What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for August 7, 2014. 

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.

CAP AND TRADE

Lawmakers brace for a fight over delaying cap-and-trade impact on
gasoline prices. Politicians involved in a debate over the cost
of carbon urged business executives yesterday to exercise their
clout, but a key player expressed hesitance to get involved in
the immediate fray. The debate over the cost of fuels under the
state's carbon regulations has been intensifying as the state
nears a key milestone for the program. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004180/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

China's War On Air Pollution Shows More Promise Than Reports
Indicate. Multinational corporations like Coca-Cola and Panasonic
are increasingly offering expat executives “hardship packages,”
which include allowances for frequent trips to their home
countries and additional ‘bonuses’, to entice them to stay in
China’s polluted cities. While the private sector is offering a
short-term solution to China’s air pollution problem, it is not
the only plan for making China’s smog-choked cities more livable.
Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ckgsb/2014/08/06/chinas-air-pollution-better-than-reports-indicate/


NRG to close Illinois coal plant in clean-air move. An energy
company has announced plans to close one Illinois coal-fired
power plant and convert another to natural gas to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions. The company says the move will eliminate 250
jobs. New Jersey-based NRG Energy Inc. announced the plans
Thursday. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/NRG-to-close-Illinois-coal-plant-in-clean-air-move-5674538.php

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-coal-plant-closing-0807-biz--20140807-story.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Deep emissions cuts needed by 2050 to limit warming: U.N. draft.
Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of 40 to 70 percent by
mid-century will be needed to avert the worst of global warming
that is already harming all continents, a draft U.N. report
showed. The 26-page draft, obtained by Reuters on Thursday, sums
up three U.N. scientific reports published over the past year as
a guide for almost 200 governments which are due to agree a deal
to combat climate change at a summit in Paris in late 2015.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/07/us-climatechange-solutions-idUSKBN0G71SF20140807

Q&A: Back-to-back big storms are rare for Hawaii. Comparatively
few really big storms pass close enough to Hawaii to do much more
than shake the palm fronds, but now back-to-back storms packing
high-speed winds are bearing down on the island chain. Hurricane
Iselle could hit the islands as early as Thursday. Just behind it
is Hurricane Julio, which was expected to pass north of the
Hawaiian islands in three to four days. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TROPICAL_WEATHER_QA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


U.S. Lowers Odds of El Nino Forming by End of Year. The odds of
an El Nino forming in the equatorial Pacific have fallen to about
65 percent through the end of the year, the U.S. Climate
Prediction Center said. Computer forecast models delay the onset
of the El Nino, a warming of sea surface temperatures and
corresponding atmospheric changes, said the agency in College
Park, Maryland. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-07/u-s-lowers-odds-of-el-nino-forming-by-end-of-year.html


Keep Watch on the Bully in the Room and the Storms at Sea. While
the world’s oceans churn with tropical cyclones, there are a
couple of weather updates scheduled for today that may influence
the natural gas market and many others. At 9 a.m. New York time,
the U.S. Climate Prediction Center will provide its outlook for
what may be the most talked-about El Nino in history that hasn’t
formed yet. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-07/keep-watch-on-the-bully-in-the-room-and-the-storms-at-sea.html


CO2 capture from air could ripen into a global warming solution,
researcher predicts. Technologies for capturing carbon dioxide
directly from the ambient air will play a key role in reversing
the buildup of greenhouse gases if the process can gain wider
acceptance, according to a Columbia University scientist. "It's
not a question of if air capture technology will be adopted; it's
a question of when," said Klaus Lackner, director of the Lenfest
Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University's Earth
Institute. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004175/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

California Century-Old Water Rights Profit From Drought. Last
summer, in the second year of California’s latest dry spell,
Michael Perez, a farmer in the state’s Central Valley, paid $250
an acre-foot for water to irrigate his almonds, cherries,
tomatoes, and cotton. (An acre-foot is enough to cover an acre
with a foot of water.) This year, with the drought hitting crisis
levels, Perez was in for a shock: Water is now going for as much
as $2,200 an acre-foot, an increase of more than 800 percent.
Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-07/california-century-old-water-rights-profit-from-drought.html


Tattletales Use Twitter to Shame California Water-Wasters.
California’s record drought has unleashed a flood of social-media
tattletales. Vigilantes armed with cameraphones prowl
neighborhoods from San Diego to San Francisco documenting
sprinklers running freely, runoff flowing from saturated lawns
and other water-wasters. Sacramento, California’s capital,
received almost 12,000 reports of excessive water use in the
first six months of this year, up from about 800 in the period
last year. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-07/tattletales-use-twitter-to-shame-california-water-wasters.html


