What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for January 20, 2017. 

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.

CLIMATE CHANGE

California unveils sweeping plan to combat climate change.
California environmental officials released an ambitious plan on
Friday that seeks to cut the state's output of heat-trapping
greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
The California Air Resources Board proposal includes an extension
of the state's controversial carbon cap-and-trade program, which
sets limits on total emissions, and includes a 20 percent cut to
greenhouse gas emissions from the state's oil refineries.
http://www.reuters.com/article/california-climate-idUSL1N1FA1F1 
http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-1484938433-htmlstory.html
 
http://www.4-traders.com/news/California-Air-Resources-Board-issues-proposed-plan-to-achieve-groundbreaking-2030-climate-goals--23728290/
   
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-20/as-trump-vows-to-kill-climate-plan-california-pushes-back

White House climate change webpage disappears after Trump's
inauguration. Less than an hour after President Trump took the
oath of office on Friday, the White House’s webpage on climate
change disappeared, the latest sign that the new administration
will divert resources – and attention – from the issue. The
removal of the page from the White House’s website came around
the same time the site…
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315284-white-house-climate-change-webpage-disappears-after-trumps

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/01/donald-trump-climate-white-house-website
 
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/20/the-white-house-websites-page-on-climate-change-just-disappeared.html
 
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315284-white-house-climate-change-webpage-disappears-after-trumps
 
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/donald-trump-president-white-house-global-warming-climate-change-environment-a7538381.html
   

Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’ sequel shows he’s hopeful on
climate change despite Trump. Eleven years after “An Inconvenient
Truth” rocked the Sundance Film Festival and went on to become an
Oscar winner and box office success, Al Gore’s eco-warrior
alter-ego is back on-screen at Sundance with a timely follow-up,
“An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” Its release arrives on
the heels of news that 2016 was, like the two years before it,
the hottest on record.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/01/20/al-gores-inconvenient-truth-sequel-shows-hes-hopeful-on-climate-change-despite-trump/?utm_term=.431e1e297d01
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-sundance-updates-2017-htmlstory.html
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Al-Gore-has-a-triumphant-new-documentary-about-10871788.php
 
http://www.businessinsider.com/al-gore-an-inconvenient-sequel-review-movie-2017-1


Mayor Calls For Cities Nationwide To Continue Fighting Climate
Change Under Trump. At a conference in Washington, D.C.,
Wednesday morning, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo called for cities
across the country to continue fighting for the environment under
a new presidential administration "not likely to be a significant
partner in our battle against climate change."
http://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Mayor-Calls-For-Cities-Nationwide-To-Continue-10869674.php


‘Antarctica: Ice and Sky’ Review: Environmental Doc Overpraises
Its Subject. The director of “March of the Penguins” sounds the
alarm for global warming but also lavishes his glaciologist
subject with too much gushy narration. Luc Jacquet’s documentary
“Antarctica: Ice & Sky” comes to praise Claude Lorius, the
now-84-year-old glaciologist who was the first researcher to
discover a link between greenhouse gases and global warming.
http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Antarctica-Ice-and-Sky-Review-10871979.php


Trump begins with call to kill climate action plan. As President
Trump delivered his inaugural address Friday, his staff posted a
variety of proposals ranging from an "American First Foreign
Policy"  to killing President Obama's climate action plan — plans
largely echoing his campaign website. "For too long, we’ve been
held back by burdensome regulations on our energy industry.
http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/20/donald-trump-first-day-barack-obama-white-house/96829932/


Scotland sets ambitious goal of 66% emissions cut within 15
years. Holyrood ministers aim higher after hitting target of 42%
cut by 2020 six years early, but say Brexit poses challenge.
Scotland is seeking to dramatically cut its reliance on fossil
fuels for cars, energy and homes after setting a radical target
to cut total climate emissions by 66% within 15 years.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/19/scotland-sets-ambitious-goal-of-66-emissions-cut-within-15-years?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=8500fa4599-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-8500fa4599-327747457


World’s poorest urge G20 to make long-term climate plans. Put
your money where your mouth is. That’s the demand from a
coalition of 43 of the poorest and most climate vulnerable
countries ahead of July’s G20 summit in Hamburg. They want
governments from the wealthy Group of 20 to start work on long
term plans to ditch fossil fuels ahead of a UN climate policy
review in 2018.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/01/19/worlds-poorest-urge-g20-to-make-long-term-climate-plans/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=8500fa4599-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-8500fa4599-327747457


