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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 10, 2015.
Posted: 10 Aug 2015 14:21:52
ARB Newsclips for August 10, 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 China Pollution Crosses Sea to Hamper Air Cleanup Effort in U.S. Chinese air pollution is blowing across the Pacific Ocean and partly offsetting clean air measures taken in California, according to Dutch and U.S. researchers. More than two-fifths of the expected benefits of anti- pollution controls in the western U.S. were canceled out by rising ozone pollution from China. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NSPNOW6JIJUR01-5FNN9G0I1093R70HUE42G6327L EPA orders more air quality tests for homes near Superfund sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a new round of air quality tests for a South Bay neighborhood after detecting a variety of contaminants inside homes near two federal cleanup sites. The EPA sampled 107 homes near the Del Amo and Montrose Superfund sites earlier this year under pressure… http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-del-amo-superfund-20150810-story.html LA region breathes much easier since Obama attended Occidental. President Barack Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles from 1979 to 1981. His memories are full of smog. So how bad was it? According to historic ozone data collected by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, it was pretty bad. In 1979, the air quality failed to meet modern standards for 234 days of the year. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_28613049/la-region-breathes-much-easier-since-obama-attended POLLUTION: Clean air target missed. Southern California has missed a long-standing federal deadline to reduce toxic soot and other small particle air pollution because unhealthful levels of such pollutants persist in northwest Riverside County. Under rules set by the Bush administration, communities in Southern California’s ocean-to-mountains air basin were supposed to meet the goal by 2015. http://www.pe.com/articles/air-776370-pollution-loma.html County air quality to reach unhealthy range Monday. The Tehama County Air Pollution Control District warns again Monday that air quality is expected to reach unhealthy levels due to smoke from wildfires in the region. Those at risk, including children and adults with respiratory disease, should stay indoors and avoid prolonged outdoor exertion. Intense physical activity should be avoided. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/general-news/20150810/county-air-quality-to-reach-unhealthy-range-monday CLIMATE CHANGE Australia’s Prime Minister Warns Climate Policy Must Not Cool Economy. The country’s cabinet is expected to discuss emissions targets when Parliament resumes this week. Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott drew a line in the sand on climate policy Sunday, saying any measures to cut emissions must not hurt the economy or involve a carbon-pricing scheme, as his chief lawmakers prepare to debate…http://www.wsj.com/articles/australias-abbott-says-climate-policy-cannot-come-at-expense-of-economy-1439096152 Why Shell Cut Ties to Conservative Lobby Group Over Climate Change. Hint: It's got something to do with the company drilling offshore in the Arctic. Does it matter that Royal Dutch Shell plans to cut ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) over climate policy? Shell follows big oil rival BP and Silicon Valley titans Google, Facebook, and Yahoo… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-10/why-shell-cut-ties-to-conservative-lobby-group-over-climate-change Climate Change Could Harm British Butterflies. Six species of butterflies in Britain will face local extinctions by 2050 because of climate change, a new study reports. “What was surprising to me was that even in the most benign scenario, the drought effects are quite severe… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/science/climate-change-could-harm-british-butterflies.html?_r=0 In simple terms, Climate change will heat up California cities. Like San Diego weather? Stick around several decades and we all just might have it. A glimpse into our future reveals a Bay Area whose weather feels a lot like California’s balmy border city. Seattle could feel like present-day San Jose, forcing hipsters to shed their beards and knit beanies. A future Sacramento may have armpit stains the size of small nations. http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150808/in-simple-terms-climate-change-will-heat-up-california-cities http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28605516/climate-change-future-bay-area-weather-will-be Did the EPA Bulletproof the Clean Power Plan? By making the Obama administration's landmark climate rules more workable and more stringent, Gina McCarthy may have strengthened their legal footing. Gina McCarthy, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has learned two lessons from her long career in the regulatory martial arts: adversity can be a source of strength… http://insideclimatenews.org/carbon-copy/03082015/did-epa-bulletproof-clean-power-plan-obama-climate-carbon-regulations?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=35fd0d1dfe-Weekly_Newsletter_8_9_20158_6_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-35fd0d1dfe-327494049 Underground Desert Aquifers Could Hold Missing Carbon. Here’s what we know: Carbon dioxide is building up in the atmosphere as the result of manmade emissions, trapping more and more heat and warming the planet. Here’s what we’re still working on: Of the excess CO2 that doesn’t stick around in the atmosphere — about 60 percent of it — exactly how much gets pulled into various so-called carbon sinks… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/desert-aquifers-hold-missing-carbon-19320 Can combating climate change coexist with increased US oil production? After the unveiling of President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, it's an appropriate time to take stock of whether the administration's climate goals are at odds with the ongoing shale boom. Platts senior editor Brian Scheid asks whether history will remember Obama as the climate change… http://www.platts.com/podcasts-detail/crude/2015/august/capitol-crude-081015?hootpostid=38014dc179caacb63fae50673ec3a189 Climate change crusade goes local. While US leaders remain bogged down in debate over global warming, local communities are acting on their own to hold back rising seas. Florida’s state leaders are running hard from climate change. The governor, Rick Scott, doesn’t want state employees to even utter the words. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0809/Climate-change-crusade-goes-local Concerns mount as Australia decides its greenhouse gas emissions targets. Climate change activists are glumly anticipating the announcement tonight of Australia's new greenhouse gas emissions target, which many say is sure to be weak and could even dampen hopes for an ambitious global climate change agreement. The target -- expected by many to be in the range of 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2030… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023204 Court won't reconsider greenhouse gas judgment. Federal judges on Friday declined an industry request to reconsider their interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling that trimmed U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas regulations. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023210 Rivers may slow CO2 release from Arctic permafrost – study. Permafrost holds vast amounts of stored carbon, making its fate in a warming world of critical interest to scientists. Yet much is still misunderstood about how it will behave with higher temperatures and how much greenhouse gases it will release. Now, a new study in Nature finds that large amounts of organic carbon… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023199 Governor warns of global warming's 'new normal' at site of massive blaze. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) spotlighted the increasing risks of global warming to the state on a visit to the site of the erratic and destructive Rocky Fire in Northern California. On Thursday, the governor met with first responders and residents who had lost their homes in the 69,600-acre blaze that started more than a week ago. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023189 New research initiative aims at making cities more resilient to climate change. The National Science Foundation has bankrolled a $12 million initiative called the Urban Resilience to Extreme Weather-Related Events Sustainable Research Network (UREx SRN), which launched Friday. The five-year effort is a collaboration between Arizona State University and the Forest Service and brings together experts from different fields… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023201 DROUGHT Tribes seek boost in Oregon, California water flows to aid salmon. Two American Indian tribes asked the U.S. government to increase flows from dams to prevent the spread of a deadly fish disease that flourishes in warm water as trout and salmon suffer along the drought-parched West Coast. Starting in about three weeks, a fall run of some 120,000 Chinook salmon is expected to swim up the Klamath River… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/08/us-usa-oregon-fish-idUSKCN0QD00T20150808?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews A Once-Flourishing Pima Cotton Industry Withers in an Arid California. Up and down the San Joaquin Valley, vast fields that once grew cotton lie fallow, remnants of a boom and bust fueled by a worldwide demand for premium T-shirts and linens. Farmers here have fallowed acres of Pima cotton by the thousands, threatening the region’s unlikely reign as the world’s biggest producer of the specialty cotton, also called Supima. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/business/a-once-flourishing-pima-cotton-industry-withers-in-an-arid-california.html?_r=0 Where the drought has brought Head Start to a stop. A plush Cookie Monster wearing overalls and a sparkling pony ridden by a doll with one eye permanently shut huddled against a living room wall with a contingent of other orphaned toys. Diana Toscano picked up a child's hat with a yellow puppy stitched on the front. http://www.latimes.com/local/great-reads/la-me-c1-drought-head-start-20150810-story.html#page=1 Innovation is blooming at water-wise urban farms. As California moves through its fourth summer of drought, cutting back on water use means shorter showers, fuller dishwashers and drier lawns for most people living in urban areas. But for small farms nestled between city streets, saving water means recycling it — and finding new ways to keep plants alive without wasting the precious liquid. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-urban-farming-drought-20150810-story.html Green waste collections fall by millions of pounds as Sacramentans let their lawns turn brown. One less thing for many Sacramento-area residents to worry about: Is this the day to put out the green waste can? As families across the region let their lawns go brown, garbage haulers for the area’s largest population centers have collected 26 million fewer pounds of green waste so far this summer compared to 2012… http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article30553818.html#storylink=cpy Explosive Rocky Fire a warning for drought-parched state. Scott Upton shook his head in wonder as he drove past ranch lands along a flat section of Highway 20, where the massive Rocky Fire had leaped over helpless firefighters trying to make a stand. The firefighters had set intentional backfires in an attempt to burn away fuel, but the blaze shot embers across what is known as New Long Valley, igniting the hills on the other side of the road. http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Explosive-Rocky-Fire-a-warning-for-6433258.php Southern California turf rebate program paid out nearly $57M. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California shelled out nearly $57 million during a popular program that paid homeowners and businesses to replace lawns with drought-friendly landscaping. The money went to 15,000 residents and businesses, many of which received additional rebate funds from their local water supplier… http://www.modbee.com/news/state/article30549792.html#storylink=cpy California drought hasn't killed summer vacations. At Russian River Adventures near Healdsburg, owner Larry Laba fields calls every day from people worried that California's epic drought has pulled the plug on their summer rafting trips. Surely, after four years of drought -- with fish and farmers fighting over every drop -- there can't be much left over for the lowly inflatables, right? http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20150809/california-drought-hasnt-killed-summer-vacations FUELS U.S. gas prices fall alongside crude oil: Lundberg survey. The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States fell 11 cents in the past two weeks, pulled down by the ongoing slump in crude oil prices, according to the Lundberg survey released on Sunday. Regular grade gasoline fell to an average price of $2.71 per gallon, according to the biweekly survey dated Aug. 7, down 11 cents from the previous survey on July 24. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/09/us-usa-gasoline-survey-idUSKCN0QE0SH20150809 Methane-Powered Tractor Could Cut Farmers' Costs, Emissions. Luca Remmert's dream of running a self-sustainable farm is within sight. He produces energy from corn and grain near the northern Italian city of Turin and hopes in the not too distant future to run all of his eight tractors on methane generated at the farm. Remmert's 450-hectare (1,100-acre) La Bellotta farm has been testing a second-generation prototype of what will be the first tractor to run on methane. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/10/business/ap-eu-italy-biofuel-tractor.html Canadian candidates battle over Keystone pipeline, climate. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended Thursday his work on approving the Keystone XL Pipeline and predicted the next United States president will support the project. “As you know, that’s a situation under the control of the United States,” Harper said of Keystone during Canada's first pre-election debate Thursday night. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/250545-canadian-candidates-battle-over-keystone-pipeline-climate Tsinghua studies on alcohol-gasoline dual fuel engines show fuel efficiency and particle number benefits. Researchers at Tsinghua University in China are studying the effects of Dual-Fuel Spark Ignition (DFSI) combustion fueled with different alcohols and gasoline. In one paper, published in the journal Fuel, they investigated the use of alcohols–gasoline DFSI Combustion for knock suppression and high fuel efficiency using a gasoline engine with high compression ratio. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/08/20150810-tsinghua.html New one-pot process to produce gasoline-grade biofuel from the bacterial biopolymer PHB. A team from the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa is developing a new one-pot process to produce gasoline-grade (C6–C18) hydrocarbon oil from polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)—an energy storage material formed from renewable feedstock in many bacterial species. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/08/20150809-phb.html VEHICLES Electric-Car Mandates: Can't Meet 'Em, Makers Say, While Buyers 'Shrug' At Efficiency. With the approaching midterm review of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules coming up in the next two years, automakers and advocates are positioning themselves to lobby for changes to the rules. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099510_electric-car-mandates-cant-meet-em-makers-say-whle-buyers-shrug-at-efficiency GREEN ENERGY The boom in wind energy couldn’t be coming at a better time. The Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, released last week, requires the country to use a lot more renewable energy by the year 2030 — and a lot less coal. And right on time, two new reports published Monday by the Department of Energy find that one key renewable sector — wind — is booming… http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/10/the-boom-in-wind-energy-couldnt-be-coming-at-a-better-time/ Pleasanton: Big solar project planned at Shadow Cliffs Park. The East Bay Regional Park district is betting big on solar power -- big enough to offset nearly all the energy used at its 65 regional parks in two counties. The agency plans an $8 million solar project at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area to generate up to 1.2 megawatts of electricity -- roughly as much power as used by 800 to 1,000 homes. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_28611109/pleasanton-big-solar-project-planned-at-shadow-cliffs Solar power begins to surge in Latin America, mostly without subsidies. Riding an unprecedented expansion of solar in Honduras and continued strong performances in Chile, Brazil and Mexico, Latin America's solar sector netted its strongest quarterly growth from April to June with 363 megawatts of new capacity coming online, according to industry data released last week by GTM Research. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023197 U.S. will help Indonesia lower its greenhouse gas emissions. The United States will work with Indonesia to help the country develop its geothermal energy potential, the U.S. State Department has announced. In a workshop with high-level government officials and technical experts from both countries last week, the United States and Indonesia agreed to collaborate "to accelerate private investment in geothermal energy." http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/10/stories/1060023200 DOE: US wind power capacity grew 8% in 2014 to ~66 GW, 2nd in world; meets 4.9% of end use demand; lowest prices to date. According to the 2014 Wind Technologies Market Report released today by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, total installed wind power capacity in the United States grew at a rate of 8% in 2014… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/08/20150810-doewind.html OPINION Curbing global warming: Mission impossible? On climate change, we need to go beyond the tired story line of “deniers” vs. the “scientific consensus.” Until it’s discredited by falling temperatures, global warming is a reality. We can still debate how much has occurred and the share attributable to human activity, but the more relevant