Cargill Earnings Decline on Effects of Drought. Cargill Inc., the
largest closely held U.S. company, posted a 12 percent drop in
fiscal fourth-quarter profit as its trading and processing
business continued to feel the effects of drought in the U.S. and
a shortage of railcars. Net income declined to $424 million in
the three months through May, from $483 million a year earlier,
the Minneapolis-based company said today in a statement. Revenue
rose 2 percent to $36.2 billion. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-07/cargill-earnings-decline-on-effects-of-drought-railcar-shortage.html

http://online.wsj.com/articles/cargill-earnings-drop-12-as-energy-struggles-continue-1407418921
 

Dry California Fights Illegal Use of Water for Cannabis.  An
abandoned recreational vehicle was the first clue. In this hamlet
two hours north of San Francisco and barely a mile from the
largest natural freshwater lake in the state, the trailer sat on
a hill, hidden from the main drag. Behind it rose a flimsy fence,
tall enough to shield its bounty: 50 marijuana plants in hastily
constructed wooden boxes. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/us/dry-california-fights-illegal-use-of-water-for-cannabis.html?_r=0


California's severe drought unchanged despite record
thunderstorms. A series of thunderstorms that have hit California
in recent weeks may have delivered devastating torrents of rain
in some areas, but on the whole they were "inconsequential" in
terms of easing the state's worsening drought, according to a
report issued Thursday. The U.S. Drought Monitor, in its weekly
report, said that the locations of the rain and the rate it fell
minimized the relief for California’s parched landscape. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rain-california-drought-20140807-story.html

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140806/storms-brought-isolated-chaos-flash-flooding-but-no-drought-relief


Brazil's water crisis amid drought could lead to rationing. A
drought in Brazil has led to a water crisis and the country's
largest population center is facing the prospect of rationing.
Brazil's Public Ministry, a federal regulatory agency, has
recommended that Sao Paulo state immediately commence water
rationing to avoid a “collapse of reservoirs,” but the state
government missed an initial deadline on Wednesday to take
action. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-ff-brazil-water-drought-rationing-20140806-story.html


California drought: Strong El Niño, which could bring soaking
winter storms, fizzling out. A powerful El Niño that had been
emerging in the Pacific Ocean is fizzling out, evaporating hopes
it will deliver a knockout punch to California's three-year
drought. A new report from scientists at the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration decreases the probability of an El
Niño -- the condition that occurs when warm Pacific Ocean water
at the equator affects the jet stream…Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26292171/california-drought-strong-el-nino-which-could-bring


UC survey analyzing drought's impact on county citrus. There is
no doubt the current statewide water shortage is negatively
impacting citrus growers in the nation's top agriculture
producing county, but what exactly is happening and how are
growers dealing with it? The University of California Cooperative
Extension in Tulare County wants to know. Farm Adviser Neil
O'Connell says the impact should be recorded. Posted.
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/local/2014/08/07/uc-survey-analyzing-droughts-impact-county-citrus/13709483/


Shasta Lake cracks down on excessive water use. The City of
Shasta Lake is cracking down on excessive water use in response
to California’s ongoing drought. City council members yesterday
voted unanimously to put in place additional water use
restrictions and penalties in response to more stringent
conservation standards issued by the state’s Water Resources
Control Board in July. Posted.
http://www.redding.com/news/breaking-news/shasta-lake-cracks-down-on-excessive-water-use


La Cañada City Council considers task force on drought issues.
Just days after a statewide mandate to conserve water in
extraordinary drought conditions took effect, members of the La
Cañada Flintridge City Council decided to reconvene a blue ribbon
task force to coordinate local conservation efforts. Posted.
http://www.lacanadaonline.com/news/tsn-vsl-la-canada-council-considers-task-force-on-drought-issues-20140806,0,704159.story


California drought can't stop production of bottled water.
California's severe drought—now in its third year—has led to
major hardships in the state. The list includes dwindling water
sources, declining revenues for water districts from
conservation; and mandatory fines up to $500 for hosing down
driveways or for overwatering lawns. Not to mention the loss of
agriculture crops and related jobs. Posted.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101892496  

