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newsclips -- CARB Newsclips for May 8, 2017.

Posted: 08 May 2017 14:12:06
CARB Newsclips for May 8, 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.

CARB BUSINESS

Presentation is available for downloading!. 

David Rapson, Ph.D. 
University of California, Davis

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 1:30 p.m., PDT  (WEBCAST) Sierra Hearing
Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento, California

California has committed to reducing overall statewide GHG
emissions by 40% below the 1990 levels by 2030 through Senate
Bill 32 (SB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of
2006). In order to achieve this goal, significant changes in
household transportation choices must be made. This study
analyzed multi-year statewide household vehicle-level data to
explore the entire process of household vehicle choice, holding,
and usage. For more go to the announcement at: 
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/rapson/rapson.htm


Staff from the California Department of Transportation, the
California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission,
and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
invite you to participate in workshops to discuss implementation
of the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan (Action Plan).

The workshops will be held at the locations and on the dates
noted below.  The agencies will follow the same format and show
the same presentation at each of the workshop locations.    

OAKLAND:      May 9, 2017 

LOS ANGELES:  May 30, 2017

SAN DIEGO:    May 31, 2017 

For more information on the California Sustainable Freight Action
Plan including       
_________________________

David Cocker, PhD
University of California, Riverside. 

Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., PDT (WEBCAST) Sierra Hearing
Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento, California

Low vapor pressure-volatile organic compounds (LVP-VOCs) are a
set of VOCs currently exempted for VOC content based on a
combination of boiling point, vapor pressure, and/or elution time
from a GC-column. This work explores evaporation rates and
secondary pollutant formation from a series of individual
LVP-VOCs associated with consumer products, select generic
consumer products that include these LVP-VOCs, and several
hydrocarbon solvents. For more go to the announcement at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/cocker/cocker.htm       


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
     

CAP AND TRADE

Sacramento public housing residents just got free Zipcars.
Residents at three public housing areas now have a mini-fleet of
free Zipcars to make their way around Sacramento. On Friday,
Sacramento launched a pilot program that put eight shared
electric Kia Souls at public housing sites. Up to 300 residents
can apply for on-demand access to the vehicles, with no charge
for maintenance, insurance or juicing up the battery.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article148948619.html#storylink=cpy


Stability For Calif. Cap-And-Trade Program, For Now. The future
of California’s cap-and-trade program looks a little brighter,
thanks to a 2-1 vote of the Court of Appeal for the Third
Appellate District on April 6. The decision, which held that the
cap-and-trade program is within the California Air Resources
Board’s (CARB) legislative delegation and that its auction sales
program is not a tax…
https://www.law360.com/articles/920842/stability-for-calif-cap-and-trade-program-for-now


Chamber of Commerce calls for suspension of cap and trade in
Ontario. The Windsor region’s Chamber of Commerce has joined
forces with others from across Ontario to demand the province
kill its cap and trade program, saying it is having a devastating
economic impact on local business.  Matt Marchand, president and
CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce…
http://www.canadanews.press/2017/05/08/chamber-of-commerce-calls-for-suspension-of-cap-and-trade-in-ontario-ontario-news/

AIR POLLUTION

EU Pollutant Limits Threaten Large Coal Power Plants-Research.
Stricter European Union pollutant limits could lead to costly
upgrades or the closure of one third of Europe's large-scale coal
power plant capacity, a report by the Institute for Energy
Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) showed on Monday. On
April 28, EU member states approved stricter limits on
pollutants…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/05/08/business/08reuters-europe-coal-closure.html


Local Assemblyman’s air quality bill advances. Assembly Bill (AB)
615, a bill designed to improve air quality in disadvantaged
communities, moved one step closer to becoming a law. Authored by
Assembly Member Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), the bill was
unanimously approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on
April 26. In the event that this bill becomes law, improvements
would be made to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP)…
http://www.egcitizen.com/news/local-assemblyman-s-air-quality-bill-advances/article_526ab0e8-31cb-11e7-b4e2-9713b49e229c.html


New device turns dirty air into energy.  A team of Belgian
scientists have developed a new device capable of generating
power while cleaning polluted air. The device, which must be
exposed to sunlight to function, features two chambers separated
by a single membrane. The air is cleaned on one side, while
contaminants are converted into hydrogen gas on the other.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2017/05/08/New-device-turns-dirty-air-into-energy/5331494248022/


