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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 7, 2015.

Posted: 07 Oct 2015 15:56:45
ARB Newsclips for October 7, 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

Guardian to cut air pollution at plants in seven states. Guardian
Industries Corp. will take steps to better control emissions from
its plants, pay a penalty and fund a project that will reduce
particulate matter pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. This
action comes after a settlement that was announced between the
glass manufacturer, the Department of Justice and the
Environmental Protection Agency Sept. 29.
http://hanfordsentinel.com/kingsburg_recorder/news/guardian-to-cut-air-pollution-at-plants-in-seven-states/article_915cd172-9173-50fb-891d-223fa0bd3017.html


Utility group bows to the inevitable, gets wish on ozone rule. In
late September, the trade group representing investor-owned
utilities attended two meetings with top White House and U.S. EPA
officials. Its request: Set a new ozone standard at 70 parts per
billion. Six days later, the Obama administration unveiled its
final new national ambient air quality standard at that level.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/10/07/stories/1060026013 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Korean energy economist to head UN climate science panel.  A
South Korean professor of climate change economics will lead the
Nobel Prize-winning group of climate scientists who keep track of
global warming. Hoesung Lee, elected chairman Tuesday of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told The Associated
Press that the United Nations-affiliated science group will do
more to examine the effects of man-made global warming…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_CLIMATE_PANEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Rich countries two-thirds of way to $100 bln climate finance
goal: report. The world's richest countries spurred $61.8 billion
in public and private funds in 2014 to help poor countries combat
and adapt to climate change, nearly two-thirds of a key
international goal to raise $100 billion a year starting in 2020,
according to a report released on Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/un-climatechange-finance-idUSL1N12708520151007


UPDATE 2-Oil bosses to meet in latest climate change offensive.
The leaders of eight of the world's top oil companies will meet
in Paris next week to explain how they will help combat climate
change, as part of an offensive ahead of a U.N. summit later this
year. The Oct. 16 meeting will be followed by a press conference,
where the company heads are also expected to renew…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/total-climate-idUSL8N1271TN20151007?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews


Report Reveals Gap in Climate-Change Financing. OECD study finds
developed world must ramp up spending to meet commitments to help
poorer nations deal with climate change. Rich countries face a
gap of nearly $40 billion in annual financing to help developing
countries combat global warming, according to a report that puts
a price tag on efforts to reach an international accord at
climate talks due to start in Paris in December.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/report-reveals-gap-in-climate-financing-1444239865


California governor signs aggressive climate change bill. 
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed an ambitious bill on Wednesday
to combat climate change by increasing the state's renewable
electricity use to 50 percent and doubling energy efficiency in
existing buildings by 2030. Brown approved the measure after
losing a political battle against oil interests as he also tried
to cut petroleum use by half in the state.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-climate-change-renewable-energy-20151007-story.html
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article38089830.html

http://www.insidebayarea.com/science/ci_28931393/californias-landmark-renewable-energy-law-be-signed-wednesday

http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/10/07/54886/california-governor-to-sign-aggressive-climate-cha/

http://www.kcra.com/news/ca-climate-change-bill-aims-to-reduce-greenhouse-gases/35701582

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-686428-bill-california.html


Almost two-thirds of climate fund for developing nations already
pledged. OECD report showing extent of existing pledges towards
$100bn target to help poorer countries tackle climate change,
gives further hope for success in Paris. Rich countries and
businesses have provided close to two-thirds of the financial
assistance pledged to poorer nations…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/07/almost-two-thirds-of-climate-fund-for-developing-nations-already-pledged


Cruz, Sierra Club chief get hot over climate change at hearing. 
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing yesterday on the topic of
federal regulations and their impact on minority communities
devolved into a standoff over the existence of climate change --
with neither Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) nor Sierra Club
President Aaron Mair willing to budge from their respective
positions. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060025973 

DROUGHT


Key Calif. reservoirs only 24% full – report. California's
Central Valley Project has significantly lower reservoirs than it
did last fall because of the drought, the federal Bureau of
Reclamation said yesterday. Six key reservoirs are holding less
than half the water that they historically hold at the end of
September, the agency said. The reservoirs are less than a
quarter full.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/10/07/stories/1060026006 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

