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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 30, 2015

Posted: 30 Mar 2015 14:44:51
ARB Newsclips for March 30, 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

Swap trades fuel California carbon market activity.  California
carbon futures were little changed this week as traders focused
on over-the-counter vintage swaps instead of the outright buying
or selling of permits, market sources said on Friday. Vintage
swaps occur when one party sells permits covering a certain time
period while simultaneously buying permits for a different period
and banking the difference.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/28/california-carbon-market-idUKL2N0WU00A20150328


AIR POLLUTION

County Considering Emissions Limits.  Talk of limiting greenhouse
gas emissions from industrial sources — primarily oil drilling
operations — in Santa Barbara County erupted in November 2013
with the controversial approval of Santa Maria Energy’s bid for
136 new cyclic steam-injection wells, the largest such project to
hit the county in years. Since that green light and amid last
year’s Measure P debate, county officials have been working on
developing a formal emissions ceiling that, if surpassed, would
necessitate that companies buy offsets until they fall under the
ceiling.

http://www.independent.com/news/2015/mar/27/county-considering-emissions-limits/

MTU America fined $1.5M for selling uncertified engines.	The
California Air Resources Board (ARB), US Department...	
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/03/20150328-mtu.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

Mexico Pledges to Cut Emissions 25% in Climate-Change Milestone. 
Mexico has become the first developing nation to formally promise
to cut its global-warming pollution, a potential milestone in
efforts to reach a worldwide agreement on tackling climate
change. Mexico expects greenhouse-gas emissions to peak by 2026
and then decline, Environment Minister Juan Jose Guerra Abud said
at a news conference in Mexico City Friday. The nation has
pledged to curb the growth of pollutants 25 percent from its
current trajectory by 2030. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-27/mexico-pledges-25-cut-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions-growth
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mexico-makes-landmark-pledge-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-pollution/

U.S. to submit plans to fight global warming; most others delay. 
The United States will submit plans for slowing global warming to
the United Nations early this week but most governments will miss
an informal March 31 deadline, complicating work on a global
climate deal due in December. The U.S. submission, on Monday or
Tuesday according to a White House official, adds to national
strategies beyond 2020 already presented by the 28-nation
European Union, Mexico, Switzerland and Norway.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/29/us-climatechange-emissions-idUSKBN0MP0C020150329


Greenland glacier melt increases mercury discharge.  Mercury
contamination has long been a threat to animal carnivores and
human residents in the Arctic. Mercury exports from river basins
to the ocean form a significant component of the Arctic mercury
cycle, and are consequently of importance in understanding and
addressing this contamination. Jens Søndergaard of the Arctic
Research Centre of Aarhus University, Denmark and his colleagues
have been conducting research on this topic in Greenland for a
number of years.
http://earthsky.org/earth/greenland-glacier-melt-increases-mercury-discharge

If you’re under 30, you’ve never experienced a
cooler-than-average month. If you’re younger than 30, you’ve
never experienced a month in which the average surface
temperature of the Earth was below average. Each month, the US
National Climatic Data Center calculates Earth’s average surface
temperature using temperature measurements that cover the Earth’s
surface. Then, another average is calculated for each month of
the year for the 20th century, 1901-2000. For each month, this
gives one number representative of the entire century. Subtract
this overall 1900s monthly average—which for Feb. is 53.9F
(12.1C)—from each individual month’s temperature and you’ve got
the anomaly: that is, the difference from the average.
http://qz.com/372641/if-youre-under-30-youve-never-experienced-a-cooler-than-average-month/

Martin O’Malley Begins Campaigning for President, But Seems
Unprepared for Interview Questions.  Democrat Martin O’Malley is
spending most of his time in Iowa and New Hampshire rather than
his home state Maryland these days. He’s making no secret of his
desire to give Hillary Clinton a run for her money (and that
promises to be an awful lot of money) for the Democratic Party’s
nomination. O’Malley appeared on the ABC News “This Week”
program, where host George Stephanopoulos asked a pretty
straightforward question…
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/03/283544-martin-omalley-wants-president-better-better-answer-basic-question/

