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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 8, 2015

Posted: 08 Oct 2015 16:11:18
ARB Newsclips for October 8, 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

Air district’s environmental standards face skeptical justices.
State Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical Wednesday of the
Bay Area air district’s environmental standards that would
require developers of new projects to consider the harm residents
and workers might suffer from local conditions, like air
pollution from nearby freeways.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Air-district-s-environmental-standards-face-6557102.php


CLIMATE CHANGE

Coal Industry Seeks Unusual Partner in UN Green Climate Fund.
With more than 2,000 new coal power stations planned or being
built in Asia to Africa, the UN Green Climate Fund should help
finance making the plants more efficient, according to Mick
Buffier, the chairman of the World Coal Association. New coal
technology can cut climate-warming…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NVUCU0SYF01U01-414AQC6NSIKP0OPTN281HREJE2


Climate change hears a cattle call. Tom Steyer's crusade to force
politicians to confront climate change is well known, manifesting
itself in millions of dollars of campaign funding, including the
windfall he raised for Hillary Rodham Clinton recently in his San
Francisco home. Less well known is the billionaire's crusade to
force farmers to confront it.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article38172414.html#storylink=cpy


Activists promise largest climate civil disobedience ever at
Paris summit. Thousands expected to take part in ‘red line’
blockades of Paris climate summit, after two weeks of colourful
protests that have been dubbed ‘the Climate Games’ Thousands of
climate change campaigners have promised to blockade a major UN
climate summit…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/08/activists-promise-largest-climate-civil-disobedience-ever-at-paris-summit

Exxon's Business Ambition Collided with Climate Change Under a
Distant Sea. Throughout the 1980s, the company struggled to solve
the carbon problem of one of the biggest gas fields in the world
out of concern for climate impacts. In 1980, as Exxon Corp. set
out to develop one of the world's largest deposits of natural
gas, it found itself facing an unfamiliar risk: the project would
emit…
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/08102015/Exxons-Business-Ambition-Collided-with-Climate-Change-Under-a-Distant-Sea


California enacts monumental climate change goals. Gov. Jerry
Brown has set an ambitious goal of producing half of the state's
electricity from renewable sources by 2030. California already
has some of the toughest air quality standards in the world, but
Gov. Jerry Brown still isn’t satisfied. On Wednesday, Mr. Brown
committed the state to ambitious climate change goals…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1008/California-enacts-monumental-climate-change-goals


States seek answers on Clean Power Plan delay. Fourteen states
seeking to challenge the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan
in federal court are pushing U.S. EPA to release any internal
communication explaining why the rule has not yet been published
in the Federal Register. The states, led by West Virginia, filed
a Freedom of Information Act request Tuesday, asking EPA to turn
over emails…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/08/stories/1060026069
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/08/stories/1060026068 

Expert says algae cultivation will be needed as rising heat
shrinks farmland. Algae may be tiny, but new research suggests
the single-celled organisms could play an outsized role in
slowing the rate of global warming over the rest of the 21st
century. In fact, it is their small size, or rather their small
land requirement that could make them an important tool to help
mitigate climate change…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/08/stories/1060026053 

Warm waters causing 3rd global coral bleaching event on record –
NOAA. Corals around the world are undergoing stress and are in
danger of dying in the third global coral bleaching event ever
recorded, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. Climate change and an ongoing El Niño have warmed
the ocean significantly and caused the bleaching event, Mark
Eakin…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/08/stories/1060026045 

This year's climate change victim: pumpkins. Pumpkin lovers, it's
time to stock up. Poor growing conditions and significantly
lower-than-normal yields of processing pumpkins used for baking
mean that the popular canned pumpkin brand, Libby's 100% Pure
Pumpkin, may be in short supply in the coming months -- just in
time for the holiday season.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/08/stories/1060026048 

DROUGHT

The drought is so bad in one California town that restaurants
can’t wash dishes.  California has turned off its sprinklers,
shortened its showers and let its gardens turn brown beneath a
baking sun. But even that wasn’t enough to save the coastal city
of Fort Bragg, where ocean water recently started leaking into
municipal pipes. More drastic measures had to be taken.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/08/the-drought-is-so-bad-in-one-california-town-that-restaurants-cant-wash-dishes/

New forecast says El Niño could help Northern California, ease
drought. Forecasters now say Northern California stands a decent
chance of getting significant precipitation from this winter’s El
Niño weather pattern, a development that could help ease the
state’s four-year drought. In a revised forecast released
Thursday, the National Weather Service said the outlook for
precipitation has become “more favorable”
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article38191380.html#storylink=cpy


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Virginia trucking firm fined $100,000 for violating California's
diesel pollution rules. Virginia-based firm will pay a $100,000
fine and spend $285,000 on pollution-reduction programs for
operating 73 trucks in California without diesel particulate
filters, federal and state officials announced Thursday. The
Environmental Protection Agency’s settlement with Estes Express
Lines was the first federal enforcement action against a company
for violating…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-california-diesel-truck-penalties-estes-20151008-story.html


