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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 20, 2015.
Posted: 21 Jul 2015 09:13:35
ARB Newsclips for July 20, 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 Gov. Brown orders Calif. crackdown on freight emissions. California by next summer must develop a plan to clean up the freight sector, including driving a transition to technologies with zero tailpipe emissions, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) mandated Friday. Brown in an executive order directed the state's Environmental Protection Agency, Air Resources Board… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/07/20/stories/1060022083 CLIMATE CHANGE Sinking Marshall Islands Pledge Carbon Cuts for Climate. The Marshall Islands, one of the nations most threatened by rising sea levels, became the first developing country to pledge absolute cuts in carbon emissions as part of a global fight against climate change. The Pacific atolls, mostly just 2 meters (6 feet) above sea level, aim to reduce emissions by almost a third from 2010 through 2025… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-20/sinking-marshall-islands-pledge-carbon-cuts-for-climate The world’s most famous climate scientist just outlined an alarming scenario for our planet’s future. James Hansen has often been out ahead of his scientific colleagues. With his 1988 congressional testimony, the then-NASA scientist is credited with putting the global warming issue on the map by saying that a warming trend had already begun. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/20/the-worlds-most-famous-climate-scientist-just-outlined-an-alarming-scenario-for-our-planets-future/ Eco-Friendly Pope to Encourage Likeminded Mayors at Vatican. One city banned Styrofoam. Another has the highest percentage of "clean" cars in Europe. Still another has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent since 1990 — while seeing its GDP grow 19 percent. Dozens of environmentally friendly mayors from around the world are meeting at the Vatican this week to bask in the star power of eco-Pope Francis… http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/20/world/europe/ap-eu-rel-vatican-climate.html http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/07/20/eco-friendly-pope-to-encourage-likeminded-mayors-at-vatican Passage of California climate change bill could set global example. When Gov. Jerry Brown visits the Vatican this week for an international conference, he'll be carrying a resolution from state lawmakers supporting Pope Francis' recent encyclical on climate change. He's hoping the Legislature will send an even stronger message later this year by passing new environmental rules aimed at helping California slash greenhouse-gas... http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-brown-vatican-20150719-story.html Sacramento’s new Mexican consul to help drought-stricken farmworkers. With California’s historic drought evaporating the livelihood of thousands of Mexican migrants, Mexico will start offering them emergency rent assistance, clothing, food and even a plane ticket back home, said the region’s new consul general in her first major media interview. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article27894682.html#storylink=cpy Gov. Jerry Brown went off to the Vatican for high-profile talks this week on climate change. His host, Pope Francis, is an ambassador on the issue, too. But as much as their visit will highlight shared concerns about the environment, the politician and the pontiff come at climate change from very different points of view. Like many Democrats, Brown argues that governments can enact greenhouse gas reduction… http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article27870769.html#storylink=cpy Jerry Brown appeals to ‘moral dimension’ on climate change. Gov. Jerry Brown, in Rome for climate talks this week, said Monday that the world must turn to the “moral dimension” to counteract a “virulent strain of climate change denial” from Republicans and business interests. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article27925837.html#storylink=cpy Could Canada be the standard for tackling climate change? (VIDEO). As climate change raises temperatures around the world, Canada has steadily been lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Should others follow their lead? http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/world/2015/07/19/30372151/ This California agency is fighting climate change and curbing pollution. On the outskirts of Los Angeles, inside a nondescript laboratory building, a man in a yellow T-shirt and helmet sits on a stationary motorcycle, looking intently ahead. The bike’s back wheel is spinning, and a long orange tube connects to its exhaust pipe. http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150719/this-california-agency-is-fighting-climate-change-and-curbing-pollution http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/environment-and-nature/20150719/this-california-agency-is-fighting-climate-change-and-curbing-pollution Climate Change: California's In Front And Not Looking Back. On a recent Saturday in Stockton, Mary Serrano got behind the wheel of a bright-red, all-electric Chevy Spark. "I feel like I’m going to outer space," says a giddy Serrano, followed by a short fit of laughter. It was her first time test-driving a zero-emissions vehicle, an opportunity presented to her at a Tune In & Tune Up event at the county fairgrounds. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/07/20/climate-change-californias-in-front-and-not-looking-back/ Inslee, the ‘greenest’ governor — not so much. Gov. Jay Inslee has long advocated reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. But the state Legislature adjourned this month without taking the kind of major climate action desired by Inslee and his environmentalist allies. Even before Gov. Jay Inslee took office two-and-a-half years ago, some environmentalists were trumpeting him as “the greenest governor” in the country. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/inslee-the-greenest-governor-not-so-much/ Hermosa Beach tackles climate change with a plan to go ‘carbon neutral’. Hermosa Beach is instituting a holistic approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that will change the way the small beach town frames its major planning decisions. While other agencies in the region have come up with a disparate mix of projects, from energy-efficient appliance trade-ins to new bicycle paths… http://www.dailybreeze.com/government-and-politics/20150719/hermosa-beach-tackles-climate-change-with-a-plan-to-go-carbon-neutral California is a global leader in combating climate change, but it hasn’t been enough. Nearly a decade ago, California policymakers, facing a frightening future of shriveling snowpacks and rising seas, created the nation’s most aggressive program to combat global warming. The 2006 law mandated broad reductions of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/general-news/20150719/california-is-a-global-leader-in-combating-climate-change-but-it-hasnt-been-enough http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/07/17/rough-road-ahead-california-climate/30333297/ Progress, costs and hard-to-reach goals in the climate change fight. A kaleidoscope of programs has arisen to accelerate California’s shift to a clean economy as required under Assembly Bill 32. The broadest and perhaps most controversial of these is a cap-and-trade policy, which subjects the state’s most-polluting companies to a cap on their greenhouse gas emissions and allows them to trade credits to pollute. http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150719/progress-costs-and-hard-to-reach-goals-in-the-climate-change-fight City making strides to reduce emissions: Foster City officials finalizing Climate Action Plan. Solar panels and waste diversion as well as city and residential energy audits are part of a large swath of programs being explored by Foster City officials to help meet state mandates to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The Bayfront community is finalizing its Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions… http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2015-07-20/city-making-strides-to-reduce-emissions-foster-city-officials-finalizing-climate-action-plan/1776425146996.html Climate Change and Oil Companies: Who Knew What and When? A recent article in the Guardian, which was also carried through a number of other media outlets, implied some prior knowledge within the oil and gas industry of climate change and the impact of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use long before others had recognized its impact. http://www.theenergycollective.com/davidhone/2250477/who-knew-what-and-when Ministers, nations set the stage for the final act of a new climate pact. The Republic of the Marshall Islands, a string of low-lying atolls in the Pacific Ocean whose share of global greenhouse gas emissions is so low it barely registers on data charts, vowed yesterday to slash a third of its carbon pollution within the decade. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060022060 DROUGHT California drought makes quest for water a consuming grind. Their two peach trees had turned brittle in the heat, their neighborhood pond had vanished into cracked dirt and now their stainless-steel faucet was spitting out hot air. “That’s it. We’re dry,” Miguel Gamboa said during the second week of July, and so he went off to look for water. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/california-drought-makes-quest-for-water-a-consuming-grind/2015/07/19/de165c1c-2c93-11e5-a250-42bd812efc09_story.html Drought-stricken California is burning, flooding at the same time. Amid California’s historic drought, an even rarer weekend downpour that calmed wildfires also washed away a 30-foot bridge that carries commuters to Arizona. An elevated area on Interstate 10 collapsed early Sunday evening near Southeastern California’s Desert Center, leaving a pickup truck trapped underneath. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/20/california-is-now-flooding-burning-and-having-a-drought-at-the-same-time/ Drought-Stricken California Farmers Look To Tap Urban Wastewater. Many California farmers are in a tight spot this summer, because their normal water supplies have dried up with the state's extreme drought. In the state's Central Valley, that's driving some farmers to get creative: They're looking at buying water from cities – not freshwater, but water that's already gone down the drain. http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=424571389 Finding a way to truck water when drought hits Butte County wells. It’s hard to know how many people are scrambling to get water this summer. The county would love if people would fill out a report online if there are problems with private wells. However, most people do not. Instead, people