What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for January 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.

CAP AND TRADE

Governor proposes spending cap-and-trade money to halve oil use.
More than $1 billion in revenues from California's cap-and-trade
program would be spent on efforts to cut the state's petroleum
use in half by 2030 under a budget proposal Gov. Jerry Brown (D)
released yesterday. The governor in his draft blueprint for
fiscal 2016-17 outlined how he wants to use a total $3.1 billion
in proceeds from the state's cap-and-trade program, which
auctions allowances to many businesses with carbon emissions.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/08/stories/1060030320 

Carbon cap plan would hit fertilizer plant, food processors. The
Washington Department of Ecology has proposed a cap-and-reduction
measure for manufacturers. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s
administration Wednesday proposed capping and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions from 70 oil refineries, fuel importers and
manufacturers, including a fertilizer maker in Kennewick and two
food processors in Othello.
http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20160107/carbon-cap-plan-would-hit-fertilizer-plant-food-processors


AIR POLLUTION

Napa air quality monitor station moving to college. A monitoring
station that tracks air quality over the city of Napa – and helps
regulators decide when to ban wood burning – is poised to move to
the Napa Valley College grounds as early as next month. The Bay
Area Air Quality Management District is relocating its local air
monitoring device about 4 ˝ miles southeast from a Jefferson
Street commercial building…
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-air-quality-monitor-station-moving-to-college/article_88eba1c3-8899-5936-a66a-e69c1a363a8b.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

NOAA: U.S. posts second-hottest year on record. The United States
posted its second-hottest year on record in 2015, government
scientists reported Thursday, extending the streak of
warmer-than-average annual temperatures. The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration said the annual average temperature in
the contiguous United States last year was 54.4 degrees
Fahrenheit…
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/us-posts-second-hottest-year-on-record-217442#ixzz3wfgwAQxE


Global Warming Helped Exacerbate Biggest Year Ever for U.S.
Wildfires. A warmer, drier climate played a role in fires that
burned more than 10 million acres. Scientists and forest agency
officials yesterday said they see a link between climate change
and the record-breaking 2015 wildfire season. Parsing the exact
role a changing climate played in the historic burns can be
challenging…
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/global-warming-helped-exacerbate-biggest-year-ever-for-u-s-wildfires/


December warmest and wettest on record. December brought unusual
cherry blossoms and major rainfall to the eastern United States,
and yesterday the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration
made it official: It was the warmest and wettest December on
record. It became the first month ever to snag the top rank in
both precipitation and temperatures.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/08/stories/1060030323 

Some carbon footprints bigger than others, study finds. The
carbon footprints of communities in the Bay Area of California
vary widely, even from neighborhood to neighborhood, according to
a new study. Researchers at the University of California,
Berkeley, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District ranked
each census block in the nine-county Bay Area according to its
carbon footprint…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/08/stories/1060030296 

DROUGHT

As rain pummels California, some see a way to fight drought. Much
of the torrential rain that fell on Southern California this week
flowed right into the ocean, just like it did before the state's
epic drought. That seemed like a good idea for many years, as
storm drains provided a crucial defense against flooding. But
with California entering what may be a fifth year of drought…
http://www.chicoer.com/environment-and-nature/20160108/as-rain-pummels-california-some-see-a-way-to-fight-drought


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Mack certifies engines to use renewable diesel. OEM says the fuel
can cut GHGs by 15% to 80%. Following extensive testing, Mack
Trucks is now allowing for the use of “renewable diesel fuel” in
all of its engines – stressing, however, that this does not
necessarily apply to biodiesel fuel. Mack said that while
“renewable” diesel fuel is similar to conventional biodiesel…
http://fleetowner.com/equipment/mack-certifies-engines-use-renewable-diesel


FUELS

Massive gas leak has cost utility company $50 million. A utility
company said it has spent about $50 million because of a massive
leak from an underground natural gas storage well near Los
Angeles. The parent company of Southern California Gas Co. filed
papers Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission with
the estimate for costs associated with trying to stop the leak
and to reimburse people who have been displaced by a sickening
stench.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_GAS_LEAK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-socalgas-liability-20160108-story.html