Climate Activists Greet UK Air Pollution Proposals With Derision.
The UK government is twisting and turning like a worm on a hook,
desperately trying to avoid taking any significant action to
clean up the skies over its domain. Last November, the highest
court in the land found the government’s air pollution proposals
to be legally insufficient and gave ministers until April 24 to
draw up new ones that would pass judicial scrutiny.
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/08/climate-activists-greet-uk-air-pollution-proposals-derision/


CLIMATE CHANGE

UN Climate Talks Begin Amid Uncertainty Over US Position. Despite
uncertainties about whether the United States will remain
committed to the Paris climate accord under President Donald
Trump, envoys convened talks Monday in Germany on implementing
the details of the deal to combat global warming. During ten days
of talks in the western city of Bonn, officials will try to agree
on how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement to cut carbon
emissions… 
https://www.apnews.com/1226ca89fa0d49448bfd349f2185abdb/UN-climate-talks-begin-amid-uncertainty-over-US-position


OTHER RELATED STORIES 
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/05/08/world/europe/ap-eu-united-nations-climate-talks.html
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article149220269.html#storylink=cpy
 
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/895292/un-climate-talks-begin-amid-uncertainty-over-us-position#ixzz4gVBCyYVC

http://english.aawsat.com/asharq-al-awsat-english/world-news/un-climate-talks-kick-off-us-mulls-withdrawal-paris-deal

http://www.timesnow.tv/international/article/climate-talks-open-in-bonn-with-all-eyes-on-washington/60680


A Parable From Down Under for U.S. Climate Scientists.  John A.
Church, a climate scientist, did not look or sound like a man who
had recently been shoved out of a job.
Speaking softly and downing coffee at an outdoor cafe in this old
port city, he sounded more like a fellow fresh off a jousting
match. “I think we had a win — a bigger win than I ever
anticipated,” Dr. Church said in an interview last month.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/climate/a-parable-from-down-under-for-us-climate-scientists.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=0


E.P.A. Dismisses Members of Major Scientific Review Board. The
Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed at least five
members of a major scientific review board, the latest signal of
what critics call a campaign by the Trump administration to
shrink the agency’s regulatory reach by reducing the role of
academic research.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/07/us/politics/epa-dismisses-members-of-major-scientific-review-board.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/05/07/epa-dismisses-half-of-its-scientific-advisers-on-key-board-citing-clean-break-with-obama-administration/?utm_term=.557909ff81d1

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article149247364.html

http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/EPA-dismisses-5-scientists-from-key-review-panel-11128395.php


Big Investors Urge Trump to Stick With Paris Climate Accord.
Investors with more than $15 trillion of assets under management
urged governments led by the United States to implement the Paris
climate accord to fight climate change despite U.S. President
Donald Trump's threats to pull out. "As long-term institutional
investors, we believe that the mitigation of climate change is
essential for the…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/05/07/business/07reuters-climatechange-investors.html
 

Tibet's permafrost is playing a surprise role in climate change.
Carbon has accumulated in the upper layers of the soil in the
Tibetan Plateau in the space of a decade. In the Tibetan Plateau,
climate change is increasing the carbon concentrations within the
upper layers of permafrost soils, a study has shown. This
represents a negative feedback to rising atmospheric CO2
concentrations…
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tibets-permafrost-playing-surprise-role-climate-change-1620559


Why tornado destruction will only get worse, regardless of
climate change. The nation has experienced a stunning increase in
federal disaster declarations for tornadoes in the 21st Century.
In the 30 years from 1953 — when the Federal Emergency Management
Agency began keeping score — through 1982, FEMA issued an average
of 27 tornado-related disaster declarations annually, according
to FEMA figures.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/weather/tornado-destruction-global-warming.html


Obama to discuss climate change in Italy. Former President Barack
Obama is traveling to Italy, where he will speak this week about
food security and climate change. On Monday, the former president
is scheduled to meet with former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
That evening, he will attend a private dinner held by the
Institute for International Political Studies.
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/332328-obama-to-discuss-climate-change-in-italy

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-to-speak-about-climate-change-in-italy/article/2622394


Emmanuel Macron vows climate action as French president. Centrist
candidate supports a coal phase-out by 2022, carbon price rise
and trade sanctions on polluting countries, but needs a
parliamentary mandate to deliver. Emmanuel Macron promised to
promote international cooperation on climate change in his
victory speech on Sunday, after being elected president of
France.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/05/08/emmanuel-macron-vows-climate-action-french-president/


