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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 22, 2016.
Posted: 22 Feb 2016 14:08:00
ARB Newsclips for February 22, 2016. 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 China's smoggy capital to double air monitoring stations. China's smoggy capital will almost double the number of air monitoring stations to give a better idea about the true state of the city's air quality, Xinhua state news agency said on Monday. An extra 30 stations will be added to the 35 already in operation in places like schools… http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3N1613DX Beijing to Raise Threshold on Red Alerts for Smog. The first red alert over air pollution in the Chinese capital almost brought this city to a standstill in December, with schools shut, construction halted and driving restricted. Now, in a swift policy shift, Beijing plans to issue a red alert based on higher thresholds, despite government pledges to better address the toxic air. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/asia/beijing-smog-alerts.html?smtyp=cur&_r=0 295,000 US deaths may be prevented by 2030 with cuts to greenhouse gas. New paper finds that Americans who would otherwise die from lung cancer, heart attacks or respiratory diseases would be saved by reduction in air pollution. America’s international climate obligations carry a significant public health benefit, with new research finding that about 295,000 premature deaths could be prevented in the country by 2030… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/22/us-deaths-greenhouse-gas-295000-emission-cuts-climate-change The silent killer in your home: Scented candles and air fresheners 'are adding to pollution that kills 40,000 people a year in UK'. Lives are being put at risk from air pollution inside homes caused by everything from boiler fumes to air fresheners and scented candles, it has been claimed. The warning comes from a joint study by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health to be published this week. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3457368/Air-fresheners-scented-candles-blame-pollution-home-kills-40-000-year.html#ixzz40vc5Cnbm India's smog levels now surpass China's – study. When expats complain about toxic smog in China, the reply is often, "Wait until you go to India." That reply has long been viewed as self-comforting in China, where face masks to ward off the smog in places like Beijing are commonplace. Now a study released today by Greenpeace shows that in 2015, the average Indian citizen for the first time… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/22/stories/1060032731 ALISO CANYON The Aliso Canyon gas leak has been plugged; now what? The well failure at Southern California Gas Co.'s huge Aliso Canyon storage facility is evoking the worst of energy fears: snuffed-out pilot lights, rolling blackouts and a system too unreliable for the modern age. Now that the utility has plugged the leak that began Oct. 23, fouling the air with natural gas and methane… http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aliso-canyon-reliability-20160222-story.html Los Angeles to immediately hire ‘petroleum administrator’ to oversee oil and gas production. The Los Angeles City Council instructed city staffers today to immediately hire a petroleum administrator position on a full- time basis to oversee all oil and gas production activity in the city. The move comes in the wake of the gas leak near Porter Ranch and complaints by South Los Angeles... http://www.dailynews.com/business/20160217/los-angeles-to-immediately-hire-petroleum-administrator-to-oversee-oil-and-gas-production SoCalGas fights against reporting amount of massive Porter Ranch gas leak. The Southern California Gas Co. is fighting potential state rules that would require it to report how much methane it lost in the catastrophic leak that spewed greenhouse gases into the air above Porter Ranch. In a filing with the state Public Utilities Commission last week, an attorney representing the Gas Co… http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/environment-and-nature/20160221/socalgas-fights-against-reporting-amount-of-massive-porter-ranch-gas-leak CLIMATE CHANGE Science confirms it: Denial of climate change is all about the politics. Dozens of surveys and studies have attempted to figure out which factors most heavily influence individuals’ beliefs about climate change and their support for climate-friendly policies. But because there have been so many published recently, scientists argue that it’s been difficult to keep up with the overall trends these studies have been revealing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/02/22/science-confirms-it-denial-of-climate-change-is-all-about-the-politics/ Rainforests May Store Less Carbon As Climate Changes. Humans appear to be delivering one-two punches to tropical rainforests, with new research projecting that climate change will reshape how the ecosystems recover following logging. Scientists simulated how different trees in tropical rainforests will respond to prolonged droughts triggered by climate change… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/tropical-forests-store-less-carbon-climate-changes-20052?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed Why Science Teachers Are Struggling With Climate Change. Many middle and high school science teachers are getting climate change wrong. That's according to the results of a new, national teacher survey backed by the National Center for Science Education and published in the journal Science. Before we get to those results, a quick, climate science refresher is in order. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/19/467206769/why-science-teachers-are-struggling-with-climate-change After the stay: Where all 50 states stand. Eighteen states challenging the legality of U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan have halted planning discussions following the Supreme Court decision to stay the regulation, according to a review by E&E staff. Of the 47 states affected by the rule, nine are weighing whether to stop preparing or perhaps slow down now that they may have an extra year and a half to work out plans. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/22/stories/1060032728 American GHG production rose 0.9% in 2014 – EPA. Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increased 0.9 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to a draft U.S. EPA inventory published today. In 2014, greenhouse gas emissions were 6,872.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, EPA found. Since 1990, the nation's greenhouse gas emissions have increased 7.7 percent… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/02/22/stories/1060032752 Who will be the next U.N. climate chief? Christiana Figueres' announcement that she will step down this summer as head of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change has sparked speculation about who might fill her shoes and help set the Paris climate agreement in motion. The coming months will see countries nominate potential replacements for Figueres, to be vetted… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/22/stories/1060032730 DROUGHT A dry future weighs heavy on California agriculture. Something’s got to give in Central Valley farming. The only question is what. On a hot summer afternoon, California farmer Chris Hurd barrels down a country road through the Central Valley city of Firebaugh, his dog Frank riding in the truck bed. He lurches to a stop in front of Oro Loma Elementary School, which was built in the 1950s to accommodate an influx of farmers’ and farmworkers’ children. http://www.hcn.org/issues/48.3/a-dry-future-weighs-heavy-on-california-agriculture FUELS Sacramento-area gas prices fall to lowest level since late 2008. Sacramento-area gasoline prices fell another 3 cents over the past week to an average $2.08 a gallon, the lowest level since the recessionary period of late 2008. On Monday, national fuel price tracker GasBuddy.com said the current average retail price of gas in the area was nearly 36 cents lower than one month ago. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article61759077.html#storylink=cpy BLM leasing plan ignores fracking's impact -- enviros Environmental lawyers are urging a federal court to block the Obama administration from moving forward on an oil and gas leasing plan in central California until the Bureau of Land Management reviews the environmental impacts more closely. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/02/22/stories/1060032685 VEHICLES LG Chem to supply batteries for Chrysler's minivan. South Korea's LG Chem said on Monday it will supply electric vehicle batteries to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV from late this year and that the orders were worth hundreds of millions of dollars. LG Chem said it will produce batteries for the plug-in hybrid version of Chrysler Pacifica minivans at its factory in Michigan. http://www.reuters.com/article/lg-chem-chrysler-idUSL3N161089?feedType=RSS&feedName=marketsNews Mercedes To Make Executives Drive Plug-In Hybrids Or Electric Cars. As Mercedes-Benz launches a barrage of plug-in electric cars, parent company Daimler is getting executives to practice what they preach. In the near future, executives at Daimler's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, will be required to choose either electric cars or plug-in hybrids as their company cars. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102471_mercedes-to-make-executives-drive-plug-in-hybrids-or-electric-cars Volkswagen Teases Affordable Compact Crossover SUV Concept For Geneva. Volkswagen has released some limited shots of a concept-vehicle debut for the upcoming 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The concept is almost certainly a refined version of the Golf-sized crossover utility vehicle… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102467_volkswagen-teases-affordable-compact-crossover-suv-concept-for-geneva VW RECALL VW May Be Forced to Clean the Air Its Diesel Cars Polluted. Volkswagen AG may have to do more than fix half-a-million cars implicated in an emissions-cheating scandal: It also could be forced to undo the environmental damage. Environmental and consumer groups are pushing the federal government to consider a long list of possible reparations, from a VW-funded program to build the infrastructure to power electric cars to high fines to cleaning up five times… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O2GJ3F6JTSEF01-0JFSUCD6VKKIH0JDP9DCVA9AL1 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Change in bullet train construction plans will delay rail line's arrival in Southern California. Facing high construction costs and political opposition in Southern California, the state has decided to build the first 250-mile section of the California bullet train from the Kern County line to San Jose instead of Fresno to Burbank. The reversal by the California High-Speed Rail Authority would delay… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-route-20160219-story.html Bullet train to start in north, but plan calls for $2 billion for LA region. Computer-generated image of what California's high-speed train could look like. While construction of the controversial San Francisco to Los Angeles bullet train project won't start in Southern California as previously envisioned, a revised schedule does include $2 billion for local rail improvements. http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/02/22/57773/bullet-train-to-start-in-north-but-plan-calls-for/ LUMBER LIQUIDATORS CDC: Elevated cancer risk in Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring. Certain types of laminate flooring made by Lumber Liquidators (LL) have a greater risk of causing cancer or other health problems than previously believed, U.S. health regulators said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that exposure to formaldehyde in the flooring was greater than… http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/02/22/lumber-liquidators-cancer-risk-cdc/80724770/ Lumber Liquidators shares sink as revised CDC report indicates it underestimated cancer risk from exposure to certain flooring. Lumber Liquidators' stock plunged Monday as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says people exposed to certain types of the company's laminate flooring were three times more