What's New List Serve Post Display

CARB Newsclips for June 19, 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

The Large Spark-Ignition Engine Fleet Requirements Regulation
(LSI Regulation) requires specific equipment be initially
reported to the California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) by
June 30, 2017 and labeled by July 30, 2017. The LSI Regulation
reporting user guides, importing equipment guides, the amended
regulation language, and other useful LSI regulation information
are available at https://www.arb.ca.gov/lsi

The Air Resources Board (ARB) announces the launch of its new
California Dairy and Livestock GHG Reduction Working Group (Dairy
Working Group) and Subgroup list serves that will provide
interested stakeholders with up-to-date information about current
activities and processes.  Sign-up for the main Dairy Working
Group process List Serve:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv_ind.php?listname=dairy 
   



CAP AND TRADE

With budget done, California lawmakers turn to other issues.
After approving a $125 billion budget last week, California
lawmakers are turning their attention to other matters for the
last three months of the annual legislative session. Aside from a
controversial increase in gas taxes and vehicle registration
fees, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in April, no major
legislation has yet cleared both the Assembly and Senate.
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20170618/with-budget-done-california-lawmakers-turn-to-other-issues


AIR POLLUTION

The Energy 202: California scores its first big environmental
victory of the Trump era. Between the very little Attorney
General Jeff Sessions was willing to say about his conversations
with President Trump and the essentially nothing Senate
Republicans were willing to say about their health-care bill,
there was one revealing bit of testimony on Capitol Hill late
last week -- from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Scott Pruitt.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2017/06/19/the-energy-202-california-scores-its-first-big-environmental-victory-of-the-trump-era/5946ffb2e9b69b2fb981dd77/?utm_term=.f8bcf0e984ca


Trump administration backs away from fight over California's
power to set rules for cars and trucks. The Trump administration
is backing off its threat to revoke California’s unique authority
to set its own tough pollution standards for cars and trucks —
rules that have become a crucial tool for states to combat
climate change without help from Washington. Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt assured lawmakers…
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-waiver-trump-20170615-story.html

http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-california-s-waiver-appears-secure-for-1497547579-htmlstory.html

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article156435834.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article156469809.html#storylink=cpy

https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060056177/search?keyword=calif


State fines three companies for violating cargo handling
equipment air quality rules. The California Air Resources Board
has fined three companies $726,250 for failing to comply with the
state’s cargo handling equipment regulation, which sets emission
standards for a range of equipment used mostly at ports and
railyards, including gantry cranes, yard trucks, and forklifts.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=32798 

Heat wave means unhealthy air this weekend across parts of
Southern California. As temperatures head north of 90 degrees
this weekend, smog levels are expected to reach unhealthful
levels across much of Southern California. Air quality will be
worst in the Santa Clarita, San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys,
and throughout the Inland Empire and the mountains.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/06/16/72991/heat-wave-means-unhealthy-air-this-weekend-across/


California Summer Weather Brings 'Very Unhealthy' Smog.
California’s blistering heat wave could produce “very unhealthy”
levels of smog as temperatures continue to rise across the
southern region of the state, officials warned Friday. A
statement released by the South Coast Air Quality Management
District (AQMD) said ozone levels are expected to reach
“unhealthy to very unhealthy” levels…
http://www.newsweek.com/california-heat-wave-smog-pollution-air-626678


CLIMATE CHANGE

Dutch government: will meet 2020 greenhouse gas targets after
extra measures. The Dutch government said on Monday it would meet
its target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in the
year 2020 from 1990s after taking extra measures.
The Netherlands had begun to fall behind on its commitments after
the 2008 financial crisis, but was ordered by a court in June
2015 to take steps to catch up.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-netherlands-climatechange-idUSKBN19A1OS


Rick Perry just denied that humans are the main cause of climate
change. Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Monday denied that
man-made carbon dioxide emissions are the primary cause of
climate change. Asked in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”
whether he believed that carbon dioxide was “the primary control
knob for the temperature of the Earth and for climate,” Perry
said that “No…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/19/trumps-energy-secretary-just-denied-that-man-made-carbon-dioxide-is-the-main-driver-for-climate-change/?utm_term=.4e3de231f3ac

