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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 11, 2016

Posted: 11 Oct 2016 14:05:04
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

Major power outage triggers flaring event at Torrance refinery.
A major flaring event at the former Exxon Mobil refinery in
Torrance triggered a shelter-in-place order for local residents
and slowed traffic along the 405 Freeway as an enormous column of
smoke and flames rose above the facility early Tuesday. The
flaring was triggered by a major power outage that left more than
100,000 South Bay residents without power, according to the
Torrance Police Department and Southern California Edison.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-flaring-torrance-refinery-power-20161011-snap-story.html


Qatar denies air pollution posing a threat to residents.
Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment has denied that
levels of air pollution in the country pose any threat to
residents, Doha News reported this morning. A report by the World
Health Organisation (WHO) analysed the effect of air pollution on
residents’ health in 103 countries, Qatar was ranked second
highest for rates of M2.5 particles in its air, after Saudi
Arabia.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161011-qatar-denies-air-pollution-posing-a-threat-to-residents/


Diesel Cars Blamed as WHO Warns About Air Pollution.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that 92 percent of the
world’s population lives in areas of high air pollution. Many
cities in Europe have pledged to phase out diesel cars - and
there’s hope that sales of electric vehicles could take over as
battery life improves. The British capital is one of the most
heavily polluted cities in Europe — with levels of toxic gases
regularly exceeding European Union limits.
http://www.voanews.com/a/diesel-cars-air-pollution/3543886.html 

Khan Cites ‘Health Emergency’ as he Ramps up Air Pollution
Fight.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan proposed to accelerate existing plans to
fight air pollution in order to tackle what he called a “health
emergency” that kills thousands in the U.K. capital every year.
Khan proposed introducing a year from now an emissions surcharge
in central London to supplement the existing congestion charge on
vehicles with an additional 10-pound ($12.40) fee payable by
more-polluting cars, motorbikes and trucks. He also plans to
bring forward by a year to 2019 a plan to introduce an “Ultra-Low
Emission Zone” stretching from the North Circular road to the
South Circular road.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-10/khan-cites-health-emergency-as-he-ramps-up-air-pollution-fight


London’s black communities disproportionately exposed to air
pollution – study.
Black communities in London are disproportionately more likely to
breathe illegal levels of air pollution than white and Asian
ones, new research seen exclusively by the Guardian shows. The
study for the mayor of London shows black, African and Caribbean
people account for 15.3% of all Londoners exposed to nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) levels that breach EU limits, but they account for
just 13.3% of the city’s population.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/10/londons-black-communities-disproportionately-exposed-to-air-pollution-study


Barcelona is banning cars from massive new 'superblocks'.
Many cars are no longer welcome in Barcelona. In September, the
city began implementing a plan to create a set of new
"superblocks," car-free areas that are designed to maximize
public space. Each superblock combines 12 city blocks together
into a pedestrian-friendly mini grid, with drivers forced to go
around the outside. The only cars allowed to enter are those
belonging to local residents (who are required to drive at slow
speeds).
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Barcelona-is-banning-cars-from-massive-new-9962655.php


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change Blamed for Half of Increased Forest Fire Danger.
Forest fires are burning longer and stronger across the western
United States, lighting up the landscape with alarming frequency.
Residents are forced to flee, homes are incinerated, wildlife
habitats are destroyed, lives are lost. Last year, the Forest
Service spent more than half its annual budget fighting fires.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/science/climate-change-forest-fires.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/10/10/climate-change-has-been-making-western-forest-fires-worse-for-decades-study-says/?utm_term=.ffb0871d88ac


Clinton brings in Gore as closer on climate change.
Hillary Clinton is bringing in Al Gore as her closer on climate
change as she struggles to appeal to young voters who consider
the issue a priority. Vice president during her husband's eight
years in the White House and a longtime environmental activist,
Gore will join the Democratic presidential candidate at a rally
in Miami Tuesday. During the event, Clinton will emphasizing her
plans to develop more clean energy, reduce fossil fuel production
and build more weather-resistant infrastructure. She will also
continue her attacks on Republican Donald Trump.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAMPAIGN_2016_CLINTON_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Related articles:
http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/article107494062.html 
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/11/us/ap-us-campaign-2016-clinton-climate.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/clinton-brings-gore-closer-climate-change-42730969


