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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 21, 2014.
Posted: 21 Nov 2014 14:24:34
ARB Newsclips for November 21, 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 Whitehouse Sees Carbon Fee Bill Boosting Climate Discussion with Republicans. Carbon fee legislation introduced Nov. 19 will establish the baseline for productive bipartisan discussions on climate change in the next Congress, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said. Whitehouse and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act (no bill number available), which would require large greenhouse gas emitters to pay $42 for every ton of carbon pollution… http://www.bna.com/whitehouse-sees-carbon-n17179912118/ Ontario may join cap-and-trade carbon emission trade system. Ontario has not ruled out joining the Quebec-California cap-and-trade system to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. "We are just beginning our conversations and our discussions, a partnership with industries," Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray said Thursday. http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2014/11/20141120-185243.html CLIMATE CHANGE NOAA: Globe sets 5th hottest-month record of 2014. Despite a bitter U.S. cold snap, the globe is rushing hell-bent toward its warmest year on record with last month setting the fifth monthly heat record of the year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that last month was the hottest October on record worldwide. The 58.43 degrees Fahrenheit (14.74 Celsius) beat out October 2003. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_RECORD_HOT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT UN climate fund falls short of $10 billion target. A U.N. fund that will help poor countries tackle climate change has fallen short, for now, of its target of collecting $10 billion, officials said Thursday. About 30 countries meeting in Berlin pledged a total of $9.3 billion toward the Green Climate Fund, according to Germany's development ministry, which co-hosted the conference. Last week, the U.S. pledged $3 billion, the biggest amount so far. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_FUND?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT China Climate Pledge Needs 1,000 Nuclear Plant Effort. China, which does nothing in small doses, will need about 1,000 nuclear reactors, 500,000 wind turbines or 50,000 solar farms as it takes up the fight against climate change. Chinese President Xi Jinping agreement last week with President Barack Obama requires a radical environmental and economic makeover. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-21/latest-china-revolution-seeks-great-leap-for-clean-energy.html Car-Driving Dream Faces China’s Carbon Reality: Chart of the Day. China’s pledge to cap greenhouse gas output may curtail car-ownership dreams across the world’s most-populous nation, even as domestic auto sales are on pace to top a record 23 million vehicles in 2014. The CHART OF THE DAY tracks annual carbon emissions by the world’s two biggest economies, with China’s output almost doubling in the decade since U.S. levels began to fall, according to BP Plc statistics. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-20/car-driving-dream-faces-china-s-carbon-reality-chart-of-the-day.html The Magical Thought That's Assumed in Climate Studies. Residents exercising amid heavy smog on the Bund in Shanghai as local meteorological. Here's one way to phrase the basic climate change conundrum: There's a huge gap between the volume of pollution emitted every year and how much scientists say we can safely send aloft. This has a weird implication for potential fixes governments may need in the future. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-20/the-magical-thought-that-s-assumed-in-climate-studies.html U.N. Green Fund gets $9.3 billion in pledges at Berlin conference. The U.N. Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a major part of a plan agreed in 2009 whereby rich countries agreed to give $100 billion a year from both public and private sources from 2020 to help developing nations reduce carbon emissions and adapt to a changing global climate. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/20/us-climatechange-fund-idUSKCN0J41V020141120?feedName=globalEnergyNews&feedType=RSS&virtualBrandChannel=14230 Garcetti proposes L.A. climate change summit of U.S., China mayors. Following up on last week's U.S.-China climate change agreement, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday he would invite leaders of Chinese and American cities to a summit in Los Angeles next year to kick-start efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions in both countries. http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-los-angeles-eric-garcetti-china-20141121-story.html http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article4046697.html 40% decline in polar bears in Alaska, western Canada heightens concern. The number of polar bears in eastern Alaska and western Canada has declined by 40%, according to a scientific study that raises more questions about the impact of global warming on the creature that has become the symbol of some of its worst effects. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-polar-bear-decline-20141117-story.html Climate change to increase flood, crop insurance losses. Climate change could substantially increase losses in taxpayer-backed flood and crop insurance programs in coming decades, according to a new government report. The Government Accountability Office found that exposure to losses for property insured under the two programs grew by 8% to $1.4 trillion over the past six years because of population growth and increased property values in hazard-prone areas. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/20/climate-change-flood-insurance-crop-insurance-losses/19271715/ Canada pledges $265m to Green Climate Fund. Harper government fulfils promise to help developing countries address climate impacts. The Canadian government has revealed it will give US$265m (C$300m) to a UN fund aimed at helping the world’s poorest countries invest in clean energy technologies and cope with the effects of climate change. http://www.rtcc.org/2014/11/21/canada-pledges-265m-to-green-climate-fund/#sthash.nUHT1fr5.dpuf Climate Investments ‘Falling Short’ of 2°C Goal. Staving off the worst impacts of climate change by investing in clean energy and smart climate adaptations makes economic sense, but a new report shows that investments are still lagging globally. At the same time, the dropping costs of clean energy, particularly solar, mean that companies are doing more with less. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-investments-2degrees-goal-18363 DROUGHT Capitol Hill talks on drought bill dry up, to resume next year. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California on Thursday pulled the plug on secret, high-stakes negotiations over a water bill for her drought-plagued state, saying she and fellow lawmakers will try again next year. Feinstein’s unexpected move ends, for now, what had become an increasingly contentious fight over ambitious drought-fighting legislation whose details few people have seen. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article4034913.html#storylink=cpy Feinstein bails on water effort – for now. Whatever the legislative sausage was, the legislation to address California’s drought issues never made it out of the machine in Washington. But its chief chef, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, plans to resume work in 2015 with a Republican-controlled Congress. Details of Ms. Feinstein’s water bill never leaked. But how it was being cobbled together irritated more than a few -- from environmental groups to Democratic congressmen. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27191 Fremont gardeners showcasing water-saving plants. As area lawns brown and lush plantings wither, resourceful gardeners everywhere are beginning to embrace a new normal and looking for ideas to create the next generation of water-wise California gardens. Coming to the rescue are a handful of community demonstration gardens staffed by master gardeners and dedicated to the proposition that a drought-tolerant … http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_26977442/fremont-gardeners-showcasing-water-saving-plants Secret California water deal left high and dry in D.C. A Congressional back room water deal has sprung a leak. After months of secret negotiations and without a single public hearing, a bill that would have built dams and reservoirs in California - and rolled back environmental laws - has been shelved. At least for now. California's record drought prompted both the House and Senate to pass their own version of water bills. http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/11/20/48208/secret-california-water-deal-left-high-and-dry-in/ DIESEL EMISSIONS EPA to award up to $5M for projects to reduce diesel emissions at ports. EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) will award up to $5M combined for proposals (EPA-OAR-OTAQ-14-07) that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced by diesel engines and diesel emissions exposure, from fleets operating at marine and inland water ports located in areas of poor air quality. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/11/20141121-epaports.html FUELS EPA delays decision on ethanol in gas. The Obama administration is delaying a decision on whether to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply. Last year the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to reduce the amount of ethanol in fuel for the first time. The decision angered corn growers and ethanol companies who have since lobbied the government to reverse the decision. The EPA said Friday it expects to make a final decision next year. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ETHANOL_IN_GASOLINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-21/renewable-fuels-proposal-for-2014-withdrawn-by-epa-after-delay.html http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article4046601.html Harvard sued over push for fossil fuels divestment. Seven Harvard University students have filed a lawsuit asking a judge to force the university's governing body to divest from fossil fuel companies. The lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges investment in those companies violates the university's duties as a public charity. The complaint asks the court to compel the Harvard Corporation, the governing body, to stop investing any of its $36.4 billion endowment in gas, coal and oil companies. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HARVARD_DIVESTMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Gulf Coast Embraces U.S. Coal Shippers Rejected by West. When it comes to exporting American coal, the West Coast’s loss is the Gulf Coast’s gain. While environmental opposition has stymied plans to build terminals in California and the Pacific Northwest, the Mississippi River town of Darrow, Louisiana, has a new $300 million export facility. It’s part of a regional expansion that will increase capacity by 66 percent to 119 million metric tons by 2017… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-21/gulf-coast-embraces-u-s-coal-shippers-rejected-by-west-freight.html VEHICLES Toyota recalls nearly 423K Lexuses for fuel leaks. Toyota is recalling nearly 423,000 Lexus luxury brand cars in the U.S. to fix fuel leaks that can cause fires. The recalls affect the 2006 to 2011 GS, 2007 to 2010 LS and the 2006 to 2011 IS models. Toyota says that the cars' fuel lines have nickel phosphate plating to protect against corrosion. Some lines could have been built with particles coming in contact with a gasket. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LEXUS_RECALL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT High-speed rail officials say construction will be a net positive for the environment. State officials supporting California's high-speed rail project held an event in Fresno this week showcasing cleaner-burning diesel construction equipment. The goal: to demonstrate the agency's efforts to make the project a zero-net contributor to carbon emissions. The California High Speed Rail Authority says it will use a variety of steps to offset pollution it produces in building and eventually operating the train network. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/11/21/high-speed-rail-officials-say-construction-will-be.html?page=all LA Auto Show 2014: BMW's i3 named Green Car of the Year. MW's i8 has been named the LA Auto Show's 2015 Green Car of the Year. The all-electric plug-in vehicle is a high-performance sports car with a conscience. The $42,275 German runabout, which has an electric motor capable of producing the equivalent of 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, has a range of 80 to 100 miles. Introduced to American buyers in 2013, the car won the award in its second year of production. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-la-auto-show-green-car-year-20141119-story.html GREEN ENERGY China Shale Boom Fizzles as Clean Energy, Imports Take Lead. China has sharply cut its output target for shale, signaling the country’s drilling boom is fizzling out before it even gets going. The nation has reduced its goal for the end of the decade to a third of an earlier estimate, as difficult geology, lack of infrastructure and limited exploration rights conspire against shale-gas ambitions. Big gas import deals, a lower oil price and China’s commitment to clean energy are also weighing on shale’s promise. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-21/china-shale-boom-fizzles-as-clean-energy-imports-take-spotlight.html EU Risks Blackouts Without Clean-Coal Inducement, IEA Says. Europe faces power shortages in the next decade unless it balances its drive for low-carbon energy with investment in clean-coal and nuclear generation, according to the International Energy Agency. Policy makers must boost incentives for coal-fired power that includes carbon-capture technology and spur investment in new atomic plants to replace aging reactors… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-21/europe-risks-blackouts-without-clean-coal-inducement-iea-says.html Unclear If Congress Can Complete Tax Extenders Package This Year, Carper Says. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said Nov. 20 that discussions are ongoing, but it's “not at all clear” that Congress can complete work this year on a two-year, $85 billion package of tax extenders that includes dozens of renewable energy incentives. http://www.bna.com/unclear-congress-complete-n17179912430/ SolarCity inks deal with Wal-Mart; shares surge. Shares of SolarCity Corp. soared Friday morning after the company said it would provide Wal-Mart with solar power. The San Mateo, Calif.-based company’s stock rose as high as $56.94 a share, up 6% from Thursday's close. The solar power producer said it inked a four-year deal to install solar power projects for Wal-Mart at facilities in up to 36 states. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solarcity-stock-20141121-story.html http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4045455.html BLM rejectes application for Silurian Valley energy project. The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday denied a Spanish company's application to build a controversial renewable energy facility in the Mojave Desert's remote Silurian Valley, deciding the sprawling project “would not be in the public interest.” The closely watched decision is considered a bellwether for how the federal agency will handle future requests to develop renewable energy projects… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-1121-silurian-rejection-20141121-story.html MISCELLANEOUS AT&T to pay California $52 million in hazardous waste disposal settlement. AT&T Inc (T.N) will pay $52 million in civil penalties and environmental compliance as part of a settlement with California over illegal dumping of hazardous waste but won't be required to clean up the resulting contamination, state officials said on Thursday. State officials said it marked the first enforcement action in California against a telecommunications company for mishandling of electronic waste. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/21/us-usa-at-t-california-idUSKCN0J50AG20141121?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews OPINONS The Term ‘Polar Vortex’ Goes Back to the Days of Dickens. Back in the news during the recent cold snap, the phrase ‘polar vortex’ goes back to the days of Dickens. As frigid winds and mammoth snowfall battered the U.S. this past week, a now-familiar item in our weather lexicon returned: the “polar vortex,” a large low-pressure zone that can push a mass of cold air down from the North Pole to more temperate climes. http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-term-polar-vortex-goes-back-to-the-days-of-dickens-1416586355?KEYWORDS=CLIMATE+CHANGE No matter where you plug in, electric cars are greener. Letters to the editorOpinionAutomotive Industry. To the editor: While I agree about the growing market for electric vehicles, I take issue with the authors' conclusions about the carbon emissions of EVs. ("Are electric cars greener? Depends on where you live," Op-Ed, Nov. 16). An updated analysis we recently completed at the Union of Concerned Scientists found that everywhere in the U.S., an EV produces lower carbon emissions… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1121-friday-electric-cars-20141121-story.html Keystone XL pipeline pumps out political nonsense. Like most debates in Congress, the fight over the Keystone XL pipeline is driven by posturing and partisanship rather than common sense. On Tuesday, this phenomenon was on full view as the Senate took a vote that fell short of overriding environmental concerns and giving the pipeline the go-ahead. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-keystone-xl-pipeline--20141119-story.html In a self-driving future, we may not even want to own cars. Personal transportation is on the cusp of its greatest transformation since the advent of the internal combustion engine. With the rise of self-driving vehicles, ride-sharing, traffic congestion and environmental regulation, we may not even own cars in the future, much less drive them. A glimpse of the coming revolution can be seen in the models debuting this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-1121-la-auto-show-future-of-driving-20141121-story.html#page=1 Our Voice: Cope with the drought by thinning forests. A U.S. Forest Service analysis of the 2013 Mountain Fire showed that controlled burns and other efforts to thin the forest were effective in some areas. However, the efforts have been paltry. Richard Minnich, a fire ecologist and UCR professor, calls prescribed burns that have been carried out in the past decade "postage stamps." Much more needs to be done. http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/11/20/thin-forests/70033002/ CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: U.S.-China climate pact swindle. Historic. Such is the ubiquitous description of the climate agreement recently announced in Beijing between Barack Obama and Xi Jinping in which China promised for the first time to cap carbon emissions. If this were a real breakthrough, I’d be an enthusiastic supporter. I have long advocated for a tangible global agreement to curb carbon. http://www.pe.com/articles/china-754650-carbon-agreement.html CHRIS MOONEY: Winter weather doesn't refute global warming. If you live in the U.S., you have been feeling insanely cold lately. The area south of Buffalo got 5 feet of snow this week -- an extreme winter weather outburst that is being blamed for a tragic five deaths -- and the Weather Channel says that parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes region may experience "one of the longest sub-freezing spells on record for the month of November." http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x1952131475/Winter-weather-doesnt-refute-global-warming Column recycles standard lies on global warming. Eugene Robinson's column, "Do-nothing politics hamstrings nation's development," began with a full paragraph of bogus global warming statements presented as facts. Still, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has raised the certainty of its global warming doomsday scenario from 90 to 95 percent based on computer projections that have utterly failed to predict… http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20141120/tri-valley-letters-coverage-lately-is-leaving-a-bit-to-be-desired BLOGS Clean Energy and Job Creation Go Hand-in-Hand in San Antonio. While many are prophesizing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) as doomsday for the electricity sector, Texas utilities are telling a different story. The CPP will limit – for the first time ever – carbon emissions from existing power plants. One utility in particular, CPS Energy in San Antonio, “has already embraced a low-carbon strategy…http://www.forbes.com/sites/edfenergyexchange/2014/11/21/clean-energy-and-job-creation-go-hand-in-hand-in-san-antonio/ Oil And Gas Methane Rules Could Help U.S. Meet New Climate Targets, Report Says. The Environmental Protection Agency can cut methane emissions from oil and gas production in half with new national standards, a move that could help the United States meet new pollution cutting targets pledged in a climate deal with China last week, a new report recommends. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/20/oil-and-gas-methane-rules_n_6190754.html DOE reports progress on development of low-carbon and renewable sources of hydrogen production. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office’ (FCTO) 2014 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Progress Report (earlier post)—an annual summary of results from projects funded by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program—described progress in the field of hydrogen production. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/11/20141121-doeh2.html The public is wrong on climate, as it was on slavery, women’s rights. The latest public opinion study out of Yale’s Project on Climate Change Communication has all the usual hints of optimism we’ve seen in the Project’s many other climate reports. According to “Climate Change in the American Mind,” released this week, a majority of Americans support regulating carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, funding research for renewable energy, yada, yada. http://grist.org/politics/the-public-is-wrong-on-climate-as-it-was-on-slavery-womens-rights/ Republicans were wrong about China’s climate commitment. Almost as soon as President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping announced their landmark climate deal last week, there was a torrent of criticism that the pact let China off the hook. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) complained that “the agreement requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years.” The argument goes like this: The U.S. committed to deeper, faster cuts than it had before — reducing carbon emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. http://grist.org/politics/republicans-were-wrong-about-chinas-climate-commitment/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.