Warm Air Invades Arctic Again, Slowing Sea Ice Growth. A surge of
warm air and stormy weather has once again invaded the Arctic,
sending temperatures soaring and stagnating winter sea ice
growth. These repeated incursions have helped keep sea ice area
at record low levels for much of the freeze season, and have even
contributed to an exceptional cold season retreat.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/warm-air-slowing-sea-ice-growth-21081?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=8500fa4599-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-8500fa4599-327747457


Obama's climate legacy: 8 years of troubles and triumphs. When an
environmentalist asked a recent adviser to President Obama what
the future holds for confronting climate change, the answer cast
a shadow on today's inauguration. That was before almost anyone
gave Donald Trump a shot at winning the presidential election. No
one would match Obama's zeal on climate, the adviser said.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048703 

U.S. crop harvests to 'suffer' with climate change. Shifting
climate patterns in North America could hit U.S. crop production
hard, possibly even halving the production of corn by the end of
the century, a new study finds. Scientists believe that the spike
in average temperatures that is widely predicted by climate
models for North America could hurt its agriculture sector.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048700 

AIR POLLUTION

Beijing to spend $2.7 billion on cleaning capital's air. Beijing
will spend $2.7 billion to fight air pollution in the capital
this year, state media reported Thursday. Part of the money will
be used to close or upgrade more than 2,000 polluting factories,
replace the use of coal with clean energy on the outskirts of the
city and phase out 300,000 high-polluting older vehicles, the
official Xinhua News Agency said…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Paramount metal finisher suspends operations after violating
Chromium 6 pollution limit. A Paramount metal-finishing plant was
forced to suspend some operations Thursday after violating limits
on a potent cancer-causing air pollutant. Aerocraft Heat Treating
Co., Inc. shut down operations that had the potential to emit
Chromium 6 after levels of the pollutant outside the facility
exceeded a specified threshold.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-paramount-metal-emissions-20170119-story.html


Schools in Lindsay, San Joaquin added to pesticide monitoring
list. Two areas in the central San Joaquin Valley have been added
to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s air
monitoring list, and will begin giving samples this month. Air
samples from San Joaquin Elementary School in San Joaquin and
Jefferson Elementary School in Lindsay will be taken once a week
until December 2018…
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article127145354.html#storylink=cpy


Gas fireplaces offer a wide range of styles, and they're good for
the environment. Southern California’s air quality in 2017 is
much cleaner than it was a generation ago, thanks to some of the
nation’s most stringent regulations. A 2016 USC study that
tracked the health of Southern California children over two
decades concluded that they now have significantly fewer
respiratory symptoms because of improved air quality.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fireplace-741654-wood-hatabu.html


EPA offers 2-pronged legal attack on MACT rule critics. U.S. EPA
sought yesterday to parry a two-sided attack on its emission
standards for brick and ceramic manufacturers, arguing in a newly
filed court brief that the new limits are strong enough to
satisfy public health requirements, yet not skewed against
industry. "Neither side is right," EPA lawyers wrote in the
brief, submitted as a rebuttal…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048727 

EPA delays Del. ozone compliance petition response. U.S. EPA is
giving itself another six months to address Delaware's complaint
that a coal-fired power plant in southwestern Pennsylvania is
contributing to ozone compliance problems. The Delaware
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control had
brought the petition against the 1,711-megawatt…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048737

DROUGHT

Western drought watchers keep wary eye on Lake Mead level. In a
new report about an ongoing problem, an advocacy group is
projecting the effects in places that depend on the Colorado
River if the water level at drought-stricken Lake Mead continues
to fall. Western Resource Advocates says the vast reservoir
behind Hoover Dam is being drained faster than it can be filled,
and the first to feel the effects would be farmers in Arizona.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article127701749.html#storylink=cpy


Should California drought rules be lifted? State ponders question
as storms roll in.  With rivers roaring and more rain coming,
California’s drought cops are wrestling with a complicated
question: Should they keep patrolling the beat? A chorus of urban
water districts Wednesday urged the State Water Resources Control
Board…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article127255174.html#storylink=cpy