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rick-perry-carbon-dioxide-not-causing-global-warming/article/2626393

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/06/rick-perry-is-in-charge-of-nuclear-safety-too-bad-he-doesnt-understand-basic-science/

 http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/us-energy-secretary-rick-perry-co2-is-not-the-primary-control-knob-for-climate-change/vi-BBCT2jl

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/energy-chief-carbon-dioxide-prime-driver-warming-48134405


Carbon Capture Needed in Climate Change Fight, IEA Says. Carbon
capture and storage is gradually gaining government attention
after being overtaken by investment in wind and solar energy,
with the International Energy Agency (IEA) saying the technology
will be crucial to limiting global warming. The IEA estimates
carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be needed to cut 14 percent
of the emissions…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/06/19/business/19reuters-australia-carboncapture.html?src=busln&_r=0
   

U.S.-China Beef Deal Puts Higher Emissions on the Menu. The
growing Chinese middle class has a love affair with beef, and it
now has a new supplier. The deal could increase U.S. greenhouse
gas emissions from livestock. For the first time in 14 years,
American beef will end up on Chinese dining tables, thanks to a
trade deal finalized this week.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16062017/china-beef-consumption-exports-higher-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-change


Global warming brews big trouble in coffee birthplace Ethiopia.
Rising temperatures are set to wipe out half of Ethiopia’s
coffee-growing areas, with loss of certain locations likened to
France losing a great wine region. Global warming is likely to
wipe out half of the coffee growing area in Ethiopia, the
birthplace of the bean, according to a groundbreaking new study.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/19/global-warming-brews-big-trouble-coffee-birthplace-ethiopia


Climate change could burn a hole in USFS budget. Climate change
appears to be fueling more wildfires as U.S. Forest Service
officials are increasingly concerned they don’t have the funds to
effectively handle another devastating season. While Forest
Service Chief Tom Tidwell told senators this month he’s got
enough budget funds to deal with most of the 7,000 fires that
occur annually in national forests, “it’s that 1 to 2 percent of
our fires…
http://www.bendbulletin.com/nation/5388114-151/climate-change-could-burn-a-hole-in-usfs


Trump EPA backs away from attacking California emission waiver.
Sometime between March1 and 7, a specific page vanished from the
website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Amidst
coverage of the removal of the word "science" from the mission
statement of the EPA's Science and Technology Office, it went
largely unnoticed.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108647_trump-epa-backs-away-from-attacking-california-emission-waiver


HEATWAVE

From Phoenix to Sacramento, the West is sweating through worst
heat wave in decades. All-time heat records could be in jeopardy
in the Southwest this week as a dome of hot, high pressure
settles over the region. Triple-digit highs are in the forecast
from Arizona to Northern California — including the Sierra
Mountains. Notably, this heat wave is going to last through the
week, which raises concerns of heat-related illness.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/06/19/from-phoenix-to-sacramento-the-west-is-sweating-through-worst-heat-wave-in-decades/?utm_term=.119b2a2c068c


When it comes to Southern California's heat wave, the worst is
yet to come. Firefighters labored in scorching heat Sunday
against five separate brush fires across Southern California as
forecasters warned of more triple-digit temperatures in inland
communities. The punishing heat wave broke records on Sunday in
Lancaster, Palmdale and Sandberg, which saw highs of 108, 108 and
99 degrees, respectively.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fire-weather-20170618-story.html


Sizzling heat wave creates health hazard in southwestern US. The
Southwestern U.S. is about to feel the wrath of a punishing heat
wave that includes a forecast of 120 degrees in Phoenix — a
temperature not seen in the desert city in more than 20 years.
The broiling temperatures will also be felt in Las Vegas and
Southern California, creating a public health hazard.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Heat-wave-creates-health-hazard-in-southwestern-US-11229370.php


