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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 19, 2015.
Posted: 19 Aug 2015 13:29:01
ARB Newsclips for August 19, 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 Report: California cap-and-trade bills seek billions more than available. California lawmakers have proposed spending billions more in cap-and-trade money than is likely to be available, according to a report compiled by an advocacy organization critical of the climate program. Under the state’s system for curbing greenhouse gases, businesses must buy emissions credits. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article31464677.html#storylink=cpy Carbon auctions help finance West Sac housing project – and lots more. Christopher Cabaldon, the mayor of West Sacramento, showed up in style last week to help break ground on an affordable housing project in his city: He rode his bicycle. His entrance fit the occasion. The housing project, known as West Gateway Place, wouldn’t be getting built without money generated by California’s multibillion-dollar crusade against climate change. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article31480399.html#storylink=cpy AIR POLLUTION China’s Carbon Dioxide Emissions May Have Been Overstated by More Than 10%. Scientists may have been overestimating China’s emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas driving global warming, by more than 10 percent, because of inaccurate assumptions about the country’s coal-burning, according to a study published on Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/world/asia/china-carbon-dioxide-emissions-may-be-overstated-nature-study.html http://www.businessinsider.com/r-chinas-carbon-count-could-be-overstated-by-14-percent-nature-2015-8 Exide cleanup: Toxic lead removal could be California's biggest yet. The task of removing lead-contaminated soil from thousands of homes near a closed Vernon battery recycling plant would be the largest cleanup of its kind in California and rank among the biggest conducted nationwide, say environmental officials and experts in toxic remediation. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exide-cleanup-20150817-story.html Air freshener maker sniffs at slaughterhouse neighbor plan. The company that invented the iconic pine tree-shaped automotive air fresheners is turning up its nose at a proposal to open a slaughterhouse near the firm's northern New York factory. The Watertown Daily Times reports (http://bit.ly/1USRhuW ) a group of local investors wants to build a meat-processing plant in Watertown's Jefferson County Corporate Park, home to the Car-Freshner Corp. … http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article31507034.html#storylink=cpy Wildfires contributing to poor air quality in Kern County. Wildfires burning in Fresno and San Luis Obispo counties have caused unusually bad air quality and spread an acrid smoky smell through parts of Kern County. Central Bakersfield was experiencing particulate matter of 27 micrograms per cubic meter Tuesday afternoon, far above what’s normal during the summer months. http://www.bakersfield.com/News/Breaking-News/2015/08/18/Wildfires-contributing-to-poor-air-quality-in-Kern-County.html ENVIRONMENT: SoCal air heavy with pollution this month. Smog combines with smoke from wildfires for the bad air blues in Inland valleys. Headachy? Runny nose? Itchy eyes? Coughing? It may not be the common cold. All of the above, as well as nausea and fatigue, are among the symptoms of ozone pollution, aka summer smog. And we have been getting a good dose of it. http://www.pe.com/articles/air-777373-ozone-cassmassi.html How sunlight on dirty buildings is creating dirty air. As sunlight hits the grime covering urban structures, smog-inducing chemicals are released, a new study has found. A new study has confirmed a previously held suspicion as to what helps drive up air pollution: the sun. Scientists have found that natural sunlight may play a key role in cities’ smog levels… http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0818/How-sunlight-on-dirty-buildings-is-creating-dirty-air http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/29067/20150819/sunlight-causes-building-grime-change-dangerous-air-pollution.htm Methane argument hinges on how fast emissions should be cut. The argument about methane regulation in the oil field revolves around whether industry has been reducing emissions quickly enough. U.S. EPA and the Obama administration's answer to that has been "no," judging by their proposal to expand existing regulation to cut emissions by roughly 30 percent compared with 2005 levels. