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ARB Newsclips for July 23, 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

France Passes New Energy Law Quadruples Carbon Price. French
lawmakers adopted a long-delayed energy law that will reduce the
country’s reliance on nuclear reactors and raise carbon prices
almost fourfold. Lawmakers late Wednesday passed legislation that
included a last-minute amendment initially rejected by the
government to increase the target price of carbon to 56 euros
($61.48) a ton in 2020…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-23/france-passes-new-energy-law-quadruples-carbon-price


California's powerful and influential air pollution watchdog. On
the outskirts of Los Angeles, in a nondescript laboratory, 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. A fan roars,
mimicking wind.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-explainer-air-20150723-story.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Humans may be off the hook for mammoth extinctions, say
scientists.  Ever since humans uncovered the fossil records of
the mammoths, giant sloths and other extinct megafauna that
walked the Earth until about 11,000 years ago, scientists have
been trying to solve the mystery of why they vanished. Was it
human hunting and activity? Or did climate change bring about
their end?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/23/humans-may-be-off-the-hook-for-mammoth-extinctions-say-scientists/


James Hansen’s controversial sea level rise paper has now been
published online. It has been widely discussed — but not yet peer
reviewed. Now, though, you can at least read it for yourself and
see what you think. A lengthy, ambitious, and already contested
paper by longtime NASA climate scientist James Hansen and 16
colleagues appeared online …
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/23/controversial-sea-level-rise-paper-is-now-published-online/


Jerry Brown places hope for climate change action in church.
Jerry Brown walked away from the seminary as a young man because,
he would write decades later, “the vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience no longer made sense to me.” The rituals of the
novitiate, Brown said in 1988, “had become dry and remote in
comparison to the freedom and exhilaration I expected to find in
the world.” 
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article28348432.html


GOP Snubs Vatican Climate Summit. No Republican mayors accepted
an invitation to a two-day meeting on global warming, which
included remarks by the Pope. Not a single Republican mayor
attended a two-day climate change summit at the Vatican this
week. While dozens of U.S. mayors of both parties were allegedly
invited, only Democrats accepted, U.S. News has learned.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/07/22/gop-snubs-vatican-climate-summit


Global Warming Could Make Carbon Dating Impossible. The technique
is used to determine the age of organic artifacts in fields like
archaeology, geology, and ecology. But it could become unreliable
within decades. Since the 1940s, scientists have used carbon
dating to determine the age of fossils, identify vintages of wine
and whiskey…
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/global-warming-carbon-dating/399398/


Climate change threatens reefs' ability to protect coastlines –
study. Climate change may be eroding the ability of coral reefs
to protect coral islands and atolls against surging ocean waters,
placing nearly 30 million people who inhabit these places at
higher risk from flooding, a new study in the journal American
Geophysical Union reported. Climate change not only makes ocean
waters more menacing…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/23/stories/1060022273 

Arnold Schwarzenegger: climate change is not science fiction.
Terminator star calls global warming a ‘battle in the real world’
that’s bigger than any movie, at the first summit of conscience
for the climate in Paris. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been chosen
by the French government to join Nobel prizewinners,
philosophers, UN secretary generals, spiritual leaders and
theologians to make the moral case for the world to act urgently
on climate change.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/21/arnold-schwarzenegger-climate-change-is-not-science-fiction


DROUGHT

Hope grows that El Niño will reach Northern California — and key
reservoirs. It's the middle of the summer, but it felt a bit like
winter in the Sierra this week as a storm dumped four inches of
hail on Interstate 80 around Donner Summit. There was so much
pea-sized ice that the California Highway Patrol on Tuesday
halted traffic and called out snowplows — known as the "Sierra
Snowfighters" — for help.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-el-nino-north-20150723-story.html#page=1


El Niño could bring disaster and drought relief to California.
How does El Niño work, and why might it bring rain and snow to
California this winter? We answer your questions. How might El
Niño affect California? There's a favorable chance that this
winter will be wetter than average in much of California -- from
San Diego to San Francisco.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-el-nino-forecast-20150721-story.html#page=1


Regulators say first water case aided by detailed records.
California's vast network of reservoirs, canals and rivers is
among the world's most engineered water systems, but it is tough
to prove when water is illegally siphoned because of sparse
metering, infrequent reporting and a complex web of tens of
thousands of water rights.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_28523818/proving-illegal-water-grabs-tough-californias-drought


