What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for January 6, 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.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The quest to hack trees and beat climate change. In the fight
against climate change, trees are an ally. They suck in carbon
dioxide, reducing the harmful greenhouses gases in our air. But
there’s a problem — we’re asking them to work overtime. Trees
can’t absorb enough of the carbon dioxide humanity is throwing at
them, unless we turn every inch of available land into a dense
forest…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/01/06/the-quest-to-hack-trees-and-beat-climate-change/

Poll: 70 percent believe in climate change. A new survey finds
that 70 percent of Americans believe the climate is changing. The
poll from Monmouth University, released Tuesday, found a stark
partisan divide on most issues surrounding climate change,
including whether it is happening, how serious it is and what
should be done about it.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/264767-poll-70-percent-believe-in-climate-change


Earth is Experiencing a Global Warming Spurt. Cyclical changes in
the Pacific Ocean have thrown earth’s surface into what may be an
unprecedented warming spurt, following a global warming slowdown
that lasted about 15 years. While El Niño is being blamed for an
outbreak of floods, storms and unseasonable temperatures across
the planet…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/earth-experiences-global-warming-spurt-19877


Biomass legal challenge fuels debate on its carbon footprint. New
lawsuits from advocates of biomass energy challenging the Clean
Power Plan expose a long-standing rift between the Obama
administration and the industry over whether biomass can be
considered renewable on par with solar and wind. The industry
doesn't know exactly how carbon emissions from burning wood…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/06/stories/1060030179 

DROUGHT

El Nino Is So Last Year, Here Comes La Nina to Wreak More Havoc.
As the effects of the most severe El Nino in almost 20 years
still reverberate around the world, preparations are already
under way for La Nina. Indonesia is set to distribute water pumps
to farmers and assessing its rice stockpiles in anticipation of
the weather event materializing in October, Agriculture Minister
Amran Sulaiman told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-06/el-nino-is-so-last-year-here-comes-la-nina-to-wreak-more-havoc


South African Farmers May Seek International Aid as Drought Hits.
South African farmers may seek international aid as the worst
drought in decades threatens a regional food shortage, according
to a farmers’ group.  Farmers need as much as 20 billion rand
($1.27 billion), an estimate that will be revised after a more
detailed industry assessment is completed at the end of this
month…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-06/south-african-farmers-may-seek-international-aid-as-drought-hits


California officials focus on water conservation amid storms.
State regulators said Tuesday they are confident that residents
of drought-stricken California will meet long-term water
conservation goals but worried that the onslaught of storms
dousing the state might lead to backsliding. “You’re seeing it
rain and you’re hearing about a snowpack above normal,” …
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/california-misses-mark-for-saving-water-2-months-running/2016/01/05/d98c4890-b385-11e5-8abc-d09392edc612_story.html


Bay Area receives another good soaking as El Niño delivers. When
it comes to rainfall, January has been a dismal month in the Bay
Area over the past three years as the drought-stricken region
received a fraction of its normal amounts. The return of El Niño
has the Bay Area off to a promising start, as the second in a
series of storms arrived overnight Wednesday…
http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_29350020/bay-area-receives-another-good-soaking-el-nino

FUELS

Despite Protests, Oil Industry Thrives Under Obama Agenda. The
nation’s biggest fossil-fuel trade group delivered its annual
state-of-the-industry report Tuesday. True to form, it included a
whack at President Barack Obama’s policies -- even though oil and
gas have flourished on his watch. U.S. oil production has surged
82 percent to near-record levels in the past seven years and
natural gas is up by nearly one-quarter.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-05/despite-protests-oil-industry-thrives-under-obama-energy-agenda


UPDATE 1-U.S. gasoline stocks surge most since 1993; crude draws
down –EIA. U.S. gasoline inventories last week surged the most
since 1993, overshadowing an unexpected slump in crude stocks,
data from the Energy Information Administration showed on
Wednesday. Gasoline stocks rose 10.6 million barrels in the week
ending Jan. 1 compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters
poll for a 2.3 million-barrel gain.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL1N14Q1DC20160106