Study Shows Killer Heat Waves Getting Worse. Killer heat is
getting worse, a new study shows. Deadly heat waves like the one
now broiling the American West are bigger killers than previously
thought and they are going to grow more frequent, according to a
new comprehensive study of fatal heat conditions. Still, those
stretches may be less lethal in the future, as people become
accustomed to them.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/06/19/study-killer-heat-waves-getting-worse/


Heat Wave Accelerating Runoff From Sierra. Heavy rains and snow
this past winter has left rivers flowing higher than average and
reservoirs near capacity. The California Department of Water
Resources says that river flows range from about 20-percent above
average in the Sacramento River near Shasta, to double the
average flows in the San Joaquin and Kings Rivers.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/06/19/heat-wave-accelerating-runoff-heavy-rain-snow-sierra/


How long will heat wave last in Southern California? The region’s
heat wave entered its second week today, with highs again
forecast to hit triple-digit territory in some L.A. County
communities, and forecasters said the above-normal heat would
extend into next week. Also in today’s forecast is dense fog
along the coast and in much of Los Angeles, and a dense fog
advisory will be in force until 9 a.m.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20170619/how-long-will-heat-wave-last-in-southern-california


Extreme Heat Tourism? It’s a Thing in Death Valley. Desert
dwellers in the western U.S. see temperatures topping 120 degrees
(49 Celsius) as a reason to hunker down indoors and turn up the
air conditioning. But some tourists welcome it as a bucket-list
opportunity to experience Death Valley — famously the hottest
place in America.
Many will get their chance in the days ahead as a vicious
heatwave bakes parts of Arizona, California and Nevada.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/19/extreme-heat-tourism-its-a-thing-in-death-valley/


The Latest: Surgeons warning of burn danger during heat wave. The
Latest on the heat wave affecting the Southwestern U.S. (all
times local): 11:35 a.m. Surgeons at the major burn center
serving Arizona are urging people to be aware of the danger of
severe burns caused by excessive heat blanketing the southwestern
United States.
Dr. Kevin Foster of the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix issued the
warning Monday.
He says second and third degree burns from hot asphalt and
concrete…
http://syvnews.com/business/the-latest-surgeons-warning-of-burn-danger-during-heat-wave/article_f6fd1d21-9682-5337-9399-cad7ee213369.html

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

LA-area port truckers to strike over emissions plan. Los
Angeles/Long Beach, Calif., drayage truckers will strike at three
companies after both cities unveiled plans to transition to
zero-emission trucks by 2035 and promote common environmental
standards at ports nationwide. Both cities had signed
declarations expanding their Clean Air Action Plans to launch a
zero-emissions port truck pilot program in upcoming years…
http://www.ccjdigital.com/la-area-port-truckers-to-strike-over-emissions-plan/


Emissions are reduced by 90% Swedish engine manufacturer Scania
has launched its 13-litre DI13M IMO Tier III compliant marine
engine. The engine is capable of running entirely on hydrotreated
vegetable oil (HVO) fuel resulting in emissions of carbon dioxide
being reduced by up to 90%. Additionally, IMO Tier III requires
emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) to be cut by more than 70%.
http://www.boatingbusiness.com/news101/boatbuilding/engines-and-propulsion/scania-seawork-premier#sthash.wbrUf01V.dpuf


VEHICLES

China propels rise of electric ultra-high-performance cars. Want
an insanely fast ride with zero emissions? Startup NIO has the
car: An electric two-seater with muscular European lines and a
top speed of 195 miles per hour (313 kilometers per hour).
The catch: The EP9 costs nearly $1.5 million. NIO, a
Chinese-Western hybrid with bases in Shanghai, London and Silicon
Valley, created it to showcase the company's technology…
http://hosted2.ap.org/PAPIT/02db2d7cf27349608ffb3d3ba8872aa0/Article_2017-06-19-AS--China-Electric%20Muscle%20Cars/id-0205f75b08b34b68bbe64f967c410086
 