California drought: High court hands setback to water
conservation fight. Rejecting the pleas of California officials
worried about water conservation, the state Supreme Court on
Wednesday left intact a lower court ruling that makes it tougher
for cities and water districts to impose punishing higher rates
on water wasters.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/california/ci_28523839/california-drought-high-court-hands-setback-water-conservation


Californians slow to adopt water-efficient plumbing products,
study says. Despite the need to save water, consumers and
businesses in drought-stricken California have been slow to
purchase and install water-efficient toilets, showerheads and
bathroom faucets, according to a study conducted by GMP Research
Inc., and paid for by Plumbing Manufacturers International.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28742 

Officials hold North Oakland town hall on drought.  Aaron Reaven
of North Oakland is worried current drought conditions are
California's "new norm." He wants to know how water agencies are
planning for the possibility of more dry years to come. Reaven
was among nearly 20 residents who attended a special town hall
meeting Saturday on water, drought, and conservation at the North
Oakland Senior Center.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-news/ci_28523690/officials-hold-north-oakland-town-hall-drought


Local drought emergency declared for Butte County. County
officials know that people are having trouble with wells going
dry. In some cases, the wells aren’t dry, but are having problems
supplying enough water. Its unknown how widespread the problem is
at this point, but the point is to have water available for
people who need it.
http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150722/local-drought-emergency-declared-for-butte-county


It ain't easy being green if you're a golf course in California.
In 1990, lifelong enthusiast and college and professional golf
player George Kelley wondered if there was an opportunity for him
to open a golf course on his family's farmland located between
Merced and Modesto, two areas of California's Central Valley that
had been identified as having a dearth of places to tee off.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/23/stories/1060022274 

Swing states back pope on warming, dislike morality message.
Swing-state voters agree with Pope Francis by healthy margins
that climate change is caused by humans and that action to
address it is needed, but they balk at his message that doing so
is a moral issue, according to a new poll.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/07/23/stories/1060022306 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

CARB announces $250,000 Navistar fine over DPF.  The dog days of
summer have not been kind to truck-making giant Navistar. One
week after the Environmental Protection Agency filed a civil
lawsuit seeking $300 million in fines and penalties, the
California Air Resources Board announced it will fine the Lisle,
Ill.-based manufacturer of International trucks.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=29464#.VbEuYU2D6Uk


FUELS

Shell gets permits for limited oil drilling in Arctic waters. The
Obama administration has given Royal Dutch Shell PLC approval to
begin limited exploratory oil drilling off Alaska's northwest
coast. The two permits issued Wednesday clear the way for
drilling in Chukchi Sea, but with conditions. Shell can only
drill the top sections of wells because the company doesn't have
critical emergency response equipment on site to cap a well in
case of a leak.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ARCTIC_OFFSHORE_DRILLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


As pump prices drop, U.S. motorists splurge on premium gas. U.S.
motorists' habit of filling up with costlier "premium" gasoline
when pump prices drop is delivering extra profits to refiners,
such as Royal Dutch Shell and traders like Noble Group. For the
second time in the past decade, a sharp fall in pump prices has
triggered a spike in demand for the higher-octane
fuel…http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/23/gasoline-demand-premium-idUSL2N0ZX12K20150723?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews


South L.A. residents ask pope to intervene in fight over oil
operation.  Residents of a low-income South Los Angeles community
are asking Pope Francis to intervene with the Los Angeles
Archdiocese to prevent an oil operation from reopening two years
after its noxious emissions sickened neighbors.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-allenco-20150723-story.html


VEHICLES

CA Fuel-Cell Car Drivers Say Hydrogen Fuel Unavailable, Stations
Don't Work. While they enjoy driving their cars, early lessees of
hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in Southern California are
complaining that they can't reliably fuel them at the handful of
stations now supposedly operating in their region. The stations
are frequently inoperative, they say, closed for days or weeks at
a time.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099082_ca-fuel-cell-car-drivers-says-hydrogen-fuel-unavailable-stations-dont-work


