What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 28, 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

Expect More 'Spare The Air' Alerts In Sacramento. May 1 marks the
start of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management
District’s 22nd year for issuing "Spare the Air" alerts. The
alerts are issued from May to October. Last year, the District
says there were 5 "Spare The Air" alerts. But this year, in
response to a lowered federal ozone health standard, a Sacramento
region "Spare The Air"...
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/04/27/expect-more-spare-the-air-alerts-in-sacramento/


UK government faces second court battle over air pollution plans.
High court to hear case against government’s ‘woefully
inadequate’ plans to tackle air pollution, just a year after
losing in the Supreme Court. The UK government is to be sued in
the high court over its air pollution plans, just a year after
losing at the Supreme Court and being ordered to fulfil its legal
duty to cut pollution rapidly.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/28/uk-government-faces-second-court-battle-over-air-pollution-plans


Judge clears way for latest legal challenge against government's
air quality plan.  The long running legal battle over the
government's controversial air quality plans is set to continue,
after a High Court judge today granted environmental lawyers
ClientEarth permission to undertake fresh action against the
government over its failure to tackle illegal levels of air
pollution.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2456421/judge-clears-way-for-latest-legal-challenge-against-governments-air-quality-plan


Groups threaten lawsuit over tardy EPA reviews of NOx, Sox. Two
environmental and public health groups are threatening a lawsuit
against U.S. EPA over the agency's slowness in revisiting ambient
air quality standards for two major classes of pollutants.
The agency is overdue in updating the benchmarks for nitrogen
oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx)…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036430 

EPA standards not strong enough for fetal health – study. Even
small amounts of air pollution may cause women to give birth
prematurely and could lead to lifelong neurological and
respiratory ailments in children, according to new research from
Johns Hopkins University. While scientists have long said air
pollution can have a negative impact on prenatal health…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036431

ALISO CANYON

SoCal Gas exec says company continues risky injection method near
local communities.  A  Southern California Gas Company executive
told state lawmakers this week that the company continues to use
the same controversial method to inject and withdraw natural gas
that has been cited as a possible cause for the uncontrolled,
four-month gas leak near Porter Ranch.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/04/27/60052/socal-gas-exec-says-company-continues-risky-inject/


CLIMATE CHANGE

EU calculation for handing out free carbon permits flawed: court.
Europe's highest court on Thursday ruled that the European
Commission's calculation for handing out free carbon permits to
industries was flawed, raising the prospect of higher costs for
big energy users. The decision followed a court advisor's opinion
in November that the ceiling was too high, when a calculation
known as the correction factor…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-carbon-court-idUSKCN0XP1S4?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-high-court-rules-against-businesses-on-carbon-credits-1461866209

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-28/companies-lose-top-eu-court-fight-over-free-carbon-allowances-ink63bgq


Half of U.S. Conservatives Say Climate Change Is Real. Trump and
Cruz reject global warming, while more Republicans see it as a
threat. The percentage of conservative Republicans who consider
global warming a threat shot up 19 points in two years, to 47
percent, according to public opinion researchers at Yale
University and George Mason University. Overall, 56 percent of
Republicans agree that it’s happening. Including Democrats and
independents, the national average for the U.S. is 73 percent.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-27/half-of-u-s-conservatives-say-climate-change-is-real


Workers face 'epidemic of heat-related injuries' due to climate
change. Major UN report warns heat stress suffered by factory and
field workers will devastate health and reduce productivity.
Workers in fields and factories face an epidemic of heat-related
injuries that will devastate their health, income and
productivity as climate change takes hold, a major UN report has
warned.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/28/workers-epidemic-heat-related-injuries-climate-change-un-report


How UPS, DHL Drive Emissions Cuts, Efficiency Improvements in
Transportation and Logistics. Transportation is a major source of
carbon pollution, accounting for about 24 percent of greenhouse
gas emissions worldwide in 2015. This means that for the US and
other nations to meet their commitments under the Paris climate
agreement, transportation emissions must be reduced.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/04/28/how-ups-dhl-drive-emissions-cuts-efficiency-improvements-in-transportation-and-logistics/#ixzz4795ERV84