Bolt EV ad, EPA vs California, U.S. Senate electric cars, China
emissions advice: Today's Car News. Today, we've got news on this
year's electric Bolt EV (an ad!), the Senate's former electric
cars (more than a century ago), a stand-down by EPA head and
climate-denier Scott Pruitt, and California partnering with China
on zero-emission vehicles.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1111066_bolt-ev-ad-epa-vs-california-u-s-senate-electric-cars-china-emissions-advice-todays-car-news


MISCELLANEOUS

CARB Reviewing 2016 Enforcement Report This Week. The California
Air Resources Board (CARB), part of the state's Environmental
Protection Agency, will present the 2016 Haagen-Smit Clean Air
Awards during their June 22 meeting and also are scheduled to
hear the Enforcement Division's 2016 Annual Report. The
Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards are presented annually to esteemed
persons in the air quality and climate change community:
https://eponline.com/articles/2017/06/19/carb-reviewing-2016-enforcement-report.aspx


OPINIONS

This EPA research program just got a rave scientific review.
Trump wants to eliminate it. As Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Scott Pruitt defended massive proposed budget cuts
to a House subcommittee Thursday, experts from the nation’s top
science organization voiced their support for one of the programs
slated for elimination. A report released Thursday by the
National Academy of Sciences…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/16/this-epa-research-program-just-got-a-rave-scientific-review-trump-wants-to-eliminate-it/?utm_term=.194003926671
 

Will Republicans play ball with Jerry Brown on cap-and-trade?
Gov. Jerry Brown was doing his best Tuesday to fill the vacuum
created by Donald Trump’s abdication in the fight against climate
change, while engaging in some important politicking. Having just
returned from a trip to China that was focused on climate policy,
Brown brought together the prime minister of the island nation of
Fiji, Frank Bainimarama, and the governors.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article156384149.html#storylink=cpy

Opinion: Air Quality board has to stop the district staff’s
sneaky bid to allow more pollution. When it comes to protecting
the planet from global warming, it’s not just the elephant in the
china shop we should fear, it’s the rat in our midst. Earlier
this month, President Trump announced that the U.S. would
withdraw from the historic Paris Agreement, dealing a blow to
international efforts to combat climate change.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/19/opinion-air-quality-board-has-to-stop-the-districts-sneaky-bid-to-allow-more-pollution/


More drought-resistant water sources in San Diego County? Sure
thing. The Sweetwater Authority announced plans for an expansion
of its groundwater desalination plant in 2012 that would double
its production from 5 million gallons a day to 10 million gallons
a day. These are some of the tubes that house the membrane
filters in the existing system.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/sd-sweetwater-authority-desalination-plant-20170616-story.html

Act locally on climate with diesel emissions bill: Letter to the
editor. The Paris climate accord is great public relations, but a
farce in reality. Read the accord, and you'll see it's not more
than a weak "feel good" agreement to try to improve conditions
but lacking teeth. If Gov. Kate Brown wants to make a difference,
she should put her efforts into restoring Senate Bill 1008,
regarding diesel emissions, to its original state and getting it
passed.
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/06/act_locally_on_climate_with_di.html


Carbon Emissions Rising at the Slowest Rate in Decades. Why’s
That? Globally, carbon emissions are rising. But they are doing
so at the slowest rate since the 1980s. That’s the conclusion
from oil giant BP, which says that the reason is that utilities
are using less coal and they are using more renewable energy. And
the corporate world has embraced the change. Specifically,
renewable energy supplies rose by 12%...
https://www.environmentalleader.com/2017/06/carbon-emissions-rising-slowest-rate-decades-whys/

Many want to save Tangier — but how? Tangier residents are known
for being self-reliant and resilient, as people who live on a
tiny island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay need to be.
Still, protecting the island from disappearing under the waves —
thereby protecting both its unique culture and a valuable
ecosystem — will require resources beyond the community.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/life/2017/06/19/many-want-save-tangier-but-how/398954001/


