What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 4, 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

Exxon Mobil reaches agreement to restart crippled Torrance FCC.
Exxon Mobil has reached an agreement with California state
regulators to restart a gasoline unit at its Torrance refinery in
Los Angeles that went out of service in February 2015 following
an explosion. The agreement with California's South Coast Air
Quality Management Board will also require Exxon to pay $5
million…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-agreement-idUSKCN0X00PJ
http://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-gets-approval-to-restart-torrance-refinery-1459671150

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0403-exxon-refinery-20160403-story.html

China’s Carbon Emissions May Have Peaked, but It’s Hazy. A year
and a half ago, negotiators from the United States persuaded the
Chinese government to commit to a deadline for reversing the
growth in greenhouse gas emissions from China. The Obama
administration portrayed the pledge as a major victory because
China produces more of the gases that cause global warming than
any other country…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/world/asia/china-climate-change-peak-carbon-emissions.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAir%20Pollution&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0


Over protests, South Coast Air Quality Management District hires
industry consultant as executive. Over strong objections from
environmentalists, the Southland's air quality board continued
its shift toward more business-friendly regulation Friday by
choosing an industry consultant as its new executive. The South
Coast Air Quality Management District board voted unanimously in
closed session…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-air-board-appoint-20160401-story.html

http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/04/02/air-quality-officials-appointment-angers-environmentalists/


It's not so smoggy for air board, as most live where the skies
are cleaner.  As Southern California continues to battle the
nation’s worst smog, most members of a powerful regional panel
that enforces air pollution regulations can breathe relatively
easily. Nine of the 13 members of the South Coast Air Quality
Management District live…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/air-710688-board-ozone.html

How Mexico City plans to fight air pollution. To fight high air
pollution levels in Mexico City, the city plans to implement a
car-driving ban from April 5 to June 30. Under the city’s new
program announced Wednesday, all privately owned cars must remain
off streets one day per week as well as one additional Saturday
per month.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mexico-city-plans-fight-air-pollution-202919849.html


EPA science panel punts on biomass guidance. U.S. EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy told her agency's independent science
board Friday morning, "When you speak as a group, it matters."
"Your decisions have real staying power because you teach us how
peer review works and why it works and why it is so essential…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/04/stories/1060034990
 
CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Warming Linked to Public Health Risks, White House Says.
Global warming could lead to an increase in allergies and asthma,
deaths by extreme heat and the proliferation of insect-borne
diseases, such as West Nile virus, according to a scientific
report released Monday by the White House. The conclusions of the
report on the health effects of climate change in the United
States…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/us/politics/climate-change-health-risks.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGlobal%20Warming&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

http://time.com/4280796/white-house-climate-change-public-health/

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/04/climate-change-public-health-threat-white-house-report


NASA Is Facing a Climate Change Countdown. Kennedy Space Center
and other NASA facilities near coastlines are facing the prospect
of continually rising waters. The concrete block perches absurdly
atop a piling, elevated about 10 feet above the beach sand. Is it
art? A bulky milepost? Carlton Hall pointed to the puzzling
object and explained that it was once a tie-down block for
securing structures like antenna towers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/science/nasa-is-facing-a-climate-change-countdown.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGlobal%20Warming&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection


New Consumers Union Report Finds California’s Clean
Transportation Policies Provide Net Savings for Consumers. 
California households are likely to save up to $1,530 each year
by 2030 from clean transportation policies, according to a new
report from Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of
Consumer Reports. The report, conducted by ICF International,
analyzes the consumer impacts of California’s primary policies to
lower carbon emissions from the transportation sector…
http://consumersunion.org/news/report-california-clean_transportation-policies-provide-net-savings-for-consumers/


Massive carbon capture investment 'needed to slow global warming'
Carbon disposal technologies are needed because incremental
emissions cuts are not enough to fight climate change, says
Oxford University climate scientist. Combating climate change
successfully will require massive investments in technologies to
capture and store carbon dioxide, new research has found.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/04/massive-carbon-capture-investment-needed-to-slow-global-warming


Climate change is for, and against, the birds, say scientists.  A
new study shows that climate change is linked to population
increases of some bird species and declines of others. Use of the
phrase "going south for the winter" may soon dwindle, along with
disadvantaged southern bird populations. Research published
Friday in the journal Science shows a far-reaching link between
climate change…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0404/Climate-change-is-for-and-against-the-birds-say-scientists