UC Berkeley scientists measure diesel truck emissions in
Caldecott Tunnel. A team of campus researchers is measuring the
relative levels of diesel truck emissions passing through
Berkeley’s Caldecott Tunnel in an effort to determine the
effectiveness of California’s new emissions requirements. The
researchers, a group of scientists from the campus’s Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, have been using a set of cameras,
monitors…
http://www.dailycal.org/2015/10/06/uc-berkeley-scientists-measure-diesel-truck-emissions-in-caldecott-tuneel/


FUELS

Methane emissions fall for 3rd consecutive year – EPA. Greenhouse
gas emissions from the oil and gas sector are on the rise, but
methane leakage continues to fall, according to new U.S. EPA
data. Petroleum and natural gas systems emitted 236 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere in
2014, up from 228 million metric tons CO2e in 2013, yesterday's
update to EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) shows.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/07/stories/1060025987 

VW RECALL

VW CEO: Emissions fixes could take until end of next year.
Volkswagen said a recall of cars with software that can be used
to evade emissions tests could start in Germany in January and
last until the end of next year. The recall does not yet include
cars in the U.S., where the scandal engulfing the world's largest
carmaker erupted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


VW, with limited DC lobbying footprint, braces for Congress. For
the first time, Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO
Michael Horn will appear before a congressional investigative
committee this week. He, and the company, will bring little
Washington political clout to the table.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_INFLUENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


APNewsBreak: Senate panel probing VW's use of tax credits. The
Senate Finance Committee opened a probe Tuesday into Volkswagen's
use of a federal tax credit intended for fuel-efficient cars as
the company's emissions-rigging scandal widened. Sens. Orrin
Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. said in a letter to
Volkswagen that more than $50 million in tax subsidies may have
gone to VW owners under false pretenses.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Resale values falling for Volkswagen diesels. Kelley Blue Book
says the average resale value of Volkswagens with two-liter
diesel engines is down 13 percent since mid-September, when VW
admitted it cheated on U.S. emissions tests using software
installed on 11 million diesels worldwide. Used car values often
drop in the fall, since demand for them is stronger in the
summer.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_RESALE_VALUES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Volkswagen, Audi say 90,000 Australia vehicles had emissions
cheating software. The number of vehicles sold in Australia
fitted with devices designed to mask the level of emissions has
risen to more than 90,000 from 77,000, to include the Audi brand,
widening a global scandal that engulfed German automaker
Volkswagen.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/volkswagen-emissions-australia-idINKCN0S10NO20151007


Volkswagen's India unit says investigating Polo cars. German
carmaker Volkswagen AG's India unit is investigating the Polo
hatchback cars it sells over "technical issues", a spokesman for
the local unit told Reuters on Wednesday. The spokesman said the
investigation is not related to the diesel emissions scandal over
which the company is facing a probe in the United States and
Europe.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/us-volkswagen-india-idUSKCN0S117Z20151007


Volkswagen faces first German lawsuit over rigged diesel tests. A
female motorist from Cologne has filed a lawsuit against
Volkswagen, accusing the company of deceiving car owners by
rigging diesel emissions tests, law firm Jordan Fuhr Meyer said
on Wednesday. The woman, who lodged her claim for damages with
Braunschweig district court, is the first known German to sue
Volkswagen…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/volkswagen-emissions-germany-lawsuit-idUSL8N1273S220151007

Volkswagen's UK managing director to appear before British
lawmakers. Volkswagen's UK managing director will face questions
from British lawmakers on Monday following the German car
company's admission that it rigged U.S. diesel emissions tests.
VW's Paul Willis, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Mike
Hawes, who heads British car industry body the SMMT…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1273BH20151007


New VW chairman says it will take time to clear up emissions
scandal. New Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said it
would take "some time" to clear up a diesel emissions scandal
that has hammered the company's stock and reputation.  
"Nobody is served by speculation or vague, preliminary progress
reports," Poetsch told a news conference after being confirmed as
the carmaker's new chairman on Wednesday.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFB4N0ZH00D20151007


