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ARB Newsclips for September 9, 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

People living near 60 Freeway in Ontario breathe the worst air in
the Southland.
With its sprawl of tract homes, apartment complexes, shopping
centers and warehouses, Ontario looks like many other communities
in the Inland Empire and shares the same environmental woes,
including heavy truck traffic and air pollution. But people in
one neighborhood near the 60 Freeway have a dubious new
distinction…
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-freeway-soot-20150909-story.html


2nd Day of Heat Advisory, Spare the Air Alert, Early School
Dismissal. Continuing hot weather has prompted the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District to call another Spare the Air alert
for Wednesday, and the early dismissal of at least one school
district because of the expected soaring temperatures.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/2nd-Day-of-Heat-Advisory-Spare-the-Air-Alert-Early-School-Dismissal-325915881.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

China must embrace global obligations on climate change: premier.
China must embrace its global obligations when it comes to
combating climate change, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday,
adding that the country was already under huge pressure to meet
emission reduction goals. Complaints that China's slowing economy
was dragging down global growth had to take into account the
strenuous efforts it was making to clean up its environment…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-china-economy-climatechange-idUSKCN0R915120150909?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews


Governor, top lawmakers ready to modify climate change measure as
negotiations continue. Facing resistance from even some fellow
Democrats, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders were
scrambling Tuesday to find a compromise on a controversial bill
that embodies some of the governor's most ambitious environmental
goals. With the end of this year's legislative session set for
Friday, Brown’s senior aides have been holding private meetings…
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-climate-change-amendments-california-20150908-story.html


California's climate fight comes down to late negotiations. Gov.
Jerry Brown has made climate change the centerpiece of his final
tenure by laying out the most aggressive benchmark in North
America, which would reduce California's carbon footprint and
boost the state's renewable energy use to 50 percent in 15 years.
Securing legislation requiring that standard in the world's
eighth-largest economy… 
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/California-s-climate-fight-comes-down-to-late-6488045.php


California Is About to Do Something Great That No State Has Ever
Done Before. Back in January, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D)
made a promise. His state, he said, would pursue a new package of
climate goals that are the most ambitious in the nation (and
among the most ambitious in the world). California was already a
leader in efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions and promote
clean energy.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/09/california-about-do-something-no-state-has-done


El Nino, global warming to cause more coastal nuisance flooding
in coming months, feds predict. Federal scientists said Wednesday
they expect nuisance flooding to increase in many places along
the nation's coasts in coming months. A combination of sea level
rise from human caused global warming and the giant El Nino will
likely combine to increase the type of minor street…
http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/09/09/more-coastal-nuisance-flooding-forecast-for-coming-months


Scientists tried to redo 38 climate change-denying studies — and
it didn't go very wel. About 97% of scientists agree not only
that climate change is real, but also that human activity, like
driving a fossil fuel-burning car, is making it worse. That
agreement stems from nearly 4,000 studies that suggest humans are
culpable, compared to only about 80 that say we have nothing to
do with the problem.
http://www.techinsider.io/global-warming-denier-studies-not-replicable-2015-9#ixzz3lH07zQeU


California Has Two Fire Seasons, and Climate Change Will Make
Both Worse. A new study confirms what many Californians have
suspected for some time: that climate change stands to make
California wildfires more frequent and more destructive. The
study, published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Research
Letters, found that destructive fires in California have
increased in both number and severity over the last decades…
http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/revisit/fire/california-has-two-fire-seasons-and-climate-change-will-make-both-worse.html
 
DROUGHT

California drought: CVWD OKs $1.5M for grass removal. The
Coachella Valley Water District approved $1.5 million Tuesday to
help homes and businesses tear out grass. But even with that
money, it's anyone's guess whether the agency's customers will
cut their water use 36 percent, as mandated by Gov. Jerry Brown
in response to California's historic drought. Homes and
businesses served by the Coachella Valley Water District…
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/09/09/cvwd-approves-million-grass-removal/71918330/


Can solar power make up for loss of hydroelectricity during
drought. Snowmelt entering Big Creek’s hydroelectric powerhouses
has slowed to a trickle in Southern California. Reservoirs such
as those in Shasta and elsewhere sit at their lowest levels ever.
The 102-year-old central-California complex owned and operated by
Southern California Edison lost 80 percent of its hydroelectric
power this year…
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/environment-and-nature/20150908/can-solar-power-make-up-for-loss-of-hydroelectricity-during-drought