EPA and its allies warn of 'monumental' climate threat. From heat
waves to wildfires to floods, U.S. EPA and its allies last week
painted a dire picture of climate change impacts that they say
justify the survival of the Clean Power Plan. EPA described
greenhouse gas emissions as "a monumental threat" in court
filings defending President Obama's signature climate rule for
the nation's power sector.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/04/stories/1060035012 

Another Paris climate expert leaves government. The State
Department lost another top member of its Paris negotiating team
last week with the departure of senior adviser and India
counselor Andrew Light. Light was a top adviser to former U.S.
Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern, who stepped down
last week.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/04/stories/1060034975 

DROUGHT

No, California's drought isn't over. Here's why easing the
drought rules would be a big mistake. On March 23, the San Juan
Water District, which serves upper-crust residential estates in
the Sacramento area, declared that the drought is over. After
months of El Niño rainfall, Folsom Lake, the district's chief
water source, had become so full that excess water was being
released over Folsom Dam.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-drought-20160404-snap-htmlstory.html


Drought-stricken California ponders future of conservation.
Taking a regional approach to saving water in California's
drought, state regulators suggest relaxing or dropping
conservation orders for El Nino-soaked Northern Californians,
while keeping in place strict rules for residents of drier
Southern California. Officials on Monday will launch a discussion
about the best approach to saving water…
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_29722582/drought-stricken-california-ponders-future-conservation?source=rss

Conditions nursing drought happening more often – study.
Conditions similar to those that caused California's historic
drought are happening more frequently, a Stanford University
study released Friday said. Extreme weather has a link to
anomalies in atmospheric circulation, the research published in
the journal Science Advances said. Those climate extremes range
from "localized flash flooding caused by single-day slow-moving…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/04/stories/1060034991 

FUELS

Housing vs. oil wells: In Orange County, it's increasingly
leading to tension. During recess at one of Orange County’s newer
public schools, Brea’s 4-year-old Olinda Elementary, children
play just yards away from a creaky, nodding oil well pumper. Only
a see-through chain-link fence stands between the playground
serving 700 students and a roughly 70-acre oil field dotted with
dozens of pumpjacks.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/oil-710663-school-california.html


Hybrid system could cut coal-plant emissions in half. Most of the
world’s nations have agreed to make substantial reductions in
their greenhouse gas emissions, but achieving these goals is
still a considerable technological, economic, and political
challenge. The International Energy Agency has projected that,
even with the new agreements in place, global coal-fired power
generation…
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/latest-news/8562-hybrid-system-could-cut-coal-plant-emissions-in-half.html

VEHICLES

New York adds electric-car purchase incentives, Minnesota may
follow. Purchase incentives have proven to be a powerful tool for
electric-car adoption in those states that offer them. And now it
seems two more states may be ready to join that group. New York
has just added budget provisions for an electric-car incentive
program during the upcoming fiscal year…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103220_new-york-adds-electric-car-purchase-incentives-minnesota-may-follow


VW RECALL

Volkswagen Reaches Out to U.S. Dealers, Vows to ‘Redefine’
Tarnished Brand.
VW plans to boost production for U.S. supply. Volkswagen AG’s
management extended an olive branch to car dealers hit hard by
the German auto giant’s emissions-testing scandal. Much of what
dealers wanted to hear, however, went unsaid. Herbert Diess, head
of the Volkswagen passenger-car brand, met with hundreds of
dealers…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-vows-to-redefine-tarnished-brand-in-u-s-1459620309
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-02/volkswagen-reassures-u-s-dealers-on-commitment-to-mass-market


GREEN ENERGY

Solar farm developers target New York with lease offers. Less
than a year after New York banned fracking, dashing the hopes of
farmers who had hoped to reap royalties from natural gas leases,
the commercial solar industry is courting landowners for energy
production. Buoyed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's renewable
energy plan and the extension of the 30 percent federal tax
credit in December…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LEASING_FARMLAND_SOLAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.wsj.com/articles/APb12ab3f5300b4b66a0a50e35de280ff1 
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article69720207.html#storylink=cpy
 
In race to improve batteries, nanotechnology provides hope. In
the global race to create more efficient and long-lasting
batteries, some are betting on nanotechnology - the use of
minuscule parts - as the most likely to yield a breakthrough.
Improving batteries' performance is key to the development and
success of many much-hyped technologies, from solar and wind
energy to electric cars.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BATTERIES_NANOTECHNOLOGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 