California Drought Retreats During Winter Rain Storms.
California’s drought continues to wane just as the Bay Area is
about to receive five straight days of rain, according to the
National Weather Service. The U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly
analysis, released on Thursday shows only 2 percent of the state
remains in the most extreme category “exceptional drought,” down
43 percent from a year ago. Recent heavy rains have resulted in
significant improvements for much of California, most of it in
the Northern half of the state.
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/01/19/california-drought-retreats-during-winter-rain-storms/


California's wet year means we will get increased water
deliveries. State announces plans to send more Northern
California water here. California water suppliers pleaded with
state water officials on Wednesday to end a statewide emergency
water conservation regulation. Nearly half of the state is out of
drought as much of Northern California has been socked with one
of its wettest years in decades. 
http://www.pe.com/articles/water-823477-state-california.html 

Drought’s back broken — or not? Despite the torrential rains of
the last few weeks, experts say it’s too early to tell whether
California’s interminable drought is really over. It will be
necessary to monitor rainfall through at least March to make an
assessment.
California has been in a drought since 2012. Gov. Jerry Brown
declared a drought state of emergency in January 2014 after the
state experienced record dry conditions.
http://capitolweekly.net/drought-california-rains-over/ 

As drought eases, what’s next for California’s water strategy?
With storms drenching much of California and snow blanketing the
Sierra Nevada, the state’s top water regulators are grappling
with how to shift from conservation rules devised during more
than five years of drought to a long-term strategy for using
water more sustainably. The State Water Resources Control Board
plans to decide in February whether to extend the current drought
regulations…
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2017/01/19/california-grapples-pivot-drought-rules-long-term-water-strategy/96805682/
 

California’s snowpack is good news for the parched state—for now.
It's still early in the season, and the drought isn't ending.
California’s wet winter continues, with rain and snowstorms still
pelting the state. These constant storms are building up the
California snowpack to levels that haven’t been seen in the
drought-plagued state in several years. “This is way better than
some of the recent years we’ve had…
http://www.popsci.com/snowpack-increase-in-california-leads-to-cautious-optimism


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

DEQ receives more than $1 million in grants to reduce diesel
emissions in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) has been awarded more than $1 million in grants by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retrofit and replace
old, polluting diesel vehicles and equipment in Idaho. The funds
will be used to retrofit or install diesel particulate filters or
oxidation catalysts on construction…
http://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/news/idaho/deq-receives-more-than-million-in-grants-to-reduce-diesel/article_73f04910-df3e-11e6-8035-5b662e719c73.html

FUELS

Stinky cows and climate change: Scientists try to mitigate
methane from cows. Many creatures, including you and me, emit
methane from time to time. Microbes within our guts break down
one substance and turn it into another, making methane in the
process. Northern lakes and tundra plants also leak methane. That
gas, too, is from microbes, which become more active as the air
warms.
http://juneauempire.com/outdoors/2017-01-20/stinky-cows-and-climate-change-scientists-try-mitigate-methane-cows


Ethanol lowers GHG emission 43% compared to petrol, USDA says.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with corn-based ethanol
in the US are about 43% lower than petrol when measured on an
energy equivalent basis, a new study finds. Carried out by the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA), the study – Life-Cycle Analysis
of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn-Based Ethanol…
http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/11716/ethanol_lowers_ghg_emission_43_compared_to_petrol_usda_says/

MIT team engineers yeast to boost lipid production for biofuels.
MIT engineers have genetically engineered strains of the
oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to boost the production of
lipids by about 25% compared to previously engineered yeast
strains. Their approach could enable commercialization of
microbial carbohydrate-based lipid production, supporting the
renewable production of high-energy fuels such as diesel.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/01/20170120-mit.html 

VEHICLES

Ford Targets London’s ‘White Van Man’ to Drive Down Emissions.
Ford Motor Co. will trial plug-in hybrid vans in London in an
effort to accelerate the uptake of low-emissions vehicles and
tackle climate change and air pollution. Aided by 4.7 million
pounds ($5.8 million) of U.K. government funding, the automaker
will test 20 of the vehicles, which mainly operate using an
electric battery but can fall back…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-20/ford-targets-london-s-white-van-man-to-drive-down-emissions


Utah plans for larger charging station network. Utah state
leaders are planning to create an electric corridor connecting
Yellowstone National Park to Disneyland. Rocky Mountain Power,
the regional utility, has been provided with $14 million to
create a network of electric charging stations in the region —
enough that an electric vehicle driver could travel comfortably
from Disneyland in California to Yellowstone in Montana.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048695 

