What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for February 3, 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

Is California climate law worsening pollution in communities of
color? California’s main tool for fighting climate change is at a
crossroads. Gov. Jerry Brown sees the so-called cap-and-trade
system of buying and selling pollution permits as key to cutting
greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030. The California
Chamber of Commerce calls it an illegal tax…
http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/02/02/68616/is-california-climate-law-worsening-pollution-in-c/
 

2017 Legislative Preview: Cap-and-trade hits lawmakers’ agenda.
Last year brought the momentous passage of the Clean Electricity
and Coal Transition Plan. Is the Legislature up for another big
energy bill? We’ll find out, as environmentalists and
clean-energy advocates push for a cap-and-trade style program for
Oregon. A pre-session bill by Sen. Lee Beyer, a Springfield
Democrat, would set up a carbon market…
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2017/02/03/2017-legislative-review-cap-and-trade-hits.html


State punts on deciding if cap and trade hurts the poor. A
long-awaited report by California officials into the effects of
the state's economywide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse
gases finds more data are needed to tell whether it harms
disadvantaged communities. The report, released yesterday by
California EPA's Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment, aimed to explore the question of whether cap and
trade allows emissions…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/03/stories/1060049511 

AIR POLLUTION

Foreign flights to slip under the radar of EU emissions limits.
International flights in and out of the European Union could be
exempted from emissions limits for at least another four years to
give the United Nations time to implement a global system to curb
pollution from planes. The EU proposed extending the exemption,
which was set to end at the start of 2017, on Friday to avoid a
repeat of tensions when it tried to include all flights in 2012.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-carbon-aviation-idUSKBN15I1CV


Air pollution levels on cruise ships could be dangerously high,
warns German study. Is the air on a cruise ship more toxic than
the air we breathe on land? A German environmental association,
Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU), has found that passengers
could be inhaling “60 times higher concentrations of harmful air
pollutants” than they would in natural air settings.
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/02/03/air-pollution-levels-on-cruise-ships-could-be-dangerously-high-warns-german-study.html


SOMETHING IN THE AIR What is toxic air pollution, where in London
has the worst smog and why have people been warned to stay
indoors? Londoners were warned the air pollution could raise to
"high" in parts of the capital for a number of days
LONDON is on high alert after a number of severe smog warnings
throughout the capital. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan last week
issued a warning…
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2655590/toxic-air-pollution-london-smog-stay-indoors/


House scraps methane standards after Senate kills SEC rule. The
House today voted to scrap a Bureau of Land Management rule that
seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas flaring,
venting and leakage on public and tribal lands. The resolution of
disapproval, H.J. Res. 36, passed by a 221 to 191 vote. Three
Democrats voted for it and 11 Republicans against.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/02/03/stories/1060049534 

CLIMATE CHANGE

House votes to overturn Obama rule on natural gas 'flaring'. The
Republican-controlled House voted on Friday to overturn an Obama
administration rule that sought to reduce harmful methane
emissions into the environment, part of the Democratic
president's campaign to combat climate change. Lawmakers voted
221-191 to roll back the Interior Department rule that had
clamped down on oil companies that burn off…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_OBAMA_RULES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Republicans Try a New Tack on Climate Change. Not long ago, many
Republican officeholders had a simple answer when asked about the
changing climate: What changing climate? But the public began to
notice the heat waves and the torrential rains and the tidal
flooding. So then we had the “I am not a scientist” phase, with
one lawmaker after another fending off climate questions with
that formula.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/science/climate-change-republicans.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=0&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=1a32cd29ff-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-1a32cd29ff-326457957


Fresno State faculty members sign climate change letter to Trump.
Nearly three dozen Fresno State faculty members have joined 2,344
California college professors who signed an open letter to
President Donald Trump calling for sustained action on climate
change. The letter also urged the president to stand by the
country’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as
outlined in the Paris Climate…
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article130348704.html#storylink=cpy


Sweden criticises US climate stance as it reveals ambitious
carbon emissions law. Prime minister Stefan Löfven calls the
Trump administration’s approach worrying as he announces new law
binding future governments to a goal of carbon neutrality by
2045. Sweden has criticised the Trump administration’s approach
to climate policy as it announced legislation binding future
governments to a goal of phasing out greenhouse gas emissions by
2045…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/03/sweden-criticises-us-climate-stance-as-it-reveals-ambitious-carbon-emissions-law


Climate Change Causes Fundamental Shifts in the Chemistry of
Mountain Soil. New research says the changes will likely displace
some plants altogether and dramatically shift the range of
others. A warming climate will fundamentally change the chemistry
of mountain soils by shifting the balance of nutrients, visibly
disrupting fragile, high-elevation ecosystems of grasses, flowers
and trees within decades.
https://psmag.com/global-warming-is-changing-mountain-soils-8b527fe1b7ec#.778j3avn4


Bush-era climate figure a finalist for No. 2 slot. A leading
candidate for the State Department's No. 2 slot is a George W.
Bush-era diplomat who played a small role in laying the
groundwork for the Paris climate deal. Paula Dobriansky led the
U.S. delegation in 2007 to U.N. climate talks in Bali, Indonesia…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/03/stories/1060049505 

