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ARB Newsclips for May 15, 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

Britain risks losing out in carbon debate if it exits EU. Should
Britain vote to leave the European Union it would be relegated to
the sidelines over important carbon market reforms vital to
safeguarding EU environmental targets over the next decade and
beyond. The Conservative Party's victory in general elections
this month means Britons will be asked to vote on whether to
leave the club of 28 EU nations possibly as early as next year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-eu-ets-britain-idUSKBN0O01D220150515?virtualBrandChannel=11563


WRI Report Outlines US Carbon Pricing Alternatives. This May, the
World Resources Institute, a global research organization
spanning over 50 countries, released Putting a Price on Carbon: A
Handbook for U.S. Policymakers, an important reference guide that
addresses decarbonization and its interaction with many other
policy priorities.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/15/wri-report-outlines-us-carbon-pricing-alternatives/


AIR POLLUTION

EPA: Waste incinerator released dangerous toxins into air. A
hazardous-waste incinerator in Ohio released dangerous toxins
into the air over the past four years, exposing those nearby to
chemicals that can cause cancer, miscarriages and early death,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_INCINERATOR_DANGEROUS_TOXINS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Booming Ulan Bator, the world's coldest capital, is choking on
smoke. Thirteenth century Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan worshiped
the sky as a god and declared it the source of power as his
hordes built the world's most expansive empire. In the last few
years, however, smog and ash have increasingly blotted out the
sky here in modern Mongolia's capital. Coal-fired power plants
and the exhaust from the growing number of motor vehicles …
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-mongolia-air-pollution-20150515-story.html


Doosan Infracore Company fined $647,500 for violating air
pollution regs. Another engine manufacturing company has run
afoul of California's stringent air pollution regulations and has
agreed to pay a significant fine as a result. South Korean based
Doosan Infracore Company Ltd. illegally made field modifications
to previously certified compressed natural gas (CNG) motor
vehicle engines in violation of California's Health & Safety
Code.
http://www.examiner.com/article/doosan-infracore-company-fined-647-500-for-violating-air-pollution-regs


Study: Most car-related air pollution comes from only 25% of
cars. A recent study found that 25 percent of cars produced 90
percent of local car pollution. When it comes to polluting the
environment, not all cars (or drivers) are created equal. A
recent study conducted by University of Toronto researchers found
that just 25 percent of cars they measured produced about 90
percent of the total traffic-related air pollution.
http://www.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2015/05/14/study-most-car-related-air-pollution-comes-from-only-cars/VKpC0ppQdBRTppWB40ghqO/story.html?camp=rss%3Acars&dlvrit=834420


China’s Drop In Coal Use This Year Has Reduced CO2 Emissions More
Than Some Countries’ Total Output. China is the world’s largest
greenhouse gas emitter, so small decreases in its emissions seem
like monumental feats when compared to other countries. According
to a new analysis, in the first four months of 2015, China’s coal
use fell almost 8 percent compared to the same period last year…
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3659355/china-coal-use-drops/


CLIMATE CHANGE

Canada proposes cutting emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Canada
says it will commit to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30
percent below 2005 levels by 2030 amid international efforts to
create a new framework for addressing climate change. Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government said Friday it
has now formally submitted its target to the United Nations
Framework Convention…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CN_CANADA_CLIMATE_TALKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-climate-change-canada-idUSKBN0O01RT20150515


India, China commit to work together on climate change. China and
India, the world's No. 1 and No. 3 greenhouse gas emitters,
projected a united front on climate change on Friday with a rare
joint statement that asked rich countries to step up efforts to
reduce global carbon emissions. The statement, issued by the two
largest developing nations during Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's visit to China…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-india-china-climate-idUSKBN0O00N420150515

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-15/india-china-to-submit-emission-pledge-well-before-december


Weak climate deal would jeopardise new development goals -
experts – TRFN. The world's chances of achieving new
international development goals will be slim without more
ambitious action to curb climate change, researchers said.
Pakistan, for example, is unlikely to be able to end poverty by
2030 if accelerating climate change brings worse weather
disasters, water scarcity and other problems…
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/climate-change-development-idINL5N0Y62YZ20150515

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article21092721.html#storylink=cpy


The really scary thing about wildfires is how they can worsen
climate change. The state of California, always bullish on trying
to cut back on its greenhouse gas emissions, received a bit of a
shock recently. It learned that the expanse of its
drought-parched forested lands, when they go up in flames — and
experts forecast a very bad fire season this year — may actually
be contributing to global warming.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/05/14/how-massive-wildfires-can-actually-warm-the-planet/