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/08/19/stories/1060023639 CLIMATE CHANGE Clinton seeks distance from Obama on climate change issues. Hillary Rodham Clinton is voicing opposition to President Barack Obama's authorization for oil drilling in the Alaska Arctic and his delays on Keystone XL, in some of the clearest signs of the Democratic front-runner distancing herself from the president. Having agreed with him on most issues so far in her 2016 race... http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DEM_2016_CLINTON_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/19/us/ap-us-dem-2016-clinton-obama.html AP poll: Minority of US Catholics know pope's climate views. A new survey has found fewer than half of U.S. Roman Catholics said they knew of Pope Francis' bombshell encyclical on curbing climate change - and only a fraction of those heard about it from the pulpit - in the month after he released the document with an unprecedented call for the church to take up his message. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_REL_POPE_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Climate change may have driven dog evolution. It's possible that a shifting climate millions of years ago helped make dogs what they are today. In a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications, researchers report that based on the analysis of wolf and dog remains dating back to 40 million years ago, it's likely that the animals developed their unique approach to hunting in response to changes in their habitat. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/08/19/climate-change-may-have-driven-the-evolution-of-dogs/ http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0819/How-climate-change-drove-evolution-of-dogs China's carbon count could be overstated by 14 pct – Nature. International organizations could be overestimating emissions from China, the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gas because of problems in the way they calculate their data, said a study published by Nature on Wednesday. With talks on a new global climate accord set to take place in Paris in December… http://www.trust.org/item/20150819170121-e5j08/?source=reTheWire 4 trends driving the Oregon climate movement. It’s been a hot year for Oregon’s climate, and not just because of the record temperatures. From pipelines to clean fuels, “bomb trains” to kayaktivists, the state is increasingly on the front lines of the battle to address global climate protection. The tumultuous low carbon fuel debates that characterized Oregon’s 2015 legislative session may be behind us, but climate change… http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/08/4-trends-driving-the-oregon-climate-movement.html DROUGHT Report: Groundwater pumping in California has land sinking. Vast areas of California's Central Valley are sinking faster than in the past as massive amounts of groundwater are pumped during the historic drought, NASA said in new research released Wednesday. The research shows that in some places the ground is sinking nearly two inches each month, putting infrastructure on the surface at growing risk of damage. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_SINKING_LAND?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Losing Water, California Tries to Stay Atop Economic Wave. Despite the drought, communities are pushing ahead with plans for new housing, with advocates saying there will be enough water to meet the demand. vert W. Palmer has a vision for this city famous for its state prison: 10,200 new homes spread across the rolling hills to the south, bringing in a flood of new jobs, new business and 25,000 more people. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/us/losing-water-california-tries-to-stay-atop-economic-wave.html?_r=0 Valley land sinking fast in drought, NASA study shows. Portions of the San Joaquin Valley floor are sinking nearly two inches per month as farmers pump ever more groundwater during California’s extended drought, according to a NASA study released Wednesday. The report, generated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the state Department of Water Resources, sheds new light on the phenomenon known as subsidence. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article31527953.html#storylink=cpy Leadership gap hinders federal drought response. The federal response to the Western drought has been hindered by high-level vacancies, bureaucratic caution and political calculations that have thrown sand in the gears. Put another way: With more than 70 percent of California now classified in a state of “exceptional” or “extreme” drought, Uncle Sam is floundering. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article31529762.html#storylink=cpy Study: Drought to fallow half-million acres in state in '15. SAN FRANCISCO California's four-year drought will cost state agriculture $1.84 billion in 2015, researchers estimated in a study Tuesday from UC Davis. The biggest chunk of that cost will come from the fallowing of 542,000 acres that lack water for irrigation, the study said. That's about one-fifth more land than drought forced out of production last year, researchers noted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-334521-ocprint-state-study.html The next target in Southern California’s drought conservation? Renters. Southern California homeowners have been hammered by the drought and have responded by replacing 150 million square feet of lawn in an effort to avoid surcharges slapped onto bills. The result amounted to a savings in water use in June of 23 percent, just