What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for July 13, 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

China's Guangdong to allocate 408 million carbon permits this
year. China's biggest carbon market in Guangdong province will
allocate 408 million carbon permits to firms to help them comply
with emission targets set for the trading year ending in June
2016, the same amount as the previous year. A total of 186
companies will be granted 370 million carbon permits, which
currently trade at a price of 15.52 yuan…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/us-china-carbon-guangdong-idUSKCN0PN14O20150713?virtualBrandChannel=14230


OMB discusses social cost of carbon at $36/ton. On July 2, the
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a
blog post outlining changes to its calculation of the Social Cost
of Carbon (SCC), which stands at $36/ton for 2015. 
Some Republicans in Congress, such as Sen. David Vitter (R-La.),
have raised questions about how the administration has been
calculating the social cost of carbon, which previously was
$22/ton.
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/07/omb-discusses-social-cost-of-carbon-at-36-ton.html
 

AIR POLLUTION

Haze from Canadian wildfires spreads across many US states. Large
wildfires raging across Canada have contributed to a smoky haze
lingering above the Western U.S., blazes fueled by the familiar
hot, dry conditions that have turned much of the region into a
tinderbox. The smoke has caused spectacular red sunsets in places
including Seattle and prompted air quality warnings in many
states.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CANADA_WILDFIRES_HAZE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


China says 75 pct of cities failed to meet air standards in June.
Nearly 75 percent of China's big cities failed to meet air
quality standards in June, the environment ministry said on
Monday, an improvement over the same month last year, as the
country continues to wage "war on pollution." Nineteen cities met
air quality standards every day…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/china-pollution-idUSL4N0ZT2QH20150713


CLIMATE CHANGE

Wary of climate change, Vanuatu villagers seek higher ground.
Many people living in this coastal village in Vanuatu believe the
March cyclone that sent waves surging through their homes was the
latest and most dramatic sign of climate change. They are now
considering rebuilding their entire community on higher ground.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_VANUATU_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


India Calls for End to Extravagance as It Works on Climate Plan.
India’s Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar called on richer
nations to change their lifestyles in an effort to halt global
warming, noting his own country is working on a robust series of
initiatives for curbing pollution. “Extravagant consumption will
not sustain the Earth forever and therefore all will have to
change…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-13/india-calls-for-end-to-extravagance-as-it-works-on-climate-plan


London's Heathrow airport warns of delays due to protest on
runway. London's Heathrow Airport said flights would be delayed
on Monday after a group of activists gained access to its
northern runway to stage a protest against the possible expansion
of Britain's biggest airport. Heathrow was selected as the site
for a new runway in south east England earlier this month,
causing disappointment for some local residents and climate
change groups who oppose airport expansion.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/britain-airport-delays-idUSL5N0ZT0JN20150713

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/13/us/ap-eu-travel-brief-britain-airport-protest.html?_r=0

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article27107830.html 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/07/13/heathrow-protesters-breach-perimeter-cause-flight-back-ups/30078971/


Emerging El Nino weather event is California’s biggest since
1997. As Pacific Ocean temperatures continue to warm and trade
winds shift, federal scientists now say that the El Niño weather
event that’s emerging could be one of the strongest on record.
And that could mean significantly increased chances that storms
will drench drought-ravaged California this winter…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-strong-el-nino-may-be-coming-that-could-mean-lots-of-rain-for-california/2015/07/13/00d1bf7c-264e-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.html

Obama officials: Power plant rule part of a ‘moral obligation’.
World leaders have a “moral obligation” to fight climate change,
and top Obama aides are making good on that obligation with its
climate rule for power plants, two administration officials write
in a new blog post. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head
Gina McCarthy and Ambassador to the Vatican Ken Hackett wrote
Monday that the EPA’s carbon rule fits…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/247701-obama-officials-climate-rule-part-of-a-moral-obligation