El Niño outlook improves. It was the big tease of 2014.
Scientists reported that El Niño conditions were shaping up in
the Pacific Ocean, potentially bringing winter rains that could
end California’s historic drought. But then it all fizzled. Now,
scientists say, El Niño is back — and perhaps more promising. On
Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
announced that the probability of El Niño conditions… 
http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20150514/el-nixf1o-outlook-improves


Effects Of Climate Change On Sierra Nevada Butterflies. In 1972,
UC Davis Professor of Evolution and Ecology Art Shapiro began
observing butterflies in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada. He
continued collecting data on butterflies every two weeks for the
next 40 years. And it wasn’t until a young ecologist named Matt
Forister started working his lab that this data could be sorted
out and analyzed.
http://www.capradio.org/news/insight/2015/05/15/insight-051515b/


How Rivers Bury Carbon at Sea.  Rivers transport 200 million tons
of carbon to the oceans every year, according to new research
that calculates the role of rivers in carbon storage. The study,
conducted by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, assessed samples from 43 river systems that put out
more than 20 percent of the world’s river sediments.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-rivers-bury-carbon-at-sea/


New Reactors May Be Needed for Climate Fight in U.S. Slow
advances in reactor designs, compared to far more rapid advances
in renewable energy and energy storage, mean that low-carbon
energy systems may end up competing head to head with nuclear.
Rising temperatures around the world are a compelling argument
for nuclear energy, industry advocates say.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-reactors-may-be-needed-for-climate-fight-in-u-s/


New Federal Flood Protection Standards Will Prepare Nation for
Climate Change. Three months ago the President signed an
executive order that updated flood protection standards that
federal agencies use when deciding where to build, how to build,
and what projects should receive federal funding. The executive
order established an improved margin of safety and called for
agencies to evaluate how sea level rise…
http://theenergycollective.com/nrdcswitchboard/2225171/new-federal-flood-protection-standards-will-prepare-nation-climate-change


The TPP Could Have Disastrous Results For The Climate,
Environmental Groups Warn. A wide-reaching trade agreement
between the United States and several Asian nations could have
catastrophic repercussions for climate change, including giving
corporations the power to sue governments that try to limit
polluting industries, environmental groups say. In order to avoid
dangerous climate change…
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/15/3658901/the-tpp-could-be-bad-for-the-climate/
 

Climate Change Contributes to Drop in Ozone Levels. Researchers
at the University of Houston have determined that climate change
- in the form of a stronger sea breeze, the result of warmer soil
temperatures - contributed to the drop in high-ozone days in the
Houston area. Robert Talbot, professor of atmospheric chemistry,
said that also should be true for coastal regions globally.
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=21878 

Researchers Find Clear Indications of Warming in the Upper
Troposphere. Researchers have published results in Environmental
Research Letters confirming strong warming in the upper
troposphere, known colloquially as the tropospheric hotspot. The
hot has been long expected as part of global warming theory and
appears in many global climate models.
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=21879 

World's 3rd-largest shipping registry may stop registering oil
rigs because of climate change.  Marshall Islands Foreign
Minister Tony de Brum said the island nation may stop registering
oil rigs in an effort to address climate change. The country is
considered one of the most vulnerable in the world to climate
change, and is already being affected by rising seas, food
shortages, droughts and flooding.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/15/stories/1060018593 

African country's growing season may decline 40% by 2050 because
of climate change. Corn is king in the southeastern African
country of Malawi, but climate change-driven changes in rainfall
could mean its status as a staple crop may not be sustainable.
According to a new climate simulation analysis, by the middle of
the century, Malawi's growing season is likely to be between 20
to 40 percent shorter than it is today.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/15/stories/1060018626 

DROUGHT

California environmentalists ask court to halt oil industry water
rules. California environmentalists on Thursday asked a Superior
Court judge to vacate new regulations governing the disposal of
water produced by oil drilling, saying they do not move quickly
enough to protect water supplies in the drought-ravaged state.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-oil-california-lawsuit-idUSKBN0O001920150515
 

Drought relief, at last? New signs point to strengthening El
Niño. Some experts have believed that the first signs of
California’s drought easing could emerge thousands of miles away
in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. That’s where the famously
fickle weather condition known as El Niño forms. Predicting one
can be difficult. But when the effects of a very strong El Niño
arrive in California, heavy — sometimes epic — rains often
follow.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-el-nino-20150515-htmlstory.html


California agency misses deadline on reporting oil-industry water
use. he state's oil and gas agency has missed the deadline for
reporting on the use of water by oil producers in California,
saying that the large volume of information required could not be
processed in time. The California Department of Conservation
failed to meet an April 30 deadline for making public a broad
range of information regarding the source…
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-oil-water-20150514-story.html


