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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 13, 2017
Posted: 13 Jan 2017 17:04:02
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 California Considers Guaranteeing Carbon Prices in Trump Era. California is considering a system to protect projects that cut global-warming emissions from a market downturn that may worsen under a Trump administration. The state may guarantee the money these project developers get for emission-reduction and clean-fuel credits by auctioning options that oblige California to pay a minimum price for them… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-13/california-considers-guaranteeing-carbon-prices-in-trump-era?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e958fbc481-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e958fbc481-327747457 Cap and trade, the good, bad and ugly. On Jan. 1, Ontario consumers noticed a spike in gas prices as the province’s new cap and trade system came into effect. Cap and trade will add about four cents a litre for gasoline and about a dollar per gigajoule to natural gas bills. It will increase other prices too as increased costs of production and transportation ripple through the economy. http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/12/cap-and-trade-the-good-bad-and-ugly Lawmakers eager to extend cap-and-trade program. California lawmakers yesterday introduced a bill to extend the state's signature cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases beyond 2020, in line with Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) call to preserve the program. A.B. 151, by Assembly members Autumn Burke (D), Jim Cooper (D), Evan Low (D) and Blanca Rubio (D), is aimed at relieving market jitters that have hurt demand for emissions allowances. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048350 AIR POLLUTION All north Indian cities fail to meet air quality standards, report finds. Greenpeace study estimates air pollution kills more than 1 million Indians each year and cuts country’s GDP by 3%. Not a single city in northern India meets international air quality standards, according to a Greenpeace report that estimates air pollution kills more than 1 million Indians each year and takes 3% off the country’s GDP. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/13/all-north-indian-cities-fail-meet-air-quality-standards-report-finds EPA denies time-worn petitions against rule. The Obama administration yesterday denied a slew of petitions from states, industry and others that in 2015 asked U.S. EPA to reconsider or pause its landmark plan for cutting carbon emissions from the power sector. Challengers to the Clean Power Plan filed the requests after the rule was finalized in 2015 but before the Supreme Court froze implementation in February 2016. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048345 CLIMATE CHANGE Trump appointees on climate change: Not fake, not a big deal either. As we watch President-elect Donald Trump’s national security appointees seek Senate confirmation this week, a hint of a pattern seems to be emerging in how some of them discuss the global environment and its leading problem, the unambiguous warming trend. We’re not seeing any outright denial on this front. What we are seeing, though, is a tendency to either avoid full confrontation with the issue or to minimize it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/13/trump-appointees-on-climate-change-not-fake-not-a-big-deal-either/?utm_term=.3f67bd17daba More than 70 percent of Japan’s largest coral reef has died. Japan’s largest coral reef system has become the latest casualty in a long series of coral bleaching events around the world. More than 90 percent of coral in the Sekisei Lagoon, located in the Okinawa prefecture, has bleached, according to a new survey just released by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. And a whopping 70 percent of the reef has died. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/13/more-than-70-percent-of-japans-largest-coral-reef-has-died/?utm_term=.733bee8d95ee Exxon Mobil is ordered to hand over climate change research. A Massachusetts judge has ordered Exxon Mobil to submit 40 years of documents regarding the company’s studies of the impact of fossil fuels on climate change. Superior Court Judge Heidi E. Brieger said state law supports arguments by Massachusetts’ attorney general that the government agency has the authority to pursue questions about whether Exxon Mobil misled the public about the role fossil fuels play in climate change. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-mobil-climate-change-documents-20170112-story.html Northeast warming more rapidly than most of US. New England is likely to experience significantly greater warming over the next decade, and beyond, than the rest of the planet, according to new findings by climate scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The region’s temperatures are projected to rise by an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels by 2025… https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/12/northeast-will-experience-faster-warming-from-climate-change-new-study-finds/nitce6eK8zqQN2LXZXgvwK/story.html Trees near the Great Lakes vulnerable to warming. Scientists are trying to equip forests near the Great Lakes to deal with the effects of climate change. They predict the region will experience increased temperatures and water scarcity, which could have implications for its forest cover. The Great Lakes forests support a thriving ecosystem of flora and fauna, as well as a forestry industry valued at several billion dollars. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048328 DROUGHT Call it the Southern California drought. Rain and snow end Northern California water woes. What was once a statewide drought this week became a Southern California drought. A week of powerful storms has significantly eased the state’s water shortage, pulling nearly all of Northern California out of drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The report underscores what experts have been saying for several months. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/ FUELS EPA rejects automakers’ bid to weaken fuel efficiency standards. The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a bid by automakers to roll back fuel efficiency standards that would sharply increase mileage by 2025, saying that the auto companies possess the technology and financial resources to meet the targets set by the Obama administration. Citing eight years of research, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said that “at every step in the process… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/13/epa-rejects-automakers-bid-to-weaken-fuel-efficiency-standards/?utm_campaign=e958fbc481-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Inside Climate News&utm_term=.c6c17004b287 http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/314148-obama-wont-change-car-emissions-standards EPA finalizes standards as unhappy carmakers look to Trump. The Obama administration locked in tighter fuel economy standards today for cars, minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks — finalizing the decision 14 months ahead of schedule and a week before the inauguration of Donald Trump. A component of President Obama's climate change agenda, the greenhouse gas standards would bring average… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048381 VEHICLES Competition heats up in race for electric vehicle. Automakers are shifting away from hybrid vehicles and pouring resources into electric vehicles in the race to develop the next generation of environmentally friendly automobiles. The shift is being pushed by stronger emissions rules in Europe, the United States and China, as well as lower manufacturing costs for electric vehicles. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/13/competition-heats-up-in-race-for-electric-vehicle/ VW suggests imminent plug-in and electric vehicle battery shortage. Panasonic, Tesla will be tasked with boosting battery production. As consumers continue to buy more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids worldwide, lithium-ion battery packs continue to drop in price while offering increasing energy density. So what could possibly be the problem? A global battery-pack shortage, that's what. http://www.autoblog.com/2017/01/12/vw-suggests-plug-in-electric-vehicle-battery-shortage/ VW RECALL How VW's In-House Lawyers Screwed Up a Litigation Hold. The obstruction of justice charge filed against Volkswagen AG on Wednesday pertains not only to lies by employees to federal regulators, but also to actions by VW's in-house legal team, according to statements attached to the plea agreement. The statements say VW in-house attorneys tipped off employees about an oncoming litigation hold. http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202776735311/-How-VWs-InHouse-Lawyers-Screwed-Up-a-Litigation-Hold-?slreturn=20170013133200 FIAT/CHRYSLER (FCA) Fiat Chrysler Faces U.S. Criminal Emissions Investigation. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department over its alleged failure to disclose software that violated emissions standards, according to people familiar with the matter, another legal hurdle for a company already under criminal scrutiny for its sales practices. The possibility of a criminal action over diesel emissions violations comes after the Environmental Protection Agency said… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-13/fiat-chrysler-said-to-face-u-s-criminal-emissions-investigation http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-presses-italy-to-respond-on-fiat-chrysler-emissions-accusations-1484310394 Diesel emissions inquiries widen to Renault and Fiat. European carmakers were drawn into a widening probe of diesel emissions testing on Friday, with French prosecutors examining Renault and British authorities seeking answers from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Volkswagen's VOW_p.DE admission that some of its diesel vehicles were fitted with software designed to hide their true level of emissions… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-emissions-idUSKBN14X1GL http://www.wsj.com/articles/renault-under-investigation-in-france-over-emissions-1484303906 http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-renault-emissions-fraud-20170113-story.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/01/13/reports-renault-probed-over-diesel-emissions/96530572/ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/13/renault-diesel-emissions-cheating-france-us-fiat-chrysler http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/13/news/renault-emissions-cheating-investigation/ GREEN ENERGY Cuomo pledges $360M toward renewables mandate. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Wednesday said his administration would provide $360 million in additional funding to help the state achieve a 50 percent renewable energy mandate by 2030. The announcement comes on the heels of a pledge by Cuomo to develop the country's largest offshore wind projects. Wednesday's awards to 11 new and existing renewable energy projects… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048327 BLM finalizes mitigation plan for Colo. solar zones. The Bureau of Land Management continues to advance policies and measures in the final days of the Obama administration to promote renewable energy development on federal lands. The latest move is the finalization of a regional mitigation strategy designed to pave the way for commercial-scale solar power development inside Colorado's resource-rich San Luis Valley. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048376 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE Pricing carbon: California’s unfinished climate priority. At the close of their legislative session in August, California lawmakers passed one of the world’s most significant climate policies—SB 32, named after the state’s original climate law from a decade earlier, AB 32. The new bill added a single line to its predecessor, requiring the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. http://thebulletin.org/pricing-carbon-california%E2%80%99s-unfinished-climate-priority10367 OPINIONS In Paramount pollution crisis, outrage is justified: Anthony Rendon. If you suddenly discover a hazardous toxin in your home, the immediate response is shock and fear, whether the threat is radon in the soil, lead in water pipes or carbon monoxide leaking from a heater. Fear has hit the community I live in. Late last year, the residents of Paramount learned that our air betrayed levels of toxic chromium 6 that were hundreds of times above allowable standards. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20170113/in-paramount-pollution-crisis-outrage-is-justified-anthony-rendon Is climate ambiguity the new denial? The Senate's global warming snowballs might be melting. Conservative politicians in Washington are subtly shifting their arguments on climate change as the body of evidence grows to show how the Earth is affected by humans. And they often fall short of muscular denial. Former Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson says he believes in warming, but he doubts the accuracy of climate models. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/13/stories/1060048326 BLOGS Climate Change Could Kill off Parasites, Destabilizing Ecosystems. Photogenic animals, from polar bears to people, aren't the only creatures under threat from global climate change. A new review led by UC Berkeley suggests the phenomenon threatens parasites with extinction, which could have big consequences for ecosystems. The vast majority of research into parasites and environment change focuses on how hosts, particularly humans, will be harmed. http://thescienceexplorer.com/nature/climate-change-could-kill-parasites-destabilizing-ecosystems Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle & Portland Seek Record-Breaking Order Of 24,000 EVs. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland are combining efforts and making monumental strides to strategically assist in the accelerated adoption of electric vehicles. The cities are initially requesting 24,000 EVs as soon as possible, along with enlisting multiple cities to join the effort to push numbers up to 100,000. Perhaps the Chevrolet Bolt will become a prime candidate for the initiative. http://insideevs.com/los-angeles-san-francisco-seattle-portland-seek-record-breaking-24000-evs/ Trump’s pick for CIA director tried to weasel out of questions on climate change. New California Sen. Kamala Harris grilled Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo about his views on climate change during a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. She asked if he has any reason to doubt current CIA director John Brennan’s assessment that climate change is a contributing factor to rising instability in the Middle East and other areas. http://grist.org/briefly/trumps-pick-for-cia-director-tried-to-weasel-out-of-questions-on-climate-change/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.