What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 17, 2015.
Posted: 17 Aug 2015 14:15:46
ARB Newsclips for August 17, 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 Sacramento heat rises while air quality falters under smoky assault. The summer heat made its comeback this weekend, as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees on Saturday and Sunday and are expected to stay sizzling Monday. In addition, smoke from wildfires is contributing to poor air quality. http://www.sacbee.com/news/weather/article31255163.html#storylink=cpy Record high of 104 breaks Napa record; air quality alert extended. The heat was on for Napans on Sunday, as never before in mid-August. Afternoon temperatures soared to 104 degrees to break the Aug. 16 record of 100 set in 1950, the National Weather Service reported. The daytime peak tied for second highest in the Bay Area on a day filled with triple-digit figures in Northern California… http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/record-high-of-breaks-napa-record-air-quality-alert-extended/article_b873f147-6bdf-55e2-baeb-e5dd4bbc07e2.html Grimy city buildings release smog-forming air pollutant through sunlight exposure. Sunlight has been found to trigger the release of smog-forming compounds from the grime that builds up on city buildings. Scientists say they still do not know just to what extent this process is occurring, but it could be a significant contributor to air pollution in urban areas. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/grimy-city-buildings-release-smog-forming-air-pollutant-through-sunlight-exposure-1515784 CLIMATE CHANGE EPA tightens rules for greenhouse gas emissions at landfills. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has tightened standards for the nation's landfills to reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants. EPA estimates the new rules announced Friday as part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan will reduce methane from decomposing household waste by about 480,000 tons a year by 2025. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LANDFILL_METHANE_RULES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT As seas rise, saltwater plants offer hope farms will survive. On a sun-scorched wasteland near India's southern tip, an unlikely garden filled with spiky shrubs and spindly greens is growing, seemingly against all odds. The plants are living on saltwater, coping with drought and possibly offering viable farming alternatives for a future in which rising seas have inundated countless coastal farmlands. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDIA_SALTWATER_GARDEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Critics of carbon regulations using mine spill to skewer EPA. Authorities say rivers tainted by last week's massive spill from an abandoned Colorado gold mine are starting to recover, but for the Environmental Protection Agency the political fallout from the disaster could linger. The federal agency's critics are already seeking to use its much-maligned handling of the mine spill to undercut… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MINE_WASTE_LEAK_POLITICAL_FALLOUT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Red Pandas Are Adorable and in Trouble. The red panda is loved but vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change. The five red panda cubs in large boxlike cribs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute here are bottle-fed, sleepy and wobbly on their legs. They have bandit masks and thick, rich fur, and they make soft squealing noises and something called a huff-quack… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/science/red-pandas-are-adorable-and-in-trouble.html What grows after natural disasters? U.S. plants new idea to restore landscapes. Peggy Olwell has seen her share of forest fires, hurricanes and other natural disasters. She knows all too well what errant Mother Nature can do. The career botanist has watched Western wildfires scorch the earth and scary-high winds wipe coastal landscapes clean. She also has seen what happens to native plants. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-blm-seed-program-20150817-story.html Fiorina, Cruz and Walker respond to Jerry Brown on climate change. California Gov. Jerry Brown, blaming climate change for hot weather that has exacerbated the state’s historic drought, has pressed Republican presidential candidates in recent weeks to address the issue in their campaigns, first scolding them in a letter and then telling reporters… http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article31237517.html#storylink=cpy Obama’s climate change proposals face stiff legal challenges this fall. President Barack Obama’s climate change plan will be challenged in in the courts this fall, when lawyers for at least 15 states join the coal and power industries to block the carbon-reducing rules before they take effect. They will argue that the Clean Air Act does not authorize a national attack on greenhouse gases and that states… http://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article31252778.html#storylink=cpy Sen. Fran Pavley: A quiet force in the climate storm. In a small hearing room decorated with paintings of birds and flowers, Sen. Fran Pavley -- the great-granddaughter of a three-time presidential candidate -- sat down to present the bill that will likely cement her legacy as the California Legislature's most accomplished environmentalist. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_28650595/sen-fran-pavley-quiet-force-climate-storm Climate Change May Get Its Own Museum. New York City may add another museum, this one exploring global warming. American museums get about 850 million visits annually, nearly double the attendance of all major league sporting events and theme parks combined, according to the American Alliance of Museums. Massie expects that the climate change museum… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-may-get-its-own-museum/ ‘Godzilla El Niño’ Plus Carbon Pollution Equals Global Warming Speed-Up. NASA oceanographer Bill Patzert called the intensifying El Niño, “Godzilla.” A NOAA research scientist called it “Bruce Lee” in July, and, by August, she said that what’s coming is “Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious.” Whatever you call it, the short-term burst of regional warming in the tropical Pacific… http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/17/3691712/godzilla-el-nino-global-warming/ APP to Retire Commercial Plantations to Cut Carbon Emissions. Asia Pulp and Paper Group has committing to retire around 7,000 hectares of commercial plantation areas to protect threatened carbon-rich peatlands. The company says this is the first time that plantations on tropical peatland have been retired for conservation purposes worldwide. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/08/17/app-to-retire-commercial-plantations-to-cut-carbon-emissions/#ixzz3j6I3ZuTm Top 10 cities facing the most “danger days” due to climate change. Chances are you’ve never heard the phrase “danger day” when it comes to weather. That’s because they’re rare. You’ll want to get to know it, though, because climate change is about to make them a lot more common over the next 15 years. http://grist.org/climate-energy/top-10-cities-facing-the-most-danger-days-due-to-climate-change/ Turning CO2 emissions into plastic with algae? It may not be as crazy as it sounds. From polyester shirts, plastic milk jugs and PVC pipes to the production of high-grade industrial ethanol, the contribution of the chemical feedstock ethylene can be found just about everywhere around the globe. But ethylene's ubiquity as a building block in plastics and chemicals masks an underlying environmental cost. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060023524 Wash. Gov. Inslee pushes forward carbon cap. In a move that mirrors President Obama's recent executive action on climate change, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is pushing forward a cap on carbon emissions under the state's Clean Air Act after failing to convince the Legislature to approve a market-based program last year. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/17/stories/1060023526 Strong winds are driving erosion on the melting Greenland ice sheet – study. Strong winds off the Greenland ice sheet are blowing patches of the surrounding tundra bare of the plants that cycle nutrients, store carbon and feed wildlife, found researchers characterizing soil erosion and its ecological impacts in a new study. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/17/stories/1060023525 Global temperatures continue to spike, despite disagreement on the 'pause'. There continues to be some disagreement among climate scientists about the global warming "hiatus" that some believe occurred between 1998 and 2013. Meanwhile, starting in 2014, there seems to be a marked uptick in temperatures, with some scientists predicting that 2015 could well emerge as the hottest year on record. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/17/stories/1060023511 DROUGHT California Town, United by Drought, Is Split Over New Water Park. On a typical hard-hat tour of a major municipal construction project, city officials extol the venture’s expansiveness and rave about how many citizens will benefit. But this city has taken a different approach to a nearly $44 million recreational complex underway: Officials boast how small it is and how few people are expected to use it. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/us/california-town-united-by-drought-is-split-over-new-water-park.html?_r=0 The next drought: Water officials endorse a 'less is more' strategy for the future. Glimpses of California's water future: A sprawl of sewage treatment plants, recharge basins and desalination facilities, stretching out across an industrial backlot near Rancho Cucamonga. A collection of slender, solar-powered telemetry towers rising from an almond orchard in the San Joaquin Valley to bring high-tech efficiency to irrigation. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-next-drought-20150816-story.html Crews begin work on drought fix at Folsom Lake. As water regulators continue to rapidly drain Folsom Lake to bolster supplies downstream, crews have begun construction of a floating barge that could keep water flowing to the city of Folsom this fall. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the reservoir, has allowed roughly 42 billion gallons to flow from Folsom Lake in the last 30 days. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article31164809.html#storylink=cpy California Drought: Marin tule elk have sufficient water supply, federal park says. Tule elk are being closely watched in the Point Reyes National Seashore this summer after the population fell off amid concerns of a dearth of water supplies. Earlier this year, park service officials revealed that more than 250 Tule elk died inside a 2,600 acre fenced-in preserve on Tomales Point over a two-year period. http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28653558/california-drought-marin-tule-elk-have-sufficient-water California drought: ‘Emergency situation’ for state’s trees. The rush to save water is claiming legions of unintended casualties — California’s trees. Specimens that have stood tall and strong for decades are stressed and dying because of the drought, as Californians turn off spigots to comply with Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandatory conservation measures. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/environment-and-nature/20150816/california-drought-emergency-situation-for-states-trees Orange County has led the way as a model for recycling water, but here's what's being done to do more. In the 1960s, when most of Irvine was farm fields, planners realized the value of recycling water. In a remarkable act of foresight, they built an extra set of pipes into plans for the master-planned city to carry treated wastewater to those fields. “We could work with developers to put in main distribution lines as development was happening… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-677812-recycled-recycling.html FUELS Low Oil Prices Pose Threat to Texas Fracking Bonanza. No place in Texas produces more oil than Karnes County, but suddenly the roaring economy here is cooling fast, chilled by the plunging price of crude. Workers who migrated from far and wide to find work here, chasing newfound oil riches, are being laid off, deserting their recreational vehicle parks and going home. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/business/energy-environment/low-oil-prices-pose-threat-to-texas-fracking-bonanza.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0 Oil Prices Drop on Shrinking Japan Economy, More US Drill Rigs. Oil prices fell to near six-year lows on Monday as Japan's economy contracted and producers in the United States added drilling rigs for a fourth straight week despite a recent rout in prices. Japan's economy, the second biggest in Asia and No.3 in the world… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/08/16/business/16reuters-markets-oil.html South L.A. residents resist oil firm's plans to burn gas at drilling site. In South Los Angeles, residents are battling an oil company that has been a longtime neighbor, resisting its plans to burn off excess gas at its West Adams Boulevard drilling site. Freeport-McMoRan, which operates the site, says an enclosed burner is needed as a backup method to dispose of unused gas that is pulled from the earth along with the oil. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-gas-flare-20150817-story.html Researchers Modify Oilseed To Lower Viscosity For Use As Biodiesel Fuel. Heading into another U.S. presidential election year, getting more biofuels into the U.S. gasoline supply continues to pose both political and logistical hurdles. But researchers, regulators, and entrepreneurs increasingly see promise in synthetic diesel created from a variety of non-fossil fuel sources. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099609_researchers-modify-oilseed-to-lower-viscosity-for-use-as-biodiesel-fuel Judge rebuffs latest challenge to Calif. fuel standards. A federal judge last week largely upheld one of California's primary efforts to address climate change in a challenge from crude oil producers. The judge largely granted the state's motions to dismiss the litigation on California's low-carbon fuel standard, holding that previous lawsuits had already resolved most of the issues in the case. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/08/17/stories/1060023549 VEHICLES Morgan Stanley Thinks Tesla's Real Battle Might Be With Apple, Uber And Google. What if Tesla Motors TSLA +3.95%‘ real competition in the future is more likely to come from the likes of Uber and Google GOOGL +0.43% than the entrenched automakers it’s challenging today? That’s a question Morgan Stanley MS +0.00% analyst Adam Jonas ponders in a note to clients Monday and he thinks Elon Musk’s automaker… http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2015/08/17/forget-the-automakers-teslas-real-battle-might-be-with-uber-and-google/ Immortus Electric-Car Concept Claims Solar Running Up To 35 MPH. Many electric-car owners use solar panels to generate power that they can use in home charging stations. But what if they could actually put those panels directly on their electric cars instead? Solar-car racing is nothing new, and solar panels have been used to a very limited extent to supplement battery power in a few production cars. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099606_immortus-electric-car-concept-claims-solar-running-up-to-35-mph GREEN ENERGY AP EXCLUSIVE: California measure fails to create green jobs. Three years after California voters passed a ballot measure to raise taxes on corporations and generate clean energy jobs by funding energy-efficiency projects in schools, barely one-tenth of the promised jobs have been created, and the state has no comprehensive list to show how much work has been done or how much energy has been saved. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GREEN_ENERGY_PROMISES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT MISCELLANEOUS States raising taxes, fees and debt to pay for road repairs. While Congress remains stalled on a long-term plan for funding highways, state lawmakers and governors aren't waiting around. Nearly one-third of the states have approved measures this year that could collectively raise billions of dollars through higher fuel taxes, vehicle fees and bonds to repair old bridges… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HIGHWAY_FUNDING_STATES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OPINIONS India Finally Faces Up to an Ugly Reality. Every society has its articles of faith: “This is a free country”; “Islam is a religion of peace.” The strength of a society depends on the extent to which its articles of faith match the reality on the ground. In the India I grew up in, one such article of faith was: “India is a beautiful country.” It was what we said about ourselves; it was what others said about us, too. It seemed unassailable. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/opinion/india-finally-faces-up-to-an-ugly-reality.html Climate Change Is the Defining Story of Our Time. Voters in 2016 must understand that climate change is very real and dangerous, not distant and irrelevant. Younger people should be especially vigilant about each candidate’s stance on the issue because we will inherit a planet that the next president can either redeem or ignore. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/08/17/what-college-students-care-about-in-this-presidential-election/climate-change-is-the-defining-story-of-our-time Get ready for the new normal: dry and drier. California in the Great Drought is a living diorama of how the future is going to look across much of the United States as climate change sets in. Like hippies and "dude," wine bars and hot tubs, mega-churches and gay rights, what gets big in California goes national soon enough. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-debuys-drought-foretells-future-20150817-story.html State response to drinking water editorial. Regarding the editorial “State needs to step up response to water emergencies” (Aug. 2): California is in a fourth year of extreme drought, and a number of communities are running out of water, creating uncertainty for some of our most economically vulnerable Central Valley residents. http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article31124147.html#storylink=cpy New carbon rules can propel innovation, jobs. With President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, the U.S. has taken its biggest step yet to combat climate change. But equally important is how this plan provides an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen the American economy and usher our energy system into the 21st Century. Some climate-change deniers in Congress are trying to paint these environmental… http://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/08/17/obama-carbon-plan/31859815/ Trucking with better fuel economy, lower emissions: Guest commentary. Undoubtedly, at some point in your day, you pass by a Waste Management truck, perhaps collecting recycling in your neighborhood or driving down one of California’s highways. What you may not know is that the Waste Management fleet is one of the greenest on the road, having committed early to reducing carbon emissions… http://www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20150815/trucking-with-better-fuel-economy-lower-emissions-guest-commentary BLOGS California First: As Both Climate Victim and Responder, the National Style-Setter Leads the Way. Long ago, I lived in a cheap flat in San Francisco and worked as the lone straight man in a gay construction company. Strangely enough, the drought now strangling California brings back memories of those days. It was the 1970s. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-debuys/california-first-climate-change_b_7995954.html Carbon Fees are Not the Best Solution to Climate Pollution. Several prominent articles this year that have taken a position against energy efficiency have attracted enough press attention to require formal refutations, which you can find here and here and here and here. But these articles all have something in common: an ideological belief that markets work best unconditionally and therefore that a carbon pollution fee… http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dgoldstein/carbon_fees_are_not_the_best_s.html Study Indicates Bulk Energy Storage Would Increase Total U.S. Electricity System. Because renewable energy technologies like wind and solar don’t always produce energy when we want them to, it’s often argued that we’ll have to store wind and solar energy in giant batteries or other forms of grid energy storage before we can fully transition the electricity system toward renewable sources. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/study-indicates-bulk-energy-storage-would-increase-total-u-s-electricity-system-emissions/ Wikipedia wars are harming politically charged science. Politically controversial scientific topics like global warming and evolution are being ransacked on Wikipedia, leading to "egregious errors" that must be monitored. This was the finding of the first investigation into Wikipedia science edits of its kind, published in PLOS One… http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-08/17/wikipedia-wars-are-killing-politically-charged-science California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.