Cotton Harvest in Australia Seen Falling 50% on Drought. Cotton
production in Australia is set to plummet as much as 50 percent
next season as drought curbs water supply in the world’s
third-biggest exporter, according to growers and shippers. Output
may be between 2 million and 2.5 million bales in 2014-2015 from
about 4 million bales this year, according to Cotton Australia,
the Sydney-based producers’ group. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-08-07/australian-cotton-crop-seen-declining-50-percent-on-record-drought

Why heavy rains probably won’t do much good in drought-stricken
Calif. (+video). This week, firefighters battling wildfires near
Sacramento have enjoyed a few moments of respite as the rain has
come down. The weather has been anything but normal for
California this year. Bizarre weather has dogged the West Coast
this year: Wildfires and mudslides have occurred when they
usually don’t, and now, unexpected drenching rains have been
moving north through the Golden State. Posted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2014/0806/Why-heavy-rains-probably-won-t-do-much-good-in-drought-stricken-Calif.-video


Calif. voters favor $6.9B water bond more than one for $11.1B –
poll. California voters are more inclined to vote for a $6.9
billion water bond than an $11.1 billion one, back-to-back polls
released yesterday said. Surveys commissioned jointly by the
California Alliance for Jobs, Nature Conservancy and Association
of California Water Agencies probed voters' views about water
during the state's ongoing extreme drought. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060004197/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

CARB rules: DPF sales spike prompts gratitude from emissions
controls makers.  Truck owners may not be cheering on new
regulations from the California Air Resources Board, but there is
one national organization supportive of new emissions rules. 
Sales of diesel particulate filters for trucks and buses in
California jumped in late 2013 and early 2014 due to the
implementation of CARB’s On Road Truck and Bus Regulation. 
Posted. 
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=27470#.U-OeXo2wIUU 


Diesel Particulate Filter Sales Soaring in California.  Sales of
diesel particulate filters for commercial trucks and buses in
California increased at the end of 2013 and in the first half of
2014 compared to the first half of 2013, according a survey
released by the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association. 
Posted. 
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2014/08/diesel-particulate-filter-sales-soaring-in-california.aspx


FUELS

California Takes Record Volumes of Oil by Rail From Utah.
California, home to two-thirds of refining capacity in the
western U.S., brought in a record volume of waxy oil by rail from
Utah in June as crude imports from Canada and North Dakota slid.
The state, the biggest gasoline market in the U.S., received
2,737 barrels a day of oil by rail from Utah in June, almost
twice the volume of the previous month and up from nothing a year
ago, data on the state Energy Commission’s website showed
yesterday. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-06/california-takes-record-amount-of-oil-by-rail-from-utah.html


Mexico Oil Is Boon for Exxon to BP as Frontiers Teeter. Mexico’s
vote on rules for the end of its 76-year state-oil monopoly
couldn’t come at a better time for global energy companies from
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) to Royal Dutch Shell Plc. With reserves
holding $1.3 trillion of crude at yesterday’s prices, Mexico
offers a new opportunity for deep-pocketed producers as well as
pipeline and power companies to try and mimic an energy
revolution that has spurred U.S. oil output to a 26-year
high…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-07/mexico-oil-is-boon-for-exxon-to-bp-as-frontiers-teeter.html


Dirtiest Fuel Threatens 700-Year-Old Villages in Europe. Europe’s
energy dilemma -- burning the dirtiest coal while meeting
pollution targets -- is crystallizing in opposition to a plan
that would uproot 700-year-old villages and dig two pits the size
of Manhattan. PGE SA and Vattenfall AB, the Warsaw- and
Stockholm-based utilities, want to tap Europe’s richest lignite
deposit, along the German-Polish border. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-05/dirtiest-fuel-threatens-700-year-old-villages-in-europe.html


Deep Water Fracking Next Frontier for Offshore Drilling. Energy
companies are taking their controversial fracking operations from
the land to the sea -- to deep waters off the U.S., South
American and African coasts. Cracking rocks underground to allow
oil and gas to flow more freely into wells has grown into one of
the most lucrative industry practices of the past century. The
technique is also widely condemned as a source of groundwater
contamination. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-07/deep-water-fracking-next-frontier-for-offshore-drilling.html


Why Oil Companies Think We Need MORE Carbon Dioxide. It seems
that today's headlines are chock-full of two kinds of articles:
those that proclaim that greenhouse gas emissions are the
greatest threat to mankind and those that celebrate how America's
shale oil and gas boom is smashing records. In fact, according to
Bank of America and the International Energy Agency, as of June
the US is the largest producer of oil and natural gas liquids in
the world. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Why-Oil-Companies-Think-We-Need-MORE-Carbon-5674375.php