Proposed state budget allocates $2.2 billion for drought
response. As Californians prepare to confront the coming hot, dry
summer months, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed more than $2 billion in
additional drought funding Thursday as part of his revised state
budget. The surge in funding comes mostly from Proposition 1, a
$7.5-billion bond measure for water projects approved last year
by voters.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-me-pc-state-budget-drought-20150514-story.html


Bottled water companies under fire amid California’s drought.
Environmental groups have long taken aim at bottled water
companies for contributing to the glut of plastic bottles that
clog landfills, streams and waterways. Now, amid California’s
drought, they’re looking at the water itself. Groups such as Food
& Water Watch,
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article21049293.html#storylink=cpy


'The use is obscene' -- wealthy Calif. town slammed for topping
water-usage list.
Bermuda Dunes, an oasis town of about 6,000 located in the
Coachella Valley, has been named as the heaviest water-using
municipality in the drought-stricken state of California. The
identification of the town is being touted as the latest example
of "drought shaming…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/15/stories/1060018590 

Demand outstrips funding for Metropolitan lawn rebates (but you
can still apply). In one recent week, Southern Californians
applied for $48 million in rebates for lawns. “Cash for grass”
programs have been around in some form since at least a couple of
droughts ago, but the Metropolitan Water District calls this
level of interest in its current program “unprecedented.”
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/05/15/51717/demand-outstrips-funding-for-metropolitan-lawn-reb/


FUELS

Kayakers protest as Arctic drill rig moors off Seattle. As a
massive oil drill rig moved into Seattle, about two dozen
activists in kayaks paddled to the middle of Elliott Bay, linked
boats and unfurled a banner to make a stand against Royal Dutch
Shell's plan to open a new frontier of fossil fuel exploration in
the Arctic Ocean.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ARCTIC_OFFSHORE_DRILLING_RIGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


US industrial output falls for 5th month on lower drilling. A
plunge in energy-related drilling and sluggish manufacturing sent
U.S. industrial output down for a fifth straight month in April.
Overall industrial production slid 0.3 percent in April after a
drop of the same size in March, the Federal Reserve said Friday.
The figures suggest that weakness in manufacturing and mining is
weighing heavily on the economy.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_INDUSTRIAL_PRODUCTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


China Fires Away at Coal Power. Reforms to the electricity sector
spell bad news for coal-powered operators. China is planning the
biggest overhaul of its power industry in over a decade. And the
scope for upheaval is biggest at companies that depend on coal,
such as China Resources Power. In the past two months, China’s
top planning body has published multiple documents stressing that
market forces should decide how electricity is generated…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-fires-away-at-coal-power-1431592218?KEYWORDS=climate+change

Study maps hundreds of methane gas leaks under streets in L.A.
region.  An environmental group has identified nearly 250
locations where planet-warming methane is leaking from natural
gas lines under streets in the Greater Los Angeles region.
Environmental Defense Fund researchers outfitted a Google Street
View mapping car with real-time air monitoring equipment that can
detect elevated levels of methane, the main component of natural
gas.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-methane-gas-leaks-20150514-story.html?track=rss


VEHICLES

What Should Georgia Electric-Car Buyers Do By June 30? Georgia's
income-tax credit for the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle
will become history in about six weeks. That poses a problem for
the state's electric-car shoppers: Buy before June 30 to take
advantage of the expiring credit, or wait for improved
battery-electric cars expected to arrive within two years.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098325_what-should-georgia-electric-car-buyers-do-by-june-30


Used Toyota Hybrid Batteries Repurposed At Yellowstone National
Park. Even after they're no longer suitable for their original
purpose, the battery packs from hybrids and electric cars can
still be useful. Battery energy-storage capacity diminishes over
time, to the point where packs are no longer suitable for use in
cars. But after their automotive service lives are finished,
battery packs often still have enough usable capacity for other
applications.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098326_used-toyota-hybrid-batteries-repurposed-at-yellowstone-national-park


GREEN ENERGY

Conservative push for solar is backed by usual green advocates. 
When Debbie Dooley, a Tea Party firebrand from Woodstock Georgia,
makes the case for solar power, she doesn't rely on the usual
environmental talking points. She speaks of property rights,
national security and free market competition. Former Republican
Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr. casts his support for solar
energy as a conservative…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/solar-conservatives-insight-pix-graphics-idUSL1N0Y524S20150515

Bank of America issues $600m green bond. Proceeds will be used to
finance clean energy and efficiency projects as part of company's
$70bn environmental commitment. Bank of America has issued a
$600m green bond to fund renewable energy and energy efficiency
projects, adding further impetus to the rapidly expanding market.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2408636/bank-of-america-issues-usd600m-green-bond

