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ARB Newsclips for April 13, 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

Environmental groups sue over pollution from airliners.  A
coalition of environmental groups sued federal regulators Tuesday
over long-sought pollution standards for airliners and cargo
planes. The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the
Earth filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington. The
groups allege the Environmental Protection Agency has
unreasonably delayed for years using the Clean Air Act…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/APFN_US_AIRPLANES_POLLUTION_LAWSUIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Navy to require climate change reporting from vendors. The U.S.
Navy on Tuesday became the first branch of the U.S. military -
the world's single-largest user of fossil fuels - to say it will
start requiring big vendors to report their output of
climate-changing greenhouse gases and work to lower it. "We've
got skin in this game," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told a Silicon
Valley conference on tech, government and climate change…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE_US_NAVY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Drop in air pollution tied to better breathing among kids. Air
quality improvements in southern California are tied to
improvements in the respiratory health of children in that area,
according to a new study. While the researchers can't say for
sure that cleaner air caused kids' breathing to improve, they
believe their findings strongly support that theory.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-pollution-breathing-idUSKCN0X92OY


State unveils strategy to slash methane, heavy climate
pollutants. California regulators yesterday issued a sweeping
plan to deal with some of the biggest contributors to global
warming. The California Air Resources Board released a plan to
reduce emissions from short-lived climate pollutants 40 to 50
percent by 2030. It targets substances that stay in the
atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide but play…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/13/stories/1060035518 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Political storm clouds outlook for Brazil's climate change plan. 
As at least 130 countries prepare to sign the Paris climate
agreement in New York later this month, environmental experts
have warned that enthusiasm for climate change action may be
waning in Brazil. The political and economic crises now rocking
the Latin American heavyweight could undermine the key role
played…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-climatechange-politics-idUSKCN0X919R


Investors with $6 trillion in assets back ExxonMobil climate
change resolution: UK Church fund. Institutions managing $6
trillion in assets plan to back a call for U.S. oil major
ExxonMobil to disclose the impact of climate change policy on its
business, one of the organizers of the vote said On Tuesday. The
Church Commissioners for England, which co-filed the shareholder…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-investors-exxon-mobil-climatechange-idUSKCN0X90J9


Expectations Rise for La Niña, Cooler Sister to El Niño Weather.
The phenomenon occurs when easterly trade winds strengthen,
cooling water across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. Exit
El Niño: Enter La Niña? Government forecasters in Japan and
Australia have this week strengthened their assessment that a La
Niña weather pattern will hit the northern hemisphere this
summer, joining the U. S. in rating it at around a 50% chance.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/expectations-rise-for-la-nina-cooler-sister-to-el-nino-weather-1460461861

 Wildfires, Once Confined to a Season, Burn Earlier and Longer.
The first Alaska wildfire of 2016 broke out in late February,
followed by a second there just eight days later. New Mexico has
had 140 fires this year, double the number in the same period
last year, fueled by one of the warmest, driest winters on
record.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/science/wildfires-season-global-warming.html?_r=1&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=893ec70704-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-893ec70704-327747457


CalPERS calls on Exxon and Chevron to disclose financial risks of
climate change.  The California Public Employees' Retirement
System is joining a growing number of investors calling on Exxon
Mobil Corp. and others to disclose the financial risks of climate
change and climate change policies.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-calpers-exxon-climate-20160413-story.html


It’s settled: 90–100% of climate experts agree on human-caused
global warming.  All-star team with authors of seven previous
climate consensus studies collaborate to debunk the ‘no
consensus’ myth once and for all. There is an overwhelming expert
scientific consensus on human-caused global warming.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/apr/13/its-settled-90100-of-climate-experts-agree-on-human-caused-global-warming


CO2's Role in Global Warming Has Been on the Oil Industry's Radar
Since the 1960s. Historical records reveal early industry concern
with air pollutants, including smog and CO2, and unwanted
regulation. The oil industry's leading pollution-control
consultants advised the American Petroleum Institute in 1968 that
carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels deserved as much concern
as the smog and soot that had commanded attention for decades.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/13042016/climate-change-global-warming-oil-industry-radar-1960s-exxon-api-co2-fossil-fuels


Why fighting climate change won't destroy the economy. Studies
show that transitioning to clean energy wouldn't be prohibitively
expensive. There's one problem: Researchers who have studied the
clean energy transition disagree. As the reality of human-caused
climate change has become harder to deny, opponents of climate
action have adopted a new talking point.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2016/04/13/why-fighting-climate-change-wont-destroy-economy/81928138/


The new climate rallying cry: keep it in the ground. Climate
activists hope to end coal, oil and natural gas extraction on
public land. Nobody said a word as the auctioneer took his place
at the lectern, but the tension was deafening. Nearly 100
protesters had packed the room at Utah's Salt Palace Convention
Center, mad as hell that the federal…
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2016/04/13/climate-change-fossil-fuels-rallying-cry-keep-ground/81926856/

DROUGHT

Subsidised insurance bolsters Kenyan herders against drought.  At
7am, the Kubi-Qallo borehole near Goro Rukesa village in northern
Kenya is already a hive of activity, as dozens of herders line up
for their animals' turn to drink at the watering trough. Five
years ago, it didn't rain for a whole year in this part of
Marsabit County. Scarcity of forage and water wiped out Ali
Kula's stock of 50 cattle and around 100 goats.
http://www.reuters.com/article/kenya-drought-insurance-idUSL5N17G2J2


Drought could hit rice stocks at exporters, fuel price crisis:
analyst. Crippling drought brought on by the El Nino weather
pattern could cut rice stocks among the world's top exporters to
levels not seen since 2008, potentially fuelling a price crisis
similar to one seen that year, an industry expert warned.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-rice-asia-drought-idUSKCN0X90BT


