What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for January 26, 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.

CAP AND TRADE

Elon Musk Floated the Idea of a Carbon Tax to Trump, an Official
Says. Tesla Motors Inc. founder Elon Musk is pressing the Trump
administration to adopt a tax on carbon emissions, raising the
issue directly with President Donald Trump and U.S. business
leaders at a White House meeting Monday regarding manufacturing.
A senior White House official said Musk floated the idea of a
carbon tax…
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-01-26/tesla-s-musk-said-to-float-idea-of-a-carbon-tax-to-trump-ceos


AIR POLLUTION

Toxic air pollution report finds continued gains. The county
adopted its latest “hot spot” report for toxic air pollution
Wednesday, which found progress continues on limiting harmful
emissions from industrial and government facilities. Cancerous
and other dangerous air pollutants have been reduced by nearly 25
percent since 2009 and roughly 88 percent since 1989 when the
program started, according to the most recent Air Toxics Hot
Spots Program Report.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/ 

Palo Alto teens ask city to test for vapor intrusion. Students
from Gunn High School’s Investigative Medicine Club are again
petitioning Palo Alto city officials to deal with toxins seeping
from plumes into buildings. Brent Han asked the City Council on
Monday to adopt a citywide vapor intrusion policy that requires
testing when buildings are constructed or situated over toxic
plumes.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/25/palo-alto-teens-ask-city-for-vapor-intrusion-policy/


Global Suppliers Achieve 434 Million Tonnes Of Emissions
Reductions. A new report has shown that the world’s largest
purchasing organizations, large private and public sector
organizations, not only have the ability to drive down emissions
across their supply chains, but are actually doing so, achieving
reductions equivalent to 434 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in
2016. The new report was published by environmental data
initiative…
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/01/26/global-suppliers-achieve-434-million-tonnes-emissions-reductions/


CLIMATE CHANGE

U.S. government scientists go 'rogue' in defiance of Trump.
Employees from more than a dozen U.S. government agencies have
established a network of unofficial "rogue" Twitter feeds in
defiance of what they see as attempts by President Donald Trump
to muzzle federal climate change research and other science.
Seizing on Trump's favorite mode of discourse, scientists at the
Environmental Protection Agency…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-resist-idUSKBN15A0DI?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=942ae2935a-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-942ae2935a-327747457


South, southeast face Europe's most adverse climate change
impact: agency. 
Southern and southeastern regions of Europe will face the
continent's most adverse effects from climate change as heatwaves
and droughts become more intense and frequent, the European
Environment Agency (EEA) said on Wednesday. Climate change is
causing more frequent and severe flooding…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-climatechange-idUSKBN15912K


Climate change efforts under siege after Trump election -E.ON
CEO. German utility E.ON, which owns billions of euros worth of
wind parks in the United States, said global efforts to tackle
climate change were suffering serious setbacks, singling out the
election of Donald Trump as a key obstacle. "President Trump has
clearly distanced himself from climate protection during his
election campaign: for him it does not…
http://www.reuters.com/article/e-on-ceo-trump-idUSL5N1FF1QC 

Trump’s Web Makeover Softened After Bureaucratic Backlash. The
White House website no longer has a section on climate change. An
EPA page that answered "common questions" about global warming is
gone. And reports on greenhouse gas emissions have vanished from
the State Department’s Internet site. But, six days into the
administration of President Donald Trump, most references to
climate change and carbon emissions remain on government web
pages.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-26/trump-climate-pivot-takes-shape-in-overhaul-of-federal-websites


Trump administration backs off plan to scrub climate pages from
EPA website. The Trump administration on Wednesday backed away
from plans to take down some climate-change information from the
Environmental Protection Agency’s website, which employees said
had been planned for this week. But political appointees are
exerting more oversight over the agency’s scientific
communications.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/25/trump-administration-backs-off-plan-to-scrub-climate-pages-from-epa-website/?utm_campaign=942ae2935a-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Inside
Climate News&utm_term=.542c33722901 