GREEN ENERGY

Germany's coal imports expected to fall 5.7 pct. Germany's coal
imports are likely to fall to 53 million tonnes in 2015 from a
record high last year of 56.2 million, lobby group VDKi said on
Thursday, citing lower demand from power stations and
steelmakers.
Coal is still the backbone of power generation in Europe's
biggest economy, which is moving away from nuclear and fossil
power to renewable energy.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N0ZX3BM20150723


The $7.6 Billion Burden That Led Britain to Slash Green Subsidy.
Prime Minister David Cameron once promised his government would
be the U.K.’s greenest ever. Now his ministers are cutting
subsidies for renewables wherever they can, including limits on
solar and biomass this week. The attached chart shows projections
used by the government that indicate support for clean energy
will cost 4.9 billion pounds ($7.6 billion)…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NRXQ4T6K50XX01-17UUG0TT8SJEV8R0C9UQPJ7GC6


Wind power could get its tax breaks back. The GOP-controlled
Senate Finance Committee did right by the clean energy industry
yesterday when, as part of a big package of tax break extensions,
it cleared the way for the renewal of a key tax credit that
supports wind power. The wind credit was effectively killed last
year when an entire $85 billion package of tax breaks failed to
make it through the Senate…
http://grist.org/news/wind-power-could-get-its-tax-breaks-back/ 

 U.S. government falls behind its energy efficiency goals as it
sets new ones. President Obama's tweaked goals for reducing
energy use within federal agencies in the next 10 years will give
agencies some space to catch up, the Federal Energy Management
Program head said. The government fell behind some of the goals
Obama set for 2016, including cutting the energy use per square
foot in federal buildings 30 …
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/23/stories/1060022271 

MISCELLANEOUS

3 firms pay more than $1.75 million in penalties to state Air
Resources Board. The California Air Resources Board has announced
combined penalties of more than $1.75 million against three
companies doing business in the state. ARB said San Antonio,
Texas-based Tesoro Corp. has paid $1.01 million for violations of
California’s reformulated gasoline regulations.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article28411141.html#storylink=cpy


Europeans puzzle over the U.S. addiction to air conditioning. The
United States uses more energy to control indoor temperatures
than any other country, and that doesn't make much sense to many
Europeans enduring similar weather but without as much air
conditioning. "The bottom line is that America's a big, rich, hot
country," said Stan Cox, a researcher who has spent years
studying indoor climate controlling.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/23/stories/1060022233 

OPINIONS

OPINION: California can't stop global warming alone, but it can
fix its highways. The governor is in Europe saving the planet.
The Legislature is on a month long vacation. And we motorists
keep getting our cars beat up on California highways. Don't read
me wrong. Somebody — lots of people — needs to rescue Earth from
excessive global warming. It's crucial, yes, but beyond one state
government's capability.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-cap-highways-20150723-column.html


Jerry Brown's irreconcilable stances on climate change and
fracking.  To the editor: It's encouraging to read about the many
angles from which California, under Gov. Jerry Brown's
leadership, is working to chip away at climate change. But let's
not fool ourselves: California cannot call itself a climate
leader when it is the third-largest producer of oil in the United
States…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0723-thursday-jerry-brown-climate-change-20150723-story.html


El Niño: Why 'bad' weather is good for animals, plants and
people. To the editor: Where is the joy? Yes, El Niño may well
bring floods, mudslides and more. Yes, we have failed to create
an infrastructure to capture rain. ("Fires followed by floods:
California faces dramatic climate year with El Nino, drought,"
July 21).
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0723-thursday-el-nino-rain-20150723-story.html

Little drops of stormwater could add up. The freak storm that
deluged Southern California last weekend didn’t make much of a
dent in the drought. But it did highlight the latest talk of the
town in water conservation – capturing stormwater for later use.
It may not be the grandest of ideas, like a new dam, or the most
futuristic, like desalination.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article28356991.html#storylink=cpy


Drought tolerant licorice plant boasts distinctive foliage. Who
says that nonstop flowering plants are every gardener’s dream?
Sometimes foliage can just as easily make your day, your
nighttime dreams and even your year, since a lot of memorable
foliage happens to be evergreen so you are privileged to see it
each time you step into your garden.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/lifestyle/20150723/drought-tolerant-licorice-plant-boasts-distinctive-foliage