VEHICLES

Infiniti Sees No Demand For Luxury Electric Cars Before 2020. The
Renault Nissan Alliance has sold more electric cars globally than
any other company, more than a quarter million as of June. But
Nissan's Infiniti luxury division has not been a part of that
volume--and now it appears it may not be for some time. Infiniti
says it has the capability to launch an electric car…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100386_infiniti-sees-no-demand-for-luxury-electric-cars-before-2020


More Than 1,000 People Want 2016 Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Vehicles. Order books for the 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen
fuel-cell car have been open to California residents since July.
Between then and now, Toyota says customer requests have exceeded
the number of cars allotted to the U.S. for the first year of
production..
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100377_more-than-1000-people-want-2016-toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles


2016 VW Diesel Lineup Withdrawn: Jetta, Passat, Golf, Beetle TDI
Models May Be Modified. Michael Horn, CEO of Volkswagen's U.S.
arm, will testify today before Congress on the VW diesel-emission
cheating scandal, including what he knew and when he knew it. His
testimony, released yesterday, included a nugget of future
product information: VW has withdrawn its application for
certification of 2016 model-year Jetta…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100383_2016-vw-diesel-lineup-withdrawn-jetta-passat-golf-beetle-tdi-models-may-be-modified


Toyota to unveil new fuel cell vehicle concept; focus on
distributed generation as well as transportation. With its fuel
cell Mirai already on sale, Toyota Motor is continuing to push
the fuel cell envelope with the introduction of a new fuel cell
concept at the upcoming Tokyo Moto Show at the end of this month.
The new Toyota FCV Plus is a fuel cell concept that embodies
Toyota’s vision of a hydrogen-based society.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/10/20151008-toyota.html 

VW RECALL

German prosecutors raid Volkswagen offices. German prosecutors
raided Volkswagen's headquarters and other offices on Thursday as
part of their investigation into the carmaker's rigging of diesel
emissions tests. Prosecutors from Braunschweig, close to the
German company's home town of Wolfsburg, said they were targeting
documents and data storage devices that might help with their
inquiries.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/08/us-volkswagen-emissions-idUSKCN0S217M20151008?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews


VW Pulls Request to Certify 2016 Diesel Models.  Auto maker’s
U.S. CEO to testify at congressional hearing Thursday. Volkswagen
AG conceded it won’t be able sell diesel-powered vehicles in the
U.S. for a prolonged period, withdrawing a request for regulators
to certify new models in the wake of an emissions-cheating
scandal.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-withdraws-request-to-certify-2016-model-year-vehicles-1444243809


VW’s U.S. Head to Tell Congress There’s No Repairs Schedule. 
“Volkswagen has betrayed a nation -- a nation of regulators,
loyalists and innocent customers. It’s time to clean it up or get
off the road” said Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan
Republican, as a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce
investigations subcommittee began Thursday. “VW will inevitably
pay a steep price for its dirty little secret.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NVVE1X6K50XT01-6M2PU6BS1FB7AVL2007FECSHE1

How Volkswagen Got Away With Diesel Deception. Volkswagen has
admitted that 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide were
equipped with software that was used to cheat on emissions tests.
How Did the System Work? The software sensed when the car was
being tested and then activated equipment that reduced emissions,
United States officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/business/international/vw-diesel-emissions-scandal-explained.html


Story So Far What you need to know about the VW emissions
scandal. Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal has shaken the
auto industry on both sides of the Atlantic, displacing the
company's chief executive and sparking investigations in the U.S.
and Europe. The scheme was discovered by U.S. and California
environmental regulators in 482,000 vehicles with VWs…
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-volkswagen-qa-html-20151007-htmlstory.html


VW executive: Any fix for car owners could take year or more.
Volkswagen's top U.S. executive apologized Thursday as the
emissions-rigging scandal engulfing the world's largest automaker
deepened and members of Congress said the company violated the
public's trust. "On behalf of our company, my colleagues in
Germany and myself, I would like to offer a sincere apology for
Volkswagen's use …
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article38168607.html#storylink=cpy


The Latest: VW is looking at compensating car owners. The latest
on the congressional hearing on Volkswagen's emissions-rigging
(all times local): 11:47 a.m. Volkswagen is looking at
compensating owners of diesel-powered cars that have devices set
up to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. U.S. CEO Michael Horn tells
lawmakers that the company may pay customers for a loss in resale
values because of the scandal.
http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article38175054.html#storylink=cpy


Volkswagen U.S. CEO: 3 suspended over emissions scandal.
Volkswagen U.S. CEO Michael Horn on Thursday apologized for the
company's emissions scandal in testimony before a Congressional
committee, pledged to fix cars and said three people in Germany
have been suspended. He said he believes the company's American
workers did not know about the matter…
http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2015/10/08/volkswagen-us-ceo-michael-horn-congress-testimony/73572476/