likely to get cancer than the agency previously predicted. http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-02-22/lumber-liquidators-falls-in-premarket-on-revised-cdc-report “Lumber Liquidators” update- VIDEO. Anderson Cooper gives an update on the 60 Minutes report "Lumber Liquidators," about how the leading hardwood retailer in the country sold Chinese-made laminate flooring that did not meet U.S. health and safety standards. http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/lumber-liquidators-update-2/ GREEN ENERGY Gamesa to issue new shares for wind venture with Siemens. Spanish wind turbines maker Gamesa plans to issue new shares to German industrial group Siemens to merge their wind power interests into a new company, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Monday. But Siemens wants to avoid making a full takeover offer for Gamesa and so they plan… http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1612IT U.S. Solar Surged 17% in 2015 Led by Demand for Rooftop Power. Solar power developers added a record 7.3 gigawatts of capacity in the U.S. last year, up 17 percent from 2014 and surpassing natural gas installations for the first time. Residential installations climbed 66 percent, the fastest- growing segment, and accounted for 29 percent of all photovoltaic systems… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O2T2PCSYF01U01-7MB5QUKI9LH50C81IBD8BT3PUV http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/22/stories/1060032723 OPINIONS Those Bubbles in Your Soda May Someday Help Save the Planet. Climeworks AG is not the first company to figure out how to suck carbon dioxide out of the air. It may become the first to make money from it at an industrial scale. The Swiss company plans to remove 1,000 metric tons a year of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere when its first commercial plant starts… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O2N5C86JTSEU01-0DF1G45TNO30EJML5FPUT7EK35 The country with the worst air pollution is not the one you’re thinking of. It’s a never-ending debate in Asia -- whose air quality is worse, China’s or India’s? A new study by Greenpeace released Monday is trying to answer that question. Analysts looked at NASA satellite images and found that measurements of particulate matter… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/02/22/which-county-has-worse-air-china-or-india/ Dan Walters: Big issues still dog fast train. The low-speed effort to build a high-speed rail system is switching tracks again. The previous “business plan” envisioned initially linking the San Joaquin Valley – where preliminary construction is already underway – to Los Angeles. A revised version, released last week, shifts to first connecting the valley with the San Francisco Bay Area… http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article61510942.html#storylink=cpy High-speed rail detour is smart, if tricky politically. For all of the lawsuits, delays and debate over California’s high-speed rail project, truly getting it rolling has always come down to a tug-of-war between the laws of politics and the laws of engineering. For now, the laws of engineering seem to have the upper hand. The California High-Speed Rail Authority last week released a new business plan… http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article61457937.html#storylink=cpy New carbon fee makes sense. Re “Governor sees political potential for carbon tax in California” (The Buzz, Feb. 17): Gov. Jerry Brown’s idea of a revenue neutral carbon fee is a great idea. With gasoline prices so low, a revenue-neutral carbon fee would barely get gasoline prices back up to what they were. And the money from this fee would go back to citizens, so it is not a tax at all. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article61456412.html#storylink=cpy Good news for thirsty state. The rainfall across Southern California last week only slightly alleviated the record drought, but was welcome nonetheless. The same can be said of a new federal drought-relief bill, S.2533, introduced this month by the state's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein. “This bill won't be everything for everyone,” she explained in a statement. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bill-365558-ocprint-water-california.html BLOGS Why Lumber Liquidators Stock Is Tanking. Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc.'s LL -16.73% stock is taking another beating Monday. Its shares fell more than 20% to $11.23 Monday after a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that some of the firm’s laminate flooring have greater risks of cancer associated with exposure to them than the agency had originally told the public. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/02/22/why-lumber-liquidators-stock-is-tanking/ With Clean Power Plan paused, EPA should consider biomass developments. While many believe the Supreme Court’s decision to stop President Obama’s Clean Power Plan was a blow to meeting carbon emission standards, a window may have opened for a new form of biomass as a cost-effective, viable option to reach sustainability goals. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/270039-with-clean-power-plan-paused-epa-should-consider CA Legislature Wrestles With How Best to Invest Climate Funds. As the California legislative session revs up, several committees have been holding oversight hearings on the state’s cap-and-trade system. Last week, the Senate Environmental Quality and the Select Committee on Climate Change and AB 32 Implementation held a joint hearing… http://cal.streetsblog.org/2016/02/19/ca-legislature-wrestles-with-how-best-to-invest-climate-funds/ Sea level is now rising at its fastest rate in nearly 3,000 years. Sea level rise is one of the most worrisome and visible ramifications of global warming. New research published on Monday shows the startling present-day impacts of global warming-related sea level rise. It also demonstrates the potential for the situation to get much, much worse if emissions of global warming pollutants are not curtailed. http://mashable.com/2016/02/22/manmade-sea-level-rise-flooding/#N6tMJRfMXiqX California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.