tend to fix the problem and keep the problem to themselves. http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150719/finding-a-way-to-truck-water-when-drought-hits-butte-county-wells DIESEL ACTIVITIES Analysts forecast Navistar's future. The impact of the potential lawsuit announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week against truck and engine maker Navistar over its use of “non-compliant” engines in its 2010-model trucks – engines that did not meet the agency’s exhaust emission standards – is really going to depend on just how big a fine EPA inflicts on the OEM. http://fleetowner.com/equipment/analysts-forecast-navistars-future Chinese-built zero-emissions electric bus prepares for service in London. Fully electric doubledecker bus with new compact battery to launch in autumn, as London prepares for ultra-low emission zone, reports China Daily. For years, London’s red doubledecker buses have dominated the capital, where nearly 1,000 routes are operated by 8,700 buses, many of them doubledeckers. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/18/chinese-built-zero-emissions-electric-bus-prepares-for-service-in-london FUELS Judge declines to halt oil wastewater injections. A California judge last week denied environmentalists' bid to vacate state rules governing pumping of oil wastewater into drinkable water sources. An Alameda County Superior Court judge Friday upheld the Department of Conservation's handling of decades of illegal dumping of wastewater from oil drilling operations, at least for the near term. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060022061/search?keyword=california Watchdog: EPA should do more on fracking chemicals. The EPA’s internal watchdog recommended Thursday that it improve oversight of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Specifically, the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said the agency needs to crack down on the unlicensed use of diesel fuel in fracking and figure out whether to mandate public disclosure of fracking chemicals. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/248224-watchdog-epa-should-do-more-on-fracking-chemicals VEHICLES Do BMW, Mercedes, Volvo Plug-In Hybrid SUVs Compete With Tesla Model X? We've known they were coming more for than a year, and now they're within weeks or months of landing in dealerships. In this case, "they" are the first plug-in hybrid SUV models from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and other luxury makers. Large, luxurious, plug-in ... almost sounds like a description of the Tesla Model X, doesn't it? http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099195_do-bmw-mercedes-volvo-plug-in-hybrid-suvs-compete-with-tesla-model-x GREEN ENERGY UPDATE 2-SunEdison buys Vivint for $2.2 bln to expand residential business. SunEdison Inc. agreed to buy Vivint Solar Inc, the second-biggest U.S. solar panel installer, in a deal valued at about $2.2 billion, speeding up its expansion in the booming residential solar market. Demand for Vivint's residential solar systems has soared as the company that went public last October… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/20/vivint-solar-ma-sunedisn-idUSL3N1003EQ20150720?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews REFILE-Australia's war on wind farms threatens biggest renewable project. That stance puts him at odds with countries such as the United States and China, as they overhaul their power industries to meet ambitious environmental targets. After cutting the country's Renewable Energy Target by a fifth a month ago, Abbott took the green power industry by surprise by ordering the government's A$10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to stop investing in wind farms, the country's No. 2 clean energy source behind hydropower. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL4N0ZX1DC20150720?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 Siting wind farms more quickly, cheaply. When a power company wants to build a new wind farm, it generally hires a consultant to make wind speed measurements at the proposed site for eight to 12 months. Those measurements are correlated with historical data and used to assess the site’s power-generation capacity. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/latest-news/4331-siting-wind-farms-more-quickly-cheaply.html MISCELLANEOUS State vehicle emissions lab is inching toward moving facility. Nearly a decade after they began planning to move their vehicle emissions laboratory out of El Monte, state officials say they expect to identify a new site within the year. The California Air Resources Board received $5.9 million this fiscal year to flesh out a new location, which could be in Riverside, at UC Irvine, Cal Poly Pomona or another university facility. http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150719/state-vehicle-emissions-lab-is-inching-toward-moving-facility OPINIONS Pope Francis and Brown part ways on cap and trade. The pope and California's governor don't agree on everything about climate change. Global warming's threat to the planet? Yes. Selling permits to pollute? Hardly. Peddling pollution permits has a euphemism. It's politely called cap and trade. And it raises a ton of money for state government, including Gov. Jerry Brown's struggling bullet train. http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-cap-environment-20150720-column.html One reason to stop watering the lawn. New rules dramatically limiting grass around new homes. No fines for homeowners who let lawns go brown. A proposal to lift Sacramento’s ban on synthetic turf in front yards. It has taken years, but California is wrapping its mind around drought as a potentially permanent companion. Changing laws are forcing our hand in large and small ways. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article27733945.html#storylink=cpy Tipping point for electric vehicles nearing in California: Guest commentary. Energy efficiency will be the principal strategy to achieve California’s goals of 50 percent reduction in oil use and 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. For vehicles, that means more efficient engines and transmissions and greater use of lightweight materials, including aluminum and carbon fiber. http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20150717/tipping-point-for-electric-vehicles-nearing-in-california-guest-commentary Column: Insuring Against Climate Catastrophe. Go Set a Watchman isn’t the only book this year that brings new perspective to an old story line. Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet should shift our narrative on climate change. The old story line: People need to worry about climate change because doubling the atmosphere’s concentration of carbon dioxide relative… http://www.vnews.com/home/17804992-95/column-insuring-against-climate-catastrophe The oceans are warming faster than climate models predicted. A new study finds that climate models are doing well, but slightly under-predicting ocean warming. As I have said many times on this blog, if you want to know how much “global warming” is happening, you really have to be able to measure “ocean warming”. That is because more than 90% of the excess energy coming to the Earth from greenhouse gases goes into the ocean waters. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/jul/20/oceans-warming-faster-than-climate-models-predicted BLOGS Wondering where cap-and-trade dollars go? Website maps out projects. A nonprofit that promotes alternative transportation and urban density has created a website that maps out projects funded through California’s cap-and-trade program. The tool marks the state’s first easy-to-read geographic mapping of cap-and-trade grants, which are now being disbursed through a handful of state agencies. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/blog/morning-roundup/2015/07/wondering-where-cap-and-trade-dollars-go-website.html Four things to look for in EPA’s new voluntary methane reduction proposal. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soon expected to propose its new “enhanced” Natural Gas STAR program, providing guidelines for oil and gas companies that want to voluntarily work to reduce their methane emissions. http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2015/07/20/four-things-to-look-for-in-epas-new-voluntary-methane-reduction-proposal/ EU-China Relations: Invoking A Low-Carbon Future From Past Cooperation. Closer European-Chinese ties can emulate the past success of the ancient Silk Road, this time for the exchange of low-carbon goods, ideas, policies and technologies, to inspire global civilisation towards more resilient development with regards to both the climate and the economy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wang-tao/eu-china-relations-invoking-a-low-carbon-future_b_7819774.html Turn Up the Heat on Climate Change. Well there you go again you wacky scientists spinning their wild tales of impending disaster and doom all to advance their ultra-liberal social agenda which includes abolition of capitalism as we know it, forcing people to actually interact with one another by living close to one another, and instituting mass transportation regimes which once again force people to interact with one another… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lance-simmens/turn-up-the-heat-on-clima_b_7828020.html Global Warming Will Destroy The Earth In The End. We like to think of our planet as perfect for life, having met all the conditions we know of for life to exist, flourish and thrive for billions of years. After all, here on Earth, with our not-too-thick and not-too-thin atmosphere, we’ve got liquid water on our surface, made possible by the pressure and temperature combinations at sea level. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ethansiegel/2015/07/19/global-warming-will-destroy-the-earth-in-the-end/ Toyota On Mirai Vs. Tesla: Battery Electric Vehicles Have 'Fundamental' Physics Problem. A Toyota executive explains why he believes the Mirai and hydrogen fuel cells will power the alternative fuel vehicle future — and not battery electrics like Tesla. Toyota will begin taking “requests” for its hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle Mirai on Monday. The initial goal is 3,000 units by the end of 2017. http://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2015/07/20/toyota-on-mirai-vs-tesla-battery-electric-vehicles-have-fundamental-physics-problem/ Polar bears are starving because of global warming. Two new scientific studies have found that Polar Bears are in danger of starving to death as Arctic sea ice retreats further and further north each year because of global warming. Polar Bears (ursus maritimus) live largely within the Arctic Circle, and they use the sea ice as a hunting ground for catching seals. http://www.examiner.com/article/polar-bears-are-starving-because-of-global-warming California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.