California Eyes Climate Leadership Role, But Trump's EPA Holds A
Key On Cars. California Gov. Jerry Brown is vowing to lead the
nation on climate change, as the Trump administration pulls back.
But the Trump administration could get in California's way. In
his annual State of the State speech, California Gov. Jerry Brown
had one key message about climate change: perseverance. "We
cannot fall back and give in to the climate deniers," Brown said.
"The science is clear. The danger is real."
http://www.npr.org/2017/01/25/511480146/california-eyes-climate-leadership-role-but-trumps-epa-holds-a-key-on-cars


Strangling a Huge Climate Policy Machine Won't Be Easy for Trump.
In the early days of what appears to be a clampdown on federal
agencies who do climate work, it's been a bumpy ride for the
Trump transition team. If the Trump administration intends to
strangle the flow of climate change information produced by the
federal bureaucracy, it will be no small task.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25012017/climate-change-bureaucracy-epa-donald-trump?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=942ae2935a-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-942ae2935a-327747457


Russia, Canada, Brazil record vast forest loss. Here is how to
turn a forest into a carbon-consuming machine that will help
contain global warming. Leave it alone. Let it grow. Do not log
it. It will sequester only so much carbon, but there are sure to
be other benefits, according to some fresh thinking by a
distinguished plant ecologist. And is the world listening?
Probably not.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/01/26/russia-canada-brazil-record-vast-forest-loss/


One thing that will breach Trump's wall: climate change. 
Architects have called the border wall a "pharaonic project" and
a misplaced infrastructure priority. Environmentalists say it
will continue to cut off the flow of water and wildlife in a
changing climate but is little more than political grandstanding
that won't keep out people.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049011 

EPA transition economist sees no role for carbon regs. An
economist on the Trump administration's U.S. EPA team said today
that he opposes using carbon taxes to curb heat-trapping
greenhouse gas emissions. Asked whether he supports any
government regulations on carbon during a discussion at the
American Enterprise Institute in Washington, David Kreutzer
replied, "Given the inefficiency of the…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049062 

Pruitt questions warming, leaves wiggle room on CO2 finding. EPA
administrator nominee Scott Pruitt yesterday sent 242 pages of
responses to questions from Democratic senators, doubling down on
his stances that the severity of climate change is up for debate
and that the agency he would run has overstepped its
congressional mandate. In response to numerous general and
specific questions about climate science…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049016 

Clean energy leaders say Trump's coolness won't hurt. Carbon-free
power and climate change may not be selling points for renewable
energy under the Trump administration. But business leaders are
betting that "Made in the USA" will resonate with a president
committed to an "America first" energy agenda. Executives
representing clean energy business and lobbying groups told an
audience yesterday…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049002 

Trump will accept climate change — Tom Brokaw. Television
journalist Tom Brokaw believes that President Trump could soon
begin to change his mind about climate change. Trump has so far
remained skeptical about the scientific consensus behind climate
change, going so far as to call it a Chinese-invented hoax. But
Brokaw thinks that Trump is going to get a different perspective
on the issue from the military.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/26/stories/1060048999 

Exxon's Nod to Climate Change: A Board Member Who's an Expert on
It. Naming atmospheric scientist Susan Avery to its board of
directors may signal the oil giant will begin to take climate
risks seriously. ExxonMobil has elected to its board of directors
a prominent expert in atmospheric science, a move that some see
as a sign the company is beginning to increase climate change
considerations in its business plan.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26012017/exxons-nod-climate-change-board-member-who-studied-it?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=461e66377e-InsideClimate_News12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-461e66377e-327494049


DROUGHT

Half the state has escaped the drought, feds say. Nearly half of
California has escaped the drought, according to a federal
estimate released Thursday. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor
reported that 48.6 percent of the state is now drought free. That
was up from 42.5 percent a week ago. All of Northern California
is drought free, the estimate said, including the Sacramento
area. Two weeks of rain and snow have helped ease drought
conditions, adding to one of the wettest winters in years.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article128876884.html#storylink=cpy


