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newsclips -- CARB NEWSCLIPS FOR April 24, 2017
Posted: 24 Apr 2017 16:41:49
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. CARB BUSINESS May 8, 2017: Public Workshop to discuss ARB's Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Program. At this workshop, ARB staff will present an overview of activities taken by the CCS program in 2016, and an initial concept of a Quantification Methodology (QM) and Permanence Protocol for CCS. https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/ccs/meetings/meetings.htm The Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) will conduct a public meeting at the time and place noted below to consider Truck Field Enforcement Activities and New Screening Technology for High Emitting Vehicles. DATE: April 27, 2017 TIME: 9:00 a.m. LOCATION: California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd Floor 1001 I Street Sacramento, California 95814 WEBCAST: http://www.cal-span.org/ Air Resources Board staff have posted a white paper on the health benefits of physical activity and air pollution exposure while walking and bicycling for transportation. Download the White Paper: https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/vprp/physical_activity_and_health_final_161216.pdf For more information, including the White Paper and other resources, visit our Built Environment webpage: https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/vprp/vprp.htm A fact sheet summarizing this document can be found here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/html/fact_sheets/physical_activity_fact_sheet.pdf AIR POLLUTION Southern California Farmers are Eligible for Technical and Financial Air Quality Assistance. Technical and financial assistance is available through USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help farmers and ranchers in Southern California to make improvements in their operations that can lead to improved air quality. http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/04/23/news/southern-california-farmers-are-eligible-for-technical-and-financial-air-quality-assistance/2838.html Benicia oil refinery to pay $340,000 in air pollution penalties. The Valero oil refinery has agreed to pay $340,000 in penalties to settle 28 alleged air pollution violations that occurred mostly in 2014, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced Friday. Two violations were for smoking flares, and five were from storage tank leaks, the air district said. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/21/oil-refinery-to-pay-34000-in-air-pollution-penalties/ Government accused of bullying judges over bid to delay clean air plan. Labour and Greens say government has failed to tackle air pollution crisis and is cajoling judges to let them miss deadline to comply with election purdah rules. The government has been accused of attempting to bully judges over its last-minute bid to delay the publication of its clean air plan. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/24/ministers-under-fire-over-bid-to-delay-publication-of-air-pollution-plan 'Life improved when I left London': readers on tackling air pollution. We asked readers to tell us what action they are taking against air pollution. Here’s what some of them said. About 40 million people in the UK are living with illegal air pollution levels, according to analysis commissioned by the Labour party. Earlier this month the Guardian reported thousands of children across England and Wales are exposed to illegal levels of air pollution from diesel traffic… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/24/readers-on-air-pollution-life-improved-when-i-left-london Air pollution study shock. Exposure to air pollution can hinder the effectiveness of antibiotics and other medication. This is one of the findings of a recently-released UK study conducted by researchers led by Shane Hussey at the University of Leicester into pollutants released into the air from industry and other sources - which, say local experts, can be extended to pollution exposure in South Africa. http://www.iol.co.za/mercury/environment/air-pollution-study-shock-8791974 RGGI will cut more carbon — but by how much? The nine Northeastern states that constitute the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative have been working their way toward a reduced carbon cap for more than a year. But where the task was more of a bureaucratic afterthought, it has now assumed greater urgency for climate hawks. https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/04/24/stories/1060053433 CLIMATE CHANGE The effects of climate change will force millions to migrate. Here’s what this means for human security. Climate change is more than melting ice caps and swamped islands. The environmental effects of climate change — droughts, floods and severe weather, for instance — have increasingly put more people on the move. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/04/23/the-effects-of-climate-change-will-force-millions-to-migrate-heres-what-this-means-for-human-security/?utm_term=.6782709f83d0 Bloomberg: Nations should continue climate work despite Trump. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pushing foreign leaders not to follow President Trump's lead on climate change. In an interview with the Associated Press, Bloomberg said other countries should continue pursuing the goals laid out in the international Paris climate accord… http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/330211-bloomberg-countries-should-continue-climate-work-despite-trump http://www.dailyastorian.com/bloomberg-to-world-leaders-ignore-trump-on-climate-da-ap-webfeeds-news-nation-world9f9daf8d1960492e89edc85e77d07e2d California’s landmark climate-change program would also fight air pollution under proposal. As the Legislature weighs the future of cap and trade, California’s groundbreaking program to cut greenhouse gas emissions that expires in 2020, it is considering key changes pushed by environmentalists and fought by Big Oil and other industry groups in a proposal that has its first committee hearing Monday. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/24/californias-landmark-climate-change-program-would-also-fight-air-pollution-under-proposal/ Opportunities for Carbon Capture in California. California has demonstrated leadership in setting ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The state’s target: Reduce emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. While California is reducing emissions and expanding clean energy through many means, including a cap-and-trade program, the state appears to be underestimating… http://www.theenergycollective.com/fatimaahmad/2402947/opportunities-carbon-capture-california New Project Aims to Remove Greenhouse Gases to Counteract Global Warming. A University of Bristol academic will lead one of seven topic-specific projects announced yesterday by NERC as part of a £8.6million research programme which will investigate ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere to counteract global warming. The Paris agreement commits countries to limit climate warming to 'well below 2 degrees C' but modelling studies… http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=24026 Climate change offers huge investment opportunity – experts. Climate change should be grasped as an opportunity to attract vast capital flows into low-carbon investments, create jobs and spur economic growth, rather than viewed as a money-absorbing burden, top officials and experts said. Yet while trillions of dollars are potentially available for climate investments and countries… http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-climate-change-offers-huge-investment-opportunity-experts-2414636 FUELS How much you'll REALLY pay in gasoline tax in California (Hint: It's probably more than you think). The Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown just passed a bill that will plow $52.4 billion in taxes and fees aimed at shoring up California’s freeways, roads and bridges. The measure, known as Senate Bill 1 or the Road Repair and Accountability Act, will eventually add 12 cents a gallon in gasoline taxes in the state. But that’s only part of the story. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/sd-fi-california-gastax-20170413-story.html Ethanol’s Opportunity in the Chemical Market. The future of ethanol for intermediate chemical production can be seen next door to a wet mill in Columbus, Nebraska, and thousands of miles south in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Greenyug LLC, a startup technology development company headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, intends to break ground in Nebraska this summer alongside an Archer Daniels Midland Co. facility. http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/14263/ethanolundefineds-opportunity-in-the-chemical-market National Biodiesel Board going to court over biofuel requirements. The US National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is to argue before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia regarding the 2014-2016 Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS) statute. The NBB’s case will be presented on the morning of 24 April, at the Circuit E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, in Washington DC. http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/12211/National_Biodiesel_Board_going_to_court_over_biofuel_requirements/ VEHICLES French prosecutors open formal probe into PSA Group diesel emissions. French prosecutors have opened a formal investigation into suspected diesel emissions test-cheating by PSA Group , the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, a judicial source said on Monday. The company is being investigated for alleged consumer fraud offences, the source said. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-french-prosecutors-open-formal-probe-into-psa-group-diesel-emissions-2017-4 Bay Area Caravan Demonstrates Fuel Cell Car Practicality. Executives from three California state agencies Thursday caravanned from the state capital Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay Area and back to demonstrate how easy it is to drive and fuel hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in California. They were celebrating the state’s global leadership in getting more zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on the road. http://ens-newswire.com/2017/04/21/bay-area-caravan-demonstrates-fuel-cell-car-practicality/ California ARB approves XL Hybrids aftermarket hybrid conversions for Ford Transit vans and wagons. XL Hybrids has received a California Air Resources Board Executive Order (CARB EO) allowing aftermarket conversions of gasoline-powered Ford Transit cargo vans and passenger wagons to be upgraded with the XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System. http://electriccarsreport.com/2017/04/california-arb-approves-xl-hybrids-aftermarket-hybrid-conversions-ford-transit-vans-wagons/ VW RECALL Volkswagen gets three years' probation for diesel emissions scandal. Volkswagen has been sentenced to probation for its diesel emissions cheating scandal. After installing illegal software in more than half a million vehicles to dupe U.S. regulators, Volkswagen has agreed to allow an independent monitor to oversee its business activity for the next three years, according to Reuters. http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/volkswagen-3-years-probation-diesel-emissions-scandal-article-1.3094619 GREEN ENERGY Republican Cracks Emerge in Trump's Coal-Heavy Energy Plan. For all Donald Trump’s efforts to revive coal, market forces and some of his own supporters are vying to write their own version of America’s energy future. Divisions persist among the president’s supporters -- and even within his own cabinet -- about whether to continue subsidies for wind and solar power, enact a carbon tax… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-23/republican-cracks-emerging-in-trump-s-coal-heavy-energy-plan Lifelines for Nuclear in U.S. Seen Threatening Wind, Solar (2). The push to save U.S. nuclear plants for the sake of fighting climate change is threatening support for the bread and butter of clean power: wind and solar. New York and Illinois have already approved as much as $10 billion in subsidies to keep struggling reactors open for the next decade as part of a plan to limit fossil fuel consumption. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-OOOEII6S972H01-3DQHP8CU60496RD3D8I7QIK4L1 California Studies Energy Impact Of Marijuana Farming. As California gears up for the implementation of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana use, state regulators are trying to figure out how the new industry will impact the energy supply. In February, the California Public Utilities Commission held a workshop to assess the potential energy impacts of widespread legal pot growth. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/04/22/california-energy-impact-marijuana-farming/ Environmentalists just killed a wind farm near Las Vegas. A renewable energy developer is moving on from a Nevada wind project after years of legal wrangling, its dreams of a 200-megawatt wind farm killed by environmentalists who successfully argued the power plant could harm golden eagles and desert tortoises. Federal officials approved the Searchlight wind farm… http://www.rgj.com/story/news/environment/energy-water-summit/2017/04/21/environmentalist-just-killed-wind-farm-near-las-vegas/305796001/ http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/energy-water-summit/2017/04/21/environmentalist-just-killed-wind-farm-near-las-vegas/305796001/ NRG Completes Solar Farm for Cisco's California Headquarters. NRG Energy Inc., the largest independent U.S. power producer, completed a 20-MW solar farm in California that supplies power for Cisco Systems Inc.’s headquarters. The Blythe II solar farm in the Sonoran Desert has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Cisco… http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2017/04/nrg-completes-solar-farm-for-cisco-s-california-headquarters.html The US wind industry now employs more than 100,000 people. The fastest-growing occupation in the United States – by a long shot, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – might surprise you: wind turbine technician. The number of workers maintaining wind turbines, a job with a median pay of about $51,000 a year, is set to more than double between 2014 and 2024, the agency estimates. http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/23/us-wind-industry/ DOE, GRID Complete 56 California Tribal Solar Installations. On Saturday, nonprofit solar installer GRID Alternatives joined the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Bishop Paiute Tribe at an Earth Day event marking the completion of 56 no-cost rooftop solar installations on tribal lands in California. GRID leveraged grants from the DOE and the California Public Utilities Commission’s Single-family Affordable Solar Housing… http://solarindustrymag.com/doe-grid-complete-56-california-tribal-solar-installations The train has left the station on renewable energy. Obscured by unending debate and hype about the merits of renewable energy, a consequential transition quietly took place in recent years: Unsubsidized renewable energy is economically viable in many regions of the world. While government subsidies for renewable power generation have played a critical role to this point… https://www.greenbiz.com/article/train-has-left-station-renewable-energy DOE SunShot recipient uses solar power to fuel food processing. Sunvapor and Horizon Nut jointly announced on the eve of Earth Day that they are teaming up to demonstrate new technology that transforms solar energy into heat that can be used for all of the food industry's needs like steam pasteurization, drying, blanching, cleaning, and roasting. http://www.elp.com/articles/2017/04/doe-sunshot-recipient-uses-solar-power-to-fuel-food-processing.html MISCELLANEOUS Tens of thousands took part in March for Science in downtown LA. The science of politics was under a microscope in downtown Los Angeles Saturday as tens of thousands of people took part in the nationwide March for Science. Demonstrators packed Pershing Square in the morning for a pro-science rally and then marched through the streets to the steps of City Hall. http://abc7.com/science/tens-of-thousands-took-part-in-march-for-science-in-dtla/1904933/ OPINIONS Doing The Math On Climate Change With Bill McKibben Adds Up To “We Are So Screwed” Bill McKibben is a mild-mannered writer and college professor from Vermont who has transformed himself, somewhat reluctantly, into one of the most outspoken critics of weak-kneed government action on climate change and the pernicious influence of the fossil fuel industry on global politics. https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/24/math-climate-change-bill-mckibben-adds-screwed/ Fee for bad air might remain. A special DMV fee paid by San Joaquin Valley drivers to clean up the notoriously polluted air may not be going away, despite the fact that the region finally has met the outdated federal standard that prompted the fee in the first place. Nothing has been decided for certain. The $12 annual fee could be decreased, maintained or even increased. http://www.recordnet.com/news/20170423/fee-for-bad-air-might-remain Cities should end delays on emissions-reduction projects: Guest commentary. As companies attempt to lower air emissions and green their operations, cities and other stakeholders spend tremendous time and resources to delay their projects. Our regulators have been cracking down on industry for years in an effort to reduce air emissions in California. http://www.dailybreeze.com/opinion/20170421/cities-should-end-delays-on-emissions-reduction-projects-guest-commentary There’s only one way forward: Moving from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. In The Tribune on April 15, I was encouraged to read about the growing interest and real possibility of wind turbines generating renewable energy here in San Luis Obispo County (“Offshore wind could generate an onshore economic boom”). Supervisor Bruce Gibson said, “That’s a big idea,” speaking at a renewable energy task force… http://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article146342194.html#storylink=cpy California Electric Vehicle Drivers Await a Critical Charge. Last week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved its portion of an electric vehicle (EV) investment plan stemming from the 2016 Volkswagen (VW) settlement, setting in motion the first tranche of four $300 million national investments in EV infrastructure. As part of the settlement, California is set to receive $800 million… http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2017/04/california-electric-vehicle-drivers-await-critical-charge/ BLOGS This Earth Day, 100 percent clean energy is 100 percent possible. More than 25 U.S. cities, 12 countries, and at least 89 companies have all committed to transition to 100 percent renewable energy. That’s because they all recognize the unstoppable potential clean energy has to create jobs, strengthen and protect the economy, and fight climate change. Now, U.S. states are throwing their hats into the 100-percent renewable ring. http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2017/04/22/this-earth-day-100-percent-clean-energy-is-100-percent-possible/ Revealed: The highly embarrassing air pollution report that the Government doesn't want you to see. The Liberal Democrats have demanded the government publish a highly embarrassing report on air pollution before the election. Ed Davey, Lib Dem former cabinet minister for Energy and Climate Change, has said the government is reportedly blocking release of its report into air pollution because it is worried the “shaming” findings would become a major election issue. http://www.libdems.org.uk/air-pollution-report-government-block OPEC’s Grand Plan To Tame U.S. Shale Has Failed. It was all so simple. By lifting restraints on output, Saudi Arabia would stop subsidizing high-cost oil producers and halt the rapid rise in U.S. production that was eating into OPEC’s market share. At least, that was the logic back in November 2014. But things haven’t gone according to plan. OPEC’s four-month experiment with production curbs has failed. http://www.thegwpf.com/opecs-grand-plan-to-tame-u-s-shale-has-failed/ French election 2017: Where the candidates stand on energy and climate change. The French presidential elections are fast approaching with the first voting round set to be held on 23 April and the run-off between the top two candidates – if neither wins a majority – on 7 May. Climate change as an issue has risen in importance in France over the past few years… https://www.carbonbrief.org/french-election-2017-where-candidates-stand-energy-climate-change March for Science draws big crowds, clever signs across US. The march on Earth Day was billed as a ‘celebration of science’ to counter the growing disregard for climate change by the Donald Trump administration. Tens of thousands of people turned out in cities across the US and beyond on Saturday for Earth Day events… http://www.livemint.com/Politics/skKRnqKZ89SvgzSJhkaUwM/March-for-Science-draws-big-crowds-clever-signs-across-US.html In Washington, the economic world meets Trump climate skepticism. The Trump administration's climate skepticism and its possible withdrawal from the landmark Paris Agreement of 2015 drew a cloud over this week's grand economic conclave in Washington. The regular meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund -- always accompanied by a gathering of G20 finance ministers -- have rung out with calls to action against global warming in recent years. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/608093/in-washington-the-economic-world-meets-trump-climate-skepticism/story#sthash.ZccqDO9Q.dpuf