Ocean 'weather balloons' detect cause of global warming pause.
Sea temperature data, some collected by a fleet of drifting and
diving probes, shows that a decade-long slowdown in global
surface warming masked a coincident rise in ocean temperature
below 300 feet, according to NASA JPL researchers.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-global-warming-hiatus-20150710-story.html


Agency may get power to force oil cuts. New global-warming bill
could drive up costs of driving and manufacturing. During his
keynote address at a climate summit in Toronto on Wednesday, Gov.
Jerry Brown described as “troglodytes” — i.e., willfully ignorant
people — those Americans who deny the effects of global warming.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/10/agency-power-oil-cuts-efficiency-standards-brown/


How much do we really know about El Nino? Long-range forecasters
are growing increasingly confident that a strong El Niño weather
pattern will at least put a dent in California’s four-year
drought. But as the potential rainmaker evolves, it’s telling to
look back on how scientists’ understanding of the periodic
phenomenon has evolved.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/12/el-nino-california-drought-forecasters-rain/


Tom Steyer’s intensifying war on Big Oil takes center stage in
California.  As Gov. Jerry Brown used his inaugural address in
January to call for broad changes to fight climate change,
billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer nodded approvingly from
the Assembly gallery.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article27059809.html#storylink=cpy


Treat climate change as seriously as national security: report.
Governments should treat climate change as seriously as threats
to national security or public health, partly by focusing more on
the worst scenarios of rising temperatures, an international
report said on Monday. Crop failures, extreme heat waves or high
rates of sea level rise could be so harmful that governments
should examine …
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-treat-climate-change-as-seriously-as-national-security-report-2015-7#ixzz3fnLhKbIE


Why is the West Antarctic ice sheet melting? It may not be just
global warming. Scientists found a way to measure the heat of the
land under the ice sheet and discovered it was higher than
estimated, suggesting climate change may not be the sole culprit
melting the ice.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0713/Why-is-the-West-Antarctic-ice-sheet-melting-It-may-not-be-just-global-warming


Climate Change Threatens Australia’s Ecosystems. Climate change
is compounding existing threats to Australia’s forests, wetlands
and deserts, with several key landscapes now at risk of total
collapse, a landmark series of new studies have found. An
assessment of 13 ecosystems across Australia, ranging from the
wet tropics of far north Queensland to rare shrubland in Western
Australia, found what researchers call a “worrying” climate
change impact…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-threatens-australias-ecosystems-19207


Canada must take a piecemeal approach in the fight against global
warming. Nicolas Chapuis has only been the French ambassador in
Ottawa for a few months, but he has already learned this
country’s most important secret: Canada works best when the
provinces take the lead. In an interview with the Globe and Mail,
Mr. Chapuis praised Canada’s commitment to fighting global
warming…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-must-take-a-piecemeal-approach-in-the-fight-against-global-warming/article25477594/

Just Slight Global Warming has Led to Significant Rise in Global
Sea Levels. A new review analyzing three decades of research on
the historic effects of melting polar ice sheets found that
global sea levels have risen at least six meters, or about 20
feet, above present levels on multiple occasions over the past
three million years. What is most concerning, scientists say, is
that amount of melting was caused by an increase of…
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=22152 

DROUGHT

Judge in drought-hit California blocks water cut orders for some
farmers. California regulators violated the rights of some
farmers by demanding mandatory water cutbacks without giving them
a prior hearing, a state judge ruled on Friday. California is in
the fourth year of a catastrophic drought that has cost its farm
sector billions, and prompted the state's first-ever mandatory
cutbacks in urban water use.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/usa-california-water-idUSL2N0ZT0G620150713

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/us/court-limits-californias-power-to-punish-farmers-in-drought.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article26994334.html


UPDATE 1-Thailand approves $1.8 bln in loans for farmers hit by
drought. Thailand has approved loans of up to 60 billion baht
($1.77 billion) to support farmers affected by drought, the
finance minister said on Monday. The wet season is under way, but
Thailand is contending with drought conditions in seven out of 67
provinces…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/thailand-economy-drought-idUSL4N0ZT3I620150713