Many More Republicans Now Believe in Climate Change. Poll shows a
big leap from two years ago. The number of conservative voters
who believe in climate change has almost doubled in the past two
years, according to a new poll that attributes the rise in part
to a lessening hostility toward the issue by Republican leaders.
Forty-seven percent of conservatives now say the climate is
changing…
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/many-more-republicans-now-believe-in-climate-change/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=30b3f493cf-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-30b3f493cf-327747457


Shareholder pressure mounts on downgraded ExxonMobil. Aviva among
latest investors to declare support for climate change resolution
at next month’s AGM. A growing list of major investors is backing
calls on ExxonMobil to acknowledge climate risk, after its credit
rating was downgraded on Tuesday. British insurer Aviva and
Seattle’s public pension fund are among the latest to declare
their support for a…
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/04/27/shareholder-pressure-mounts-on-downgraded-exxonmobil/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=30b3f493cf-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-30b3f493cf-327747457
 

California’s Strategy to Combat Climate Change. State’s
Environmental Protection Agency Proposals to Reduce Pollutants.
The California Environmental Protection Agency has released a
proposed strategy on reducing the impacts of climate change
focused on curbing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants
(SLCPs). SLCPs, referred to in the report as “super pollutants”
include soot, methane, and fluorinated gases.
http://www.globaltrademag.com/global-trade-daily/news/californias-strategy-to-combat-climate-change


How Climate Change Affects Ocean’s Oxygen Level. The continues
global warming due to climate change has been known to take its
toll to Arctic, melting ice caps at an increased rate, but a new
study suggests that the warming climate may be sapping
considerably amounts of oxygen from the ocean.
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/21285/20160428/climate-change-affects-ocean-s-oxygen-level.htm


Boxer wants to offer 'climate bonds' to citizens. A plan
introduced yesterday to finance adaptation projects with federal
climate bonds might help kick-start needed infrastructure, even
as it amounts to a tiny sliver of the loans available worldwide
for green development, according to experts.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036402 

DROUGHT

L.A.'s water wasters will soon face heavier fines and audits. As
regulators mull softening the state’s drought restrictions amid
outcry from some Northern California water districts, water
wasters in Los Angeles will soon face stiffer fines and water
audits under a plan approved this week by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-waste-20160427-story.html


Spring Storms Help Snowpack As California Drought Persists. There
was no change in drought conditions last week in California and
Nevada, but spring storms added snow to the northern Sierra
Nevada. The U.S. Drought Monitor released April 28 shows that
slightly more than 4 percent of California, in the northwest part
of the state, is not in drought.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/04/28/spring-storms-help-snowpack-as-california-drought-persists/


FUELS

Rare gasoline cargo heads from China to United States. Trading
house Trafigura is shipping a rare cargo of gasoline from China
to the United States, as the recent weakening of the Asian market
after months of stock builds opens up new routes.  
Asian gasoline stocks have risen sharply in recent months as
traders and refiners betting on strong summer demand for the road
fuel in China and other countries ramped up imports and
production.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N17V50X

Natural Gas Council issues guide to methane emissions studies.
The Natural Gas Council, an organization of groups from all
phases of the US gas industry, released an independent guide to
75 different studies of methane emissions from gas systems. The
ICF International report, “Finding the Facts on Methane
Emissions: A Guide to the Literature,” found several recurring
findings.
http://www.ogj.com/articles/2016/04/natural-gas-council-issues-guide-to-methane-emissions-studies.html


BLM methane rule draws cheers, jeers at oversight hearing. House
Republicans questioned the Bureau of Land Management's authority
at an oversight hearing yesterday to regulate the venting,
flaring and leaking of methane gas from tens of thousands of
wells on federal and tribal lands.
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/04/28/stories/1060036396 

VEHICLES

Germany to subsidize electric cars to help own auto industry.
Germany's auto industry risks being overtaken by foreign
competitors unless it receives greater domestic support, the
country's economy minister said Wednesday, announcing a 1 billion
euro ($1.13 billion) plan to subsidize electric cars that are
seen as the technology of the future.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_ELECTRIC_CARS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Daimler launches internal probe on emissions on USA cars. Experts
say fixing older-model diesels will be complicated and costly and
will probably cut their performance and fuel mileage - two main
reasons customers bought them. Some management experts put the
blame partly on ambitious, top-down corporate structures.
"Daimler will consequently investigate possible indications of
irregularities…
http://nysepost.com/daimler-launches-internal-probe-on-emissions-on-usa-cars-200084