BA blames UK government for scrapping of £340m green fuels
project. Groundbreaking plan to turn London’s rubbish into green
jet fuel has been abandoned due to a lack of UK government
support, airline says. British Airways says that it has been
forced to shelve a groundbreaking £340m scheme to create 16m
gallons of jet fuel from London’s rubbish every year, partly due
to a lack of government support.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/06/ba-blames-uk-government-for-scrapping-of-340m-green-fuels-project


VEHICLES

Toyota Helps Dealers Hit by Diesel-Car Ban Pay Wages, Cut Stocks.
Toyota Motor Corp. said it was supporting its dealers in Delhi
after the Supreme Court refused to lift a three-month ban on new
diesel-engine cars over 2,000 cubic centimeters in India’s
capital. The company has taken back stocks of unsold cars and
will…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-06/toyota-helps-dealers-hit-by-diesel-car-ban-pay-wages-cut-stocks


India Riles Carmakers by Skipping a Step in New Emissions Rules.
India’s Ministry of Road Transport & Highways will impose tighter
vehicle emissions rules four years early, skipping a transitional
step offered elsewhere, to combat intensifying pollution. New
cars will have to meet Bharat Stage 6 regulations, equivalent to
the European Union’s Euro 6 emissions norms, in April 2020…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-06/india-riles-carmakers-by-skipping-a-step-in-new-emissions-rules


India Supreme Court Keeps Ban on Larger Diesel-Engine Vehicles.
Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz luxury unit was denied relief by
India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case that put the luxury
carmaker on the wrong side of a dividing line on diesel engines.
Chief Justice T.S. Thakur maintained a ban on new diesel-engine
cars over 2,000 cubic centimeters…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-05/india-supreme-court-keeps-ban-on-larger-diesel-engine-vehicles


Rich Electric-Car Buyers In CA Face Mid-March Deadline For
Rebates. Cash incentives offer an important way to encourage
electric-car adoption, and California has one of the more
generous programs. A $2,500 rebate for new battery-electric cars
and a $1,500 rebate for plug-in hybrids have helped grow the
number of electric cars on the state's roads.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101709_rich-electric-car-buyers-in-ca-face-mid-march-deadline-for-rebates


Lux: micro-hybrids will provide the most economical path for
automakers to meet 2025 fuel efficiency targets. While
battery-electric vehicles, super-light carbon fiber composites,
and hydrogen fuel cells will all be available, a new report from
Lux Research has concluded that micro-hybrids will provide the
most economical route—$1,700 additional average vehicle cost…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/01/20160106-lux.html 

Tax Credit For Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles Extended By Budget
Deal. The recently-passed Congressional transportation-funding
bill contained many positives for electric-car advocates. It
included the renewal of a home-refueling tax credit that covers
electric-car charging stations, a provision for installing
charging stations at government facilities, and other relevant
items.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101698_tax-credit-for-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles-extended-by-budget-deal


VW RECALL

Volkswagen Vows to Find Solutions for Tainted U.S. Cars.
Volkswagen AG vowed to emerge from the diesel scandal even as
authorities in the U.S. toughen their stance. 
“We are confident we will find good solutions for the affected
U.S. vehicles,” Herbert Diess, chief of Volkswagen’s namesake
brand, said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “In
recent weeks we’ve made significant progress.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-06/volkswagen-is-confident-it-can-fix-u-s-cars-in-wake-of-lawsuit
http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2016/01/06/78344518/ 


Volkswagen's U.S. Sales Slump in December Amid Emission Scandal.
Volkswagen AG managed to temper a December sales slump in the
U.S. as it grapples with its diesel-emissions scandal. Just one
day after the U.S. Justice Department sued the company for
cheating on federal standards, the German automaker reported a
9.1 percent decline in deliveries of its namesake brand to…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-05/vw-brand-s-u-s-sales-fell-9-1-in-december-amid-diesel-scandal