VW RECALL

Almost 67,000 polluting VW and Audi diesels returned so far.
Almost 67,000 of the roughly 470,000 Volkswagen and Audi 2-liter
diesel models sold in the United States with emissions-cheating
software have been returned to dealers for buybacks or lease
terminations, an attorney for the automaker said at a hearing in
federal court in San Francisco Wednesday.
http://www.sfgate.com/cars/article/Almost-67-000-polluting-VW-and-Audi-diesels-10866125.php?cmpid=twitter-desktop


Volkswagen’s $14.7 billion “Dieselgate” settlement could
greenify. Volkswagen’s pain could be Georgia's gain.  Georgia's
roads. About $58 million of Volkswagen’s $14.7 billion settlement
for violating federal clean air laws is headed to Georgia to help
clean up the state’s transportation system, according to a report
from the Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center.
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/01/20/volkswagen-s-14-7-billion-dieselgate-settlement.html


GREEN ENERGY

British village gets solar battery boost in green energy trial.
Villagers in northern England may soon see their electricity
bills slashed by as much as 50 percent in a pilot project
allowing them to use solar power around the clock. In a 250,000
pound ($307,000) trial, 40 houses in the village of Oxspring, 12
miles (19 km) north of Sheffield, will be linked in a "virtual
power plant"…
http://www.reuters.com/article/britain-renewables-solar-idUSL5N1FA236


Rick Perry expresses ‘regret’ for pledging to abolish Energy
Department. Former Texas governor Rick Perry, President-elect
Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Energy Department, parried
questions about climate change at his confirmation hearing
Thursday morning, reversing his earlier skeptical stance but
still balking when pressed to declare it a crisis.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/rick-perry-seeks-to-lead-the-energy-department-an-agency-he-pledged-to-abolish/2017/01/18/19b14494-dd0a-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html?utm_campaign=8500fa4599-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Inside
Climate News&utm_term=.1e731259442d  

Hawaii bill aims for 100 percent renewable transportation. Hawaii
has the most aggressive renewable energy targets in the nation,
aiming for its utilities to get 100 percent of their electricity
from renewable sources by 2045. Now advocates want to extend that
goal to the transportation sector to urge all forms of ground
transportation to fuel up using renewable sources by 2045.
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/technology/article/Hawaii-bill-aims-for-100-percent-renewable-10867919.php

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048696 

Trump Treasury pick backs wind credit — for now. Treasury
secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin voiced support yesterday for
keeping the federal tax credit for wind intact during the first
several years of the Trump administration. At his confirmation
hearing, Mnuchin was asked by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
whether he supported the current phaseout of the production tax
credit for wind…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048724 

On Inauguration Day, Trump's energy agenda starts to unfold.  A
cavalcade of limousines and marchers is ready to usher Donald
Trump to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. this afternoon as the 45th
president, in a highly secured procession where every minute
detail has been scoped and scripted. But the currents of energy
and economic actions that will follow Trump's inauguration won't
resemble today's clockwork plans…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/20/stories/1060048692 

MISCELLANEOUS

Barack Obama's science legacy. In 2008, President Barack Obama
said that he would “change the posture of our federal government
from being one of the most anti-science administrations in
American history to one that embraces science and technology.” As
Obama’s final days in office come to a close, it is important to
look back and examine his legacy on science.
http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/story/barack-obamas-science-legacy/


OPINIONS

State climate policies are boosting San Joaquin Valley’s economy.
From the statehouse to the courthouse to Washington, D.C.,
California’s pioneering climate policies face scrutiny. How do
they affect jobs? How do they affect the economy more broadly? Do
they cost too much? People have a lot of opinions about these
questions. At Next 10, we wanted to add hard economic data to the
discussion.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article127307039.html#storylink=cpy


Leonard Galan: If state won’t build water storage, I won’t quit
watering my lawn. The next time the state asks me to let my yard
go dry because of a drought, I will ignore the request. I have
not heard of any legislation in California to support building
more water storage. Do we not think the population in California
will continue to grow? And I guess we think there will not be
another severe drought.
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article127702274.html#storylink=cpy