'It's a mystery' if Trump Ag pick will address climate. Two weeks
into the Trump presidency, farmers, academics and lawmakers
remain uncertain about the new administration's view of the
Department of Agriculture, in part because its designated chief
has questioned climate science. Under the leadership of former
Secretary Tom Vilsack, USDA expanded resilience to climate change
in farming communities…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/03/stories/1060049507 

Save wetlands or they'll burp carbon, experts say. Coastal
wetlands are among the best marine ecosystems to fight climate
change, new research confirms. A study published this week in the
journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment compared the
carbon sequestration potential of a handful of marine ecosystems
and found that mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows have
the greatest impact on climate change.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/03/stories/1060049509 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Truckers Sue CA Again, Claiming Air Filter Puts Public Safety at
Risk. A group of Golden State trucking companies and others filed
a lawsuit in Sacramento County against the California Air
Resources Board for the second time, alleging diesel particulate
filters cause truck fires. On February 9, 2016, Kieth Daniels
could only watch as his beloved 2009 Peterbilt truck burned.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Bay-Legal-Truckers-Sue-CA-Again-Claiming-Air-Filter-Puts-Public-Safety-at-Risk-412624733.html#ixzz4XenohE92
 
http://www.dailyprogress.com/california-truckers-file-lawsuit-against-engine-filter-rule/article_853dce6b-e271-57ac-b6f7-3488f7b9007d.html

FUELS

Pipeline projects in limbo as energy commissioner departs. Major
natural gas pipeline projects along the East Coast and Midwest
face uncertainty as the federal agency that oversees the work
loses a commissioner and will be unable to decide on projects
indefinitely under President Donald Trump. Democrat Norman Bay is
stepping down Friday from the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, leaving the five-member panel with just two
commissioners, one short of the number needed to form a quorum.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_PIPELINE_AGENCY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


VEHICLES

Clean cars could tank oil prices by 2025 — report. Energy
companies and analysts are ramping up their long-term projections
for electric vehicles because of falling costs and expanded range
— but forecasts still vary widely. The trend speaks to the
uncertainty surrounding the technology, which all major
automakers have endorsed, despite seeing sales consistently fall
below expectations in the short term.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/02/03/stories/1060049510 

GREEN ENERGY

For clean energy, a hazy path ahead under Trump. When
Oakland-based green business analyst and author Joel Makower
wrote up his annual report on the clean energy industry, he had
Donald Trump on his mind as he typed the introduction:
“It’s hard to imagine a time more hopeful and horrifying for
sustainable business.” That sums up the uncertain future facing
clean energy executives, investors and environmentalists.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/03/for-clean-energy-a-hazy-path-ahead-under-trump/


MISCELLANEOUS

Trump team relaxes EPA restrictions on media and contracts. The
Trump administration said Friday it has thawed its temporary
freeze on contract and grant approvals at the Environmental
Protection Agency, with all $3.9 billion in planned spending
moving forward. A media blackout at the agency also appears to
have been partially lifted, as a trickle of press releases were
issued by the EPA this week.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_EPA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Republicans ax disclosure, emissions rules on energy. U.S.
Republicans on Friday repealed a securities disclosure rule aimed
at curbing corruption at energy and mining companies and voted to
ax emissions limits on drilling operations, part of a push to
remove Obama-era regulations on extractive industries. In a 52-47
vote, the Republican-controlled Senate approved a resolution…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-regulations-idUSKBN15I1JF


OPINIONS

Carbon Tax vs. Cap and Trade. Over the past couple of years there
has been a lot of talk about implementing a carbon tax or a cap
and trade system. Essentially, these are two sides of the same
coin when it comes to combating the amount of CO2 we release into
the air, but there are some differences we need to consider
before implementing one. A carbon tax is pretty self-explanatory;
it’s simply putting a price tag on carbon emissions.
http://www.kstatecollegian.com/2017/02/02/carbon-tax-vs-cap-and-trade/


BLOGS

Environmentalists Aren't Happy With South Coast AQMD's New
Pollution Plan. The South Coast Air Quality Management District
(AQMD) is holding a meeting Friday concerning its new pollution
reduction plan, which the agency is expected to approve, KPCC
reports. What's significant in the proposal is that facilities
will, at first, be able to police themselves, so long as their
goals fall within certain enforceable standards.
http://laist.com/2017/02/03/smog_regulations.php 

Is Anything Wrong With Natural, Non-Man-Made Climate Change? I
recently asked an environmentalist this question: "If we found
out that the planet was warming for purely natural reasons, would
you be in favor of climate engineering to stop it, because the
current temperature and sea level are the right ones for humans?"
He seemed appalled. "No, of course not, man," he said. "Thank
you," I said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/02/03/is-anything-wrong-with-natural-non-man-made-climate-change/#784c744c33d7


Republicans Look To Block EPA From Tackling Climate Change. “This
is the legislative equivalent of trying to ban fire trucks while
your house is burning.” GOP lawmakers have their sights set on
stripping the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to
take action on climate change.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gary-palmer-bill-epa_us_58949441e4b0406131365066


The Trump administration is already editing the EPA's climate
change websites. In his poem "The Hollow Men," T. S. Eliot
famously wrote: "This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang,
but a whimper." It seems the Trump administration may be taking a
cue from this prose, potentially killing off climate change
programs not with the flourish of announcements and speeches but
with behind-the-scenes tinkering instead.
http://mashable.com/2017/02/03/trump-epa-climate-website-changes/#ft6C75NCXSqi




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