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Inspeccionan camiones para cuidar el medio ambiente. Como chofer
de camión, Élmer Martínez ha pasado por inspecciones de la Junta
de Recursos del Aire (ARB) para determinar el buen funcionamiento
de su vehículo y evitar la contaminación del medio ambiente. “Ya
he pasado otras veces por eso. Siempre sale bien [el camión] en
el chequeo.
http://www.laopinion.com/2015/09/08/inspeccionan-camiones-para-cuidar-el-medio-ambiente/


DROUGHT

Farmers get new drought tips for crops. As California endures a
fourth year of drought and ever-tightening water supplies,
water-management strategies have become even more critical to
farmers. To help farmers make the best use of the water they have
available, a series of new and updated drought tips fact sheets
has been developed by University of California Agriculture and
Natural Resources scientists.
http://paloverdevalleytimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=747&ArticleID=21855


FUELS

U.S. regulators' biofuels plan to cost at the pump: industry
study. The U.S. government's proposal for biofuels use will hit
consumers at the pump, according a study prepared for an oil
group, just months after regulators refuted similar claims and as
pressure mounts ahead of a deadline to finalize the plan. The
targeted volumes of ethanol use for 2015 and 2016 are impossible…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-usa-renewablefuels-idUSKCN0R91Q420150909
 

Why Russia keeps pumping crude even as oil prices plummet. 
Russia – despite serious economic headwinds, and Western energy
sanctions – is scrambling make sure it retains its status as a
global leader in oil and gas. As oil prices fall , the typical 
response from oil producing nations is to cut production in an
effort to boost prices. But as prices tumbled – first last year,
and now again this fall…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy/2015/0908/Why-Russia-keeps-pumping-crude-even-as-oil-prices-plummet
 
VEHICLES

YES, that's really a Prius. Drivers of Toyota's Prius, one of the
most popular vehicles in Orange County, will no longer have to
wear their eco incentives on their sleeves. The 2016 model,
unveiled in spectacular Las Vegas fashion Tuesday night, shows a
vehicle that isn't instantly recognizable as a hybrid. Instead,
it shares some styling features with Toyota's futuristic Mirai
hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/prius-338248-ocprint-toyota-mpg.html
 
Russia Decrees: Every Gas Station Must Have Electric-Car Charging
Too. Thanks to a single, sweeping decree, Russia could soon
become a much more hospitable place for electric cars. The
country is currently home to just a small number of electric
cars, and its charging infrastructure is relatively undeveloped.
But the national government now requires that all gas stations in
the country must be equipped for electric-car charging…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099934_russia-decrees-every-gas-station-must-have-electric-car-charging-too


GREEN ENERGY

India to Start Offering Offshore Wind Blocks for Development.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government adopted a policy for
India’s offshore wind industry, paving the way for developments
as much as 200 nautical miles into the surrounding seas. The
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the National Institute
of Wind Energy were authorized to…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NUENR56S972B01-4KVJD77ERL34FRAMIRMF4J1RPH


SMUD approves solar power array on 62 acres of Rancho Seco site.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District board has approved
construction of a solar power array on about 62 acres of its
Rancho Seco property, where the utility once operated a nuclear
power plant. The project includes a 20-year power purchase
agreement for a 10.88-megawatt array.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article34472742.html#storylink=cpy


Solar power passes milestone. Solar power installations in the
United States passed 20 gigawatts of capacity in the second
quarter of this year, the industry said. The March-through-June
period saw 1,393 megawatts of solar power capacity installed,
dominated as usual by utility installations, pushing the total
market above 20 gigawatts for the first time…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/253038-solar-power-passes-milestone
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/us_solar_installations_surpass_20gw_mark?utm_source=pvtech-http://fortune.com/2015/09/09/solar-panel-record-america/feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news-rss-feed


Obama Has Done More for Clean Energy Than You Think.
A blue-black field of 5.2 million solar panels tilted toward the
Arizona sun might just be the Hoover Dam project of the Great
Recession. The Agua Caliente Solar Power Project hosts nearly 300
megawatts of silicon photovoltaics (PV) that turn sunshine into
electricity.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/obama-has-done-more-for-clean-energy-than-you-think/


B.C. First Nations alliance calls for scrutiny of energy
projects. Ten First Nations leaders in northern British Columbia
have formed a new alliance to draw attention to their
environmental concerns that range from hydraulic fracturing to
exporting liquefied natural gas. Pacific NorthWest LNG, led by
Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas, wants to take natural gas from
northeastern British Columbia…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/bc-first-nations-alliance-calls-for-scrutiny-of-energy-projects/article26264419/?cmpid=rss1


