What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for December 30, 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

Ontario business groups want cap-and-trade program delayed.
Ontario's cap-and-trade program begins Jan. 1, but businesses are
already asking the government to delay it for a year. Twenty
chambers of commerce around the province — including those in
Ajax-Pickering, Burlington, Hamilton and Newmarket — have banded
together, issuing a last-minute warning that the climate
change-fighting plan will cost homeowners more…
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/7042572-ontario-business-groups-want-cap-and-trade-program-delayed/

AIR POLLUTION

LA-area refineries emit up to 12 times more toxic chemicals than
reported. Refineries in greater Los Angeles are emitting up to 12
times more toxic chemicals than previously reported, according to
a new study by Swedish researchers and the South Coast Air
Quality Management District. The results, which were unveiled at
the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco
earlier this month, have substantiated the concerns environmental
justice advocates…
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/12/29/67663/la-area-refineries-emit-up-to-12-times-more-toxic/


Chevron Flaring Two Days in a Row, Now Suspect in Sulfur Smell.
Could a flaring incident at the Chevron refinery in Richmond on
Tuesday be the source of a pungent odor that spread across parts
of San Francisco hours later? After more than 70 complaints of a
“rotten egg” smell in San Francisco on Wednesday morning, local
air regulators are trying to pinpoint its cause. The flaring
incident is now a possible suspect.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/29/chevron-flaring-two-days-in-a-row-now-suspect-in-sulfur-smell/


CLIMATE CHANGE

California taps climate change attorney to be acting legal chief.
 A lawyer with deep experience fighting climate change will lead
California's Department of Justice until the next attorney
general takes office, as the state and several others vow to
combat global warming despite skepticism from President-elect
Donald Trump.
http://in.reuters.com/article/usa-california-attorneygeneral-idINKBN14I22X


FEATURE-Mexico's Maya point way to slow species loss, climate
change. Maria Yam Pérez scrambles eggs over a wood-saving,
earth-block stove and stirs in freshly chopped chaya, a
spinach-like jungle plant known for its versatility in cooking
and medicine. She points to the black soot from the hearth smoke,
accumulated under the thatched roof, like tendrils of grey
gossamer...
http://www.reuters.com/article/mexico-environment-climatechange-forests-idUSL5N1EO19N


Teens’ Lawyers Plan to Question Tillerson on His Knowledge of
Climate Change. Lawyers for teenagers claiming the U.S.
government failed to protect the environment from global warming
plan to question under oath President-elect Donald Trump’s pick
for secretary of state on his knowledge of climate change.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-29/tillerson-climate-change-testimony-sought-before-trump-sworn-in
 

Fish Seek Cooler Waters, Leaving Some Fishermen’s Nets Empty.
There was a time when whiting were plentiful in the waters of
Rhode Island Sound, and Christopher Brown pulled the fish into
his long stern trawler by the bucketful. “We used to come right
here and catch two, three, four thousand pounds a day, sometimes
10,” he said, sitting at the wheel of the Proud Mary — a
44-footer named, he said...
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/science/fish-climate-change-northeast.html?_r=1


Wis. agency scrubs webpage to remove climate change. Wisconsin's
state agency that oversees environmental regulation recently
removed language from its webpage on the Great Lakes that says
humans and greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources now contends the
subject is a matter of scientific debate.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/29/climate-changed-purged-wisconsin/95964238/

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/1230/Wisconsin-Dept.-of-Natural-Resources-says-climate-change-cause-debatable


Can a federal government scientist in California convince Trump
that climate change is real? In the two decades since Ben Santer
helped write a landmark international report linking global
warming and human activity, he’s been criticized by politicians,
accused of falsifying his data and rewarded with a dead rat on
his doorstep.  He describes it as “background noise,” and he
tries to tune it out as he presses forward…
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-climate-scientists-donald-trump-20161230-story.html