When unprecedented weather becomes norm. As the unprecedented
when it comes to weather becomes the norm, more and more of us
are coming to the conclusion that nothing matters more than
addressing climate change while the window of opportunity remains
open. The science suggests that opportunity will end with this
generation. The solutions are no mystery.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinion/20150722/when-unprecedented-weather-becomes-the-norm-letters


Pope pushing hard on climate change. Pope Francis made headlines
this week at a Vatican conference for the world’s mayors and
governors. He linked the challenges caused by climate change to
the increase in human trafficking that has been plaguing Europe
in recent years. The pontiff is showing little sign of allowing
his campaign against environmental disaster to fizzle out.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/pope-673453-church-climate.html


In drought fight, pools, spas not the enemy.  Backyard pools and
spas are part of the California culture. But with our state in
the fourth year of severe drought, many residents, and even some
city councils, are looking twice at pools, wondering if they are
making things worse. The short answer is, no, they're not. While
it might seem counterintuitive, pools and spas…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-330329-ocprint-pool-drought.html


Don't limit drought solutions. Re: “Desalination plant may emerge
from mothballs” [News, July 19]: I was appalled to read about the
desalination plant in Santa Barbara left idle since 1992. I often
question the wisdom of the so-called leaders who make stupid life
decisions for the rest of us, but to let sit one of the solutions
to a very serious drought, which not only affects our daily lives
but also our state's economy…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/desalination-330323-ocprint-water-plant.html


Letter: Presidency should start with solar mandate. Presidency
should start with solar mandate. When I become president I will
decree that all future construction of government buildings must
have solar power. Furthermore, all existing government facilities
are to be retrofitted with solar panels.
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20150722/letter-presidency-should-start-with-solar-mandate


BLOGS

Kind of Blue: China’s Air Pollution Not as Terrible as Before. If
you’re living in China and have the vague impression that the
skies have been bluer than usual this year, it’s not just wishful
thinking. According to an analysis released Wednesday by
Greenpeace East Asia, China’s air is not as awful as it used to
be. Among 189 cities examined by the environmental nonprofit,
PM2.5 levels in the first half of 2015 were down an average of
16% compared to the same period last year.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/07/22/kind-of-blue-chinas-air-pollution-not-as-terrible-as-before/


Norway Leads The World's Market For Electric Vehicles
[Infographic]. Norway is leading the world’s electric vehicle
market, having registered its 50,000th electric car in April of
this year. In the first quarter of 2015, 8,112 plug-in electric
and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles were sold in Norway,
accounting for a third of the country’s total vehicle
registrations, according to IHS Automotive.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/07/23/norway-leads-the-worlds-market-for-electric-vehicles-infographic/


Faraday's Electric Vehicle Future: A Factory And Tesla Talent.
Electric vehicle startup Faraday Future is seeking a factory site
as it leans on former Tesla Motors TSLA -0.40% manufacturing
personnel. Gardena, Calif.-based Faraday — or FF, Inc. as the
company is referred to on LinkedIn LNKD +0.44% — is hoping that
recent media coverage will raise its profile as the startup seeks
to close deals with states for a factory location…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2015/07/23/faradays-electric-vehicle-future-a-factory-and-tesla-talent/


An Unexpected Health Consequence Of The California Drought. As
drought continues to plague the Western United States, public
health officials are warning residents of the region about an
unexpected side effect of the dry weather: a greater likelihood
of contracting West Nile virus.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-unexpected-health-consequence-of-the-california-drought_55b11203e4b08f57d5d3d480


A Bit of Good News for the Ozone Layer. The Parties to the
Montreal Protocol are meeting in Paris again this week. The big
item on their agenda is the effort to curb the super-greenhouse
gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). I'll report tomorrow on
their progress on HFCs. But let's take a moment to note a
milestone on curbing another chemical controlled under that
excellent treaty.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-doniger/a-bit-of-good-news-for-th_b_7857574.html


Rob Portman, the Pope and the Need for Bold Democrats. When it
comes to addressing climate change, the need to act has never
been more urgent or more important. Not only was 2014 the hottest
year on record, much of the country also experienced the
devastating impacts of extreme weather.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pg-sittenfeld/rob-portman-the-pope-and-_b_7853760.html





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