Chevron: A carbon-constrained future is 'certainly manageable'
It's a Goldilocks world to Chevron Corp. No matter how demand for
oil and gas ebbs and flows, or how meekly or firmly international
governments clamp down on greenhouse emissions by passing climate
regulations, Chevron will be able to adapt, the company said in a
new report. In response to climate regulation, "the industry in
general…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/08/stories/1060054165


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

IAV develops new close-coupled diesel exhaust gas aftertreatment
system for improved emissions reduction. IAV has developed a
particularly closed-coupled diesel exhaust gas aftertreatment
(EAT) system. The design allows the diesel oxidation catalyst
(DOC) and particular filter/selective catalytic reduction
(DPF/SCR) units to reach optimum working temperature more quickly
which, even when driving in the low-load range, significantly
cuts emissions.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/05/20170508-iav.html 

Rapid advancements boost momentum for electric cargo vehicles.
Investments by OEMs are bringing costs lower, while increasing
distances these vehicles can travel. Among of the many
alternative fuels and power systems discussed throughout the
Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, the strongest buzz may
have surround electricity. “There is light at the end of the
tunnel with [electric vehicles],”…
http://fleetowner.com/running-green/rapid-advancements-boost-momentum-electric-cargo-vehicles


EPA asks to delay oral arguments in Calif. diesel case.
Diesel-powered bulldozers U.S. EPA last week filed a motion
asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to delay oral
arguments in an industry lawsuit against California’s regulations
for diesel-powered equipment like bulldozers. Photo by U.S.
Department of Agriculture, courtesy of Flickr. The Trump
administration has asked a federal appeals court to delay…
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/05/08/stories/1060054203

DROUGHT

SLO County farmers got creative to survive this drought. Are they
ready for the next one? As winter rains replenished wells and
coaxed hills into displays of brilliant green, the drought’s
impact has begun to ease for many local farmers and ranchers —
brightening their long-term picture. “We are seeing reservoir
levels rise, groundwater recharge, increased soil moisture and…
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article149218149.html


FUELS

Bill would ban state pension investments in fossil fuels.
Legislation introduced in the New York state Senate and Assembly
would prohibit the state’s pension fund from investing in big
oil, gas or coal companies. The Fossil Fuels Divestment Act would
end any investments in the 200 largest publicly traded companies
that deal in coal, oil or natural gas.
https://www.apnews.com/964cc3b99b884eaca0f8abfcacaa98ce/Bill-would-ban-state-pension-investments-in-fossil-fuels


VEHICLES

RPT--India's green car plan prioritises electric vehicles over
hybrids. India's most influential government think-tank has
recommended lowering taxes and interest rates for loans on
electric vehicles, while capping sales of conventional cars,
signalling a dramatic shift in policy in one of the world's
fastest growing auto markets. A draft of the 90-page blueprint…
http://www.reuters.com/article/india-autos-policy-idUSL4N1I8080 

IG to assess vehicle emissions programs. U.S. EPA's inspector
general will examine the effectiveness of the agency's oversight
of vehicle inspection and maintenance programs in curbing
emissions, according to a notification memo posted online Friday.
The planned review will focus on EPA's Office of Transportation
and Air Quality, with work to be conducted at agency headquarters
and regional offices…
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/05/08/stories/1060054202 

GREEN ENERGY

Is Pakistan's solar power poised to take off amid energy crisis?
Solar energy production in Pakistan is poised to take off - just
as the South Asian country is ramping up coal production to help
plug a crippling power crisis, energy experts say. New high
quality solar maps - essential to securing financing for major
solar projects - show Pakistan is one of the world's best
countries for producing solar energy because of its arid climate
and latitude.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan-solar-idUSL8N1I528F 

Germany Breaks A Solar Record — Gets 85% Of Electricity From
Renewables. On April 3o, Germany established a new national
record for renewable energy use. On that day and throughout the
long May 1 weekend, 85% of all the electricity consumed in
Germany was produced from renewables such as wind, solar,
biomass, and hydroelectric power.
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/08/germany-breaks-solar-record-gets-85-electricity-renewables/


Suniva trade case throws industry into doubt. Until two weeks
ago, the solar industry was in a generally celebratory mood,
flush with good job numbers and installations doubling year over
year. Then the Suniva news hit. That morning, Suniva Inc., a
solar manufacturer based outside Atlanta, filed a petition with
the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/05/08/stories/1060054176 