VW and Shell try to block EU push for electric cars.  Industry
giants’ call for biofuels over electric and fuel-efficient cars
puts Europe’s carbon emissions targets at risk, say experts.
Workers in fields and factories face an epidemic of heat-related
injuries that will devastate their health, income and
productivity as climate change takes hold, a major UN report has
warned.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/28/workers-epidemic-heat-related-injuries-climate-change-un-report


Ontario plans to build 500 electric vehicle charging stations
with $20M investment. Program will fund 27 partners, work to
launch new stations by 2017.The government of Ontario is looking
to make it easier for electric vehicle drivers to charge up. The
province has announced a plan to invest $20 million to build
nearly 500 new charging stations at more than 250 locations
throughout Ontario by 2017.
http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/sustainability/ontario-investing-20m-to-build-500-charging-stations-across-province-167037/


New EV owners racing back to SUVs.  Around three-quarters of
hybrid and electric car owners who traded in for a new car so far
this year are switching back to gasoline-powered cars, in an
increase from last year. In 2015, 38.5 percent of hybrid and
electric trade-ins were used to purchase a new hybrid or electric
car, compared to 27.5 percent in the first quarter of 2016…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036373 

VW RECALL

Volkswagen CEO apologized in person to Obama over scandal.
Volkswagen's CEO says he apologized in person to U.S. President
Barack Obama for the carmaker's emissions scandal, in which it
rigged its cars to cheat on diesel engine pollution tests.
CEO Matthias Mueller said he held a "two minute" conversation
with the president during his visit to Hannover, Germany, this
week.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/business/international/volkswagen-legal-costs-emissions-cheating.html?_r=0
 
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/world/volkswagen-ceo-lays-out-plan-to-focus-on-low-emissions/article_94af47d9-1e3b-590b-a4cb-1106d9c3d222.html


VW to spend up to $8.8 billion on diesel buybacks, fixes.
Volkswagen said Thursday it had set aside 7.8 billion euros ($8.8
billion) to buy back or fix diesel-powered cars that had been
rigged to cheat in emissions tests. The sum is part of 16.2
billion euros the company deducted from last year's earnings to
cover the costs of the emissions scandal…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/APFN_EU_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-says-diesel-car-buy-backs-to-cost-almost-9-billion-1461831943


Unfair labor practices complaint filed against Volkswagen. The
National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday filed an unfair labor
relations complaint against Volkswagen for the German automaker's
refusal to bargain with the United Auto Workers union at its lone
U.S. assembly plant in Tennessee.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_UNION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


German opposition wants inquiry into government response to
dieselgate. German opposition parties called on Thursday for a
parliamentary committee to investigate the government's response
to Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, saying Berlin had been
too lax in its treatment of the car industry. Volkswagen, the
world's second-biggest automaker…
http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-germany-inquiry-idUSL5N17V4XO?feedType=RSS&feedName=hotStocksNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FhotStocksNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Hot+Stocks%29


Volkswagen says may have to sell assets to pay for emissions
scandal. 
Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) could face "further significant financial
liabilities" beyond the 16.2 billion euros ($18.4 billion) it has
provisioned for its diesel emissions scandal and may need to sell
assets as a result, it said in its annual report. Europe's
biggest carmaker said that although it had made provisions for
2015…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-divestments-dieselgate-idUSKCN0XP12B?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FbusinessNews+%28Business+News%29


VW awards top management 63.24 million euros in remuneration.
Volkswagen's said it plans to pay the 12 current and former
members of its management board 63.24 million euros ($71.8
million) for 2015, a year when Europe's largest carmaker posted a
record loss due to legal and compensation costs for cheating
diesel emissions tests. The company withheld part of bonus
payments but will award…
http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-bonuses-management-idUSF9N0ZM01I