Caring for Creation makes the Christian case for climate action.
Most of you are aware of a growing movement amongst persons of
faith to bring more action on dealing with climate change. The
argument is powerful for the faithful – the Earth is God’s gift
to humanity. We should care for it accordingly. From within this
movement, there are huge voices, widely respected by both the
scientific and faith communities. Perhaps the best known is Dr.
Katherine Hayhoe, a top climate scientist who is also an
evangelist Christian. There are other persons and organizations
who work similarly to connect these two world viewpoints in a
powerful yet common-sense way.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/oct/10/caring-for-creation-makes-the-christian-case-for-climate-action

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Big Trucks Will Have to Get Cleaner - And Industry Is Fine With
That.
Federal regulators are mandating drastic reductions in emissions
from heavy-duty trucks over the next 10 years. And truck
manufacturers and big shippers alike are applauding the move. New
standards released by the Department of Transportation and
Environmental Protection Agency call for reductions of up to 25
percent in carbon emissions from big tractor-trailer rigs.
Smaller cuts will be required of delivery fleets and buses. 
http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/blogs/think-tank/blog/article/big-trucks-will-have-to-get-cleaner-and-industry-is-fine-with-that/


FUELS

BP Sees Oil Demand Growth Swamping Impact of Electric Cars.
Rising demand for oil over the next two decades is likely to
overwhelm the impact of the electric car on crude markets, said
Spencer Dale, chief economist for BP Plc. “They’ll have a huge
impact in terms of air quality, but it’s not a game changer over
20 years even with aggressive electric vehicle penetration,’’
Dale said at in a panel discussion at the Bloomberg New Energy
Finance summit in London on Tuesday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-11/bp-sees-oil-demand-growth-swamping-impact-of-electric-cars


ENERGY

Renewable energy could offer security as global tensions rise.
It's already a well-established fact that renewable sources of
energy are clean and increasingly cost effective. But with parts
of the world gripped by geopolitical tensions and armed conflict,
clean energy can offer something extra: The potential of energy
independence and security. In Germany, the idea of fostering
energy independence through renewables is gaining traction with
some lawmakers.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/11/renewable-energy-could-offer-security-as-global-tensions-rise.html


As Prices Plunge, Africa Surges Into Clean, Cheap Solar Energy.
Until almost two years ago, James Mbugua, a farmer living in
Karai, a village on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital, relied on
kerosene to light his house, and a car battery to power his
television so he wouldn't miss the news. Part of the reason he
couldn't plug into the power grid, despite being so close to
Nairobi and in an area where electricity is readily available, is
that he lives on government land as a squatter, with no papers to
show he owns the 70-foot by 80-foot parcel where he has put up a
makeshift house.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/11/world/africa/11reuters-africa-solar-energy.html


Peek into Clinton's inner circle on energy.
John Podesta’s hacked emails provide a window into who is
offering the Democratic power-broker advice on the wonky climate
change issues he has spent much of his career on. One person who
shows up often in the trove Wikileaks released Monday is none
other than John Deutch, the former CIA director who received a
presidential pardon from President Bill Clinton for mishandling
classified material on unsecured home computers. Deutch, now a
professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
worked closely with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz while both were
at the university and now chairs the Secretary of Energy Advisory
Board. In several friendly emails, he refers to periodic meetings
and phone calls with Podesta in which the two exchange views on a
variety of topics, including international collaboration on
carbon capture and sequestration technologies and nuclear
energy.
http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-energy/2016/10/peek-into-clintons-inner-circle-on-energy-216792


VEHICLES

Plans for an electric car charging point in every new home in
Europe.
Every new or refurbished house in Europe will need to be equipped
with an electric vehicle recharging point, under a draft EU
directive expected to come into effect by 2019. In a further
boost to prospects for the electric car market in Europe, the
regulations due to be published before the end of the year state
that by 2023, 10% of parking spaces in new buildings in the EU
zone will also need recharging facilities.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/11/electric-car-charging-point-new-home-europe-renault