UPDATE 3-VW plays down hopes of quick answers over emissions
cheating. Volkswagen said on Wednesday it would take time to get
to the bottom of its rigging of diesel emissions tests, hours
before the carmaker is due to give updates on its findings to
German regulators and U.S. lawmakers. More than two weeks after
it admitted to cheating U.S. emissions tests, Europe's largest
carmaker is…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1272I420151007

VW Faces Long Road to Recovery as Diesel Fixes to Take a Year.
Volkswagen AG’s efforts to fix diesel cars with rigged emissions
systems are set to drag on through at least the end of 2016,
signaling the long road ahead for the automaker to emerge from
the scandal. VW said it has presented proposals to German
authorities in the first stage of a global recall but cautioned
that the mix of technology…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-07/vw-s-mueller-pledges-to-complete-diesel-recalls-by-end-of-2016

 
VW chief: Investigation will determine how many knew about
emissions deception. Volkswagen said a recall of cars with
software that can be used to evade emissions tests could start in
Germany in January and last until the end of next year. The
recall does not yet include cars in the U.S., where the scandal
engulfing the world's largest carmaker erupted.
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/10/07/vw-ceo-recall-of-cars-hit-by-scandal-to-begin-in-january


Volkswagen Chief Says Few Knew of Diesel Fraud. As car owners
waited for Volkswagen to meet a Wednesday night deadline to
explain how it would fix 11 million faulty diesel vehicles, the
company’s new chief executive blamed a small number of employees
for the scandal and said he believed the previous chief executive
had been ignorant of the fraud.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/business/international/volkswagen-diesel-emissions-fix.html?_r=0


Volkswagen Sought a Green Seal for Its Diesel Cars. In July 2011,
President Obama took the stage here to announce sweeping new fuel
economy and carbon emissions targets for vehicles in the United
States. Joining him were top executives from nearly every
automaker, representing 90 percent of vehicles sold domestically.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/business/international/volkswagen-sought-a-green-seal-for-its-diesel-cars.html


U.S. hearing into VW violations puts industry, EPA under
scrutiny. Volkswagen's top U.S. executive on Thursday will field
questions from U.S. lawmakers on how the automaker managed to
evade pollution rules, kicking off a congressional probe into the
scandal and whether other automakers might be implicated.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20151007/OEM11/151009877/u.s.-hearing-into-vw-violations-puts-industry-epa-under-scrutiny


Volkswagen slashing costs that aren't 'absolutely vital' amid
emissions scandal. Volkswagen's new boss is warning that the
company is planning comprehensive cuts to navigate the crisis
resulting from its admission to rigging engines on diesel cars
around the world to beat emissions tests.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/10/06/volkswagen-slashing-costs-arent-absolutely-vital-amid-emissions-scandal/73435322/


Six Possible VW TDI Diesel Fixes: From Software To New Car. "You
have power, you have energy, you have emissions: You get to
choose two of them." That's the conundrum facing diesel-engine
engineers, as summarized by Don Hillebrand, the director of
energy systems research at Argonne National Laboratory in
Illinois. And the VW diesel emission cheating scandal shows just
how tough those tradeoffs…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100364_six-possible-vw-tdi-diesel-fixes-from-software-to-new-car


GREEN ENERGY

UPDATE 1-German households face rising green power surcharge.  A
green energy surcharge levied on German consumers to support
renewable power generation is likely to rise next year, despite
government efforts to rein in the costs of the planned transition
to a low-carbon economy, green energy group BEE said on
Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/germany-energy-renewables-idUSL8N1270T320151007


Outside Forces Shape European Energy. The European Union is
struggling to create what it calls its “energy union.” This is
largely a refinement of existing policies aimed at improving
energy security, accelerating the shift to a low-carbon economy
and, on a political level, showing that the 28 European Union
member states…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/business/energy-environment/outside-forces-shape-european-energy.html

Wind costs fall to match coal, gas in key energy markets –
report. In a finding that should resonate across global energy
markets, Bloomberg New Energy Finance revealed this week that
wind energy has achieved cost parity with fossil fuel power in
two key European markets, while solar continues to close the
energy price gap across many parts of the world.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/07/stories/1060025981