VW says no sales of brands or units on the agenda. Volkswagen is
not currently contemplating selling any of its brands or units to
help pay for the costs of its diesel emissions test cheating
scandal, its finance chief told a news conference on Thursday.
Frank Witter said Europe's biggest carmaker believed it had
provisioned adequately for all known risks…
http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-disposals-idUSF9N17F00C?feedType=RSS&feedName=mergersNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FmergersNews+%28Reuters+Mergers+News%29


GREEN ENERGY

Radical action needed to decarbonize world energy supply: report.
More radical action is needed to decarbonize the world's energy
supply and improve energy efficiency to keep the global
temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, the Energy
Transitions Commission (ETC) said on Wednesday. The ETC is made
up of global experts from energy companies, the investment
sector…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-energy-idUSKCN0XO16W


Thai energy group IFEC teams up with China's Goldwind for wind
power projects.
Thailand's Inter Far East Energy Pcl said on Wednesday that
China's Goldwind International Holding will buy a 10 percent
stake in its wind power unit as part of a partnership to expand
the wind power business.
http://www.reuters.com/article/goldwind-int-far-est-engy-idUSL3N17U1Z2

Why solar-powered planes are still a long way from carrying
passengers. Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard made headlines on
Saturday when he glided a solar-powered plane onto Moffett
Airfield in California after a three-day journey across the
Pacific Ocean. It’s the most recent stop in an around-the-world
trip that began in Abu Dhabi last spring and is intended to raise
awareness about the importance…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/04/27/why-solar-powered-planes-are-still-a-long-way-from-carrying-passengers/


Ground broken for solar energy facility in Hattiesburg.
Mississippi Power Co. and Silicon Ranch Corp. are partnering to
build the $100 million, 50 megawatt solar farm, which is expected
to generate enough electricity to supply power to about 6,500
homes. The groundbreaking was held indoors Wednesday at Lake
Terrace Convention Center.
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article74380172.html#storylink=cpy


Kansas Sens. Roberts, Moran split over wind energy funds. Kansas
Republican Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts took opposite votes
Tuesday on an amendment to provide $95 million in federal funding
for wind energy research. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article74075472.html#storylink=cpy


Energy issues roil race for Senate. Energy will play a major role
in at least five races that could determine control of the Senate
next year. President Obama’s controversial climate policy is
looming large in Ohio and Illinois, where the coal industry still
employs thousands, while battle lines are being drawn in
Colorado, pitting environmentalists against oil and gas companies
over drilling.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/277266-energy-issues-factor-in-battle-for-senate


Southern Co. sets sights on major wind power acquisitions.
Southern Co.'s wholesale power unit plans to buy more wind
projects next year, the company's chief executive officer said
yesterday. Adding wind would significantly expand Southern's
growing renewable energy portfolio and provide more stable,
long-term growth opportunities for the energy giant.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036386 

Regulatory process stymies renewable growth – industry. House
lawmakers yesterday heard from utilities with sizable hydropower
portfolios about the financial and practical strains of the
current licensing process. Industry representatives told Natural
Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans members that it
can take years and millions of dollars to secure a new or updated
permit from the…
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/04/28/stories/1060036391 

Solyndra vs. SunEdison: 2 bankruptcies show how solar has
changed. When solar manufacturer Solyndra went belly up in 2011,
it led to a full-blown Washington scandal, with congressional
hearings and accusations of White House wrongdoing. Solyndra
became a one-word expletive that tagged the young solar industry
as a boondoggle.
Five years later, a far larger solar company, SunEdison Inc., has
also gone bankrupt.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036399 

DOE releases first rule on portable air conditioners. The
Department of Energy released the first-ever proposed efficiency
rule on portable air conditioners yesterday. According to
analysts, a rule would help address many existing technology
inefficiencies, including that some current models may actually
heat rooms rather than cool them.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036414

MISCELLANEOUS

Toxic Contamination Found on Portions of Tracks at Penn Station.
Amtrak launches cleanup to get rid of chemicals known as PCBs; no
harm to riders, spokesman says. For all its ills, New York Penn
Station can count one more: toxic contamination on at least two
of its tracks. Amtrak has launched a cleanup at the widely
ridiculed and crowded station after tests found chemicals known
as PCBs…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/toxic-contamination-found-on-portions-of-tracks-at-penn-station-1461863531


