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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 21, 2016

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 12:03:05
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

EPA to finalize suite of methane rules this spring.
U.S. EPA plans to roll out a suite of rules covering methane
emissions from new oil and gas industry operations this spring as
part of a broader post-Paris climate agenda, the agency's acting
air chief said this week. But Janet McCabe indicated the agency
is not currently looking into national rules for existing
facilities, a key ask of environmentalists in the wake of the
massive methane leak from a natural gas storage facility in
Southern California.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/01/21/stories/1060030955 

ALISO CANYON

How much methane gas has been released due to the Porter Ranch
gas leak?
The Aliso Canyon natural gas leak was detected on Oct. 23, and
since then it’s plume has forced the relocation of thousands of
residents in nearby Porter Ranch. Many have said they are ill.
And others say their pets have died or have become sick. The rate
of release of methane has been steadily dropping since late
November, according to recent California Air Resources Board
data.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20160120/how-much-methane-gas-has-been-released-due-to-the-porter-ranch-gas-leak


Residents urge complete shutdown of Los Angeles facility.
Residents who live near the California natural gas storage
facility where methane has been leaking since October urged a
hearing board yesterday to impose harsh penalties against the
utility running the site. People from the affected Porter Ranch
community spoke for more than two hours at a meeting of the South
Coast Air Quality Management District's (AQMD) advisory hearing
board. The board, which operates independently, is weighing
sanctions against Southern California Gas Co.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/01/21/stories/1060030954

CLIMATE CHANGE

Bolivia’s Vanished Lake Is a Glimpse of the Future of Climate
Change.
Overturned fishing skiffs lie abandoned on the shores of what was
Bolivia’s second-largest lake. Beetles dine on bird carcasses and
gulls fight for scraps under a glaring sun in what marshes
remain. Lake Poopo was officially declared evaporated last month.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lost their livelihoods
and gone.
http://time.com/4188262/bolivias-vanished-lake-climate-change/ 

China Emissions From Coal Power Likely Fell 2% in 2015.
China’s emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide produced from
burning coal probably fell 2 percent in 2015 as a result of the
reduced use of the fossil fuel in the power sector. That equates
to 144.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions that didn’t
enter the atmosphere because of the retreat from coal, according
to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis of data from the China
Electricity Council and the National Energy Administration.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O18H346KLVR701-3BC4M9268SC3N59ES1IHIB81SS


How attitudes about global warming compare to the actual warming
of the globe.
The bars in red on the graph below are the 20 hottest years on
human record. There were hotter years, like when the Earth was
still mostly molten rock. But since mankind has had the
capability to actually measure temperatures around the world, the
20 bars below indicate the hottest years we've seen. You may
notice a pattern. Of those 20 years, 15 have been since 2001,
with 2015 setting a new record high. A goal of those seeking to
slow global warming is to keep the Earth's temperatures from
getting more than 2 degrees Celsius above the 20th century
average. The year 2015 was at 0.9 degrees above the average.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/20/how-attitudes-about-global-warming-compare-to-the-actual-warming-of-the-globe/


DROUGHT

California Drought Improves; 2015 Warmest Year On Record.
Recent storms have brought more improvement, however slight, in
the historic four-year drought in California over the past week. 
The U.S. Drought Monitor says the percentage of severe and
extreme drought was reduced in extreme northwestern California
and southwestern and south-central Oregon.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/01/21/california-drought-improves-2015-warmest-year-on-record/


California has 'a shot out of the drought' if El Niño rain
persists.
With a couple of weeks of rain and snow behind them and more on
the horizon for the Sierra Nevada in Northern California, state
water officials expressed cautious hope that this El Niño season
could lift California out of its historic drought. “The recent
rains have put us on a good trajectory to perhaps have a shot out
of the drought if it were to continue at the current rate,” said
Doug Carlson, a spokesman with the California Department of Water
Resources.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-el-nino-rain-reservoir-snowpack-averages-20160120-story.html


VEHICLES

Utility to roll out more electric vehicle charging stations.
Southern California Edison will install 1,500 charging stations
for electric vehicles under a pilot program that has received the
green-light from state regulators. If the program is a success,
the utility hopes to expand it to as many as 30,000 charging
stations throughout its 50,000-square-mile service area.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29409062/utility-roll-out-more-electric-vehicle-charging-stations


DOE announces $58M in funding for advanced vehicle technologies.
US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz used the Washington DC Auto show
as the venue to announce $58 million in funding for vehicle
technology advancements. (Earlier post.) (DE-FOA-0001384: Fiscal
Year (FY) 2016 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding
Opportunity Announcement) DOE also released a report highlighting
the successes of itsAdvanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing
(ATVM) loan program.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/01/20160121-doe58.html 

Honda to launch hydrogen fuel-cell car in California this year.
Honda Motor Co Ltd said on Thursday its hydrogen fuel cell car,
dubbed Clarity Fuel Cell, will be launched in California before
the end of 2016. The new 5-passenger sedan is expected to be
priced at around $60,000 with a monthly lease of under $500,
Honda said in a statement released at the D.C. Auto show.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-honda-clarityfuelcell-idUSKCN0UZ222?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews


Electric-Car Buyers Expect Battery Upgrades To Be Available.
With battery-electric cars now on the market for five years, and
perhaps 200,000 on U.S. roads, we now know more about how the
cars and their drivers behave in the real world than we did when
they first arrived. One learning is that an undercurrent among
some electric-car buyers that suggests they fully expect
carmakers to offer future battery upgrades that provides
significant range boosts.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101965_electric-car-buyers-expect-battery-upgrades-to-be-available


The Solar Powered Electric Car From Back In 1960 (Video).
Some electric cars use roof-mounted solar panels to provide
supplementary electric power. In fact, a solar roof seems to have
become an obligatory accessory on electric and plug-in hybrid
concept cars. But the idea of a solar-powered electric car is far
from new.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101986_the-solar-powered-electric-car-from-back-in-1960-video


MISCELLANEOUS

'Great Green Fleet' using biofuels deployed by U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Navy formally deployed its "Great Green Fleet" on
Wednesday, sending warships powered by alternative energy to
conduct operations in the Pacific three years after controversy
over the price of developing new fuels provoked a fight in
Congress. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack kicked off the deployment in a ceremony at Naval Air
Station North Island near San Diego, saying the use of biofuels
would improve the Navy's operational flexibility while boosting
the U.S. rural economy.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL2N1542H4 

BLOGS

Hydrogen Fuels Cells Could Be In Your Next Car. Watch How They
Work.
Toyota showcased its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for the mass
market, called the Mirai, at the 2016 San Francisco Auto Show
last November. “Once we extract hydrogen out of things, it’s a
limitless source of fuel,” said Chris Petschler, product
specialist at Toyota. “We don’t burn it, so it’s completely
clean.” Petschler says Toyota sees this as the fuel of the
future.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-cell_us_56a10492e4b076aadcc56fd6




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

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