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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 7-8, 2015
Posted: 08 Sep 2015 12:36:23
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 Rough fire surges, air quality alert issued. The Rough Fire grew by several thousand acres overnight and consumed a total of 97,884 acres by Tuesday morning, officials said. Air quality for the central San Joaquin Valley is considered unhealthy for those with sensitive conditions in Fresno, Tulare and Madera counties. All campgrounds in Kings Canyon National Park are closed until further notice. Nearly 2,000 firefighters and allied personnel are fighting the fire, currently the largest in California. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article34340490.html CLIMATE CHANGE California lawmakers face major policy bills in this last week. State lawmakers return to work Tuesday with more than 300 bills awaiting their action in the final four days of this year’s regular session. The governor has called concurrent special sessions on healthcare and transportation that could go beyond Friday. But legislative leaders have said they want to wrap up action this week. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-lawmakers-face-major-policy-bills-in-this-last-week-20150904-story.html State lawmakers challenge Air Resources Board's power over climate change rules. Top members of Gov. Jerry Brown's staff hosted more than a dozen Assembly members recently to take their temperatures on hotly contested environmental legislation. Instead, the meeting became a gripe session about the California Air Resources Board, the powerful government regulator that would implement proposed rules for slashing the use of gasoline on state roads. http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-air-board-20150906-story.html Californians support stronger climate-change rules. Californians support stronger efforts to fight climate change by requiring more electricity to come from renewable resources and cutting gasoline use in half, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS). The online survey, which questioned 1,062 Californians from Aug. 11-26 and was released today, found clear partisan differences, with Democrats supportive of the regulations and Republicans opposed. Support was strongest among the young and tapered off among older people. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5139-californians-support-stronger-climate-change-rules.html Why climate law advocates are watching these black and Latino lawmakers. The "wanted" poster with pictures of five state lawmakers appeared in the pages of a Spanish-language newspaper in Southern California last week. "Would these politicians be willing to confront the petroleum industry and fight for Latino families?" the ad said in support of tougher environmental rules. "Help us make sure these elected politicians stay responsible to the community." http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-minority-legislators-20150908-story.html New York City, a climate change leader, challenges enlarged flood maps. New York City and dozens of other communities that were flooded during Superstorm Sandy are challenging the government's updated flood maps showing expansions of flood risk areas where thousands of buildings could be damaged. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has received appeals and comments from about 190 communities in New Jersey and New York since the agency began issuing preliminary flood maps earlier this year, according to Andrew Martin, a spokesman in FEMA's New York office. New maps have been issued for more than 200 municipalities in the two states. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060024322 The strange link between global climate change and the rise of the robots. We’ve already heard of all the nasty consequences that could occur if the pace of global climate change doesn’t abate by the year 2050 — we could see wars over water, massive food scarcity, and the extinction of once populous species. Now add to the mix a potentially new wrinkle on the abrupt and irreversible changes – superintelligent robots would be just about ready to take over from humanity in the event of any mass extinction event impacting the planet. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/09/08/the-strange-link-between-global-climate-change-and-the-rise-of-the-robots/ DROUGHT California Shuts Off Beach Showers In Attempt To Conserve Water. California State Parks has shut off the water in public showers at state beaches in an attempt to conserve water during the drought. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the taps ran dry Wednesday. Officials say the change should save up to 18 million gallons of water annually. The restrictions apply only to outdoor showers and rinse stations, not to indoor campground showers. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/07/09/california-shuts-off-beach-showers-in-attempt-to-conserve-water/ Western wildfires: Growing flames charge across dry states. Wildfires continued across the drought-plagued West on Saturday, leading residents to flee their homes and authorities to scramble for resources to beat back the flames. Blazes in Washington state that killed three firefighters and injured four others continued to explode in size, while other fires charged toward populated areas in several states. http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/18083220-113/western-wildfires-growing-flames-charge-across-dry-states FUELS Toyota and public and private partners in Japan to trial renewable CO2-free hydrogen supply chain. Major corporate and public sector partners in Japan are launching an effort to test a full carbon-neutral hydrogen supply chain powered by renewable wind energy. The trials are planned to take place near the cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki in the Keihin coastal region. On the public sector side, the project is being implemented by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Yokohama City, and Kawasaki City. The four private sector participants are Iwatani Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Toyota Turbine and Systems Inc. In addition, the project will be supported by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150908-tmch2.html VEHICLES Burbank installs 8 curbside electric vehicle charging stations. Hoping to make driving more convenient for owners of electric vehicles, Burbank has installed eight curbside charging stations throughout the city. Burbank Water and Power crews installed the stations during July, part of a project funded largely through a grant from the California Energy Commission. Last week, the utility hosted state and local officials at a dedication ceremony and demonstration of the technology. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-electric-car-stations-20150907-story.html Tesla And Panasonic: Partners In Electric Cars, Foes In Home Energy Storage. Tesla and Panasonic work closely together on battery-cell production for the carmaker's high-end electric cars. Panasonic currently produces all cells for the Tesla Model S, and also owns a small stake in the carmaker. It's also helping to fund Tesla's massive Nevada "Gigafactory," and will oversee cell-fabrication operations once the factory is completed. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099915_tesla-and-panasonic-partners-in-electric-cars-foes-in-home-energy-storage Most Electric-Car Tax Credits Benefit Highest-Income Households. When it comes to encouraging electric-car adoption, tax credits and other financial incentives are an important tool. They can help erase the typical price premium of electric cars over comparable internal-combustion models. But as greater amounts of money are given to electric-car buyers, there has been considerable debate over whether the majority of people who receive tax credits really need them. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099916_most-electric-car-tax-credits-benefit-highest-income-households OPINIONS Brown's compromise is California's best bet to fix roads. After spending months on the sidelines and "above the fray" while legislators debated how to pay for California's massive backlog of road repairs, Gov. Jerry Brown has finally offered a reasonable compromise that raises fuel taxes and vehicle fees while tapping carbon pollution fees to fund highway, street, bridge and public transit improvements. Legislators ought to support it and start reinvesting in critical state infrastructure. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-road-funding-20150906-story.html Climate policy must work for all Californians. Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature have made clear their commitment to combating global climate change. But in his inaugural address earlier this year, the governor wisely observed that “how we achieve these goals and at what pace will take great thought and imagination mixed with pragmatic caution. It will require enormous innovation, research and investment. And we will need active collaboration at every stage with our scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, businesses and officials at all levels.” http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article34299861.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.