Justice Department alleges VW violated Clean Air Act. The Justice
Department filed a civil complaint Monday against Volkswagen
alleging nearly 600,000 cars with diesel engines in the U.S.
violate emissions laws and that many were imported in violation
of the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was filed in Detroit on behalf
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which worked with
the California Air Resources Board in exposing the violations
last year.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/01/04/justice-epa-vw-clean-air-act/78262392/


Volkswagen Chief Tries To Put Diesel Debacle Behind And Look
Ahead To An Electric Autonomous Future. Volkswagen’s attempts to
navigate its way out of the scandal that has gripped the company
for four months, tanked the stock and decimated U.S. sales is on
full display at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. Before
Herbert Diess, chairman of the Volkswagen Passenger cars brand…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkiley5/2016/01/06/volkswagen-chief-tries-to-put-diesel-debacle-behind-and-look-ahead-to-an-electric-autonomous-future/


GREEN ENERGY

Record wind investment to help 1,000 new turbines soar. United
Wind Inc., a leading developer of distributed wind energy
projects, has secured a record $200 million in funding from a
Canadian investor, officials announced yesterday. The financing,
from Forum Equity Partners Inc. of Toronto, is the largest
investment ever made in a distributed wind energy firm and will
allow…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/06/stories/1060030164 

MISCELLANEOUS

SolarCity to cut 550 jobs in Nevada. Solar panel installer
SolarCity Corp said it would cut 550 jobs in Nevada, two weeks
after the state's utilities commission approved changes that
would reduce credits customers receive for selling excess solar
power to the grid. The company, which has more than 13,000
employees, said it would relocate the affected workers to
business-friendly states.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N14Q4UA20160106


Arnold Schwarzenegger pumps up California’s clean energy debate.
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to terminate the idea
that California’s clean energy experiment has turned it into an
economic wimp. The muscle-bound movie star, who’s now a climate
change activist, argues it hasn’t.
http://www.politifact.com/california/article/2016/jan/05/arnold-schwarzenegger-pumps-californias-clean-ener/


OPINIONS

Must address ‘weather on steroids'  Re: “Climate already in
action” [Letters, Jan. 3]: I want to voice my support for Craig
Preston: our weather is on steroids.  The scientists who try to
connect weather events to climate change freely admit that it is
hard to identify long-term trends amid the noise of daily
weather, but at the same time…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/weather-358519-ocprint-climate-government.html


BLOGS

Koch Brothers' 'Bankers' Sneak Anti-Wind Op-Ed Past the New York
Times. In the run-up to the perennial debate in Congress over
whether to extend a tax credit for the wind industry, The New
York Times ran a provocatively headlined -- and misleading --
op-ed column denouncing it as corporate welfare. "Giving Billions
to the Rich" was a broadside against Congress' end-of-the-year
tax extenders package…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elliott-negin/koch-brothers-bankers-sne_b_8917064.html


The Real Climate Change Hoax.  As a performing magician, I
naturally take a keen interest in deception. So it was also with
a professional, not merely personal, interest that I watched the
spectacular fraud perpetrated on the world's public in Paris last
month, as political leaders from nearly 200 nations signed the
first universal treaty to limit the carbon gases causing global
warming.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-sanbonmatsu/the-real-climate-change-hoax_b_8920048.html


Air Purifier Makers Breathe Easy in Delhi’s Pollution. Delhi’s
low-quality air doesn’t produce many winners. The Indian
capital’s pollution levels damage residents’ lungs, vex commuters
and spook fitness freaks. But one group is breathing easier amid
the toxicity: air-purifier makers.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/01/06/air-purifier-makers-breathe-easy-in-delhis-pollution/


Why Each of Us Can Make a Difference in the Clean Energy Future. 
As the need for renewable energy becomes more pressing, some of
the fiercest duels in the West are now being fought over where to
put power lines, wind turbines, solar farms and other needed
energy development projects. There is so much at stake in the
beautiful landscapes of a place like Colorado that we must be
careful to strike the right balance in siting these types of
infrastructure.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-yarnold/why-each-of-us-can-make-a_b_8922224.html




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