No Short-Term Fix for California Methane Leak. To the dismay of
thousands of residents of Porter Ranch, Calif., whose lives have
been upended by a huge natural-gas leak from a nearby well, the
local utility says it will take at least another month and a half
to shut it down. Early efforts to halt the leak or kill the well
by injecting liquids into it failed because the liquids were not
heavy enough to overcome the gas rushing up at nearly 200 times
normal atmospheric pressure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/science/no-short-term-fix-for-california-methane-leak.html?_r=2


Officials and gas company agree on plan to burn off some methane
afflicting Porter Ranch.  Air quality regulators and Southern
California Gas Co. have agreed on a plan to capture and
incinerate at least some of the natural gas from a leaking well
that has sickened and displaced thousands of residents of Porter
Ranch, according to a legal document filed this week. Under the
plan, the gas company would as soon as next week deploy pollution
control…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-20160108-porter-ranch-gas-capture-incinerate-story.html


UC Davis scientist key to measuring massive methane leak at Aliso
Canyon. The true size of what’s likely the largest methane leak
in U.S. history may not have been known if not for the niche
specialty of Steve Conley, an affable 51-year-old pilot and an
atmospheric scientist at UC Davis. Conley’s arcane specialty is
measuring leaks from gas and oil pipelines with sophisticated
instruments installed on a single-engine, two-seat airplane that
he flies.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article53629265.html#storylink=cpy


VEHICLES

A rebranded Saab at the center of China's green car push. The
Swedish automaker once known as Saab has emerged as part of
China's push to make electric vehicles a mass-market alternative
to petrol cars, after getting a $12 billion order for EVs.
Chinese-owned National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) - the
company that acquired Saab's assets, though not its name - said
it received an order for 250,000 EVs…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-autos-panda-insight-idUSKBN0UL00M20160107


How China’s Dirty Cities Are Reshaping Car Design Across World.
For global automakers, China is becoming the new California. The
U.S. state grabbed the lead a few years ago in establishing
fuel-efficiency standards to clean up urban smog. Now, as China
struggles with its air-pollution crisis, Beijing increasingly
influences the models and technology Detroit, Europe and Japan
sell around the world.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NZGXZTSYF02201-352IALPIKV15CL00R5NEJ3JJ10


VW RECALL

Volkswagen CEO to hold high-level talks in Washington on
emissions scandal. Volkswagen Chief Executive Matthias Mueller
will meet with the top U.S. environmental regulator next week for
the highest-level talks since the German automaker admitted to
using software to evade emissions requirements for 580,000 U.S.
vehicles. Mueller will meet with U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency chief Gina McCarthy…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-idUSKBN0UL1WF20160107


VW Said to Weigh Buyback of Thousands of Cars in U.S. Talks.
Volkswagen AG may buy back tens of thousands of cars with diesel
engines that can’t be easily fixed to comply with U.S. emissions
standards as part of its efforts to satisfy the demands of
regulators, according to two people familiar with the matter.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O0LUIX6K50XZ01-03OG9HMLPGQB131ND40M7UH5K5


VW Refuses to Give U.S. States Documents in Emissions Inquiries.
Citing German privacy laws, Volkswagen has refused to provide
emails or other communications among its executives to attorneys
general in the United States, impeding American investigations
into the company’s emissions-cheating scandal, according to
officials in several states.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/business/vw-refuses-to-give-us-states-documents-in-emissions-inquiries.html?_r=0

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/international/volkswagen-blasted-for-sh/2411112.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/vw-withholding-emails-states-probing-emissions-scandal-source-n492886


GREEN ENERGY

San Jose: Berryessa School District to use bond monies to go
green. Aiming to reduce its environmental footprint and invest
some of Berryessa Union School District's $77 million in
renewable energy to benefit campuses here, almost $11 million has
been allocated so far toward installing solar panels at various
school sites. In a presentation given to the board of trustees in
October 2015, Oakland-based OpTerra Energy Services…
http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-news/ci_29356074/san-jose-berryessa-school-district-use-bond-monies