Tillerson climate-change testimony scheduled before Trump
swearing in. Lawyers for teenagers claiming the US government
failed to protect the environment from global warming plan to
question under oath President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for
secretary of state on his knowledge of climate change. Exxon
Mobil Corp. chief executive Rex Tillerson’s testimony, set for
the day before the Jan. 20 inauguration…
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/12/29/tillerson-climate-change-testimony-scheduled-before-trump-swearing/uHLpWFP6ViysWc2AJgAFkK/story.html
 

Trump could be fighting Obama's climate policies for years.
President-elect Donald Trump’s energy agenda is shaping up to be
a years-long effort to undo President Obama’s policies.
Supporters of Trump and industries that have opposed Obama’s
regulatory actions say turning back the clock is the most
important thing the president-elect can do to help businesses
succeed.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/311878-trump-could-be-fighting-obamas-climate-policies-for-years


States face off over future of Obama global-warming plan. Two
weeks after officials in two dozen states asked Republican
President-elect Donald Trump to kill one of Democratic President
Barack Obama's signature plans to curb global warming, another
group of state officials is urging Trump to save it. Democratic
attorneys general in 15 states plus four cities and counties sent
a letter to Trump…
http://www.sltrib.com/home/4762796-155/states-face-off-over-future-of

2017: Trump Peddles Climate Doubt in a World Sold on Action. The
president-elect can surround himself with climate deniers, but he
will govern in a world where climate change affects almost all
international dealings. President-elect Donald Trump may dismiss
the Paris Agreement and pack his cabinet with climate deniers,
but once he takes office, he will face a world that takes the
climate crisis as seriously as he does not.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22122016/donald-trump-climate-change-science-paris-agreement?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=a7bad247bc-InsideClimate_News12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-a7bad247bc-327494049


DROUGHT

California’s Water: Seven Important Things That Happened in 2016.
Lake Mead, the largest reservoir on the Colorado River, hit
record lows in 2016.THIS YEAR HAS been a big one for water.
California is still mired in drought, although less of the state
is suffering than in previous years and each winter rainstorm
brings a fresh bit of optimism. A large reserve of groundwater
was found deep under the drought-stricken Central Valley…
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/12/29/californias-water-seven-important-things-that-happened-in-2016/


Napa towns report ample water supplies after storms. A driving
rain can be the prettiest sight of all – at least to those
closely watching local water stocks after half a decade of
drought across California. As 2016 draws to a close, Napa Valley
cities are reporting full or nearly full reservoirs following a
spate of December storms in the Bay Area. Lake Hennessey, the
main feeder to the city of Napa, was essentially full…
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-towns-report-ample-water-supplies-after-storms/article_afc6cd71-d7df-53e7-99b4-8fec81647104.html

FUELS

China's diesel demand likely to rise ahead of Lunar New Year.
China's diesel demand is likely to pick up pace ahead of the
Lunar New Year as traders stock up barrels ahead of the
festivities and as construction activity picks up in some areas,
four trade sources said on Thursday. Implied diesel demand in
October in China, the world's second-largest oil user, rose to
3.4 million barrels per day, up 6.4 percent from September…
http://www.reuters.com/article/china-diesel-idUSL4N1EO26E  

DOE awards LanzaTech $4M for low-carbon jet & diesel demo plant;
3M gpy; Audi evaluating fuel properties. LanzaTech has been
selected by the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies
Office (BETO) to receive a $4-million award to design and plan a
demonstration-scale facility using industrial off gases to
produce 3 million gallons/year of low-carbon jet and diesel
fuels. The LanzaTech award was one of six totaling $12.9 million.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/12/20161230-lanzatech.html 

VEHICLES

China unveils green vehicle subsidy caps; increases technical
requirements. China will cap subsidies and increase technical
requirements for green energy vehicles starting next year in the
wake of a subsidy cheating scandal, according to documents posted
on the Ministry of Finance website on Thursday. The measures
include a new formula for calculating central government
subsidies and subsidy caps for electric and plug-in hybrid coach
buses…
http://www.reuters.com/article/china-autos-electric-idUSL4N1EP27B


