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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 25, 2015.
Posted: 25 Feb 2015 15:30:33
ARB Newsclips for February 25, 2015. 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 European carbon market reform set for 2019. MEPs vote to strengthen emissions trading scheme by taking 1.6bn surplus credits off the market to boost carbon prices, but critics call for steps to be taken earlier. Reforms to strengthen the EU’s flagship policy for cutting carbon, the emissions trading scheme (ETS), will start at the end of 2018 following a vote by MEPs on Tuesday. The carbon market is supposed to drive Europe’s transition to cleaner sources of energy… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/24/european-carbon-emissions-trading-market-reform-set-for-2019 AIR POLLUTION Enviros sue EPA over 3 soot plans. An environmental group today filed a lawsuit against U.S. EPA alleging that the agency had failed to put in place federal plans to clean up soot pollution in Iowa, Puerto Rico and Washington. In the lawsuit, the Center for Biological Diversity argued that EPA had violated the Clean Air Act by not issuing the plans. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060013951/feed Utility group objects to EPA compliance plan for startups, shutdowns. The utility industry is asking U.S. EPA to reconsider a compliance plan for power plants to meet toxic air pollution limits during the times when they're starting up and shutting down production. In a petition for reconsideration, the Utility Air Regulatory Group faulted EPA's requirements for control technologies during startup operations, the agency's analysis of "best performing"… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060013924/print CLIMATE CHANGE Scientists witness carbon dioxide trapping heat in air. Scientists have witnessed carbon dioxide trapping heat in the atmosphere above the United States, chronicling human-made climate change in action, live in the wild. A new study in the journal Nature demonstrates in real-time field measurements what scientists already knew from basic physics, lab tests… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_HEAT_TRAPPING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Head of U.N. Climate-Change Panel Resigns Amid Harassment Allegations. Indian environmentalist Rajendra K. Pachauri, a prominent voice on global warming, resigned Tuesday as head of the United Nations’ climate-change panel—a group that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize under his leadership—after a woman filed a sexual-harassment complaint against him with police. http://www.wsj.com/articles/head-of-u-n-climate-change-panel-resigns-1424783912?mod=rss_about_india http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=388715920 Climate change may flatten famed surfing waves. On a summer day in 1885, three Hawaiian princes surfed at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River on crudely constructed boards made from coastal redwoods, bringing the sport to the North American mainland. Today their wave-riding successors consult satellite weather forecasts on smartphones before heading to Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz to don neoprene wetsuits. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article11129015.html#storylink=cpy Will UN Climate Panel's Credibility Suffer From the Resignation of Its Chief? Attacks on the IPCC over allegations of sexual misconduct come in the same week as scandal erupts over contrarian scientist Willie Soon. In a week when the Willie Soon scandal broke and revealed the fossil fuel industry's footprint on contrarian climate research, embattled denialists went back on the offensive. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/25022015/will-un-climate-panels-credibility-suffer-resignation-its-chief First direct observation of carbon dioxide's increasing greenhouse effect. Scientists have observed an increase in carbon dioxide's greenhouse effect at the Earth's surface for the first time. The researchers, led by scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), measured atmospheric carbon dioxide's increasing capacity to absorb thermal radiation emitted… http://phys.org/news/2015-02-carbon-dioxide-greenhouse-effect.html#jCp Former Treasury Secretary Rubin says U.S. underestimates the cost of climate risks. Robert Rubin, a former U.S. Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, said yesterday that climate change is particularly pernicious because it affects so many distinct economic sectors, from budgetary planning and labor relations to agriculture production. "I believe, as all of you do, that climate change is the existential threat of our time,"… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013990/print http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060013952/print Fate of climate fund still up in the air after Kerry's Senate appearance. If a fight is brewing over President Obama's funding request to kick off his $3 billion promise to the Green Climate Fund, it's not happening in public. At least not yet. At two separate Senate hearings yesterday, which could have been the first chance for lawmakers to publicly grill Secretary of State John Kerry on his climate change aid requests… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013974/print Van Hollen reintroduces cap-and-dividend legislation. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a leading champion of aggressive government policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, today reintroduced legislation that would require fossil fuel producers to purchase allowances to cover the heat-trapping gases released when coal, oil or natural gas are burned and then redistribute that money to all taxpayers. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060013932/print U.N. leaders urge nations to get serious about June meeting pivotal for climate deal. The United Nations threw its weight yesterday behind a high-level event set for June aimed at keeping the world's attention focused on the creation of a new global climate change agreement in Paris at the end of the year. Speaking at a briefing yesterday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and President of the General Assembly Sam Kahamba Kutesa called on nations to support the midyear session in New York as a way to maintain global momentum. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013887/print DROUGHT Despite drought, Bay Area salmon fishermen see hope for 2015 season. Bay Area commercial salmon fisherman got a jolt of good news this week in the form of population data that could bode well for the upcoming season. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council released estimates for the number of chinook salmon that returned from the Pacific Ocean in the fall to spawn in rivers where they were born or released from hatcheries. http://www.mercurynews.com/pacifica/ci_27591929/despite-drought-bay-area-salmon-fishermen-see-hope California Lawmakers Will Examine Ways To Capture Stormwater. Recycling stormwater runoff could help provide more water during the drought. Democratic Senator Bob Hertzberg says he believes such projects are more affordable than importing water from state and federal water projects. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/02/24/california-lawmakers-will-examine-ways-to-capture-stormwater/ Storms to bring rain, snow -- but not enough. Storms will continue to affect California and the West through this weekend and into next week with rounds of precipitation for some needy areas as well as delays for travelers, according to a forecast Tuesday from the private weather forecasting company AccuWeather Inc. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27827 FUELS Defying GOP, Obama vetoes Keystone XL pipeline bill. Defying the Republican-run Congress, President Barack Obama rejected a bill Tuesday to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, wielding his veto power for only the third time in his presidency. Obama offered no indication of whether he'll eventually issue a permit for the pipeline, whose construction has become a flashpoint in the U.S. debate about environmental policy and climate change. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_KEYSTONE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82907308/ http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/government-and-politics/20150224/defying-gop-president-obama-vetoes-keystone-xl-pipeline-bill Gasoline Plunge Wipes Out Profits for U.S. Ethanol Makers. Ethanol producers are cutting output after getting squeezed by the biggest drop in gasoline prices since 2008. Valero Energy Corp. and Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc., representing about 15 percent of U.S. capacity, have reduced operations as margins have narrowed. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/gasoline-plunge-wipes-out-profits-for-u-s-ethanol-makers Keystone Veto Signals to Pipeline Foes Obama May Reject Project. President Barack Obama’s veto of the Keystone XL bill is the latest sign to pipeline opponents that he’s prepared to reject a project he said won’t create many jobs or reduce U.S. oil prices. Obama rejected the Republican-backed bill because it interfered with a review being led by the State Department, though he hasn’t decided whether to approve a permit for the pipeline… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/keystone-veto-signals-to-pipeline-foes-obama-may-reject-project Fossil fuel divestment effort comes to energy-rich Colorado. A campaign to get universities to stop investing in greenhouse gas-producing fuels came deep into energy country Friday as activists asked the University of Colorado to divest from coal and petroleum companies. The university's governing Board of Regents took no action on the request from a student group called Fossil Free CU… http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_27590024/fossil-fuel-divestment-effort-comes-energy-rich-colorado Californians getting slightly lower gas tax. Filling up in California starting on July 1 could be a bit less expensive than now, following a 5-0 vote by the state Board of Equalization to lower the state excise tax on gasoline by six cents per gallon. “The Board's cut won't even fully offset the cost of a new ‘hidden gas tax’ that took effect January 1 to help fund high speed rail and other so-called anti-global warming efforts,” says BOE Vice Chairman George Runner. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27828 Mileage Tax Builds Momentum as Alternative to Gas Tax. It is only a matter of time before the gas tax will have to be phased out and replaced with a tax on miles traveled to support the nation’s roads, said a room full of transportation policy officials and their congressional allies who met here Feb. 24. The switch from fuel to mileage taxes could take place in six years, two U.S. representatives told the annual meeting of the Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance. http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=37482&t=Mileage-Tax-Builds-Momentum-as-Alternative-to-Gas-Tax California gas tax cut unlikely to show up at pump. California regulators voted to lower the state's gasoline tax on Tuesday by 6¢/USG, but drivers may not see a difference at the pump. Starting this summer, the California gasoline tax will decline by 6¢/USG, slightly less than the 7.5¢/USG cut originally proposed in a recommendation to the California Board of Equalization (BOE). http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=998075&menu=yes UC Riverside CELF biomass pretreatment technology could cut cellulosic biofuel production cost by about 30%. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside led by Professor Charles Wyman, the Ford Motor Company Chair in Environmental Engineering, have developed a novel biomass pretreatment called co-solvent-enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation (CELF) to reduce enzyme costs significantly for high sugar yields from hemicellulose and cellulose… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150225-celf.html Panel concedes RFS reform unlikely this Congress. Reform of the renewable fuel standard is doubtful this Congress despite ongoing difficulties with setting annual targets under the program, a panel of both biofuel proponents and critics of the RFS said last week at an annual gathering of ethanol producers. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060013884/print VEHICLES Hyper-Luxury Cars Are Now Selling Faster Than Normal Ones. Welcome to a new gilded age of driving in which sales of Ferraris grow faster than Fords. Something strange happened two years ago at Switzerland's annual caucus of ultra-luxury car makers. Rolls-Royce, a brand dedicated to the driven, not the driver, unveiled a vehicle that had just two doors, an engine the size of a small Jacuzzi… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/hyper-luxury-cars-are-now-selling-faster-than-normal-ones Rockefeller’s Rodin Says Musk Visionary Drawing Capital. Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is a pioneer when it comes to attracting money aimed at improving society and generating a profit, said Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin. “Elon Musk is a visionary in figuring out how to attract investment capital,”… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/rockefeller-s-rodin-says-musk-visionary-drawing-capital Electric Vehicle Charging Standards Needed. With the increase of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road, aka the burgeoning of the “Electric Highway,” unified standards for public EV charging are needed. In many states, this will fall on the weights and measures officials. As more plug-in EVS hits U.S. roads, charging stations will require inspection and testing for accuracy, just like a gas station today. http://domesticfuel.com/2015/02/25/electric-vehicle-charging-standards-needed/ GREEN ENERGY EU unveils vast plan to merge 28 energy markets. The European Union's executive has unveiled a vast plan to boost coordination between the EU's 28 national energy markets to wean Europe off unstable Russian gas supplies and provide cheaper energy for consumers. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday called it "undoubtedly the most ambitious energy project" since the inception of the EU over half a century ago. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EUROPE_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/eu-to-seek-safer-gas-supply-cleaner-power-in-energy-plan Over 12,000 comments on desert renewable energy plan. More than 12,000 people submitted comments on the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan before this week's deadline, many of them urging policymakers to protect specific parts of the desert from development. Unprecedented in scope and scale, the 10,000-page draft plan has far-reaching implications for the future of California's deserts. http://www.desertsun.com/story/tech/science/energy/2015/02/24/comments-desert-renewable-energy-plan/23972657/ California grid tackles 50pc renewables goal. The California Independent System Operator (ISO) over the next year will examine new transmission infrastructure needs resulting from the proposed increase of the state renewable portfolio standard to 50pc by 2030.The special study will form part of the 2015-16 annual transmission planning exercise, which should conclude in the first half of 2016. http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=997980&menu=yes MISCELLANEOUS California plastic bag ban suspended, measure to overturn ban on 2016 ballot. Setting up a grand environmental showdown, a referendum initiated by the plastic-bag industry to overturn California’s first-in-the-nation law that bans supermarkets and other businesses from handing out single-use plastic bags has qualified for next year’s ballot. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/government-and-politics/20150224/california-plastic-bag-ban-suspended-measure-to-overturn-ban-on-2016-ballot OPINIONS Keystone Solution Runs Through Canada. The Keystone XL pipeline has become a perfect symbol of Washington’s dysfunction. Democrats exaggerate its environmental impact while Republicans exaggerate its economic benefits. In the debate, each side talks past the other, because each cares more about gaining a political advantage than a policy achievement. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-25/mike-bloomberg-keystone-xl-solution-runs-through-canada Timm Herdt: The need for bilingual electric cars. When Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León earlier this month announced an aggressive clean-energy agenda for California, he made a special point of asserting it would reach into all of the state's communities, not just those of coastal environmentalists. http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_27593117/timm-herdt-need-bilingual-electric-cars Obama's climate change wonk. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy is in the forefront of President Obama’s climate change agenda, but don’t call her a politician. President Barack Obama’s plan to combat greenhouse gases is entering its final lap, and now, with White House climate change hawk John Podesta gone, the baton has been handed to Gina McCarthy. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/barack-obamas-gina-mccarthy-climate-change-wonk-115372.html#ixzz3Sni1eZDl How dirty media brought down Oregon’s clean-energy governor and his activist fiancée. Full disclosure: 1. I know and admire Cylvia Hayes. 2. I support the initiatives that she actively promoted. 