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/15/stories/1060018624 


MISCELLANEOUS

Paramount Firm Pays $142,000 Penalty for Waste Violations.
Anaplex Corp. of Paramount has agreed to pay $142,000 to settle
allegations that the plating company had violated hazardous waste
rules, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced late
Thursday. The agency said the alleged violations go back five
years, when its inspectors found the Anaplex facility had failed
to treat wastewater…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20150515/cn-canada-climate-talks/


OPINIONS

California's Future Is in Australia. California's
worst-in-a-century drought is forcing the state to impose strict
limits on water use and to consider increasingly elaborate and
expensive proposals to move water from here to there. Those steps
may be necessary, but they should be accompanied by something
more rational and efficient. That mechanism, of course, is the
market. When it comes to California's water, however --
especially the 80 percent of it used in agriculture -- the market
is woefully inefficient. And making it work is no easy process.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-15/can-california-have-a-water-market-


Carbon Credits Over Growth. Another European scheme to keep
energy costs artificially high. Low fuel prices have been a
welcome bright spot for the European economy in recent months, so
leave it to Brussels to try to stop a good thing. European Union
leaders agreed last week on another way to make carbon emissions
more costly under the EU’s struggling emissions-trading system
(ETS).
http://www.wsj.com/articles/carbon-credits-over-growth-1431647814
 

The Honor of Being Mugged by Climate Censors. I believe in global
warming but also in responsible policies to address it. That can
get you in trouble. Opponents of free debate are celebrating.
Last week, under pressure from some climate-change activists, the
University of Western Australia canceled its contract to host a
planned research center, Australia Consensus, intended to apply
economic cost-benefit analysis to development project…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-honor-of-being-mugged-by-climate-censors-1431558936?KEYWORDS=global+warming


More and more thinkers on the right want to tax carbon. Will
politicians and activists follow? We’re in one of those moments
again. One of those moments where people (yes, mostly liberals)
get together and hope really hard that the climate issue is
becoming less divisive, that there’s going to be a breakthrough
on the Republican side, and that we’ll finally achieve consensus
to take action.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/05/15/more-and-more-thinkers-on-the-right-want-to-tax-carbon-will-politicians-and-activists-follow/


Apple's green initiative offers a smidgen of hope. It's easy to
be cynical about big companies' claims that they cherish the
environment. If that were so, why are industrial waste and
emissions among the biggest reasons our planet is so screwed up?
Every so often, though, there's reason for hope. Or at least a
smidgen of hope. Apple announced this week that it's working with
the World Wildlife Fund to protect 1 million acres of forest land
in China…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20150515-column.html


Op-ed: Greenhouse Effect, Global Warming, and Climate Change 101.
The terms greenhouse effect, global warming, and global climate
change seem to be used interchangeably. These terms are all
complex atmospheric phenomena and follow the rules defined in
physics and chemistry. All originate with the energy from the sun
and are caused by how each unique wave will behave differently in
various atmospheric conditions.
http://www.themorningsun.com/opinion/20150515/op-ed-greenhouse-effect-global-warming-and-climate-change-101


Editorial: New carbon tax plan is no better than previous one.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed carbon emissions tax is once again in
play, this time being pushed by Senate Democrats in the current
special session of the Legislature. Why? The Legislature has far
more pressing matters it must deal with — and the clock is
ticking. Approving a state budget before July 1, which is when
the fiscal years begins, is the top priority.
http://union-bulletin.com/news/2015/may/14/editorial-new-carbon-tax-plan-no-better-previous-o/


BLOGS

Beijing vs. Delhi: The Politics of Air Pollution. India or China,
whose capital city has the worse air quality? Of all the
comparisons between the two Asian rivals, perhaps the most
intriguing is also the hardest to draw. Faced with growing
concern about the toxicity of Delhi’s air and suggestions than it
was more polluted at times than smog-ridden Beijing, India’s
government came up with a solution: take more air quality
measurements.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/05/15/beijing-vs-delhi-the-politics-of-air-pollution/


Carbon Markets or Recessions: Which Cuts Greenhouse Gases More?
The global financial crisis is responsible for 80 percent of
Europe's GHG reductions. In 2005, the European Union launched the
world's largest carbon market. The European Trading Scheme (ETS)
aimed to reduce member states' carbon dioxide emissions by
putting a price on them. Under the United Nations' Kyoto
Protocol…
http://reason.com/archives/2015/05/15/carbon-markets-or-recessions-which-cuts




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