Prices at the pump may go up.  You could see prices at the pump
go up as early as next year and this time you may be paying more
because of a statewide initiative to clean up our air. Drivers in
the Central Valley are not happy about potentially spending more
to fill up their tanks in 2015. "It feels like everything keeps
going up and up and up," said Crystal Bishop. "It's never a good
thing," said Austin Valentine. Posted.
http://abc30.com/news/prices-at-the-pump-may-go-up/246287/ 

VEHICLES

Big 2015 Chevy Tahoe remains a rare breed of SUV. The big, 2015
Tahoe sport utility vehicle is thriving at Chevrolet, thanks to
updated styling, a more powerful V-8, improved second-row
legroom, more towing capacity and new features. Evidently, fuel
mileage - a combined city/highway rating of 18 mpg - isn't a deal
breaker for buyers. Mileage improved just 1 mile per gallon over
the previous Tahoe. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEHIND_THE_WHEEL_CHEVROLET_TAHOE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Bill would cap income eligibility for state's clean-vehicle
rebates.  California wants 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on
the road by 2025 — more than 15 times the number now.  So the
state pays buyers $2,500 per car, on top of a $7,500 federal tax
credit, to help speed development and promote widespread
adoption.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-car-rebates-20140807-story.html#page=1


Power grid braces for more electric cars.  A consortium of major
automakers and U.S. utilities has set out to create an digital
Rosetta Stone to help electric cars communicate with the power
grid. The effort aspires to create a widely accepted
communication standard that can send signals to electric
vehicles, regardless of make or model, to slow or pause the
charging of batteries. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/07/electric-cars-improve-efficiency-power-grid/


GREEN ENERGY

China Adds Australia-Sized Solar Capacity in Energy Push. China,
the world’s biggest carbon emitter, accelerated solar power
installations in the first half, adding enough capacity in the
period to equal Australia’s entire supply of power from sunlight
at the end of last year. China added 3.3 gigawatts of solar
capacity in the six months ended June 30, double last year’s
additions, the National Energy Administration said today in a
statement. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-07/china-add-australia-sized-solar-capacity-in-energy-push.html


Russia Sanctions Failing to Stanch Energy Deals With Japan.
Japan, dependent on imports for almost all its fuel, is pursuing
natural gas projects and energy purchases in Russia despite new
sanctions last week designed to punish Vladimir Putin and his
associates. Japan won’t be keen on deeper sanctions that would
curb its access to gas, oil and coal from Russia…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-06/sanctions-on-russia-failing-to-staunch-energy-deals-with-japan.html

Greening the Gilded Age.  It was a gray and cloudy morning, and
the fog was rolling across the grounds of Stonlea (pronounced
stone-LEE), a sprawling Gilded Age estate here on a hill
overlooking Dublin Lake, with a view, on most days, of Mount
Monadnock. Polly Guth, the 87-year-old owner, was leading a
visitor on a house tour that featured lots of the expected Gilded
Age-y things. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/garden/greening-the-gilded-age.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A7%22}
 

County passes slate of green building rules.  Four new “green
building” measures intended to support solar energy and
electrical vehicles are slated to become requirements for new
homes in unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The Board of
Supervisors on Wednesday approved requiring a larger electrical
panel to support future additions, conduit and wiring to
accommodate rooftop solar panels and an electrical vehicle
charging station, and reserving space on south-facing roofs for
the possible addition of a solar energy system. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/07/tp-county-passes-slate-of-green-building-rules/


Bay Area: Energy efficiency financing now available through
state-sponsored program. When Jeff Silver decided to redo the
heating and hot water systems in his Emeryville home, the $32,000
price tag seemed way out of reach. But through CaliforniaFIRST, a
new state-sponsored program for energy efficiency financing that
went live Tuesday in 17 counties, Silver was able to buy and
install the equipment he needed with no money down and tack the
payments on to his yearly property taxes with payments spread out
over 15 years. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/my-town/ci_26281215/bay-area-energy-efficiency-financing-now-available-through


MISCELLANEOUS

Mercury levels rise in oceans. Man has pumped tens of thousands
of tons of mercury into the world’s oceans in the last 500 years,
nearly tripling the amount of the toxic heavy metal in sea water,
according to a study published online Wednesday in the journal
Nature. The study, the first to be based on widespread and
long-term sampling of ocean waters, found that the increase in
mercury content in Earth’s waters follows the same pattern as the
post-industrial increase in carbon dioxide…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-mercury-measurements-oceans-20140806-story.html