Folsom Lake less than half full after recent rains. Residents
ask: Why so dry? Northern California is on track to break
rainfall records. Water has gushed through a weir into the Yolo
Bypass floodplain at levels not seen in more than a decade. The
Sierra Nevada snowpack is nearly double historical averages. But
you wouldn’t know the region has experienced an exceptionally wet
winter looking at the steep, dry shores ringing the Sacramento
region’s …
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article128691044.html#storylink=cpy


State gets deluge but still faces hotter, drier future. Rain
deluged California over the past two weeks, coming so heavily
that it triggered flooding, mudslides, power outages and
crumbling cliffs. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) declared a disaster area
in 49 counties. The Golden State winter overall has been wet,
with most reservoirs at or above historical averages. It sounds
like good news for a state that has endured a historic drought.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060049032/search?keyword=california

FUELS

Irish lawmakers vote to divest from fossil fuels. Ireland could
become the first country in the world to fully divest its
sovereign wealth fund from fossil fuels, after a parliamentary
vote on Thursday. Lawmakers split 90 to 53 in favour of ditching
coal, oil and gas holdings from the €8 billion (US$9bn) Ireland
Strategic Investment Fund.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/01/26/irish-lawmakers-vote-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=942ae2935a-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-942ae2935a-327747457

Canadian oil patch hopeful about Keystone XL. Published:
Thursday, January 26, 2017 President Trump's attempt to expedite
the Keystone XL pipeline angered opponents of the project. But
the move pleased at least one key party: the Canadian oil patch.
The battered Canadian oil industry reacted to Trump's directive
with renewed hope for a friendly relationship with the incoming
administration.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/26/stories/1060048985 

FIAT/CHRYSLER (FCA)

FCA in ‘intense’ talks with feds over diesel engines.  Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles NV is in “pretty intense discussions” with
federal regulators over claims that the automaker has been using
emissions-cheating devices in its diesel-powered Ram 1500 pickup
and Jeep Grand Cherokee models, according to CEO Sergio
Marchionne.
He said the talks are “proceeding well,” and the company hopes
that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/chrysler/2017/01/26/fca-earnings/97074556/


GREEN ENERGY

Home of World’s Biggest Wind Turbine Maker Bypasses Trump Sphere.
Denmark’s minister in charge of energy policy plans to head to
the U.S. this year to talk to state representatives in an effort
to promote wind energy despite open declarations of hostility
toward the technology from President Donald Trump. Lars Christian
Lilleholt, energy minister in Denmark’s minority center-right
coalition…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-24/denmark-to-seek-an-end-to-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=3445e5aed4-Clean_Economy_Wire12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-3445e5aed4-327494049


N.Y. utility gives green light to largest project in U.S. A New
York utility yesterday approved the largest-ever offshore wind
project in America, and officials said it shouldn't add much more
than a dollar to customers' monthly bills. The Long Island Power
Authority, a public utility that reports to Gov. Andrew Cuomo
(D), gave the green light to a 90-megawatt project off the South
Fork of Long Island.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049007 

Wind executive opens grid consulting group. One of Washington's
top advocates for wind energy is ending a 12-year career at the
American Wind Energy Association to launch a new consulting firm
dedicated to building a more robust electricity grid. Rob
Gramlich, AWEA's senior vice president of government and public
affairs, said yesterday he views the grid as one of the greatest
challenges facing the energy sector going forward.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049010 

MISCELLANEOUS

Trump Prepares Orders Aiming at Global Funding and Treaties. The
Trump administration is preparing executive orders that would
clear the way to drastically reduce the United States’ role in
the United Nations and other international organizations, as well
as begin a process to review and potentially abrogate certain
forms of multilateral treaties.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/politics/united-nations-trump-administration.html?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=942ae2935a-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-942ae2935a-327747457


The EPA just delayed 30 environmental regulations created under
Obama — here's what that means. The Environmental Protection
Agency published paperwork Wednesday to delay 30 environmental
regulations created under the Obama administration until March
21. All 30 regulations were written into the Federal Register
before President Donald Trump took office and were due to go into
effect before March 21. (Writing a regulation into the Federal
Register is a step on the way to making it enforceable.)
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/The-EPA-just-delayed-30-environmental-regulations-10884013.php