State on target for 50% renewable power by 2030 – report.
California's leaders want the state to set an example for how to
cut carbon emissions. Spurred on by progressive policies, a
high-tech mindset and abundant sunshine, the state has been
ramping up its production of clean electricity and hasn't seen
major price increases yet. More than a quarter of the state's
power this year will come from sources like the sun or wind…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/07/stories/1060025936 


OPINIONS

Much Alternate Energy Isn’t All That Green. Calling for extension
of renewable-energy tax incentives is strange given the avian and
bat carnage from windmills. Collin O’Mara’s “Exporting Oil and
Protecting Wildlife” (op-ed, Sept. 30) continues the cognitive
dissonance of the environmental movement on the energy front. His
calling for extension of renewable-energy tax incentives is
strange given the avian and bat carnage from windmills.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/much-alternate-energy-isnt-all-that-green-1444158446


Why Can the E.P.A. Regulate Smog, but not Greenhouse Gases? LAST
week the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled stringent new
regulations on smog, and it’s crystal clear the agency has legal
authority to impose these rules. The E.P.A. also recently
announced an initiative to reduce greenhouse gases from power
plants, though its legal authority to regulate emissions that
cause global warming is murky.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/opinion/why-can-the-epa-regulate-smog-but-not-greenhouse-gases.html


Stuff Happens to the Environment, Like Climate Change. With both
China and India having just announced major plans to curb their
carbon emissions, the sound you hear is a tipping point tipping.
Heading into the United Nations climate summit meeting in Paris
in December, all the world’s largest industrial economies are now
taking climate change more seriously.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/opinion/thomas-friedman-stuff-happens-to-the-environment-like-climate-change.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0


Monterey pines aren't the only casualties of prolonged drought. 
Here in Cambria’s backcountry, we have a sprinkling of native
maple trees that have always graced us with weeks of the warm
colors of autumn. The beauty was something we anticipated with
excitement and experienced with joy each year. Over the past few
years, our maples seem to have lost the energy and strength…
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/10/07/3843743_maple-drought-cambria.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Drought Leads To Smaller California Pumpkins, More Shipments From
Oregon. You may not be able to find The Great Pumpkin this year
from California — and you can blame it on the drought. If you
look around, this season’s pumpkins seem smaller than in the
past. John Moore owns the San Ramon and Castro Valley pumpkin
farms and says he is anxiously awaiting truckloads of pumpkins
driven down from Silverton, Oregon.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/10/07/drought-pumpkin-patch-farm-halloween-oregon/


Victoria's unused $4bn desalination plant may be dusted off to
ease drought. Little rain since July 2014 prompts Labor
government to consider turning it on to top up water storage
areas, particularly in state’s north-west. Victoria’s $4bn
seawater desalination plant, which has been standing idle since
it was completed in 2012, may be switched on for the first time
to help deal with the state’s water shortages.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/07/victorias-unused-4bn-desalination-plant-may-be-dusted-off-to-ease-drought


BLOGS

Anti-pollution cycling masks tested. With thousands dying a year
from poor air quality, is a mask as good a safety precaution as a
helmet? Many British urban bike commuters opt to wear a helmet.
Some also go for a hi-vis jacket. But considerably fewer use an
anti-pollution mask, despite evidence that smog might be the
biggest single danger you face on two wheels.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2015/oct/07/avoiding-pollution-on-bike-we-test-cycling-anti-pollution-masks-respro-totobobo-biologic


Why and how Brazil should do more to stop deforestation and
climate change. Brazil’s climate pledges in advance of the Paris
negotiations were significant because it is one of the world’s
most important emerging economies, and it’s taking on an
absolute, economy-wide emissions reduction target. But, its
related goal of achieving zero illegal deforestation in the
Brazilian Amazon by 2030…
http://blogs.edf.org/climatetalks/2015/10/07/why-and-how-brazil-should-do-more-to-stop-deforestation-and-climate-change/


South Korean Economist to Lead Global Warming Science Panel. The
new leader of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
replaces Rajendra Pachauri.  South Korean economist Hoesung Lee,
a professor at the Korea University in Seoul, was elected as the
fourth chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC)…
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/south-korean-economist-to-lead-global-warming-science-panel/




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

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