Beach showers shut off as California struggles with drought.
Starting next week, California parks will no longer offer showers
for people to wash sand and salt from their bodies at the beach,
part of a broader plan to conserve water as the state's
years-long drought drags on.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/11/usa-california-drought-idUSL1N0ZQ2HB20150711


The West is so dry even a rain forest is on fire. In a normal
year, Washington state’s Olympic National Park is arguably the
wettest place in the continental U.S. An annual 150 inches of
rain inundate the park’s western slopes, soaking the soil and
slicking the branches of the lush temperate rain forest that
grows there.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/13/the-west-is-so-dry-even-a-rainforest-is-on-fire/

West Nile virus spreads: Is California drought to blame? Laura
Jaramillo woke up one morning in the summer of 2005 and sensed
something was horribly wrong. After going to the hospital, she
fell into a coma and spent six weeks fighting for her life --
waking up to find her right side paralyzed. Doctors were baffled
until they discovered the culprit -- the West Nile virus.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28473947/west-nile-virus-spreads-is-california-drought-blame


California's Driest Region Finds Short-Term Drought Aid. Rural
Tulare County, Calif., is now being called the epicenter of this
drought. That's because at least 1,300 residential wells have run
dry, affecting at least 7,000 people. When your taps start
spitting out air here, Paul Boyer and his team are who you call.
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/10/421738613/california-s-driest-region-finds-short-term-drought-aid

Could agave hold the secret to more drought-resistant farming?
Agave may be most associated with tequila, but this plant has a
less familiar use -- it's teaching scientists about how to craft
more drought-resistant plants. The hardy succulent, along with
species like prickly pear (an edible cactus), pineapple and
vanilla orchids, has evolved over millions of years to perform a
different kind of photosynthesis that allows…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/13/stories/1060021658 

FUELS

Natural gas surpasses coal as biggest US electricity source.
Natural gas overtook coal as the top source of U.S. electric
power generation for the first time ever earlier this year, a
milestone that has been in the making for years as the price of
gas slides and new regulations make coal more risky for power
generators. About 31 percent of electric power generation in
April came from natural gas, and 30 percent from coal…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NATURAL_GAS_TOPS_COAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Oil Production Shows Signs of Flagging.  As U.S. and OPEC pump
out crude, other producers cut back. The U.S. and the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have flooded
the world with crude oil, sending prices tumbling. But the
abundance has overshadowed declining production in areas—from
Colombia to Norway to northern China—that experts consider vital
to long-term supply growth.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-production-shows-signs-of-flagging-1436779801


Start-up turns methane from manure into eco-friendly plastic.
What if you could pluck pollution out of the air — like the
methane gas emitted from cow manure — and create plastics?.
Scientists have long known it was possible to use
climate-changing methane, rather than oil or natural gas, to make
water bottles, Tupperware and other plastics.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0712-newlight-20150712-story.html#page=1


Here's why L.A. gas prices spiked 40 cents in four days.  Los
Angeles-area drivers saw a 40-cent increase in gas prices from
Friday to Monday, but relief is coming. Wholesale prices have
eased up a bit, meaning retail prices at the pump will also start
to drop. By Wednesday, the huge increases seen over the weekend
will likely taper off, but they won't fall as quickly as they
rose."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gas-prices-20150713-story.html


California gas prices spike amid national downward trend. While
gas prices nationwide are on a downward trend, California is
experiencing a spike that could see prices top $4 a gallon before
easing again, according to analysts. A shortage in oil and other
components used in refining California’s unique blend of
less-polluting gas was one of the reasons for the price jump,
industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/california-gas-prices-spike-amid-national-downward-trend/


