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ARB Newsclips for March 30, 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

Air board may replace ousted leader with an industry consultant
with EPA experience. The top candidate to lead Southern
California's air quality agency is a former U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency official who now works as a consultant to
industry, The Times has learned. The South Coast Air Quality
Management District board could appoint Wayne Nastri as early as
Friday…
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-air-board-executive-20160330-story.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Exxon Climate Science Probe Expands as New York Gains Allies.
Massachusetts became the latest state investigating whether Exxon
Mobil Corp. misled investors and the public about how climate
change may affect its business. News of the state’s probe came as
part of a larger announcement on Tuesday by attorneys general
from California to New York who are joining forces to fight
global warming…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O4SV39SYF02201-4N08AL7OA7GLV6853BBO3OB1BH


US States Form Coalition to Combat Climate Change, Fraud. Top law
enforcement officials from states around the nation have banded
together to protect progress on climate change by taking on the
fossil fuel industry. Democratic attorneys general from 15
states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands joined with…
http://www.voanews.com/content/us-states-coalition-combat-climate-change-fraud/3260276.html


Global warming could cause sea-levels to rise by 50ft by 2500.
The melting of the Antarctic Ice sheet could raise the oceans by
over three feet by the end of this century - double the previous
estimates, a study warned. And its collapse could lead to an
increase of almost FIFTY FEET by 2500. The 500 year model showed
it will contribute over 15 metres (49.2ft)…
http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Global-warming-cause-sea-levels-rise-50ft-2500/story-29020881-detail/story.html#ixzz44PHOw1RF


'Tipping point' seen for climate risk disclosures. Investors,
environmentalists and regulators looking for good information on
businesses' exposure to the risks of climate change are not
finding it. Companies are not accurately disclosing their
liability to the changing environment, regulations or legal
sphere, experts said yesterday.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034788

EPA allies join forces to defend climate rule.  An army of U.S.
EPA allies stood behind the agency's landmark Clean Power Plan
yesterday, fending off arguments from industry and states trying
to trounce it. Attacks against the rule are part of an effort to
block EPA from reducing pollution from even the largest sources,
a coalition of environmental and public health groups told the
U.S. Court of Appeals…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034784 

The man who discovered climate change finally gets his due. The
blizzard lashed at the men digging out a giant red bus-tank
hybrid out of snowdrifts on the Antarctic Peninsula. The whiteout
lasted 10 days, and by the end, 23-year-old glaciologist Claude
Lorius felt a decade older, he said in "Ice and the Sky," a new
documentary on his life that will soon be released in the United
States.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034791 

NGO: Poor should take 'wait and see' approach to climate deal. A
Malaysian advocacy group is urging poor countries to skip a
signing ceremony for the landmark Paris climate agreement in New
York next month. The Third World Network is circulating a memo
urging developing countries not to "rush" to sign onto the deal…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034790 

DROUGHT

Yosemite transformed by El Niño as snow falls and the drought
recedes, at least for now. The depth of the snowpack that
supplies the Merced River was less than 12% of normal, an
unprecedented low that was causing small streams to dwindle and
flowers and plants to bloom early. Snow was in short supply,
except for at the highest elevations. The Yosemite Valley
typically gets 37 inches of rain; but last year…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yosemite-transformed-by-el-nino-20160329-htmlstory.html


Unimpressive El Niño leaves California in water limbo. The rain
storms and blizzards that were supposed to come with El Niño were
conspicuously non-biblical in California this winter, leaving the
state in an ecological limbo that has regulators thinking about
easing water-use restrictions in some places but not in others.
While the weather cheered ski resorts hit hard by the historic
drought…
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Unimpressive-El-Ni-o-leaves-California-in-water-7216166.php?t=67d1659392f294ee0d&cmpid=twitter-premium

California drought rules likely to be relaxed. With the wettest
winter in five years having taken the hard edges off the historic
drought and a key Sierra snowpack reading Wednesday expected to
show big gains, Californians can look forward to substantial
relief from mandatory statewide water restrictions. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_29700280/california-drought-rules-likely-be-relaxed

Historic drought in southern Africa is getting worse. El Niño's
mark of destruction is stark in southern Africa, where tens of
thousands of cattle have died and millions of people face food
shortages from drought. Though El Niño has now passed its peak,
the region has yet to feel the full brunt of the system's
devastation, according to experts.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034786

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Mexico's efforts to cut truck pollution stalled. 
Environmentalists are urging Mexico to update its vehicle
emissions standard to meet its international pledges to fight
climate change and prevent air pollution. The country has been
weighing a proposal to tighten its emissions limits for
heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses since December 2014.
The update would align Mexico's regulations with those in the
United States, Canada and Europe.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034785 

FUELS

Quakes from fracking on the rise in Canada.  While man-made
earthquakes in the central United States have been linked to
disposal of drilling wastewater, a new paper links a growing
pattern of quakes in western Canada to the specific practice of
hydraulic fracturing. A team of scientists from Canadian
universities and government agencies compared earthquakes in a
broad swath of western Canada to "fracked" oil and gas…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034760 

EPA launches voluntary program ahead of stricter rules. U.S. EPA
is launching its latest voluntary program today to cut methane
emissions from the oil and gas industry even as the agency moves
forward with mandatory methane controls across the sector.  "The
Methane Challenge Program will move us closer to meeting national
emissions reduction goals.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034789 

