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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 8, 2016.
Posted: 08 Jun 2016 11:56:56
ARB Newsclips for June 8, 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. CAP AND TRADE GOP to rule out carbon tax. House Republicans this week will vote to condemn taxes on carbon dioxide emissions, slamming the door on an idea that some members of their party have flirted with in the past. The nonbinding resolution, sponsored by Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), lists numerous problems with a carbon tax… http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/282574-gop-to-rule-out-carbon-tax Calif. just spent $622M cap-and-trade dollars. Here's where. California is spending more of the money generated by its cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions, handing out nearly $622 million this year, with additional dollars on the way. The money includes $457 million toward construction of a planned high-speed rail line… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/08/stories/1060038469 AIR POLLUTION Atmospheric carbon dioxide just reached a huge record high. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached a new record in May. It also increased more in a single year than it has since we began to monitor it in the late 1950s — something that we can mostly attribute to the burning of fossil fuels, plus a little nudge from El Niño. The average carbon dioxide concentration in May was 407.7 parts per million… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/06/07/atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-just-reached-a-huge-record-high/ Salton Sea's 'rotten egg' stench is back. The stench is back. An odor advisory has been issued for the Coachella Valley due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide coming from the Salton Sea, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. It's in effect until midnight. It's a common occurrence in the area and the smell is traditionally compared to rotten eggs. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2016/06/07/salton-sea-rotten-eggs/85554982/ Short-term pollution spurring nations to invest in clean tech. Smog-choked cities in some of the world's fastest-growing economies may provide the impetus for energy innovation, experts say. Countries like India and China are suffering from dangerous air pollution largely coming from combustion sources. Short-term air pollution is a major health hazard… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/08/stories/1060038441 CLIMATE CHANGE Rise in global CO2 emissions from energy use slowed in 2015 –BP. Carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption grew by 0.1 percent last year in their smallest advance since 2009 due to lower coal use and sluggish growth, BP said on Wednesday in its annual energy review. Last year's rise, which slowed from 0.5 percent in 2014, took global CO2 emissions from energy use… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bp-review-emissions-idUSKCN0YU1NF China says important glacier is melting due to climate change. A glacier that is one of the largest at the source of China's Yangtze River is fast retreating because of climate change, state media said. The Jianggudiru Glacier on Geladaindong Mountain in a remote part of the western province of Qinghai has shrunk 34 meters (38 yards) over the past six years… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-environment-climatechange-idUSKCN0YU0B4 In boost to Paris climate pact, India says it aims to join this year. India has agreed to work toward joining the Paris Agreement on climate change this year, India and the United States said on Tuesday, giving a jolt of momentum to the international fight to curb global warming. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-usa-climate-idUSKCN0YT22U Ontario to Offer E-Car Rebates in $6.5 Billion Carbon Plan. Ontario will spend as much as C$8.3 billion ($6.5 billion) through 2020 to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, betting big on electric vehicles with rebates of as much as C$14,000 a car and 500 charging stations to spur sales. The province’s climate-change plan relies on revenue from a new cap-and-trade system that will generate… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-08/ontario-to-offer-e-car-rebates-in-6-5-billion-carbon-plan Obama pushes Indian prime minister on climate change. President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took steps Tuesday toward a tougher alliance against climate change, though at a more tentative pace than White House aides might like as Obama seeks to secure a key legacy item before he leaves office. http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-obama-modi-20160607-snap-story.html Ontario will spend up to $8.3B to fight climate change, offer incentives. Climate change plan, to be announced Wednesday, would add $5 a month to home heating bills. Ontario's action plan on climate change will include financial incentives to get cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks on the roads and to convince homeowners and businesses to lower their carbon footprints… http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-will-spend-up-to-8-3b-to-fight-climate-change-offer-incentives-1.3620924?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=f01beeefac-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-f01beeefac-327747457 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/wynne-climate-change-1.3621658 Arctic Sea Ice Breaks May Record . . . By A Lot. Arctic sea ice shrank to its lowest level in 38 years last month, setting a record low for the month of May and setting up conditions for what could become the smallest Arctic ice extent in history, according to National Snow and Ice Data Center data released Tuesday. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-sea-ice-breaks-may-record-20415?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=f01beeefac-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-f01beeefac-327747457 India agrees to help U.S. on super climate pollutants. India joined the United States yesterday in calling for an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to quickly phase down heat-trapping refrigerants across the globe, showing what some observers say is India's growing willingness to act on climate change. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/08/stories/1060038468 DROUGHT State water board drops record $1.5-million drought fine. State water regulators Tuesday dismissed a record $1.5-million fine against a Northern California irrigation district accused of diverting water last year in violation of a drought order. The action is the latest twist in the state’s attempts to assert control over water diversions by agricultural districts that hold some of the oldest water rights in California. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-20160607-drought-fine-snap-story.html http://www.capradio.org/75321 http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article82367627.html Will green lawns return to Sacramento as water restrictions ease? Last summer was a rough one for Don Engineer, the owner of Prestige LawnCare, a landscape maintenance company that services homes in the Sacramento region. “Last year was really bad because of the restrictions and the fines,” Engineer said. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article82426057.html#storylink=cpy El Niño rains fail to dampen drought-tolerant gardening trend in Bay Area. While this year's El Niño rains have brightened the outlook for Bay Area nursery and gardening businesses heading into the summer, the new landscape ushered in by the state's water crisis may be here to stay, even if the drought is not. http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29988431/el-nino-rains-fail-dampen-drought-tolerant-gardening FUELS World Starts to Turn From Coal as Cheap Oil Gains Market Share. Global coal consumption dropped the most on record last year as the U.S. and other major economies started turning away from the most polluting fossil fuel, according to BP Plc’s annual review of energy trends. As the world begins to tackle the goals of last year’s Paris climate agreement, news of coal’s retreat… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-08/world-starts-to-turn-from-coal-as-cheap-oil-gains-market-share Oil Prices Pare Gains as Production Rises. U.S. inventory data shows growing gasoline and distillate stockpiles. Oil prices pared gains after government data showed unexpected additions to gasoline and other fuel stockpiles and the first increase in U.S. crude production in 13 weeks. U.S. oil prices settled above $50 a barrel Tuesday for the first time since July. http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-rise-as-u-s-crude-stockpiles-fall-1465379654 Oil Gains Energy Market Share in Changing Landscape. Its rise comes with the drop in prices and amid an evolving global picture, BP says in annual review. Oil gained market share in the world’s fuel mix last year for the first time since 1999, BP PLC said Wednesday in its annual review of global energy statistics, after a world-wide glut drove prices down more than 50% since 2014. http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-gains-energy-market-share-in-changing-landscape-1465398356 U.S. Gasoline Use Rising to Record This Summer on Low Prices. U.S. gasoline consumption is set to climb to a record this summer as the lowest pump prices in more than a decade encourage Americans to take to the roads. Demand, which typically peaks between the Memorial Day holiday in late May and Labor Day in early September… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O8EMQISYF01X01-7KR10AHB018126OCDBQED0RIUE Key government reports were wrong about methane leaks' severity, environmental group alleges. An environmental organization filed a federal complaint Wednesday, alleging that key reports by a top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official wrongfully stated the severity of methane leaks across the nation’s natural gas industry. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-methane-leaks-20160607-snap-story.html Texas oil regulator wants legal action against Obama rules. Texas oil and gas regulators want the state attorney general to take U.S. EPA to court over the Obama administration's limits on methane emissions from oil and gas wells. The three elected members of the Texas Railroad Commission voted unanimously yesterday to ask Texas… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/06/08/stories/1060038434 Controversial methane drilling push may become law. As lawmakers push to launch a conference committee on the first significant energy reform bill in nearly a decade, a controversial provision may end up becoming law. Within the Senate's 798-page S. 2012, which members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hailed as a bipartisan compromise, is a measure critics see as particularly partisan. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/06/08/stories/1060038454 VEHICLES Electric vehicles to power cobalt revival. Cobalt prices may be on the threshold of a major revival due to flourishing demand for the mineral, a key component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. Prices for cobalt metal COB-CATH-LON are expected to rise 45 percent to above $16 a lb. by 2020 from $11 now as stricter emissions controls boost demand for electric vehicles and push the market into deficit from this year, analysts said. http://www.reuters.com/article/metals-cobalt-demand-idUSL8N1902I9 New study throws doubt on China car emissions data. Carbon emissions from cars in the Chinese city of Chengdu could be underestimated by more than half under conventional testing methods, according to the preliminary results of a study released on Wednesday. The findings from the study in the central city were supported by a research arm of China's top planning body using data from Uber and taxi firms. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-carbon-idUSKCN0YU0BT Tesla Will Become a $700 Billion Gorilla, Top Investor Suggests. Ron Baron holds 1 percent of the electric carmaker's shares. He expects to reap a fortune. Billionaire investor Ron Baron predicted that Tesla Motors Inc. will become one of the biggest companies in the world over the next decade or two, growing twentyfold to a market value of about $700 billion. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-07/tesla-will-become-a-700-billion-gorilla-top-investor-suggests Poland Seeks to Take Tesla’s Revolution for a Bus Ride. Home to a majority of the European Union’s most polluted cities, Poland is looking to plug in to the nascent electric car and bus industry to help it ditch the unpopular reputation as a country whose economy is hooked on coal. The government wants to boost the number of electric vehicles made in the country of 38 million people to… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-07/poland-seeks-to-take-tesla-s-electric-revolution-for-a-bus-ride-ip6uiai3 Suzuki Motor CEO to Step Down Over Fuel-Economy Scandal. Osamu Suzuki says he will remain as chairman to fulfill his responsibility to prevent a recurrence. Suzuki Motor Corp. ’s Osamu Suzuki, one of the auto industry’s longest-serving leaders, said Wednesday he would give up his chief-executive title to atone for fuel-economy mismeasurement. http://www.wsj.com/articles/suzuki-motor-ceo-to-step-down-over-fuel-economy-scandal-1465376620 Elon Musk tweet ravages Samsung SDI shares. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk dismissed rumors that the automaker is weighing a deal with a Samsung SDI to help accelerate production of the coming Model 3 electric vehicle -- and his tweet sent shares of that battery supplier plummeting. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/06/08/tesla-batteries-panasonic-samsung/85590834/ Germany’s KBA greenlights diesel emissions fix for 1.1M more VW Group cars; 2.5M in total. Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has given the go-ahead for the modification of around 1.1 million more Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Audi vehicles. The KBA has thus so far approved more than 2.5 million Group vehicles… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/06/20160608-kba.html Apple will build electric cars by 2020: Tesla's Elon Musk. Despite no official confirmation of its existence, plenty of buzz remains around the rumored Apple electric car. Interest in what is known as "Project Titan" largely rests on Apple's reputation for innovation, despite far too little information for analysts to make… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104357_apple-will-build-electric-cars-by-2020-teslas-elon-musk DOE issues Request for Information on hydrogen storage for onboard vehicle applications. The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has issued a request for information (RFI) (DE-FOA-0001596) to obtain feedback and input from stakeholders on strategies and potential pathways for cost reduction and performance improvements of composite overwrapped pressure vessel… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/06/20160608-fcto.html GREEN ENERGY 9th Circuit upholds right-of-way for Southern California wind energy project. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management did not violate environmental policy or migratory bird protection laws when it approved a right-of-way on public land for a Southern California wind energy project, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. http://www.reuters.com/article/energy-windfarm-idUSL1N1900D1 German cabinet okays renewable energy reforms. The German cabinet approved reforms to Germany's renewable energy law on Wednesday aimed at slowing the growth and better controlling the cost of green energy sources. Generous green subsidies have led to a boom in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. But the rapid expansion has pushed up electricity costs… http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N190188 Chile is giving away solar energy, for free, because it has so much. Chile has a problem with its solar industry. It's not that the industry can't meet electricity demand for the South American country—quite the opposite, in fact. There is actually more available solar energy than there is use for it. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104358_chile-is-giving-away-solar-energy-for-free-because-it-has-so-much Measures attacking Obama green agenda advancing to House floor. The House Rules Committee took triple-barreled aim at the Obama administration's environment and energy agenda last night, clearing the way for floor votes this week on a bill to delay U.S. EPA's new ground-level ozone standard, as well as two resolutions offering symbolic opposition to potential climate change policies. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/06/08/stories/1060038453 MISCELLANEOUS The Bio-Plastics Revolution Is Coming, and It Won’t Be Cheap. Watch as researchers work to make plastics that look like, perform like, and cost the same as their petroleum-based alternatives. Environmentally friendly plastics? Come on. Researchers at the Center for Sustainable Polymers at the University of Minnesota have taken on the challenge. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-08/the-bio-plastics-revolution-is-coming-and-it-won-t-be-cheap Senate Approves Update of Toxic-Chemical Regulations. The Senate on Tuesday gave final approval to an overhaul of the nation’s 40-year-old law governing the use of toxic chemicals in homes and businesses, sending the bill to President Obama for his expected signature. The Senate passed the measure on a voice vote; the House approved it last month, 403 to 12. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/08/us/politics/senate-approves-update-of-toxic-chemical-regulations.html?_r=1 Chemical safety reform passes after ‘perfect storm’ Republicans in Congress took a break from bashing EPA and voted overwhelmingly to give the agency sweeping new powers to regulate tens of thousands of chemicals used to make everything from car parts to cleaning products. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/chemical-reform-took-advantage-of-perfect-storm-224031#ixzz4B0rBFE6z OPINIONS California’s Cap-and-Trade Law Is a Success. The purpose of California’s cap-and-trade program is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. By that crucial measure, California’s program is working well. The purpose of California’s cap-and-trade program is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions (“California’s Cap-and-Trade Bubble,” Review & Outlook, May 31). By that crucial measure, California’s program is working well. http://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-cap-and-trade-law-is-a-success-1465400258 The Not-So-Simple Life for Solar. On its latest earnings call, SolarCity was dragged over the coals for being too complicated. Simplicity won't be a cure-all in this business, though. SolarCity's complexity partly reflects the fact that it and its peers operate in an industry intimately tied to America's Rube Goldberg machine of renewable energy incentives. http://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2016-06-08/solarcity-loan-program-no-simple-fix Trump and global warming: Americans are failing risk management. 40% of Americans don’t understand the risks posed by climate change or a President Donald Trump. Currently, about 40% of Americans support Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and about 40% of Americans are not worried about global warming. While short of a majority, this is a substantial fraction of the American public…. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jun/08/trump-and-global-warming-americans-are-failing-risk-management BLOGS How 3-D Printing Could Decrease Carbon Emissions. Or Maybe Increase Them. One of the most exciting areas of advanced manufacturing is 3-D printing. While it has been around for many years to produce crude prototypes, 3-D printing is now being used to make everything from jet engines and complex machine parts to bridges and buildings, artificial limbs and biomedical tissue. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/06/08/how-3-d-printing-could-decrease-carbon-emissions-or-maybe-increase-them/ This Is How Many Years Air Pollution Will Cut From Your Life Expectancy in India. Residents of India's capital New Delhi lose 6.3 years, the most of all states. Living in India’s capital city New Delhi could shorten your life by six years because of the intensity of the air pollution there, a new report says. Inhaling tiny air pollutants reduces the life expectancy of Indians by an average of 3.4 years… http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/06/08/this-is-how-many-years-air-pollution-will-cut-from-your-life-expectancy-in-india/ Saving The World With Technology: The Role of Technology In Global Sustainability Efforts. Large tech companies like Google GOOGL +1.30% are making a push towards developing both environmentally friendly practices and technology-driven sustainability solutions. Increasingly, smaller businesses are following suit. Looking forward, technology promises to play an expanding, important role in the fight against climate change. http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2016/06/08/saving-the-world-with-technology-the-role-of-technology-in-global-sustainability-efforts/#69645de92dd3 The Overwhelming Environmental Reasons for Staying in the EU. In just over two weeks’ time, the UK public will vote in a referendum deciding their membership of the European Union with much at stake, not least around the area of climate change. While polling confirms that the Remain campaign is just ahead, it is going to be a tight race, where on the day, everything can happen. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anders-lorenzen/eu-referendum-environment_b_10344576.html Do Sweden and Germany hold the key to unlocking climate action worldwide? One of Europe’s energy giants is about to make a decision that could set the world on course to rip coal out of the global economy - or lock it into a fossil fuel trap for decades. Sweden’s state-owned energy company Vattenfall is pondering whether to offload its loss-making brown coal mines… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johan-rockstrom/do-sweden-and-germany-hol_b_10351896.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.