Fiat Chrysler Recall: This Is Going To Cost Money.
The Fiat Chrysler recall of not less than 130,000 Ram pickup
trucks equipped will cost over the $200 million, a figure that
engine manufacturer Cummins seems to be refuting. The recall is
for the 2013 to 2015 model year Ram 2500 pickup trucks with 6.7L,
which use the Cummins diesel engines. According to the US
Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources
Board, the moisture emitted from them is hazardous in the likes
of deactivation of the selective catalyst reduction system.
http://www.fxnewscall.com/fiat-chrysler-recall-this-is-going-to-cost-money/1955900/


MISCELLANEOUS

Bill Bryant touts his environmental credentials in race against
Gov. Jay Inslee.
Over the fireplace in Bill Bryant’s rustic vacation home outside
Winthrop, a large portrait of Teddy Roosevelt greets visitors and
serves as a source of inspiration for the Republican candidate
for governor. Bryant, an outdoorsman who grew up on the Olympic
Peninsula, fancies himself as a conservationist in the mold of
the turn-of-the-century president. He points to Roosevelt’s
influence in his own hands-on work to protect Puget Sound
watersheds, while ignoring grander environmental gestures that
are purely symbolic.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/activists-dispute-bryants-claim-that-hes-an-environmentalist/


OPINIONS

'Clean Coal' Is Far From Real.
“There is a thing called clean coal,” Donald Trump said during
Sunday night’s debate. But there isn’t -- and won’t be for a
considerable time, if ever. Presumably, Trump was referring to
so-called carbon-capture technology, which is designed to collect
and dispose of coal plants’ carbon-dioxide emissions before they
escape into the atmosphere, where they trap heat. That technology
may be on the drawing board and in a few small-scale
demonstration projects, but it’s not close to being ready for
widespread use at an affordable price.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-10/-clean-coal-is-far-from-real

Make The Renewable Fuel Standard More Fair--And Effective.
Forbes’ August 29 post titled “A Wealth Transfer from Refiners to
Ethanol Producers” accurately highlights a problem with the
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Our government currently makes the
wrong entities comply with its mandates. In examining this
complex program, the writer correctly describes the problem that
it creates for independent refiners, who are obligated to comply
with the mandate yet largely beholden to other entities to live
up to its requirements.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/10/10/make-the-renewable-fuel-standard-more-fair-and-effective/#1a145afe6455


Is Cap and Trade Failing Low Income and Minority Communities?
Exposure to pollution-related health risks, accumulated over a
lifetime, can have real impacts on outcomes that matter (such as
health, education, productivity, and income). So neighborhoods
that are more exposed to these risks are disadvantaged in more
ways than one.
http://www.theenergycollective.com/meredith_fowlie/2390262/is-cap-and-trade-failing-low-income-and-minority-communities
BLOGS

We Need To Move From Climate Commitment To Climate Action.
Last Wednesday, climate ambition became climate action. That was
the message heard around the world as Canada and the European
Union approved the Paris Agreement ratification. With this step,
the global agreement has effectively crossed the threshold to
enter into force. The agreement, which aims to limit further
warming to well below two degrees Celsius, signals a significant
shift in global cooperation and the recognition of the need for
urgent action on climate change. For Canada, it means that we
really are back. We've stepped onto the global stage and
positioned ourselves as leaders in the transition to a
sustainable low carbon future.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/bc-council-for-international-cooperation/canada-climate-commitment_b_12391526.html


California’s Big Climate Program Hits 10.
Sometime allies Governors Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger
joined forces again Wednesday at the California Museum in
Sacramento to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Schwarzenegger’s
signing of California’s pioneering omnibus climate change
legislation. The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known
as AB 32, committed the Golden State to a decades-long drive to
create a low-carbon economy and slash greenhouse gas emissions by
accelerating the transition to renewable energy, conservation and
energy efficiency, and new transportations systems.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/californias-big-climate-p_b_12389910.html


 


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

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