'Smart' watering systems can help landscapes survive drought
limits.  With summer heat and deepening drought upon us, the
stringent outdoor watering restrictions adopted July 15 by the
State Water Resources Control Board present many homeowners with
a conundrum: how to keep their landscaping alive while staying
compliant. The good news is that a new generation of "smart"
irrigation systems, designed to increase water-delivery
efficiency and minimize waste, is available today, often at
reasonable cost. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-smart-watering-20140726-story.html#page=1


BLOGS

Only 9 Chinese Cities Pass Clean Air Test.  If you are looking
for a Chinese city with clean air, your best bets would be
Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Zhoushan, Zhanjiang, Yunfu, Beihai, Sanya or
Lhasa, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. 
Those are the only nine out of 161 monitored cities that met
China’s new air quality standards in the first half of this year,
the ministry announced on Wednesday. The stricter standards were
rolled out by the government in 2012…Posted. 
http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/only-9-chinese-cities-pass-clean-air-test/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0


Cap and Trade Faces First Major Political Test. California’s
cap-and-trade system expands next year. And while the program has
already discreetly impacted energy prices, consumers will likely
get their first direct glimpse at cap and trade’s effect on
markets when it’s applied to transportation fuels. That fact has
many politicians nervous, including a group of Democrats who are
urging Governor Jerry Brown to hit the breaks on cap and trade.
Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/08/07/cap-and-trade-faces-first-major-political-test/


El Niño Fizzle: No Relief Likely for California Drought. All that
talk you’ve been hearing about El Niño coming to wash California
out of its three-year drought: fahgettaboudit. Federal scientists
now say the odds of those peculiar ocean conditions often
associated with wet winters here have diminished substantially,
and there’s now about a 65 percent chance of El Niño by late
fall-early winter, right when we’d be hoping for rain and snow to
return. Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/08/07/el-nino-fizzle-no-relief-likely-for-california-drought/


Don’t be a pawn for your lawn. No, I’m not talking about playing
chess on your lawn!  Instead, the purpose of today’s blog
(written obviously during the height of summer) is to again
remind my readers of the health and environmental hazards
associated with exposure to pesticides and fertilizers for lawn
care.  I was amazed to learn that there are more acres of grass
(40.5 MILLION) than acres devoted to agriculture (20.3 MILLION).
Posted.
http://blog.timesunion.com/brainman/dont-be-a-pawn-for-your-lawn/223/


Global Warming Pause Puts 'Crisis' In Perspective. Much has been
written and argued, from all sides in the global warming debate,
about the meaning of the asserted 17-year pause in global
warming. Is a 17-year pause significant? Is a pause even
occurring? Does the pause signal a longer-term halt to global
warming or even a long-term cooling trend? Would a resumption of
global warming to pre-pause rates end the global warming debate?
Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2014/08/07/global-warming-pause-puts-crisis-in-perspective/


Get used to toilet-to-tap water, Californians told. Drought-hit
state plans $140m expansion at world’s biggest treatment facility
to recycle more waste water. The golden state’s historic drought
is forcing once-squeamish Californians to take a new look at
“toilet-to-tap” water re-use. Or as they prefer to call it in
Fountain Valley, “showers to flowers”. The town in conservative
Orange County is home to the largest water recycling plant in the
world and an example during this epic drought of the
life-altering changes California will have to make to avoid
running out of water. Posted.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/07/california-drought-orange-county-toilet-to-tap-water


The History Of California Is A History Of Fire And Drought.
Southern California is aghast that cities are now enforcing water
usage cutbacks during the ongoing drought - it's because during
the mandatory restrictions, while the farming regions of central
California have met their targets, water usage in southern
California actually went up. They may not know something that
most people in California realize - California is a desert and
its water comes from dams and rivers north of them in California,
and in Colorado. Posted. http://www.science20.com/print/142127 

Japan considering offering free hydrogen cars because $30k
incentives apparently not enough.  There's no such thing as a
free lunch. A free hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, though? It may
become a possibility in Japan, says Automotive News. We know the
Japanese government is being plenty supportive of hydrogen
vehicles since it will provide about $20,000 worth of incentives
to prospective customers of the $69,000 vehicle. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/08/06/japan-considering-offering-free-hydrogen-cars/




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.