.
The farm served as a stopping point for people heading west who
had run out of money. Her forefathers would rent a piece of land
to them for up to five years, so they could farm and earn a
living to pay for their continued journey.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/08/why_farmers_in_iowa_hope_wind_energy_will_blow_over.html


New green solvent could help clean our air. Eco-friendly mixture
made from choline salt and urea could absorb harmful gaseous
pollutants. French researchers have patented an eco-friendly
liquid mixture that could help trap harmful pollutants from the
air. The non-flammable solvent contains urea and choline salt, a
common ingredient in chicken feed, says Leila Moura of the Unité
de Chimie Environnementale et Interactions sur le Vivant in
France..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170824101812.htm 

View from the Academy: silos should not hold back biofuel
development. The systems that constitute the world around us do
not recognise the silos into which we organise ourselves. This is
a key lesson for engineers as they seek to integrate their
individual efforts towards achieving positive outcomes. Whether
concerned with small components within discrete technical
systems… https://www.theengineer.co.uk/silos-biofuel-development/


Warmer waters from climate change causing fish to shrink in size,
finds study. As cold-blooded animals, fish cannot regulate their
own body temperature. Fish could shrink in size dramatically as
ocean temperatures rise because of climate change, according to a
new study. When the water gets warmer, cold-blooded fish need
more oxygen. However, one of the consequences of climate change
is less oxygen in the sea.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/climate-change-fish-shrink-size-warm-waters-global-warming-cod-tuna-a7910216.html