VW RECALL

Inside VW’s Campaign of Trickery. New details emerge in
Volkswagen’s broad conspiracy to cover up a campaign aimed at
deceiving pollution regulators. Volkswagen was a little more than
a month away from the biggest crisis in its history when Oliver
Schmidt, a high-ranking engineer for the carmaker who dealt with
regulators in the United States, wrote a reassuring email to his
superiors. Mr. Schmidt had just met with Alberto Ayala, a deputy
executive officer of the California Air Resources Board, the
state’s air quality enforcer.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/business/inside-vws-campaign-of-trickery.html


Employees who caught Volkswagen finalists for award. Employees at
U.S. EPA and the Justice Department who helped win the record
settlement against Volkswagen for its emission-cheating scheme
are under consideration for a top federal award. Phillip Brooks,
director of EPA's air enforcement division; Byron Bunker,
compliance division director for EPA's Office of Transportation
and Air Quality; and Josh Van Eaton… 
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/05/08/stories/1060054212

MISCELLANEOUS

States move to roll back environmental rules in Trump's wake.
Emboldened by the environmental rollbacks of President Donald
Trump, state legislatures are following suit, taking aim at items
as varied as solar incentives, chemical spill protections and
even anti-pipeline protesters. The legislation in states from
Florida to Wisconsin comes as the Environmental Protection Agency
under Trump argues that it can curtail federal regulations…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article149025439.html#storylink=cpy


Another way humans are polluting the environment: Too much noise.
Natural sounds are an integral, yet often overlooked, part of the
way we experience national parks and other public lands. But
human activities – such as roads, development, and mining and
logging operations – are drowning out this soundscape in almost
two-thirds of protected areas in the U.S., according to a new
study published in Science.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article149220094.html#storylink=cpy


Here’s who spent the most lobbying California government this
year. This year’s fight over the road-funding package that will
raise fuel taxes and registration fees involved lobbying from
dozens of labor, business and local government organizations. Yet
the lobbyist employer that spent the most from January through
March, the Western States Petroleum Association, largely had a
hands-off approach to the measure that will increase taxes on its
product.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article149176389.html


OPINIONS

Environmental Justice Must Be a National Priority. Too often
missing in discussions on the challenges facing African Americans
is any focus on environmental justice, the idea that all people
should enjoy a clean, healthy environment while being treated
equally with regard to environmental policies, regulations, and
laws. African-American communities are disproportionately
burdened by environmental degradation…
http://www.dallasweekly.com/opinion/article_517fa058-31b7-11e7-b817-9f156425c4d3.html


How to fix climate change: put cities, not countries, in charge.
Climate change is the most urgent challenge facing humankind.
Other issues make headlines: terrorism kills; inequality affects
everyday life for billions around the globe. But climate is
paramount, because in sustainability human survival itself is at
stake. Why then have the nations governing the planet been so
hopelessly ineffective in addressing the grave environmental
crisis?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/07/fix-climate-change-put-cities-not-countries-in-charge-oslo-seoul


Environmental justice for all. Students across the UC Berkeley
campus voice concerns on the issues of environmental justice as
an inextricable piece of the larger movement for intersectional
social justice on campus and beyond.
http://www.dailycal.org/2017/05/08/environmental-racism
http://www.dailycal.org/2017/05/08/trumps-energy-policy/  

My Turn: Senators, protect Arizonans from toxic air pollution.
President Trump recently took the first major steps towards
undoing Obama’s climate legacy, issuing an executive order that
would undo federal rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions,
including the Clean Power Plan. Another federal rule regulating
greenhouse gas emissions that’s on the chopping…
http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2017/05/08/my-turn-senators-protect-arizonans-toxic-air-pollution/310465001/


Carbon Emissions: Disrupting the Status Quo, Thinking Out of the
Box. A few days ago, I listened to a group of environmentalists
on the evening news protesting a plan to build a new bridge that
would solve traffic congestion and make it easier for people get
in and out of a local large city. The protestors wanted the money
spent instead on public transit, claiming that this had not even
been examined…
http://www.theenergycollective.com/mmetcalfe/2403938/carbon-emissions-disrupting-status-quo-thinking-box


Reader View: EPA threatens farmworkers, consumer health and
safety. Like so many others, I have been dismayed at actions
coming from the Trump administration, especially regarding the
Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s core mission is to
protect our environment from pollutants and toxic conditions that
can endanger the health and safety of our people.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/reader-view-epa-threatens-farmworkers-consumer-health-and-safety/article_1eeb8eae-13ff-5011-9b90-ed09a23d03c0.html