GREEN ENERGY

U.K. Confirms Plan to End Onshore Wind Subsidy a Year Early. The
U.K. government confirmed plans to end a subsidy program for
onshore wind farms a year early, after finishing consultations on
the issue. The Renewables Obligation will close for new projects
on April 1, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NVWDHZ6S972H01-0MOGGESLU6VEQ9J291AGMVAAUQ


The U.S. needs a solar energy revolution. But it’s laying off
solar energy researchers. On Monday, Oct. 5, Stuart Farrell had
planned to take the morning off from his job as a researcher at
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo.,
after being awake all night taking care of his sick 2-year-old
son.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/10/08/the-u-s-needs-a-solar-energy-revolution-so-why-did-federal-solar-researchers-just-lose-their-jobs/


State sets ambitious energy goals. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new
energy law Wednesday that sets California on a path to attack
global warming on two fronts – by boosting renewable energy
production and increasing energy efficiency. Brown and others
wanted a third front – reducing oil consumption by half – but oil
companies and others lobbied against that.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/energy-343408-ocprint-california-law.html


California Wants Renewable Energy For Half Its Power By 2030.
"What has been the source of our prosperity now becomes the
source of our ultimate destruction, if we don't get off it" Gov.
Jerry Brown dramatically increased California’s climate-change
goals, committing the state to use renewable energy for half its
electricity and make existing buildings twice as energy-efficient
in just 15 years.
http://time.com/4065940/californi-renewable-energy-power-2030/?xid=homepage
 http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/california-wants-renewable-energy-for-half-its-power-by-2030/


Renewables soon could knock the wind out of natural gas. Energy
industry experts here predict that the growth of renewable energy
will challenge natural gas in the years to come, based purely on
the economics. Reporting relative ease with garnering long-term
renewable power contracts with electricity distributors,
renewables investors were beaming with optimism at the annual
South by Southwest Eco conference…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/08/stories/1060026041 

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS

Lumber Liquidators to Pay $13.2 Million to Resolve Complaints.
Some timber harvested illegally, among other violation. Lumber
Liquidators Holdings Inc.  has agreed to plead guilty and pay a
combined $13.2 million for importing illegally harvested timber
from such areas as forests in far eastern Russia and other
compliance issues. Shares of the company, down 78% this year,
rose 12% in after-hours trading to $16.29.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/lumber-liquidators-to-pay-13-2-million-to-resolve-complaints-1444255244


OPINIONS

Down on Diesel? The 2016 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Is a Greener
Pasture.
The plug-in hybrid version of the ubiquitous fancy SUV is there
to make you feel good about yourself—at a price. Last Saturday I
went downtown with Moti Ankari, the impeccably dressed,
devastatingly young Bloomberg market editor with 116,000
Instagram followers and many beautiful leather man bags.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-08/down-on-diesel-the-2016-porsche-cayenne-s-e-hybrid-is-a-greener-pasture


Don’t give free ride to geothermal energy. California’s landmark
legislation calling for 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 is
helping the state grapple with clean energy needs in the face of
climate change and population growth. Geothermal energy – using
heated water and steam from deep below the earth’s surface to
produce electricity – is a viable source of clean energy from the
north state… 
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article38111055.html#storylink=cpy


California's Drought Is About Economic Inequality. Racial
disparities and political dysfunction are at the heart of the
state's water crisis. Bulmario Tapia Madrigal doesn't want to
shower in a stream of dirt. He doesn't want to cook with bottled
water, haul a bucketful to flush the toilet, or wonder if he has
enough water to clean the diabetes wounds on his feet.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/10/san-joaquin-valley-communities-no-running-water-drought

BLOGS

Americans haven’t been doing what they said were doing with their
fuel savings. Gasoline prices began to plunge a year ago. They
rebounded a bit this spring, and then they fell again. American
drivers haven't enjoyed prices this low, for this long, in at
least five years. By most economic thinking, that should be a big
boost to the economy…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/08/americans-havent-been-doing-what-they-said-were-doing-with-their-fuel-savings/

Hydrogen: Power for the present and the future. Today, Oct. 8,
the United States celebrates National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day
to acknowledge the significant and important contributions
hydrogen makes to our nation’s economy and environment, and to
recognize its potential for the future.  As it receives its day
in the spotlight, all Americans, both policymakers and private
citizens…
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/256232-hydrogen-power-for-the-present-and-the-future


Nations Most Threatened By Climate Change Form 'Vulnerable 20'
Group. Twenty of the countries most vulnerable to climate change,
from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to the Pacific island nation
of Tuvalu, will form a new group on Thursday to press for tougher
action to curb warming. Draft documents for a meeting of finance
ministers in Lima…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nations-most-threatened-by-climate-change-form-vulnerable-20-group_5616656be4b0082030a136f8


Candle Soot May Be The Key To A Better Battery For Electric Cars.
The discovery could also help us fight pollution and global
warning. It sounds like something that Harry Potter might have
bought himself as a reward for defeating the most powerful dark
wizard who ever lived -- a car powered by candles. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/candle-soot-electric-cars_5615892ce4b0fad1591aac14





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

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