Hydropower Said to Put Climate, Biodiversity at Risk. Hydropower
— often considered a renewable source of energy that is key to
meeting global climate goals — is big business in the Amazon,
Congo and Mekong river basins, where more than 450 dams are on
the drawing board. But dam building in tropical rainforests comes
at a huge cost to biodiversity and the tropical rain forest
ecosystems that provide humans with clean air and water…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/tropical-hydropower-biodiversity-climate-risk-19890?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed


MISCELLANEOUS

Brown's budget earmarks big money for natural disasters. After
one of the most destructive fire seasons in California history
and with an eye toward the increased potential effects of climate
change, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed spending more on fighting
wildfires than the state has in more than a decade. Brown’s
$170.7 billion budget proposal includes a $719 million one-time
drought package…
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-budget-drought-20160108-story.html


OPINIONS

When it comes to climate change, payback isn’t enough. Many
people argue that rich countries like the United States should
bear a greater burden for climate change mitigation than poor
countries, because rich countries have emitted more greenhouse
gases. This stance is based on the principle of corrective
justice, according to which one who wrongfully does harm must
compensate the victim.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/01/08/when-it-comes-to-climate-change-payback-isnt-enough/


Cows were symptom of global warming in Fresno. Back in 1958, when
I was 7 years old, I remember my family going to a dairy on Cedar
and Dakota avenues. We got all our milk and eggs there and their
chocolate milk was the best. They had farm animals there also for
kids to see and enjoy. I remember standing in front of a cow and
a big noise came out and the ground kinda shook.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article53397910.html#storylink=cpy


Battery-powered cars not the real solution: Letters. Dead
batteries aren’t the way to get more green. The Green Way column
touts the Chevy Volt being named the 2016 Green Car of the Year
as the No. 2 top environmental story of the year in 2015. Even
though the auto industry awarded Chevrolet this honor, it is a
laughable accolade in that it once again highlights the
distracting hype about battery-powered automotive…
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinion/20160107/battery-powered-cars-not-the-real-solution-letters


It’s Been Raining a Ton in California! Does That Mean the Drought
Is Over? If you have any friends in Los Angeles, you’ve probably
seen roughly four bazillion photos of the rain in the past week.
Because it’s been raining in L.A. Yes, that’s a big deal for the
typically dry city, and for the state, which has endured four
years of punishing drought. But does this mean that the drought
is over?
http://www.newsweek.com/its-been-raining-ton-california-does-mean-drought-over-412880?rx=us


Methane Gas Crisis: How California's Porter Ranch Became a Ghost
Town. In the winter of 2008,  a real estate column in the  Los
Angeles  Times profiled Porter Ranch, a collection of
subdivisions in the San Fernando Valley that feels utterly
removed from the huge city on whose northern edge it lies.
http://www.newsweek.com/porter-ranch-california-methane-gas-leak-crisis-412807?rx=us


Sustainability Is Not a Zero-Sum Game. A new ranking system tells
us sustainability can actually drive growth, not tamp it down.
Ever since Adam Smith wrote "The Wealth of Nations" in 1776,
politicians and economists have debated why some countries
prosper while others remain poor. Recently, the debate has become
even more heated, as national leaders tackle sustainability
issues.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2016-01-08/how-sustainability-can-drive-growth-not-prevent-it


Moorella The Solar Powered Cyborg Turns CO2 Into Something Useful
& Good. Yes, it’s a thing. Solar energy can be used to transform
the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into useful chemical products.
CleanTechnica has been following a number of these “artificial
photosynthesis” systems through the R&D phase and we just caught
wind of a new one from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/01/08/moorella-the-solar-powered-cyborg-carbon-recycler/


BLOGS

Here’s What It’s Like To Live Next To California’s Gas Blowout
Catastrophe. “This isn’t just a Porter Ranch problem -- the gas
doesn’t know borders.” Matt Pakucko was coughing. “This gas, it’s
an invisible tsunami,” he said, struggling to clear his throat.
He is a resident of the affluent Porter Ranch neighborhood's
Highlands community, closest to where an enormous volume of
natural gas is spewing from a broken well…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-methane-gas-leak_568f004de4b0cad15e644090





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