question is what — if anything — can be done about it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/curbing-global-warming-mission-impossible/2015/08/09/b95b2650-3d2d-11e5-b3ac-8a79bc44e5e2_story.html As long as California allows fracking, it can't call itself a leader on climate change. To the editor: Even as Gov. Jerry Brown applauds President Obama's new clean power plan, our governor is sabotaging the fight against global warming in California by supporting fracking and other extreme techniques for extracting dirty fossil fuels. ("California is ahead of the game as Obama releases Clean Power Plan," Aug. 4). http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0808-saturday-california-fracking-climate-change-20150808-story.html RON LOVERIDGE: Climate change law benefiting many residents. It’s an easy applause line to say that the politicians in Sacramento put their personal ideologies ahead of their district’s needs. Orchestrated attacks on California’s landmark clean energy law, Assembly Bill 32, are so easy and commonplace that I was more than disheartened to see this smear campaign parading as fact in “Focusing on climate over constituents” [Opinion, July 26]. http://www.pe.com/articles/california-776354-energy-climate.html Letters: Remember water crisis at polls. Gov. Jerry Brown should be recalled based on his inaction concerning the current drought. One of his primary duties is to ensure that California’s infrastructure can support the population. He has admitted that California’s infrastructure can’t support its population. To compound the problem, he promotes policies that encourage unlimited increases in the illegal alien and welfare populations. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-676851-homes-new.html A bad climate change plan. President Barack Obama has a new plan to fight global warming, and science is on his side, isn’t it? No, not exactly. But wait, calculations show the economy will benefit, don’t they? No, not even close — consumers will take a bath. Well, finally, the Constitution backs up the effort’s legality, does it not? It does not. http://salina.com/opinion/columns/a-bad-climate-change-plan/article_9bb68ed2-780a-53dc-a61d-3e4c08ef5ee7.html Robert J. Samuelson: Curbing global warming: mission impossible? On climate change, we need to go beyond the tired storyline of “deniers” versus the “scientific consensus.” Until it’s discredited by falling temperatures, global warming is a reality. We can still debate how much has occurred and the share attributable to human activity, but the more relevant question is what — if anything — can be done about it. http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/20150809/robert-j-samuelson-curbing-global-warming-mission-impossible Carbon fee uses free market to promote cleaner energy. Is regulation by the EPA’s Clean Power Plan the best choice to help us breathe easier? A carbon-fee-and-dividend plan advocated by George P. Shultz, former secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, is a free-market plan with a fee on dirty energy that recycles 100 percent of revenue back to American households. It would speed the transition from our dirty past and into a clean-energy future. http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/letters/2015/08/10/carbon-fee-uses-free-market-promote-cleaner-energy/31384675/ BLOGS Alexander Sherriffs and William B. Marcus: Clean-energy economy for the Valley. The San Joaquin Valley is a remarkable place. It has played a vital role in the development of the economy and the character of the state. The Midway-Sunset and Kern Oil Fields produced over 5 billion barrels of oil since being discovered in the 1890s. Natural water run-off and later some of the world’s largest public works brought water to the Valley floor creating an agricultural treasure… http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article30437568.html Daily oil trains could threaten lives in the Bay Area. If oil giant Phillips 66 has its way, an oil train disaster and increased air pollution may be coming to a Bay Area town near you. Phillips 66 is proposing an oil transport station to refine Canadian tars sands in San Luis Obispo. If the project is approved by the San Luis Obispo planning commission and board of supervisors… http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2015/08/10/daily-oil-trains-could-threaten-lives-in-the-bay-area/ IKEA is going green in a very big way. It’s making a significant change. IKEA has announced it will be the first major U.S. retailer to carry only LED lightbulbs when it makes the switch next month. Steve Howard, IKEA’s Chief Sustainability Officer, explained the company’s motivation behind the LED shift: “LED is a light revolution. http://fortune.com/2015/08/10/ikea-green-led/ The Perilous Morality of Climate Change. It's a challenging endeavor to discuss "what's working" with climate change. News outlets the world over are littered with stories of doom and gloom, of current calamities and human suffering. A quick perusal of the summary of the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, the definitive scientific body on the topic, lays out where we are and what that means. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maxwell-d-dotson/the-perilous-morality-of-_b_7815156.html The Forest Path to an Ambitious Climate Deal. Later this year, global leaders will make important decisions about some of the planet's toughest challenges. If the world wants a climate deal and new development agenda that's good for the economy, for the poor, and for businesses, the path forward needs to include forests. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-polman/the-forest-path-to-an-amb_b_7964208.html An Extreme Climate Warming Episode Led To Smaller Mammals - But How? A massive and bizarre climate event 56 million years ago seems to have had some odd effects on terrestrial life. This event, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is marked in the rock record by an extremely unusual carbon isotope signature in both the marine and terrestrial sediment records. http://www.forbes.com/sites/shaenamontanari/2015/08/10/extreme-climate-warming-episode-lead-to-smaller-mammals-but-how/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.