OPINIONS

Global warming could deplete the oceans’ oxygen levels – with
severe consequences. In the long list of troubling climate change
scenarios, there’s one that gets relatively little attention, but
definitely has enormous potential consequences. It goes like
this: The oceans are getting warmer — they are, after all, where
90 percent of global warming actually ends up.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/04/28/global-warming-could-deplete-the-oceans-oxygen-levels-with-severe-consequences/


BNSF's proposed port rail yard poses health risks. To the editor:
Jim Newton's op-ed article on the recent court decision involving
a proposed rail yard at the Port of Los Angeles dismissed the
harm from air pollution on the project's neighbors. ("How good
environmental legislation goes wrong," Opinion, April 21) Newton
claimed that the proposed Southern California International
Gateway would reduce air pollution…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0428-thursday-bnsf-rail-yard-20160428-story.html


Congress is about to wipe out decades of progress in sustainable
water use. As California enters its fifth year of official
drought — and its ninth dry year in the past 10 — the elements of
a modern, sustainable water system are finally taking shape. The
state is improving water efficiency in agriculture and urban
areas, expanding wastewater treatment and reuse, figuring out how
to capture more storm water…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0428-gleick-congress-water-bills-20160428-story.html


Can the U.S. fight climate change with Treasury bonds? Care about
the effects of climate change? Sen. Barbara Boxer wants you to be
able to help get the country ready. On Wednesday, the senator
from California introduced legislation that would allow the
Treasury Department to issue up to $200 million annually in
"Climate Change Bonds."
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-essential-poli-can-the-us-fight-climate-change-with-treasury-bo-1461795640-htmlstory.html


Without change, cap and trade is an illegal tax. A state Senate
budget subcommittee has begun hearings on how to spend money
collected by the California Air Resources Board from its
cap-and-trade auctions. But it is ignoring a fundamental issue:
As currently implemented, the law that led to the auctions is
likely unconstitutional.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article74005247.html#storylink=cpy


Joining hands on climate change: Brazil, California. Protecting
our climate is very important to the indigenous people of the
Amazon. In the Brazilian state of Acre, where I live, we’re
already seeing terrible heat, floods and droughts that we never
used to experience. That’s why cooperation with California to
protect our forests is important to people here.
http://capitolweekly.net/climate-change-california-brazil/ 

It May Soon Be Too Late to Save the Seas. An alarming new study
suggests global warming could leave marine life struggling to
exist. What happens if marine life in the oceans can't pull in
enough oxygen from the oceans to live? We may be about to find
out. A startling new study led by the National Center for
Atmospheric Research (the federal research arm of the National
Science Foundation)…
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-27/it-may-soon-be-too-late-to-save-the-seas
 

Cutting Carbon, Saving Jobs. Border adjustments could protect
American jobs and profits as we cut carbon emissions, but it's
not as simple as it sounds. Last week, 175 world leaders inked an
accord to slow climate change by cutting carbon emissions
worldwide. The agreement commits the U.S. to reduce carbon
emissions 26 percent by 2025.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-04-26/could-plan-to-cut-carbon-emissions-in-climate-agreement-hurt-american-jobs


Climate change. Re: George Will’s column April 24, “The drive to
silence climate debate”: The column reinforced the unquestionable
point that climate changes by citing the Medieval Warm Period of
about 950 to 1250 CE, followed by the Little Ice Age from about
1400 to 1700, neither of which was caused by human industrial
activity…
http://www.vcstar.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/Climate-change-377361101.html


Boutique gas. The California reformulated gasoline regulation
created a boutique gasoline that is different from gasoline in
the rest of the nation. When this regulation was passed, analysis
showed a small decrease in emissions for the boutique gasoline,
and it was believed to cost only 5 cents per gallon more.
http://www.vcstar.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/Boutique-gas-377359321.html


New California Plan Will Shake Up Freight Industry. California,
known for its aggressive environmental and transportation
policies, is about to shake up the freight industry. In a
collaboration of the California Department of Transportation, the
California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission…
https://www.trucks.com/2016/04/28/new-california-plan-will-shake-up-freight-industry/



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