GREEN ENERGY

Vestas' strong 2016 finish offsets worry over Trump energy
policy. A spate of last-minute orders from the United States has
put Danish wind turbine maker Vestas on track for its highest
contract intake in six years and eased some investors' concerns
over U.S. energy policy under the incoming Trump administration.
Vestas Wind Systems (VWS.CO) and its rivals are benefiting from a
new focus on renewables…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-vestas-wind-orders-idUSKBN14J0VF

The top 5 green building stories in 2016. Around the world,
buildings are becoming greener as technology and tenant behaviour
combine to lower the impact of urbanisation on the planet. These
are the top 5 green building stories in 2016. The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that buildings are the
largest contributors to climate change through carbon emissions.
http://www.eco-business.com/news/the-top-5-green-building-stories-in-2016/


OPINIONS

Obama’s government just issued five new energy rules — but
Trump’s will have to finish them. It’s not over, yet, for Obama
era rules, regulations and other consequential decisions — which
in recent days have included protecting much of the Arctic and
Atlantic from offshore drilling and designating new national
monuments.
The Department of Energy also has been busy finishing a sweeping
Obama era program of energy efficiency standards touching...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/29/the-energy-department-just-issued-five-new-regulations-that-trump-could-try-to-cancel/?utm_term=.7c2cf245079f


Scientists in a panic over Earth data collection future. I
recently left the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy. As I packed my desk to return to Silicon Valley, I heard
from scientists working with federal government data who were
scrambling to create off-site copies of critical data about Earth
and its changing climate. I heard from colleagues in state and
local governments, academia and nonprofits …
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Scientists-in-a-panic-over-Earth-data-collection-10825608.php?cmpid=gsa-sfgate-result


Carbon fee and dividend approach to improve our air quality:
Letters. Carbon fee and dividend to improve our air quality. Re
“Make sure plan to further clean air is feasible, effective”
(Editorial, Dec. 14): Your editorial claims that clean energy
plans will ruin the economy of Southern California, yet
California has made tremendous progress in air quality for the
past 20 years and still has a booming economy.
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20161229/carbon-fee-and-dividend-approach-to-improve-our-air-quality-letters


Trump and climate change — a vicious circle. In late May, just as
Donald Trump was clinching his party’s presidential nomination,
he promised a crowd at a petroleum conference in North Dakota
that he would “cancel the Paris climate agreement and stop all
payments of the United States tax dollars to UN global warming
programs.” In other words, he wouldn’t act to limit the US
contribution to global change.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2016/12/30/trump-and-climate-change-vicious-circle/komVShaqyLXnxPH09rjbyK/story.html


Signs of serious global warming impacts piled up in 2016.  2016
is on track to be the third year in a row with a record-warm
average global temperature. There wasn’t any relief from a wave
of worrisome global warming news in the spring of 2016, including
a study from Harvard showing how rising temperatures will send
ozone levels surging to dangerous highs across parts of the U.S.
https://summitcountyvoice.com/2016/12/30/signs-of-serious-global-warming-impacts-piled-up-in-2016/


Another view: Climate change worse than just inconvenient. The
earth’s natural systems are so complex that it can be hard to
prove links between specific instances of extreme weather and the
long-term shifting of global temperatures that humans are
causing. But that does not suggest there are no links, or that
warming is not happening.
In fact, experts are getting better at the science of “climate
attribution,”…
http://www.nwherald.com/2016/12/28/another-view-climate-change-worse-than-just-inconvenient/afzd1u3/

BLOGS

Trump vs. California Climate Battle Brewing. California vs.
Trump, so to speak, is shaping up to be a heavyweight match. On
one side is the world’s sixth (or so) largest economy – home to
Disneyland, Hollywood and Big Sur. On the other is the reality
show host/real estate mogul who beat all the odds and grabbed the
Oval Office by the electoral college.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2016/12/29/436856.htm


Can We Use Global Cooling To Fight Global Warming? Can we use
what was causing global cooling to combat global warming?
originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where
compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Dave Consiglio, Chemistry and Physics High School
Teacher and Community College Professor, on Quora…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/30/can-we-use-global-cooling-to-fight-global-warming/#2092fbadb21a






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