VEHICLES

Electric vehicles finding favor, power [The New Hampshire Union
Leader, Manchester]. At the base of the Mount Washington Auto
Road, there are charging stations where you can fortify your
electric car for the trip up the mountain. You can also hike from
the Appalachian Mountain Club centers in Pinkham Notch and
Crawford Notch, or have a meal or drink at the Dancing Bear Pub
in Glen or Common Man Inn in Plymouth, all while your electric
vehicle charges.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201507120419KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_14299_12714-1


Voucher program helps you trade in your gas guzzler for an
electric car. There’s a new kind of customer walking onto
Southern California car dealership lots. Low- and moderate-income
shoppers from disadvantaged communities are scrapping their
older, higher-polluting cars and buying fuel-efficient gasoline,
hybrid and electric plug-in models.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/environment-and-nature/20150712/voucher-program-helps-you-trade-in-your-gas-guzzler-for-an-electric-car


California wants more electric cars in poorer neighborhoods.
Cash-back program for low-income buyers looking for cleaner cars.
California is helping a few of its low- and middle-income
residents swap out their gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient
cars and electric vehicles as part of a state effort to clean up
the atmosphere. 
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/california-wants-more-electric-cars-in-poorer-neighborhoods-2015-07-10


The Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle sets driving
range record. For folks looking for the next big thing, look
toward the ToyotaMirai, a vehicle that Toyota folks say has
“officially proven itself as the future of mobility.” During the
recent Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado, Toyota North
America CEO Jim Lentz announced that Mirai offers an
EPA-estimated 67 miles per gallon…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/12/rita-cook-car-review-toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-ce/#ixzz3fnQa48Yi
 

What kind of car is the most green, fuel efficient and budget
friendly?  A decade ago, drivers who wanted to go green had
little choice beyond Toyota's Prius hybrid. Today the selection
of efficient, lower-pollution cars includes a bewildering array
of technologies and models — hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery
electrics, diesels and hydrogen fuel cells. Conventional gasoline
cars, meanwhile, have made great strides in going farther on less
fuel.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-green-car-emissions-20150713-story.html#page=1


BlueIndy's charging stations zap business, some say. The curbside
charging stations for electric cars being installed across the
city are seen by Mayor Greg Ballard as key to an environmentally
friendly future — electronic charging stations where, for a
couple of bucks, drivers can juice up their Teslas and Volts
overnight. But some small business owners, living in the here and
now, say the stations…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/07/12/blueindy-charging-stations-business/30060533/


GREEN ENERGY

Australia PM under fire for ordering fund to stop wind, solar
investments. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has come under
fire from the opposition and investors after ordering the
government's A$10 billion ($7.45 billion) Clean Energy Finance
Corporation (CEFC) to stop investing in wind and solar power.
Abbott, who has described wind farms as "visually awful" and made
no secret of his desire to axe the…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/13/australia-climatechange-renewables-idUSL4N0ZT22420150713


World's first solar-wireless mobile charging station could bring
1.3 billion people power. Did you know that just last year 1.3
billion people worldwide still lived without access to
electricity? At MagSOL Labs, they have made it their mission to
bring light and hope to places that have none. Our new ESL
(*Easel*) is the world's first solar power and wireless (Qi)
mobile charging station.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201507131023M2______EUPR_____3204000003109322_3600-1


Nuclear Plant Closing Reflects Overhaul of German Energy
Production. In one of this country’s most popular novels for
young readers, the nuclear reactor on the edge of this Bavarian
town melts down, spewing a radioactive cloud that threatens all
of Germany and robs a 14-year-old girl of her family and her hope
for the future. Last month, that nuclear power plant in
Grafenrheinfeld, responsible for meeting the energy needs of
industry-heavy Bavaria since 1981, came to a less dramatic but
equally symbolic end.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/world/europe/nuclear-plant-closing-reflects-overhaul-of-german-energy-production.html?_r=0


MISCELLANEOUS

California to study health effects of ‘crumb rubber’ in
artificial turf. California officials have authorized spending
$2.9 million to study the health effects of using recycled tire
pieces on artificial turf fields, hoping to put to rest a
simmering debate over their safety. But even as the health
effects are studied, the state will dole out millions of dollars
in subsidies to schools and cities…
http://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/California-to-study-health-effects-of-crumb-6380727.php