The threat to species from climate change should provoke shame in
our hearts. While Australia bakes through another hot, angry
summer, its precious wildlife is increasingly under threat, not
just from the extreme weather of fires and floods but by the
growing reality of a changing climate. It is getting hotter. Day
by day, month by month, year by year – 2016 is confirmed as the
hottest year on record globally…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/20/the-threat-to-species-from-climate-change-should-provoke-shame-in-our-hearts


BLOGS

Better Transportation Choices are Key to Meeting California’s
2030 Climate Goals. California has set ambitious targets for
reducing climate emissions by 2030 – a 40% reduction in emissions
compared to 1990 levels.  And transportation is the largest
source of emissions in the Golden State – accounting for nearly
half of the state’s emissions when you consider production and
refining of oil as well as burning it in our cars, trucks, trains
and ships.
http://blog.ucsusa.org/don-anair/better-transportation-choices-are-key-to-meeting-californias-2030-climate-goals


California Dreamin’ of a Clean Electricity Grid. My daughter is
almost a year old, so lately I’ve been reading a lot of books
about farm animals. It’s been fun to practice animal noises, but
it has also felt a little strange to teach my daughter about a
lifestyle that fewer Americans experience. It’s gotten me
thinking about what else in our daily lives might look different
by the time my daughter is a teenager. 
http://blog.ucsusa.org/laura-wisland/california-dreamin-of-a-clean-electricity-grid


Ancient Warm Period Hints at Future Sea Level Rise. Ocean
temperatures in a natural warm period 125,000 years ago were
indistinguishable from today—but sea level was six to nine meters
higher. Sea levels could rise by a greater-than-expected six
metres (20 ft) over many centuries even if governments cap global
warming around current levels, scientists said on Thursday, based
on clues from an ancient warm period.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-warm-period-hints-at-future-sea-level-rise/


Trump Day 1: Global Warming's Fate. If the new president delays
climate action as promised, the world is far more likely to miss
its Paris agreement goals. Donald Trump’s presidency begins
today, giving him the ability to act on numerous pledges he has
made related to global warming. They include “canceling” American
involvement in the Paris climate accord, reviving the coal
industry and rolling back federal environmental regulations.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-day-1-global-warmings-fate/


California's grid geeks: The keepers of a clean future. The
Sacramento-based Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Technologies (CEERT) and its allies long have seen themselves as
prime keepers of California’s clean energy future. To keep the
state on track, the center long has contended that a much more
balanced portfolio of renewable sources is needed. The state’s
rapid growth of rooftop and utility-scale solar installation
must…
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/californias-grid-geeks-keepers-clean-future


Rick Perry’s hearing was blindsided by a report that Trump plans
to gut the Energy Department. When Rick Perry walked into his
secretary of energy confirmation hearing this morning, he was all
set to make a bold pitch for the Department of Energy’s crucial
role in supporting scientific research and developing new energy
technologies.
He told the Senate panel that the DOE was crucial in developing
hydraulic fracturing technology, which led to a huge oil and gas
boom in America.
http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/1/19/14324412/perry-energy-research-trump


Mar-a-Lago’s Destiny as Trump’s Presidential Retreat. Donald
Trump’s Presidency, whatever else it may be, can be viewed as the
fulfillment of a dying wish of Marjorie Merriweather Post, who
was the daughter of the founder of the cornflake company that
evolved into General Foods, the second wife of the financier E.
F. Hutton (her second husband), and one of the wealthiest
Americans ever.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/mar-a-lago-trump-presidential-retreat


We're Still Using A Lot Of Nonrenewable Energy. That Has Pros And
Cons. There is a lot of talk about the rapid growth of renewable
energy, including wind and solar. It can be easy to forget that
at least for now, we still rely heavily on nonrenewable energy
sources, such as oil, natural gas, coal and uranium. Today, it’s
hard to imagine the western standard of living without fossil
fuels and nuclear energy…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2017/01/20/were-still-using-a-lot-of-nonrenewable-energy-that-has-pros-and-cons/#6aebab7a4d9a
  

The Saudis' Solar Boom Hits the Next Level. It’s not really news
to hear about the sprawling state of California adopting more
solar power. For one, the state has a reputation for being one of
the most clean energy–friendly states in the U.S. and the biggest
market for solar energy in the country. California also gets to
play guinea pig to Elon Musk’s latest innovations, from his
electric cars to his home battery packs.
http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/the-saudis-solar-boom-hits-the-next-level/5722




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