Climate Change Heightens Pacific Islands'
Vulnerability.	...partners to help them better withstand economic
shocks, natural disasters, and climate change.    Indeed,
geographical isolation, small populations,...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20879805813&p=19f&v=1&x=yVeF6mKnBsBfHRRc-3UlHA

Media Contributing to ‘Hope Gap' on Climate Change. 	...dominated
by horror and carnage — a recipe for depression that spills into
climate change coverage, fueling what some experts call a ‘hope
gap'...	http://www.climatecentral.org/news/media-hope-gap-on-climate-change-18822

FINANCE: Rockefellers discouraged by Exxon's attitude toward
climate change.	...empire -- have failed to convince Exxon Mobil
Corp. to make efforts to address climate change and develop
cleaner energy, according to Neva
Rockefeller...http://news.vocus.com/?a=20881986689&p=19f&v=1&x=xnK5lLcYsapFClzdHVamtg

U.S. To Submit Plans To Combat Climate Change While Other
Countries Delay.	...OSLO/WASHINGTON, March 29 - The United States
will submit  plans for slowing global warming to the United
Nations early  this week but most
governments...http://news.vocus.com/?a=20873173529&p=19f&v=1&x=aQAPOM-pFHsl9CA0MIXg1w

California Snowpack Hits All-Time Low, 8 Percent Of
Average.	...Ranch in Norden, CA. CREDIT: AP/ Rich Pedroncelli The
rainy season is over in California before it ever really began.
As the state enters its
fourth...http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/30/3640399/california-snowpack-at-record-low/

REGULATION: Federal highway funding likely won't be a factor in
Clean Power Plan enforcement. 	...funding from states that don't
comply with its unprecedented effort to lower greenhouse gas
emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20881985794&p=19f&v=1&x=7XH92Fqijy4ijgV2uatxSQ

How Green Is Your House?	...feel good about your family's
contributions to protect the environment.    Green energy   
Improving your home's energy efficiency is not
only...http://news.vocus.com/?a=20880502742&p=19f&v=1&x=MfWnKM0iPGdrCFNiFacOOA

A climate-change litmus test for politicians.	...John Cubelic's
eloquent plea for political leadership in the battle against
climate change and global warming is making me rethink...
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20872715292&p=19f&v=1&x=xkWhdWm8rytRrle4f0BovQ

Ted Cruz Uses The Galileo Gambit To Deny Global
Warming.	...First, in an interview a few days ago with the Texas
Tribune, Cruz stated that global warming isn't happening. This
wasn't the first time he's
made...http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2015/03/30/ted-cruz-uses-the-galileo-gambit-to-deny-global-warming/

DROUGHT

Sierra Nevada pine tree die-off worsens as beetles thrive in
drought	. ...die-off of pine trees in the southern Sierra Nevada
caused by beetles attacking drought-stressed trees is turning
forests brown and creating a fire
tinderbox...http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article16885928.html

In store for visitors to Yosemite: a drier, browner
park.	...floor, will probably slow to a shallow stream about the
same time. And with the drought enabling western pine bark
beetles to kill large swaths of forest,...
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-yosemite-20150329-story.html

Another Milestone In California's Historic Drought.	YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A road leading to spectacular views
of California's Yosemite National Park opened to drivers on
Saturday, marking...	
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/28/yosemite-lookout-opens_n_6961752.html

March heat shatters records in bone-dry Los Angeles. 	...day this
year temperatures have been on average 10 degrees above normal in
California, while there has been little precipitation, Seto said.
   “We...	
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-march-heat-shatters-records-in-bone-dry-la-20150328-story.html

Clear skies and record heat persist in drought-stricken
Southland.	In the final days of an unusually warm March, parts of
Southern California are seeing record heat and strong rip
currents, weather officials...	
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-clear-skies-and-record-heat-southland-20150329-story.html

Drought threatens American River fish.	...River could soon be
killed by low flows and warm temperatures caused by the drought,
a sign of the ongoing struggle over scarce water supplies.
The...	
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article16705838.html