MISCELLANEOUS

California Welcomes Three Brazilian States to Growing Coalition
to Limit Global Warming. Three Amazon basin states have become
the latest to join a growing worldwide coalition of states and
regions in signing a first-of-its-kind agreement to limit global
warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius. Leaders of the Brazilian
states of Amazonas, Rondônia and Tocantins signed the “Under 2
MOU,” as the agreement is known, on Saturday at the Milan Expo
2015…
http://www.calepa.ca.gov/PressRoom/Releases/2015/GlobalWarm.htm#sthash.vrkNlkMb.dpuf


OPINIONS

Low U.S. gasoline prices are supercharging fuel sales: Kemp. As
the summer driving season ends, U.S. gasoline prices have fallen
to the lowest level for the time of year since 2004, wiping out
the effect of more than a decade of rising fuel bills. The
average retail price of gasoline across the United States was
just $2.53 per gallon on Monday, including federal, state and
local taxes, according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-usa-gasoline-kemp-idUSKCN0R929T20150909


Sacramento caused water crisis, not drought. I have read your
Aug. 28 front page article dealing with the drought. It
referenced a just released Fresno State study. There is no
question that the drought has had a significant negative impact
on Valley agriculture. There were three recommendations. They
didn’t go far enough. Much has been made about the need to
conserve.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article34380756.html#storylink=cpy


Marin IJ Editorial: Marin water-users meet state’s drought
mandate. Marin residents and businesses have stepped up and
reduced their water use beyond the mandated emergency drought
levels handed down by Sacramento. By being smart and more frugal,
residents and businesses have cut back on the water pouring out
of their spigots, doing their part of save on water resources
which are in short supply across most of California.
http://www.marinij.com/opinion/20150909/marin-ij-editorial-marin-water-users-meet-states-drought-mandate


BLOGS

Public Utilities Scale Up Efficiency Savings, But More Effort
Needed to Meet Governor's Goal. California's publicly owned
utilities (POUs), which serve about one-fourth of the state's
electricity demand, play a critical role in helping their
customers save electricity and lower their energy bills. A new
NRDC analysis shows California's POUs collectively saved enough
energy last year to equal…
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/cheavey/public_utilities_scale_up_effi.html


First carbon neutral challenge is getting consumers to care, says
Neal’s Yard Remedies. As the United Nations Conference on Climate
Change draws closer, beauty retailer Neal’s Yard Remedies
believes all companies can go carbon neutral or at least start to
work out how they can do it, but the first challenge is getting
consumers to care about carbon.
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Market-Trends/First-carbon-neutral-challenge-is-getting-consumers-to-care-says-Neal-s-Yard-Remedies


The Energy Storage Market Is About To Boom. The signs point to
the fact that the energy storage industry is poised for massive
growth — not only are states across the country adopting policies
to incorporate renewable energy, but utilities and consumers are
investing in solar photovoltaic systems and the technology for
cheaper, more efficient battery storage is finally coming to
market.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lyndseygilpin/2015/09/09/the-energy-storage-market-is-about-to-boom/


Why CA Climate Change Legislation Will Lower Gasoline Prices. The
fate of landmark climate legislation will be decided before the
California statehouse closes for the year Friday. Its oil
industry opponents are desperate to stop it, claiming the
proposal will drive up prices at the pump. In fact, Senate Bill
350, currently written to cut California's gasoline use in half
by 2030…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-court/why-ca-climate-change-leg_b_8111916.html


This enormous air purifier sucks smog from the air, turns it into
cubes. After visiting Beijing and experiencing the effects of
smog first hand, the folks at Studio Roosegaarde were inspired to
do something about this form of air pollution. For three years,
the team worked on an indoor smog remover prototype, and now they
are ready to take the project to next level.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/smog-free-tower-diamonds/#ixzz3lGxzpTQL


Cheap Pollution Monitor Aims to Help World’s Cities. A new,
low-cost tool backed by the United Nations may help
developing-world cities control pollution that kills millions
each year. A toxic haze shrouds the Nairobi skyline. Buses spew
out gray clouds of diesel exhaust at every stoplight. The city’s
notorious traffic jams add dangerous gases and particles to the
air.
http://www.voanews.com/content/cheap-pollution-monitor-aims-to-help-world-cities/2953520.html




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