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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 27, 2015.
Posted: 27 Apr 2015 15:36:15
ARB Newsclips for April 27, 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. AIR POLLUTION Factories In Two Of China’s Most Polluted Provinces Are Failing At Limiting Their Emissions. China’s call for emissions controls from factories are largely being ignored, according to a Greenpeace report. The report, which looks at state-reported data for Jiangsu and Hebei provinces, shows that heavy industry is not complying with strict emissions standards China set for coal plants in January 2012… http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/27/3651485/chinas-factories-keep-emissions-coming/ Science subpanel to consider rural impacts of controversial ozone proposal. U.S. EPA's proposal to tighten the national ozone standard will face scrutiny this week by a subpanel of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. The committee's Environment subpanel, led by Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), will focus on the proposal's impacts to rural America in what will likely be a contentious hearing Wednesday. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060017447/feed State air chiefs, EPA leaders meet on emissions proposal. U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan will be front and center as state air pollution agency chiefs gather in Providence, R.I., until Wednesday for their spring meeting. EPA air chief Janet McCabe and a contingency of deputies and regional administrators will be on hand to discuss the nuts and bolts of potential compliance strategies for cutting power plant carbon emissions 30… http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060017434/feed CLIMATE CHANGE Study blames global warming for 75 percent of very hot days. If you find yourself sweating out a day that is monstrously hot, chances are you can blame humanity. A new report links three out of four such days to man's effects on climate. And as climate change worsens around mid-century, that percentage of extremely hot days being caused by man-made greenhouse gases will push past 95 percent… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_EXTREME_WEATHER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/27/us-climatechange-temperature-idUSKBN0NI1NV20150427 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/science/new-study-links-weather-extremes-to-global-warming.html Arctic nations to fight climate change despite Russia tensions. The eight Arctic Council nations pledged on Friday to do more to combat climate change that is shrinking the vast frigid region, with countries trying to put aside disputes over issues like Russia's intervention in Ukraine. Meeting in the Canadian town of Iqaluit, 300 km (200 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/24/us-canada-usa-arctic-idUSKBN0NF2F920150424 Thawing permafrost: the Arctic's slow, giant carbon release. Permafrost - a vast, frozen subsurface layer of soil - covers nearly a quarter of the land in the Northern Hemisphere. It contains centuries worth of carbon in the form of plants that have died since the last ice age but remained frozen rather than decomposing. Now scientists are learning that the "perma" part of its name may no longer be accurate. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article19580646.html#storylink=cpy Carbon Pricing Helping Farmers Ease Methane Pollution. Leo Van Warmerdam pointed to a red shed housing a large generator on his family’s dairy farm as he loped over two acres of manure. The thick black plastic stretching across the manure ballooned as he walked on it, inflated by methane building from beneath. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/farmers-reduce-methane-pollution-18926 Extreme Heat and Heavy Rain Events Expected to Double. Extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves and torrential rainfalls are the most powerful and obvious reminders that the climate is changing. These disasters were happening long before humans started pumping heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but global warming has tipped the odds in their favor. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/extreme-heat-heavy-rain-expected-to-double-18933 Blooming Algae Could Accelerate Arctic Warming. Blooms of algae in the Arctic Ocean could add a previously unsuspected warming feedback to the mix of factors driving temperatures in the north polar regions up faster than any other place on the planet, according to the authors of a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “By the end of the century, this could lead to 20 percent more warming… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/algae-accelerate-arctic-warming-18929 At $24 Trillion, Oceans are World’s 7th-Largest Economy. The monetary value of the world’s oceans has been estimated at $24 trillion in a new report that warns that overfishing, pollution and climate change are putting an unprecedented strain upon marine ecosystems. The report, commissioned by WWF, states the asset value of oceans is $24 trillion and values the annual “goods and services” it provides, such as food, at $2.5 trillion. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/oceans-are-seventh-largest-economy-18931 With 'anger translator,' Obama jokes about climate change. President Obama poked fun at Republicans for denying climate change in his annual roast of the press and Washington, D.C. Speaking at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday evening, the president used his high-profile speech before celebrities and media bigwigs to prod for action on climate change, albeit with humor. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060017468/feed A 'believer' takes over conservative carbon tax effort. The first time Catrina Rorke worked on a carbon tax, it got her boss fired. Now, she has another shot. The millennial 30-year-old, with bold-rimmed glasses and a composite political identity, is the first director of energy policy for the R Street Institute… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/27/stories/1060017471 DIESEL ACTIVITIES Trucking Groups Lack Standing to Challenge EPA Heavy-Duty Truck Standards, Court Says. A federal appeals court dismissed challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks after finding the petitioners lacked standing to bring their lawsuits. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found in an April 24 per curiam opinion that California trucking groups opposed to the EPA's greenhouse gas emissions limits… http://www.bna.com/trucking-groups-lack-n17179925814/ DROUGHT Western drought steals clean energy along with fresh water at power plants. The floor rumbled under Mark Cook. His legs vibrated as he stood in a tunnel tucked into the thick base of Hoover Dam, 430 feet below the tourists looking out over Lake Mead. Beneath him, water roared through steel pipes 13 feet tall. Nearby, heavy turbines hummed with mechanical intensity. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/at-hoover-dam-the-drought-is-stealing-clean-energy-along-with-fresh-water/2015/04/26/8ce2740a-e93d-11e4-9767-6276fc9b0ada_story.html Drought Frames Economic Divide of Californians. Alysia Thomas, a stay-at-home mother in this working-class city, tells her children to skip a bath on days when they do not play outside; that holds down the water bill. Lillian Barrera, a housekeeper who travels 25 miles to clean homes in Beverly Hills, serves dinner to her family on paper plates for much the same reason. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/us/drought-widens-economic-divide-for-californians.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1 California drought tests strength of Gold Rush-era water rights. High above a landscape parched by unremitting drought, Meadow Valley Creek courses through the northern Sierra Nevada and pools in a stand of alders behind a tiny, concrete dam. Robert Forbes draws water from the reservoir through an overturned smokestack and into a ditch that has run west of Quincy for more than 100 years. He adjusted a piece of plywood at its mouth to restrict the flow one recent morning. In dry years, Forbes said, “I start rationing people along the line.” http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article19560759.html#storylink=cpy Drought doesn’t stop nation’s most ambitious salmon revival in San Joaquin River. Young salmon glide through shallow riffles in the San Joaquin River, not far from busy shopping centers, swift Fresno traffic and a golf course. The southernmost salmon stream in North America might seem like an afterthought in city life here, but don’t let that fool you. http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/25/4494375_drought-doesnt-stop-nations-most.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy State drought tests water rights. High above a landscape parched by unremitting drought, Meadow Valley Creek courses through the northern Sierra Nevada and pools in a stand of alders behind a tiny, concrete dam. Robert Forbes draws water from the reservoir through an overturned smokestack and into a ditch that has run west of Quincy for more than 100 years. http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/25/4495597/state-drought-tests-water-rights.html#storylink=cpy (THIS SHOULD MOVE UP TO SIMIILAR STORY)In California, drought widens economic split. Alysia Thomas, a stay-at-home mother in this working-class city, tells her children to skip a bath on days when they do not play outside; that holds down the water bill. Lillian Barrera, a housekeeper who travels 25 miles to clean homes in Beverly Hills, serves dinner to her family on paper plates for much the same reason. In the fourth year of a severe drought… http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/26/4496630/in-california-drought-widens.html#storylink=cpy Drought restrictions may end era: Bye-bye front lawn. In 2011, Jules and Alan Nolet bought a house on a flat, sunny lot of just over an acre here. "It had a split-level house built in the '70s with massive, overgrown lawns in the front and back," Jules remembered. They knocked down the split-level and replaced it with a 7,000-square-foot "Old World" house, co-designed by Jules, who is half-French. They ripped out the swimming pool. http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150424/drought-restrictions-may-end-era-bye-bye-front-lawn Drought promotes renewed interest in water tech. Jim Horan is a numbers guy. He keeps track of everything from his blood sugar to the number of miles he logs on his mountain bike. Now, as California's historic drought enters its fourth year, Horan is also measuring his daily water use. But it's not easy. Each morning when he goes out to get his newspaper, Horan brings a screwdriver to remove the heavy concrete cover from his water meter, clears away the dust and spiders…http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_27993515/drought-promotes-renewed-interest-water-tech FUELS US gas prices jump 13 cents a gallon; could go slightly up. The average national price of a regular gallon of gasoline has jumped 13 cents in the past two weeks to $2.58. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that higher crude oil prices caused the run-up at the pump. However, the price is $1.11 below the mark a year ago. Los Angeles has the highest-priced gas in the Lower 48 states at $3.30 a gallon. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/04/26/us/ap-us-gas-prices.