Drought prompts truck and release of salmon smolts in Rio
Vista.	...juvenile Chinook salmon from near-certain death,
federal wildlife officials in California are trucking fish to the
Delta for release. The move – necessitated...	
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article16376159.html

Irrigation districts: State could derail delicate Stanislaus
water deal.	...the human, environmental and financial
consequences of a fourth consecutive drought year in
water-starved California. We have seen it in the...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20871324058&p=19f&v=1&x=3P53erUSZYhRbBaCGmUeUQ

7 suggestions for drought behavior.	...squeeze. We're headed into
the fourth consecutive spring and summer of devastating drought.
In the Greater Sacramento area, we cut back our water use 19
percent...	
http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/home-garden/article16428725.html


FUELS

Do biofuel policies seek to cut emissions by cutting food?  A
study published today in the journal Science found that
government biofuel policies rely on reductions in food
consumption to generate greenhouse gas savings. Shrinking the
amount of food that people and livestock eat decreases the amount
of carbon dioxide that they breathe out or excrete as waste. The
reduction in food available for consumption, rather than any
inherent fuel efficiency, drives the decline in carbon dioxide
emissions in government models, the researchers found.
http://phys.org/news/2015-03-biofuel-policies-emissions-food.html


Boaters push Senate bill removing corn-ethanol
mandate.	...gallons, but that number will climb to 36 billion
gallons by 2022. Americans' gasoline use has actually declined
since the mandate was implemented, however,...	
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article16899902.html

VEHICLES

Electric Vehicles: Glass Half-Full, Glass Half-Empty.	...puts off
a lot of consumers who could afford one, and who could easily use
an electric vehicle for their daily commute. Nissan announced
this month...	
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2015/03/29/electric-vehicles-glass-half-full-glass-half-empty/

Regulators Have Hands Full With Tesla's Plan For Hands-Free
Driving.	...has provided auto executives and regulators a better
view into the nascent electric vehicle market. Now the Silicon
Valley auto maker is in...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20866297846&p=19f&v=1&x=8oj9-2CEUn9rZKab-U7kxw

Internet giants drive into the electric vehicle space.	Internet
companies are looking to disrupt the auto industry with new smart
e-vehicles,...	
https://www.reuters.com/assets/iframe/yovideo?videoId=363673740

GREEN ENERGY

Nation's biggest nuclear firm makes a play for green energy
money. 	...alongside solar, wind and hydroelectric power
collecting extra money for producing carbon-free electricity.
Exelon Corp., operator of the largest fleet
of...http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article16578626.html

Maverick expands synfuels plant line-up with bio- and
landfill-gas-to-methanol offerings.	...September 2014, Maverick
had introduced its Oasis GTL plants, small-scale, modular
methane-to-methanol production plants that can be co-located at
the
methane...	http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/03/20150330-maverick.html

Green initiative meets resistance. South Korea launched Asia's
first nationwide carbon emissions trading scheme in January. It
is part of the government's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions 30% by 2020. The creation of the world's second-largest
cap-and-trade system, after the European Union Emissions Trading
Scheme, created a lot of excitement around the world. Locally,
concerns about the lack of trading and the government's top-down
approach are mounting. Critics question whether the country can
possibly meet its ambitious emissions reduction target.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Green-initiative-meets-resistance

NATIONS: Renewable energy in India to receive $1B credit
line.	...Export-Import Bank of the United States will give most
of a $1 billion credit line to renewable energy developers in
India. The bank expects regulatory...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20881986897&p=19f&v=1&x=H__y8AtYvDUJs1xKIS9QCQ

Millbrook joins APC-funded consortium to develop fuel cell
range-extended electric LCVs. ...consortium to develop a new
class of light commercial vehicle (LCV) combining fuel cell
technology with battery electric vehicles to provide
significantly...	
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/03/20150330-millbrook.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Ocean-based wind turbines, tested in Europe,
may come to a coast near you.	Block Island, a quiet, sparsely
populated Rhode Island sanctuary of about
750...http://news.vocus.com/?a=20881985670&p=19f&v=1&x=VyQAuDVNKI-0Sug0CpEnmg

