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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