House Republicans reopen the bidding on California water bill.
House Republicans intent on storing more California water and
redirecting it to farms have resurrected some familiar and
controversial ideas, this time as part of a must-pass spending
bill. The provisions, including a freeze on an ambitious San
Joaquin River restoration program and mandated pumping…
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article71446412.html#storylink=cpy


FUELS

Oil prices ease on strong U.S. gasoline demand. Oil futures gave
up most of their losses and traded little changed on Wednesday as
data showed gasoline demand soared in the United States last
week, offseting the impact of a larger-than-expected build in
crude inventories. The figures come as the market braces for the
outcome of a producer meeting set for Sunday in Doha to discuss
freezing output…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN0X800I 

Peabody, world's top private coal miner, files for bankruptcy.
Peabody Energy Corp (BTU.N) filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection
on Wednesday after a sharp drop in coal prices left it unable to
service debt of $10.1 billion, much of it incurred for an
expansion into Australia. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing from
Peabody, the world's biggest private-sector coal producer…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-peabody-energy-bankruptcy-idUSKCN0XA0E7

Oil Prices Waver on U.S. Supply Data. Weekly U.S. government data
contained both bullish and bearish surprises. U.S. and global oil
benchmarks shook off an early decline and wavered between gains
and losses on Wednesday, as weekly government data contained both
bullish and bearish surprises.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-drop-on-production-freeze-pessimism-1460542323


Natural Gas Extends Gains on Production Cut Outlook. Soaring gas
output from shale fields has helped create an oversupply in the
market. Natural gas futures extended gains Wednesday on market
optimism that surging U.S. production is beginning to taper off.
Natural gas futures were up 0.3% at $2.01 a million British
thermal units…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/natural-gas-extends-gains-on-production-cut-outlook-1460557671


VEHICLES

Tesla Recalls Model X SUVs for Problem With Third-Row Seat.
Recall comes as car maker tries to ramp up production. Electric
car maker Tesla Motors Inc. is recalling 2,700 Model X
sport-utility vehicles to repair their third-row seats, which
could fold forward and become unlatched in an accident. Tesla
said it found the problem in its internal testing…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-recalls-model-x-suvs-for-problem-with-third-row-seat-1460396857


Half of car buyers say electric car must have 300 miles of range.
The Tesla Model 3 and 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars are
set to make 200-mile ranges attainable for a much larger number
of buyers than today's $72,000-plus Tesla Model S. But according
to one new study, that may not be enough. A survey by a U.S.
national lab showed that many consumers won't consider an
electric car unless it has even greater range.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103394_half-of-car-buyers-say-electric-car-must-have-300-miles-of-range


Two-thirds of new cars in Norway last month were hybrid or
electric. Norway is a case study in the effectiveness of
electric-car incentives. The Scandinavian country is known as the
friendliest place in the world for electric cars, thanks to
generous financial incentives and other perks. So while electric
and hybrid cars continue to make up a…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103383_two-thirds-of-new-cars-in-norway-last-month-were-hybrid-or-electric

VW RECALL

National Labor Relations Board declines VW's union challenge. The
National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday declined to take up
Volkswagen's challenge of a union vote at its lone U.S. assembly
plant in Tennessee. The panel in a 2-1 decision declined to
consider the German automaker's appeal on the basis that it
raised "no substantial issues warranting review.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_UNION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Volkswagen to cut managers' bonuses following diesel scandal. 
Volkswagen said Wednesday that its top managers' bonuses will be
cut significantly, citing the need to send a "signal" on
executives' pay following the automaker's diesel emissions
scandal.
The company, which has yet to release 2015 earnings figures, said
in a statement that "different models…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-bonuses-idUSKCN0X92BW

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/business/international/volkswagen-management-bonuses-cut-significantly-signal.html?_r=0


GREEN ENERGY

Wind jobs growing with passage of tax credit, industry says. A
Colorado turbine factory owned by Danish energy giant Vestas Wind
Systems A/S was the backdrop for the U.S. wind energy sector's
annual report for 2015, a year marked by a 20 percent increase in
wind energy employment. American wind power supported a record
88,000 jobs at the beginning of 2016…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/13/stories/1060035515 

MISCELLANEOUS

Focus: California's energy and water are in short supply.
California needs energy and water equally, and residents are
being asked to cut back on both. The state is leading the nation
in setting goals for increasing production of renewable-energy
sources but has relied on natural gas for the bulk of its energy
production.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/energy-711681-needs-residents.html


OPINIONS

How state's carbon tax adds to your fuel bill. We’ve been gouged
again at the pump. Although obscured by the recent general
decline in fuel prices, California’s new carbon tax on vehicle
fuels boosted prices 11 cents a gallon as of Jan. 1, according to
a new calculation by the state Legislative Analyst. The increase
stems from Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of
2006…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/tax-711818-california-new.html

It's unclear what would be condemned in O.C. for bullet train. 
Two streets would dead-end at rail crossings here, and some
businesses and houses could face eminent domain if the state’s
proposed bullet train makes its way to Anaheim’s new
transportation hub, according to an analysis by the California
High Speed Rail Authority.
The authority, which held its twice-monthly meeting in Anaheim on
Tuesday…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/anaheim-711856-train-authority.html


BLOGS

India Delivers Water by Train as Drought in West Intensifies.
Maharashtra is in the grip of its second drought in as many
years. India is deploying trains loaded with tanks of water as it
tries to alleviate drought in parched western areas of the
country. State-run Indian Railways is running the trains–each
carrying more than half a million liters of water…
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/04/13/india-delivers-water-by-train-as-drought-in-west-intensifies/




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