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/26/4496694/us-gas-prices-jump-13-cents-a.html#storylink=cpy http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/04/26/us-gas-prices-jump-13-cents-a-gallon-could-go-slightly-up http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/US-gas-prices-jump-13-cents-a-gallon-could-go-6225445.php http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/04/27/3606122_gas-jumps-another-8-cents-per.html?rh=1 http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20150425/refinery-issues-push-gasoline-prices-higher Propel Fuels relocates headquarters to Sacramento. Propel Inc., which says it is California’s largest retailer of low-carbon liquid fuels, is moving its headquarters from Redwood City to Sacramento. “The low carbon economy is being defined in Sacramento,” says Propel’s founder and CEO, Rob Elam, “There’s nowhere we’d rather be.” http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28225 U. Mich, Ford team studies effect of ethanol in reducing PM from DISI engines; insights into fueling strategies to reduce soot. A team from the University of Michigan and Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering group in Dearborn has studied the effects of ethanol on reducing particulate emissions from a direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engine by comparing neat anhydrous ethanol with a baseline fuel of reference grade gasoline (indolene). http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150426-etohdisi.html First integrated assessment of quality and yield of hydrocarbon blendstocks via biomass fast pyrolysis and hydrotreating. Researchers from three US national labs—Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—have performed the first, fully integrated assessment of the quality and yield of common feedstocks from the field to hydrocarbon blendstock production using the fast pyrolysis-hydrotreating pathway. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150427-pnnl.html VEHICLES New law aims to boost electric vehicle charging stations. A new state law is designed to help increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations in Maine. The bill was signed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage last week. It will go into effect 90 days after the Legislature finishes its session. Senate Democrats say there are only 30 electric vehicle charge stations across Maine at places like Thomas College and Mt. Abram Ski Mountain. http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/26/4495941/new-law-aims-to-boost-electric.html#storylink=cpy Heliocentris launches HyDrive Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Trainer. Germany-based Heliocentris has launched HyDrive – Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Trainer as part of its training systems product family. HyDrive—targeted at academic programs—provides students with a hands-on experiment set to examine the construction, functionality and benefits of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150427-heliocentris.html GREEN ENERGY AES says power storage business expanding into Europe, new U.S. markets. AES Corp unveiled plans on Monday to expand its energy storage business into Europe and in new U.S. markets as the power industry aims to boost the reliability of renewable energy. In total, AES has more than 1,000 MW of energy storage projects in development, according to AES Energy Storage President John Zahurancik. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/27/aes-storage-idUSL1N0XL2GH20150427 Look What’s Cooking in the World of Renewable Energy. Inside a sprawling single-story office building in Bedford, Mass., in a secret room known as the Growth Hall, the future of solar power is cooking at more than 2,500 °F. Behind closed doors and downturned blinds, custom-built ovens with ambitious names like “Fearless” and “Intrepid” are helping to perfect a new technique of making silicon wafers, the workhorse of today’s solar panels. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/the-world-of-renewable-energy-18919 Construction underway for America's first offshore wind farm. Construction is officially underway for the first offshore wind farm in U.S. waters. Offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind on Friday announced that its CEO, Jeffrey Grybowski, is meeting with Rhode Island leaders today in North Kingstown to celebrate early building activities on the Block Island Wind Farm, a planned 30-megawatt… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/27/stories/1060017475 Like shale gas, solar power shaking up global energy. One by one, Japan is turning off the lights at the giant oil-fired power plants that propelled it to the ranks of the world's top industrialised nations. With nuclear power in the doldrums after the Fukushima disaster, it's solar energy that is becoming the alternative. Solar power is set to become profitable in Japan as early as this quarter, according to the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation (JREF), freeing it from the need for government subsidies and making it the last of the G7 economies where the technology has become economically viable. http://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2015/04/26/like-shale-gas-solar-power-shaking-up-global-energy MISCELLANEOUS OPINIONS Desalination plants aren't a good solution for California drought. As surely as the hot, dry Santa Ana winds bring blue skies to the coast and wildfires to the hills, severe California droughts bring calls to build desalination plants up and down the seashore. All that ocean water, begging to be converted to fresh and pumped into our pipelines, would solve our water supply problems instantly and permanently, boosters say. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83383753/ Water market offers better approach to conservation. Gov. Jerry Brown’s April 1 order for a 25 percent reduction in urban water use follows unprecedented restrictions from the State Water Resources Control Board in March. Such top-down mandates would be unnecessary if California followed more innovative approaches already working in other places plagued by drought. The new rules in California limit watering lawns, serving water in restaurants... http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article19269969.html Another View: Why knock almonds? Alfalfa consumes twice the water. Ever since Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order asking Californians to cut their water use by 25 percent, restaurants won’t serve glasses of water unless requested. However, they will happily serve a hamburger, which is equivalent to 10,560 glasses of water. Add a couple slices of cheese to that burger, and that’s another 1,600 glasses. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article19413399.html#storylink=cpy Lift ban on crude oil exports. Here in Kern County, all of us benefit from the success of the oil and gas industry. Tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs generate more than $4 billion in employee wages, strengthen our economy and boost funding for our local schools and emergency services through added tax revenue. That's why we need our leaders in Washington to support our county's economic future and lift the ban on crude oil exports. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/letters/x1710332843/Lift-ban-on-crude-oil-exports?utm_source=widget_254&utm_medium=synapse Watering schedule does not fit everyone. The Bakersfield City Council has again flagrantly exposed its need to control the lives of the people of Bakersfield. Apparently, the council believes that none of us "people" have any desire or knowledge about water conservation. I'm referring to the three-days-per-week landscape watering ordinance that the council just passed. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/letters/x1635362408/Watering-schedule-does-not-fit-everyone MATT DRISCOLL: Searching for some hope on Earth Day. Kids have a way of putting my deep-rooted cynicism into the proper perspective. Specifically, my kids. When I look at them it's hard not to think about the future. Wednesday was Earth Day, as my oldest… http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/forum/x1920867889/Searching-for-some-hope-on-Earth-Day Fill Tulare Lake instead. With California in a four-year drought, instead of spending billions on raising dams, why not just use one of the largest lakes in the West, the once great Tulare Lake? Pay those farmers for the land and start filling it up. http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/25/4492010/fill-tulare-lake-instead.html#storylink=cpy It’s all ears when water commissioners speak. “Let’s keep the lid on and be respectful,” said state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, to an audience of nearly 400 at the California Water Commission’s public outreach meeting in Chico. Mr. Nielsen introduced the CWC to elected officials, farmers, city dwellers, environmentalists, and stakeholders who either sat or stood shoulder-to-shoulder. When members of the powerful commission speak, they have an audience. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28223 Automakers rev up innovation in the Bay Area. In the future, your car will anticipate your every need, from where you're heading to what you'd like to listen to along the way -- and, of course, drive itself. That's the vision automakers are test-driving in Silicon Valley, which has emerged as ground zero in the race to reimagine the automobile. Car companies ranging from General Motors to Mercedes have set up shop in the nation's hotbed of technology and innovation for a dose of inspiration… http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20150425/automakers-rev-up-innovation-in-the-bay-area BLOGS California's Imported Oil Problem. California is the most critical state in the country, with 38.2 million people and a GDP of $2.3 trillion, equal to Texas and Pennsylvania output combined. Depending on your perspective I guess, California has become famous/infamous for its progressive energy policies. California is our “clean energy” capital, with cap-and-trade, the most alternative fuel vehicles… http://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2015/04/26/californias-imported-oil-problem/ California Drought Impact More Complex: Ag Grains Nearing Crossroads. The CA drought has become more complex as statistics suggest placing blame on who uses water and how much is not cut and dried. The water used by agriculture has been shown to not be as great as 70% but more like 40% when considering water that passes through but not used. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrygulke/2015/04/27/ca-drought-impact-more-complex-ag-grains-nearing-crossroads/ As Coal Jobs Go Up In Flames, New Energy Positions Will Emerge From Ashes. Coal-related jobs are going up in flames, but new ones will emerge from the ashes. That’s the conclusion of a new economic study that examines the Obama administration’s energy policy and its potential impact on the broader economy. Appalachia’s coal counties are smoldering for a multitude of reasons… http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2015/04/26/as-coal-jobs-go-up-in-flames-new-energy-positions-will-emerge-from-ashes/ California’s drought isn’t doomsday, but yes, it will change the state. As California parches, people in the state have begun to ask tough questions. Will we be talking about rationing drinking water at some point? Will technology rescue us? Will farmers abandon the state’s great Central Valley? The simple answer to all these questions is: no. As California’s climate shifts, the impacts will be profound. http://grist.org/food/californias-drought-isnt-doomsday-but-yes-it-will-change-the-state/ Everglades Under Attack. THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES is one of the most unique natural resources in the world, with an abundance of wildlife found nowhere else. It also soaks up carbon dioxide from the air better than major rainforests around the world, researchers say. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/27/everglades-under-attack_n_7151188.html?utm_hp_ref=world Household Solar Is Becoming the New Normal - and That Makes Some Utilities Uncomfortable. A couple of weeks ago, my wife Sharon and I were out for a long neighborhood walk. This is not unusual for us, but on this particular day we took a route we hadn't walked in quite some time. I was pleased to notice that one of the traditional, colonial-style houses we encountered was sporting solar panels on its roof. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/f-kaid-benfield/household-solar-is-becomi_b_7143872.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green?view=print&comm_ref=false California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.