3. I have no special knowledge of her financial dealings. Regardless, I believe the recent attacks on Hayes and her fiancé, former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), have been sensationalized, and are at best misleading. http://grist.org/politics/how-dirty-media-brought-down-oregons-clean-energy-governor-and-his-activist-fiancee/ Care about global climate change? Then fight local air pollution. Leaders of developing countries should take a look at a new study by professors and researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago, and keep it in mind when they go to Paris to discuss a global climate agreement this December. http://grist.org/climate-energy/care-about-global-climate-change-then-fight-local-air-pollution/ BLOGS On Keystone and Climate, Bloomberg Presses Obama to Negotiate with Canada Instead of Congress. Former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, now a United Nations climate envoy, has laid out a wise path for President Obama that could sidestep the political morass surrounding Canada’s oil-rich Alberta tar (sands) pits and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/on-keystone-and-climate-bloomberg-presses-obama-to-negotiate-with-canada-instead-of-congress/?ref=earth&_r=0 An Introduction to Carbon Cap-and-Trade Systems Around the World. Carbon markets are being established around the world, but how exactly do cap-and-trade systems work? By answering a few questions on cap-and-trade systems, this piece illustrates why and how such systems are being adopted in practice. What is the point of a cap-and-trade system? Cap-and-trade systems are an approach to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosaly-byrd/an-introduction-to-carbon-cap-and-trade_b_6737660.html Gasoline prices up nearly a dime over the past week. Gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh region are up eight cents a gallon over the past week as, for at least the moment, the recent price declines are just a memory. You're paying an average of $2.468 in the region for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge report. That's up from $2.383 a gallon only a week ago and $2.31 a month ago. http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/morning-edition/2015/02/gasoline-prices-up-nearly-a-dime-over-the-past.html Call for Oregon to subsidize electric vehicles intensifies. Oregon should subsidize electric car purchases to meet its climate change goals, according to a report issued this morning. While electric vehicles currently have a relatively small impact on Oregon's economy, but that could increase dramatically as more people make the switch from gas to electric. http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/02/call-for-oregon-to-subsidize-electric-vehicles.html How Does BP Plan To Ride Through The Oil Crash? The recent crash in oil prices has made BP’s road to recovery from a massive setback it faced as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident even more challenging. Just when the company’s underlying business seemed to be on the cusp of a turnaround with new upstream projects adding to both production and profitability, it now faces a potentially prolonged cycle of depressed commodity prices… http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/01/30/bp-q4-2014-preview-the-decline-in-oil-prices-and-ruble-to-weigh-on-upstream-earnings/ Bill To Kill Georgia's Electric-Car Tax Credit Rises From The Dead. State politics can be a funny thing. Last week, a Georgia House bill to end the state's $5,000 tax credit for purchase or lease of a battery-electric vehicle was voted down by its Ways & Means Committee. But yesterday, it mysteriously reappeared and was unanimously passed by voice vote after it was deemed only to have been "tabled." http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096976_bill-to-kill-georgias-electric-car-tax-credit-rises-from-the-dead Chevrolet one of 16 organizations across US recognized by EPA for Climate Action; only automaker. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded 2015 Climate Leadership Awards to 16 organizations and one individual representing a wide array of industries from finance and manufacturing to retail and technology for showing what the agency said was exemplary corporate… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150225-chevy.html How Many Hydrogen Cars For Northeast U.S.? 10,000 In 10 Years, Plan Says. California is already home to the nation's sole hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and funds are in place to build more such stations over the next few years. That's why the Golden State is now the sole U.S. market for the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell and the upcoming 2016 Toyota Mirai--the only fuel-cell cars on sale in the U.S. right now. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096946_how-many-hydrogen-cars-for-northeast-u-s-10000-in-10-years-plan-says Chinese electric car sales could surge past the US. Modern plug-in electric cars have been on sale in the U.S. since December 2010, and in China even longer. The BYD F3DM, a compact plug-in hybrid sedan, went into very limited production in 2008, though early deliveries were strictly to fleets and government agencies. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096924_will-china-overtake-the-u-s-in-electric-car-sales-this-year#ixzz3SmvFJ88Q Consumer Reports: Tesla Model S 'Best Overall' Again In 2015. Well, Tesla Motors seems to have done it again. For the second year in a row, Consumer Reports has named the Tesla Model S its "Best Overall" vehicle to buy for 2015. As the well-regarded consumer magazine notes in its summary: For all of the impressive new vehicles released in 2014… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096975_consumer-reports-tesla-model-s-best-overall-again-in-2015 First Electric Pickup Truck: Renault Kangoo ZE Not For U.S. (Forbidden Fruit). The field of electric cars is gradually growing more diverse, but so far no automaker has built an electric pickup truck and put it on sale. Now there is one, although it probably won't fit most people's image of a rough, tough truck. A French company called Kollé (via Inside EVs) is offering a conversion for the Renault Kangoo Z.E. that transforms this small electric delivery van into a pickup. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096966_first-electric-pickup-truck-renault-kangoo-ze-not-for-u-s-forbidden-fruit California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.