From Silicon Valley to Main St, firms say SunEdison owes money.
Businesses ranging from Silicon Valley venture capitalists to a
small Massachusetts solar installer say they are owed money by
SunEdison Inc, underscoring the breadth of a breakneck expansion
seen contributing to the solar and wind energy company's
financial woes.
http://www.reuters.com/article/sunedison-inc-lawsuits-idUSL2N17604J?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews
 

UPDATE 2-TerraForm Global gets more time to file annual report.
TerraForm Global Inc., a unit of troubled U.S. solar energy
company SunEdison Inc, said on Monday its lenders had agreed to a
one-month extension to file its annual report, after the company
missed a March 30 deadline. Shares of the company, which also
disclosed that it had ended a deal to buy a hydro-electric power
plant, fell 6.8 percent to…
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N1772LU   

The Three Green Energy Taxes That Hurt Tata's U.K. Steel Unit.
The U.K.’s steel crisis -- worsened by Tata Steel Ltd.’s decision
to sell its plant in Port Talbot, South Wales -- has been
exacerbated by three green taxes that the government implemented
to boost clean energy, according to the manufacturers’
association EEF. 
The three levies are the Carbon Price Floor, Renewables
Obligation and Feed-In Tariff policies.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-02/the-three-green-energy-taxes-that-hurt-tata-s-u-k-steel-unit


Meet the Next 'Supermajors' of Renewable Energy.  More than a
decade after the birth of the modern renewable energy industry,
solar and wind await their John D. Rockefeller. Clean power
remains a tumultuous and fragmented business, crowded with
companies grabbing for slices of an emerging market that aspires
to reshape how the world meets its energy needs.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2016/04/meet-the-next-supermajors-of-renewable-energy.html


Uno-X Hydrogen to build 1st hydrogen refueling station w/
hydrogen produced by surplus renewable energy from neighboring
building. Uno-X Hydrogen AS, a NEL ASA (NEL) joint venture, will
build a hydrogen refueling station (HRS) with on-site hydrogen
production co-located with Powerhouse Kjørbo, an energy-positive
office building in Sandvika, Norway. Powerhouse Kjørbo, which is
owned by Entra ASA, uses solar panels…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/04/20160404-iunox.html

OPINIONS

A Renewable Energy Boom. Some world leaders, especially in
developing countries like India, have long said it’s hard to
reduce the emissions that are warming the planet because they
need to use relatively inexpensive — but highly carbon-intensive
— fuels like coal to keep energy affordable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/opinion/a-renewable-energy-boom.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGlobal%20Warming&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection


Want to fight global warming? Forget fuel economy standards and
focus on land use. Having led and won the fight in the 1960s and
‘70s to reduce air pollution from automobiles, California's road
regulators turned their sights on a more ambitious goal: curbing
global warming at the tailpipe through fuel-economy standards.
But powerful evidence shows that these standards are costly…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0404-furth-fuel-economy-standards-20160404-story.html


Dead lawn, a year later. The drought. It’s over, it’s not over,
it may never be over. All I know is that our water bill for the
past two months was under $25, says Cheryl, the bill payer. This
is a low for modern times. From here it goes up. Hundreds of
dollars up. Last spring when all of California was in a drought
panic after four years of…
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/real-napa/columnists/kevin-courtney/dead-lawn-a-year-later/article_df1b9161-9a5a-5f7e-9f59-78a908940e44.html
 

New Reports Show Significant Consumer Savings from California
Climate Policies. For decades now, the principal argument against
taking action to mitigate climate change is that we can’t afford
it. While this narrative has always distorted the truth relative
to the costs of inaction (what we truly can’t afford), it is
seized on time and again by the fossil fuel industry and their
political allies to…
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/alex-jackson/new-reports-show-significant-consumer-savings-california-climate-policies
 
BLOGS

Carbon farming is a zero-risk strategy for curbing climate
change. Now that 195 nations, including the U.S., have agreed to
ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions to slow the pace of
climate change, the question everyone is asking is: How will we
actually meet our targets set for 2035? Given past performance,
many don't think we will get there without so-called
"geoengineering" solutions…
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/275050-carbon-farming-is-a-zero-risk-strategy-for-curbing




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