OPINIONS

Wind Power Blows Hot, and Sometimes Cold. Renewable-energy
targets should be one of the few straightforward and nonpartisan
issues of the day. Regarding Rupert Darwall’s “Obama’s
Renewable-Energy Fantasy” (op-ed, July 6): Renewable-energy
targets should be one of the few straightforward and nonpartisan
issues of the day.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/wind-power-blows-hot-and-sometimes-cold-1436733378


Realistic Climate Goals, More Jobs and Lower Taxes. Mayor
Bloomberg is correct, focusing on a specific part of the climate
problem. Regarding former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s
“Realistic Goals for the Paris Climate Conference” (op-ed, June
29): The Paris process is reaching out to embrace other efforts
to address climate change. This includes efforts to reduce
conventional air pollution—black carbon soot and urban smog…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/realistic-climate-goals-more-jobs-and-lower-taxes-1436394136


States Are Unplugging Their Renewable-Energy Mandates. North
Carolina and Kansas are the latest to suffer sticker shock from
the price of politicians’ green dreams. When it comes to state
energy policies, the wind is finally blowing in the right
direction. Take our home states of Kansas and North Carolina,
both of which have begun to look at their renewable-energy
mandates with new skepticism.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/states-are-unplugging-their-renewable-energy-mandates-1436568792


BLOGS

Climate-Smart Federal Facilities Reduce our Fiscal Exposure to
the Effects of Climate Change. For the first time, the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) is requiring federal agencies to
consider the effects of climate change on the construction and
maintenance of federal facilities. The new requirement is
described in Circular A-11 for FY 2017, which is essentially a
playbook for budgeting that is released each year.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jscata/climate-smart_federal_faciliti.html

Zero Carbon or Bust. On July 10 in Paris a gathering of nearly
2,000 scientists and academics reaffirmed what most climate
scientists have been saying for decades: The cost of making cuts
in greenhouse gas pollution rises with every day of delay and
zero emissions must be the goal for this century.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/zero-carbon-or-bust/ 

China's 'war on pollution' is going poorly. Nearly 75 percent of
China's big cities failed to meet air quality standards in June,
the environment ministry said on Monday, an improvement over the
same month last year, as the country continues to wage "war on
pollution."
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-says-75-percent-of-cities-failed-to-meet-air-standards-in-june-2015-7#ixzz3fms0W1ap


Pope Francis' Call for Climate Action. Last month, Pope Francis
released his second encyclical as pontiff, urging all people to
protect our natural resources and to take action on climate
change. He makes clear our moral obligation to prevent climate
impacts that threaten God's creation, especially for those most
vulnerable.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-mccarthy/pope-francis-call-for-cli_b_7761506.html


Tesla 'Most Popular' U.S. Electric Vehicle In Q1, While Norway
Leads Globally, Says HIS. Tesla Motors TSLA +0.92% leads the U.S.
electric vehicle market, while Norway is tops globally, according
to data released last week by a major market research firm. In a
widely-overlooked research note from IHS  (hat-tip to Motor
Trend), in the first quarter of 2015, Norway ranked first in the
market researcher’s Automotive Plug-in Electric Vehicle Index. 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2015/07/13/tesla-most-popular-u-s-electric-vehicle-in-q1-while-norway-leads-globally-says-ihs/


Why California Is A Natural Gas State. Loaded with mandates for
renewable energy and efficiency, California’s energy policies are
often cited as an example for other states. The EPA’s “Clean
Power Plan” mentions California a leading 22 times in this
128-page proposal, with the typical state getting no mentions at
all. First enacted in 2003, California has one of our highest
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) at 33% by 2020, and Governor
Brown wants to make this 50%.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2015/07/12/why-california-is-a-natural-gas-state/




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