below the mandate required by the governor. http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150818/the-next-target-in-southern-californias-drought-conservation-renters DIESEL ACTIVITIES Federal Agencies Hear Testimony on Strict New Big Truck Emissions Rules. Industry leaders call for including financial incentives, environmental groups ask for earlier deadlines. Federal regulators are weighing how best to implement strict new truck emissions standards to both reduce pollution and save fleets money. It may not be easy. http://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-agencies-hear-testimony-on-strict-new-truck-emissions-rules-1439937356 Environmentalists, industry debate proposed new federal clean-truck rules. Environmentalists and trucking industry representatives clashed Tuesday at an all-day hearing in Long Beach on the federal government’s next regulatory phase of diesel truck emissions, which experts say account for 20 percent of greenhouse gases. With government regulators listening intently… http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20150818/environmentalists-industry-debate-proposed-new-federal-clean-truck-rules California Air Quality Regulators Target Nitrogen Oxide Emissions Reduction. State air quality regulators in California said proposed Phase 2 standards for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and increasing fuel efficiency for medium- and heavy-duty trucks do not go far enough. At a public hearing Aug. 18 in Long Beach, they called for reducing the existing standard on nitrogen oxide emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks to near-zero levels… http://ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=39203 Concerns Aired at GHG Phase 2 Hearing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration held a public hearing in Long Beach, Calif., Tuesday to listen to comments about their jointly proposed greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2015/08/sides-differ-on-particulars-in-ghg-phase-2-hearing.aspx California May Be Among Top Beneficiaries to Greenhouse Gas Regs. Diesel Technology Forum Representative Speaks to Federal Officials. Thanks to its massive fleet of medium and heavy-duty trucks, the state of California stands to benefit the most from greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency regulations, according to the Diesel Technology Forum. http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1508-california-may-be-among-top-beneficiaries-to-greenhouse-gas-regs/#ixzz3jHZvGtyC Are Higher Fuel Efficiency Standards For Large Trucks Good For Business? Both fleet operators and consumers agree: it’s in everyone’s best interest for the EPA to increase fuel efficiency standards for large trucks. For both groups, cutting back on carbon emissions isn’t the key factor driving this attitude. It’s money. That is, this is what two new studies have determined. http://www.hybridcars.com/are-higher-fuel-efficiency-standards-for-large-trucks-good-for-business/ OEMs, Cummins disagree on separate GHG engine standard. CARB calls for technology-forcing emissions limits, focus on NOx. he second public hearing on proposed truck fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards shaped up much like the first: Trucking industry representatives expressed qualified support for the stringency goals and implementation schedule outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)… http://fleetowner.com/regulations/oems-cummins-disagree-separate-ghg-engine-standard Your Aug. 19 Pre-Trip: Idling alternatives can save fuel, money. Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. The U.S. Department of Energy has released a fact sheet that considers the effects of long idling periods of heavy-duty trucks and offers alternatives to idling. According to the Department of Energy, idling wastes fuel and increases engine wear, degrades air quality, and may be illegal. http://fleetowner.com/fleet-management/your-aug-19-pre-trip-idling-alternatives-can-save-fuel-money Will Big Truck MPG Rules Save Fleets Money? Companies that operate fleets of vehicles will save money if higher US fuel-economy requirements for medium- and heavy-trucks are put in place, according to a report from the clean transportation organization CALSTART. The report comes as the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration… http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/08/18/will-big-truck-mpg-rules-save-fleets-money/#ixzz3jHbd0MgU ARB ENFORCEMENT [Combat truck emissions] evening news station in Los Angeles 18 08182015. In order to achieve clean air standards in California, the California Air Resources Board for heavy-duty diesel trucks made a number of provisions to limit the diesel emission trucks. For the implementation of the implementation of the relevant provisions, and today, the California Air Resources Board joint highway patrol and other police departments in the eastern city of Los heavy trucks in and out of the area were frequently raided. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgiEfm3tuzo FUELS U.S. crude hits six-and-a-half-year low on surprise stock build. Oil prices fell about 4 percent on Wednesday, with U.S. crude hitting 6-1/2 year lows and threatening to break below $40, after a huge unexpected stockpile build in the United States reinforced concerns about a growing global oil glut. U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.6 million barrels last week to 456.21 million, the government's Energy Information Administration said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/19/us-markets-oil-idUSKCN0QO01520150819?feedType=RSS&feedName=wtMostRead Obama’s Methane Limits Seen Wiping Out the Marginal Driller. A proposal by the Obama administration to strengthen methane regulations threatens to wipe out marginal drillers already teetering on the edge of closing because of low oil and natural gas prices, according to Oppenheimer & Co. The proposed rules from the Environmental Protection Agency target for the first time oil wells… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NTAOHJ6NKN1B01-7JB1E5OTVDQKQCC4E4U1GFHV1A EPA's methane plan raises questions about industry's next steps. At a time when global oil prices have crashed and some American energy companies are struggling with debt, U.S. EPA proposed new regulations yesterday that would require the sector to invest in cleaning up its greenhouse gas pollution. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/19/stories/1060023642 VEHICLES What Cities Have Most Electric Cars In The U.S.? In the U.S., government entities on the Federal, state, and local levels are pushing for greater electric-car adoption in different ways. While different regions in the country are working towards the same goal, the policies enacted to reach it--and the degree to which they're implemented--can vary significantly. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099636_what-cities-have-most-electric-cars-in-the-u-s GREEN ENERGY EU debate on green energy targets pitches UK against Germany. Britain and Germany will line up on opposite sides of a European Union green energy debate starting next month on how to meet agreed renewable fuel targets for the next decade. The 28 member states agreed climate and energy goals last October, but to make it easier to get a deal, the decision went only as far as a framework. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N10P4HL20150819 SMA Solar wins order to supply 317 inverters to California. Germany's largest solar company SMA Solar has won an order from San Diego-based Swinerton Renewable Energy to supply 317 inverters for seven solar parks in California with a planned capacity of 700 megawatt, it said on Wednesday. No order volume was given. http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFFWN10U00Q20150819 EXCHANGE: Diagnostics imaging company taps sun for power. Joliet business that offers virtual imaging technology is going green and clean with solar power covering much of its electricity needs. Future Diagnostics Group unveiled recently the solar panel technology that covers most of the roof and parking lots of the building at 254 Republic Ave. Solar modules absorb the sunlight … http://www.sacbee.com/news/article31497419.html#storylink=cpy Residents with solar panels protest Michigan energy measure. Advocates of installing solar panels on rooftops are protesting Michigan legislation they warn would make it harder for residents to reduce utility bills with their own renewable energy sources. Dozens rallied Wednesday at the Capitol, holding umbrellas to urge lawmakers not to block the sun. http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article31497122.html#storylink=cpy Calif. power suppliers propose special fees for solar customers. Utilities across the country are copying a once-groundbreaking move by Arizona regulators to impose a special charge on residential customers with rooftop solar. On Aug. 3, Southern California Edison Co. announced a rate structure similar to one used by Arizona Public Service Co.: a monthly $3-per-kilowatt-hour fee. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/08/19/stories/1060023620 MISCELLANEOUS Tehama County Board of Supervisors authorizes letter is support of wood stove change out program. The Tehama County Board of Supervisors Tuesday authorized a letter in support of a wood stove change out concept outlined in a California Air Resources Board plan. That program, if enacted, would bring money to Tehama County. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/general-news/20150819/tehama-county-board-of-supervisors-authorizes-letter-is-support-of-wood-stove-change-out-program OPINIONS Is California Really Winning the Drought?: Reader Q. & A. In a Sunday Review article last weekend, “How California Is Winning the Drought,” Charles Fishman, author of “The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water,” argued that despite the severe ongoing drought conditions, California’s economy, job market and population are finding ways to thrive. Hundreds of readers responded, posing questions and ideas for the author on Facebook and The Times’ site. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/opinion/is-california-really-winning-the-drought-reader-q-a.html?