EPA Pick Pruitt Abandoned Environmental Protections in Oklahoma,
Lawyers Say. Legal experts say Scott Pruitt did not pursue
enforcement of environmental laws in favor of industries that
were also among his biggest political donors. Environmental
lawyers from Oklahoma joined the chorus of those pressuring U.S.
senators to reject President Donald Trump's pick to lead the
Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott
Pruitt.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25012017/scott-pruitt-epa-oklahoma-environment-oil-gas?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=461e66377e-InsideClimate_News12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-461e66377e-327494049


ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Agency releases Obama admin's environmental justice plan. The
Department of Energy today released its environmental justice
strategy for 2017 to help protect vulnerable populations from
agency actions. The plan is dated January 2017 and signed by
former Secretary Ernest Moniz. It's unclear how much weight it
will have under the new administration. "The U.S. Department of
Energy is a leader among…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/01/26/stories/1060049056 

OPINIONS

The fledgling Trump administration has effectively declared war
on environmental protection. On Tuesday, President Trump signed
executive orders that took the first steps toward reversing two
Obama administration rulings against oil pipeline projects. One
of those rulings, by the State Department, rejected the
application for the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry oil
from the tar sands of Alberta to refineries and shipping points
in the United States.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-environment-battle-20170124-story.html


BLOGS

Trump infrastructure priority plan includes transmission, wind,
energy storage. Dive Brief: •A 50-item list of infrastructure
priorities compiled by the Trump administration and released by
McClatchy and the Kansas City Star includes provisions for
transmission expansion, wind and energy storage, among other
power sector projects. •It is not clear if the $137 billion wish
list is a draft or final version, the outlets reported…
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/trump-infrastructure-priority-plan-includes-transmission-wind-energy-stor/434754/

SunShot $1 per Watt Solar Cost Goal: Mission Accomplished, Years
Ahead of Schedule. U.S. utility fixed-tilt system pricing is
below $1.00 per watt. How crucial was the DOE in reaching this
milestone? With the advent of $1.00-per-watt (DC) pricing for
utility fixed-tilt PV systems, the solar industry has crushed the
SunShot Program's $1.00-per-watt goal for 2020 three years early.
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Sunshot-1-Per-Watt-Solar-Cost-Goal-Mission-Accomplished-Years-Ahead-of-S?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=3445e5aed4-Clean_Economy_Wire12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-3445e5aed4-327494049


Here's what you need to know about California's climate change
deal. California Gov. Jerry Brown offered an energetic rebuke to
the Trump administration’s "alternative facts" and "blatant
attacks on science" in his State of the State address. The
solidly blue state voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton,
prompting Brown to reflect on California’s place in a broader
national context in a speech traditionally…
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/26/jerry-brown/heres-what-you-need-know-about-californias-paris-a/


It is 30 seconds closer to midnight. Over the course of 2016, the
global security landscape darkened as the international community
failed to come effectively to grips with humanity's most pressing
existential threats, nuclear weapons and climate change.
The United States and Russia—which together possess more than 90
percent of the world's nuclear weapons—remained at odds in a
variety of theaters…
http://thebulletin.org/it-30-seconds-closer-midnight10431 

States Expected To Continue Course Toward Clean Energy Future. In
Wyoming, Republican Gov. Matt Mead is counting on a state-funded
research center set to open this year to find a way to produce
energy from coal without releasing carbon dioxide into the
environment. In Kansas, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is eyeing
new wind farms to bring jobs and economic growth.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/states-expected-to-continue-course-toward-clean-energy_us_588a106be4b06558f8e94e91


Calls For Senators Feinstein and Harris to Reject Trump’s Climate
Denier Cabinet. Two weeks ago, a sign-wielding crowd of 150
people gathered together in front of the downtown Federal
Building to deliver an urgent message to California’s two
Senators: reject four nominations made by President Trump to key
cabinet-level level posts. Why? Because all four of these men
deny the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change.
http://sandiegofreepress.org/2017/01/san-diego-350-calls-senators-feinstein-harris-reject-trumps-climate-denier-cabinet/




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