Solar panel owners and utilities battle it out in
California.	This story is reproduced here as part of the Climate
Desk collaboration. Solar power is having a major moment. It's
growing faster than any...	
http://grist.org/article/solar-panel-owners-and-utilities-battle-it-out-in-california

$1.6B Hawaii Offshore Wind Energy Project Could Be Operational in
2020(Pacific Business News) .   Alpha Wind Energy's plan to
develop a $1.6 billion offshore wind...	
http://insideclimatenews.org/todaysnews/30032015/16b-hawaii-offshore-wind-energy-project-could-be-operational-2020

Utility, dairy farm partner on wind turbine. ...thought." He says
the family never thought they'd be milking their cows with
renewable energy.    The turbine can produce about 155,000
kilowatts...	
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Utility-dairy-farm-partner-on-wind-turbine-6167613.php

California's power trip.	...generating one-third of its energy
from renewables by 2020. But feeding all that green energy into
the Golden State's grid — without overloading it...	
http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150329/californias-power-trip

Solar solution.	...electricity shortfall,” I immediately thought,
why doesn't California encourage more solar energy? The more
solar, the lower the cost. Why not encourage...	
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/03/28/3560776/solar-solution.html

MISCELLANEOUS

Lights go out around the world for Earth Hour.  For one hour on
Saturday starting at 8:30 p.m, local time, cities around the
world will send a collective message about conservation and
climate change. Called Earth Hour, the event encourages
participants to turn off all non-essential lights for 60 minutes.
This year, 7,000 cities in 162 countries are participating.
http://mashable.com/2015/03/28/earth-hour-2015/ 

OPINIONS

Agriculture should be part of our carbon policy.  In light of
President Barack Obama’s looming carbon regulations for existing
U.S. power plants, it’s worth remembering that a comprehensive
climate policy needs to do more than tackle smokestacks. It also
needs to do something about agriculture. And more broadly, Texans
and the rest of the nation need to think more environmentally
about the way they eat.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Agriculture-should-be-part-of-our-carbon-policy-6166444.php


America's Shale Fields Offer A Chance For A New Oil Doctrine To
“Reset” Geopolitics	...doctrine. The objections fall mainly into
three buckets.         First there is gasoline price-o-phobia.
Politicians don't get credit when prices at the...	
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markpmills/2015/03/30/americas-shale-fields-offer-a-chance-for-a-new-oil-doctrine-to-reset-geopolitics/

Opinion: California bullet train: High cost, tiny impact.  A few
years ago, when it was first proposed that state “cap-and-trade”
fees on carbon emissions be used for the state’s bullet train
project, the Legislature’s budget analyst questioned its
legality. Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor’s office noted that
state law requires fees to be spent on projects and programs to
help the state meet 2020 emission goals.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article16538015.html


Achieving California's goal of sustainable energy future.	Not so
long ago, the idea that renewable energy could be relied upon to
power our electric grid...	
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article16434323.html

Opinion: California bullet train: High cost, tiny impact.	A few
years ago, when it was first proposed that state “cap-and-trade”
fees on carbon emissions be used for
the..http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article16538015.html

Personal accounts drive CARB hearings.  The coordination hearings
that took place March 13-14 in Fairfield not only revealed that
the California Air Resources Board failed to “coordinate” the
implementation of its regulations on trucks with local
governments, but they revealed that the board’s regulations were
arbitrary, unreasonable and are unsupported by scientific data.
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/opinion/localopinioncolumnists/personal-accounts-drive-carb-hearings/

BLOGS

The Top of the World Sinks Ever Lower.  Ever year around the end
of February, after a long winter, Arctic ice reaches its maximum
extent. This year that happened around Feb. 25, when it
encompassed 14.54 million square kilometers of ice around the
North Pole. Sound like a lot? It’s not. Really, really not. This
year’s maximum extent was the lowest on record.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/03/30/arctic_ice_maximum_extent_reaches_record_low.html

Why Isn't Desalination the Answer to All California's Water
Problems?	The California American Water Company plans to
desalinate water from Monterey...
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/why-isnt-desalination-the-answer-to-all-californias-water-problems/




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

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