Analysis: If Trump Bails On Paris Agreement, At Least He’ll Be
Out Of The Way. Climate negotiators are meeting in Bonn, Germany,
the next two weeks to move the Paris Climate Agreement forward –
even as Republicans in the United States seem intent on moving it
backward. Most countries say they want the US to stay in the
agreement, but there’s reason to believe it will be better off
without us.
http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/analysis-trump-bails-paris-agreement-least-hell-way/


BLOGS

California bill to make cap and trade similar to Carbon Fee and
Dividend. California state Senators Bob Wieckowski and Kevin De
León introduced a bill this week that would update the state’s
5-year-old cap and trade system to have some remarkable
similarities to CCL’s Carbon Fee and Dividend. The bill would
shift cap and trade starting in 2021 to include a steadily rising
carbon price…
http://citizensclimatelobby.org/california-bill-make-cap-trade-similar-carbon-fee-dividend/


Ten Years of California Climate Dividends Advocacy Leading to
SB775. Climate dividends are about to get serious consideration
in California. California’s Cap & Trade system to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions could potentially expire in 2020, and
must be extended by the State Legislature.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ten-years-of-california-climate-dividends-advocacy_us_590fcd4be4b056aa2363d68a


California tables tougher cap-and-trade rules, pressuring Quebec,
Ontario. Ontario plans to link its carbon market with Quebec and
California next year, but the U.S. state is already getting more
aggressive about cutting emissions. California’s Senate proposed
a new and more ambitious carbon credit cap-and-trade system this
week, challenging Ontario and Quebec to do the same or get left
behind.
http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/regulation/california-tables-tougher-cap-trade-rules-pressuring-quebec-ontario-192271/

Trump time: Trucking interests challenge GHG regs. Even as truck
makers and some of their biggest customers gathered to review—and
praise—the latest and greatest in environmentally friendly
technologies last week, others in trucking were petitioning the
Trump administration to reconsider the fundamental premise that
allowed the Obama EPA to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG) in
heavy-duty vehicles.
http://trucker.com/blog/trump-time-trucking-interests-challenge-ghg-regs
 

Climate change could slow down warming by destroying biocrust. 
In the high desert of Castle Valley outside of Moab, Utah, famous
redrock spires and mesas tower against bright blue sky. Not
everyone notices another set of strange formations stretching up
from the desert floor: biological soil crusts, or “biocrusts,”
tangled masses of mosses, lichens and cyanobacteria.
https://durangoherald.com/articles/156482-climate-change-could-slow-down-warming-by-destroying-biocrust


Carbon pollution is suffocating ocean life and speeding up the
next mass extinction. Oxygen levels ‘falling 2 to 3 times faster
than predicted’ in our warming oceans, study finds. Depletion of
dissolved oxygen in our oceans, which can cause dead zones, is
occurring much faster than expected, a new study finds. And by
combining oxygen loss with ever-worsening ocean warming and
acidification…
https://thinkprogress.org/oxygen-levels-falling-2-to-3-times-faster-than-predicted-in-our-warming-oceans-7c1e9b48cd42


The US Environmental Protection Agency is slowly turning its back
on everything it was set up to protect. In a move sure to enrage
environmentalists, the newly installed head of the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, dismissed 12
scientists from a major scientific review board, and is looking
to replace them with members who come from industries whose
pollution the agency is supposed to regulate.
https://qz.com/978138/epa-chief-scott-pruitt-dismissed-12-scientists-from-a-review-board-and-wants-to-replace-them-with-corporate-members/


Trump threat to Paris climate pact casts shadow over Bonn talks.
Negotiators from almost 200 countries are meeting in Bonn to
hammer out a "rule book" for putting the Paris Climate Agreement
into practice. Trump's threat to pull out of the accord is
putting a damper on the UN talks. Around 3,000 delegates have
converged on the western German city of Bonn on Monday…
http://www.dw.com/en/trump-threat-to-paris-climate-pact-casts-shadow-over-bonn-talks/a-38749922


Is methane slowing global warming in the Arctic? Good news about
climate change is especially rare in the Arctic. But now comes
news that increases in one greenhouse gas—methane—lead to the
dramatic decline of another. Research off the coast of Norway’s
Svalbard archipelago suggests that where methane gas bubbles up
from seafloor seeps, surface waters directly above absorb twice…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/08/stories/1060054165


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