VW RECALL

Volkswagen’s Quality Issues Widen With Latest Recalls. The car
maker is recalling e-Golf cars sold in the U.S. as well as more
than 800,000 SUVs. Volkswagen AG, still struggling to reach a
deal with U.S. environmental authorities to fix nearly 600,000
tainted diesel-powered cars, could also be facing wider quality
issues across a broad range of models in addition to its
emissions-cheating scandal.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagens-quality-issues-widen-with-latest-recalls-1459256441


GREEN ENERGY

INTERVIEW-Mexico power rates must rise to spur solar
growth-SunPower CEO
Industrial power rates in Mexico will need to rise by as much as
20 percent to achieve significant future growth in solar
electricity generation, the chief executive of panel manufacturer
SunPower Corp said. Government-set power rates have been cut in
the past few years as Mexico transitions to cheaper natural gas
as the main input...
http://in.reuters.com/article/mexico-solar-sunpower-idINL2N17120I


Mexico Takes Stride in New Wholesale Power Market.
First-of-its-kind auction expected to lower energy costs,
contribute to meeting country’s environmental goals. Mexico’s
newly created electricity wholesale market got a boost Tuesday as
the state-owned utility secured long-term supply of clean energy
from generators participating in the first auction of its kind,
one that is expected to lower energy…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/mexico-takes-stride-in-new-wholesale-power-market-1459292249
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2016/03/mexico-first-power-auction-awards-1-720-mw-of-wind-solar.html
 

China’s State Grid Envisions Global Wind-and-Sun Power Network.
Chairman says network could be running by 2050; concern over
vulnerabilities could weigh on interest. China’s State Grid Corp.
already dominates its home market, operating most of the
electricity grid that powers the world’s second-largest economy.
Now it has big plans for the world: a $50 trillion global power
network that harnesses Arctic winds and…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-state-grid-envisions-global-wind-and-sun-power-network-1459348941


Nevada power plant first in world with solar-geothermal mix.
Nevada’s governor, the premier of Italy and the director of the
U.S. Energy Department’s renewable energy labs on Tuesday
formally dedicated the final piece of the only hybrid power plant
in the world producing renewable energy by combining geothermal
with two kinds of solar power.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/italian-leader-helps-dedicate-unique-nevada-geothermal-plant/2016/03/29/26eb0bc0-f5db-11e5-958d-d038dac6e718_story.html


SunEdison stock dives 55% amid reports of SEC probe and possible
bankruptcy filing. SunEdison Inc., a leading solar-power company
saddled with nearly $10 billion of long-term debt, is at risk of
filing for bankruptcy protection, one of SunEdison’s affiliates
said Tuesday. SunEdison also reportedly is being investigated by
the Securities and Exchange Commission over whether the company…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sunedison-probe-20160329-story.html

EDF Renewable Energy Leads Wind Energy In US In 2015. Independent
US power producer EDF Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of EDF
Energies Nouvelles, revealed it led the US in terms of new wind
energy capacity additions in 2015. EDF-1EDF Renewable Energy
announced earlier this month that it lead the way in the US wind
energy market…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/30/edf-renewable-energy-leads-wind-energy-us-2015/
 

US Wind Sector Saved Public Health Sector $7.3 Billion In 2015.
The US wind sector helped the US avoid $7.3 billion in health
costs in 2015 by displacing an 
estimated 282,000 metric tonnes of health-harming pollutants.
This, according to the forthcoming US wind industry market
report, set to be released by the American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA) on April 12.
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/30/us-wind-sector-saved-public-health-sector-7-3-billion-2015/


Putting A Price On Home Energy Efficiency. Buying a house is an
exciting part of life, the start of a new chapter, and
frankly…freakin’ scary! Typically that’s not because of any
spooky creatures but because of the massive mortgage that people
usually take on to afford one, the number of things that can go
wrong, and unforeseen financial burdens that these ‘money pits’
can become.
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/30/putting-price-home-energy-efficiency/


Edison International to start energy consultancy.  Edison
International unveiled a new consulting subsidiary yesterday to
help large corporations control and modify their energy use. The
new business, Edison Energy, was formed to concentrate on
individual company needs in terms of energy efficiency, energy
security and clean energy goals, according to company President
Allan Schurr.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/03/30/stories/1060034783 

OPINIONS

China Air Quality Study Has Good News and Bad News. You’re moving
to China with your family, and you’re excited but also concerned:
What might the country’s notorious smog do to your and your
children’s lungs? Here’s how you can feel the fear and move to
China anyway, while minimizing your health risks: Relocate to
Guangzhou, the capital of the southern province of Guangdong,
near Hong Kong.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/world/asia/china-air-pollution-beijing-shanghai-guangzhou.html


Climate Change – Speeding Past the Stop Signs. There’s been a
tendency in the media and in the international community to
assume that with the Paris agreement this past December, the
world is well on its way to dealing with the problem of climate
change.  In fact, the agreement was woefully inadequate, allowing
for an increase of 3.5 C or more, and recent data suggests it’s
only gotten worse since the agreement was signed.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/03/30/climate-change-speeding-past-stop-signs




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