_r=1&assetType=opinion Legal nitpicking over climate-change rules. To the editor: On the one hand, policymaking must be vetted, even through the courts, assuring that our system of checks and balances is adhered to. On the other hand, when crisis is upon us, our leaders should apply their collective tools to the problem while scrutinizing the rules. ("Next step for Obama's climate rules: A court debate over wording 'glitch,'" Aug. 5) http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0819-wednesday-climate-change-obama-20150819-story.html Why the absence of oversight on California's clean energy job fund? When voters endorsed Proposition 39 in 2012, they did so with the best of intentions. The measure closed a corporate tax loophole that had deprived the general fund of desperately needed cash — an estimated $1 billion a year — and had encouraged multistate companies to locate jobs outside of California. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-prop39-20150819-story.html Editorial, Aug. 19, 2015: Desal projects are in the future for Monterey Peninsula. We cannot afford to repeat our past history of failed water projects. The drought, along with a looming state-required pumping cutback from the Carmel River, and the opportunities offered by a recovering economy are all factors that make it imperative that we are successful NOW in developing a new water supply. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20150818/editorial-aug-19-2015-desal-projects-are-in-the-future-for-monterey-peninsula Mandate To Cut Gasoline Use Would Cripple California’s Economy. Friends tend to make fun of my car. Granted, it is dented, scratched and old. But in my house we tend to buy our cars, pay them off and then drive them until they fall apart. So imagine my surprise when I was sitting in a California State Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee hearing on Senate Bill 350… http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2015/08/mandate-to-cut-gasoline-use-would-cripple-californias-economy/ BLOGS New warning from oil lobby: Climate bill could limit your driving. As lobbying reaches a boil in the final weeks of the legislative session, business groups and others opposed to a climate-change bill have a new message: It could lead to state limits on when and how much you drive. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/blog/morning-roundup/2015/08/new-warning-from-oil-lobby-climate-bill-could.html?ana=e_sac_rdup&s=newsletter&ed=2015-08-19&u=48zidwXI73mCj+vn7gp6vA0acf0b37&t=1440004633 California's Drought Will Cost The State $2.74 Billion This Year, Report Finds. The loss to California's agricultural industry alone is estimated at $1.84 billion. California's ongoing drought will cost the economy in the most populous U.S. state an estimated $2.74 billion in 2015 and lead to the loss of 10,000 seasonal farm jobs, despite overall health in the state's agricultural sector, researchers said. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-drought-cost_55d3b8b0e4b055a6dab1f07b?kvcommref=mostpopular A Very Early Yet Highly Accurate Guide to This Coming Winter. There’s a silver lining to all this talk of a super mega record-breaking Godzilla El Niño: The seasonal weather outlooks for this fall and winter will be some of the most accurate ever issued. Last spring I profiled what El Niño—a periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean—means for 60 places across the globe. http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/08/18/winter_weather_preview_thanks_to_el_nino_we_know_what_s_coming.html?google_editors_picks=true Can Islamic scholars change thinking on climate change? Declaration calls on Muslims to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fewer than four months before politicians gather in Paris to try to hammer out an international climate agreement, Islamic scholars have underscored the urgency of halting climate change. http://www.nature.com/news/can-islamic-scholars-change-thinking-on-climate-change-1.18203 How One Company Is Building An Innovation Hub In Silicon Valley To Address The Drought Crisis Through Mobile Tech. Every year, Americans waste a trillion gallons of water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency — and the way we do it is pretty embarrassing. Most of it is through leaky faucets in our kitchens and bathrooms, our faulty sprinkler systems, or our malfunctioning toilets. http://www.forbes.com/sites/lyndseygilpin/2015/08/19/how-one-company-is-building-an-innovation-hub-in-silicon-valley-to-address-the-drought-crisis-through-mobile-tech/ This startup is developing an electric car battery that can charge in minutes. Tesla’s fast chargers can add about 170 miles worth of electricity to its cars’ batteries in about 30 minutes. If an Israeli startup achieves its goal, electric cars could travel hundreds of miles after only five minutes of charging. On Wednesday three-year-old startup StoreDot, said that it’s raised $18 million in funding… http://fortune.com/2015/08/19/electric-car-battery-charges-minutes/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.