Our View: On climate change, just ask a lobsterman. The effects
of man-made climate change are real. All that's left is to.
During a week in which much of the world was wondering whether
the president of the United States considers climate change a
threat, in a Portland hotel conference room full of people who
spend their lives in the water, the question of man-made warming
wasn’t even being asked.
http://www.centralmaine.com/2017/06/19/our-view-on-climate-change-just-ask-a-lobsterman/


BLOGS

Is California's Cap-and-Trade Program in Trouble? Early this
month, on the same day that President Donald Trump announced he
was pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement,
the California State Assembly voted on a bill of its own,
designed to fight climate change. AB 378, authored by Southeast
L.A. County Assembly member Cristina Garcia, would have updated
the state's cap-and-trade program…
http://www.laweekly.com/news/california-democrats-at-an-impasse-over-cap-and-trade-legislation-8329290


Keeping California’s Natural Gas System Safe. The massive natural
gas leak at Aliso Canyon shined a light on California’s aging
natural gas infrastructure. And five years of extreme drought
also exacted its toll on transmission pipelines. Now the
Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
(Berkeley Lab) has been awarded $4.6 million by the California
Energy Commission for two projects
https://www.environmentguru.com/pages/elements/element.aspx?id=5070375

Energy Secretary Rick Perry says carbon emissions not main driver
for climate change. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday he
does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to
global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific
consensus but in line with the head of the Environmental
Protection Agency.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/energy-secretary-rick-perry-says-carbon-emissions-not-main-driver-climate-change/


Warning over exposure to fatal heatwaves across globe amid rise
in emissions. Almost three-quarters of the world's population
will be exposed to deadly heatwaves by the end of the century if
carbon emissions continue to rise at their present rate, research
has shown.
http://guernseypress.com/news/uk-news/2017/06/19/warning-over-exposure-to-fatal-heatwaves-across-globe-amid-rise-in-emissions/#DD7PxoR0jVAZawU9.99


Canadian group eyes oil-sands emissions. Producers in Alberta’s
oil sands would face new reporting requirements and controls that
toughened with rising emission rates under recommendations by a
group advising the provincial government. The Oil Sands Advisory
Group (OSAG) disclosed its recommendations after the Canadian
Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) predicted output from
the oil sands will increase…
http://www.ogj.com/articles/2017/06/groups-eye-oil-sands-emissions-production.html


Paper: Focus on pickup trucks, not Priuses, to reduce gasoline
use, emissions. Larger trucks and SUVs with powerful,
high-displacement engines are the low-hanging fruit for any
policymaker seeking the most efficient path to reducing gasoline
use and the associated emissions, according to an issue brief by
an expert in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s
Baker Institute for Public Policy.
http://news.rice.edu/2017/06/19/paper-focus-on-pickup-trucks-not-priuses-to-reduce-gasoline-use-emissions/#sthash.x9y76h0C.dpuf


Alberta advisory group sets out recommendations on oilsands
emissions cap. Alberta's Oil Sands Advisory Group is recommending
a series of escalating measures including financial penalties and
potentially halting projects to ensure greenhouse gas emissions
from the oilsands remain within a mandated 100-megatonne limit.
http://journalofcommerce.com/Resource/News/2017/6/Alberta-advisory-group-sets-out-recommendations-on-oilsands-emissions-cap-1024869W/

http://www.ogj.com/articles/2017/06/groups-eye-oil-sands-emissions-production.html


Federal Pullback, Climate Change Could Boost State Spending On
Disasters. The tornado hit the suburbs of east New Orleans at
lunchtime on a mild Tuesday in February. The twister spun across
mid-century ranch houses still etched with the spray-painted
symbols that search and rescue squads left after Hurricane
Katrina. At its calmest, the tornado tugged at asphalt shingles.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/federal-pullback-climate-change-could-boost-state_us_5947d957e4b024b7e0df4ddb


California’s attorney general is becoming a big problem for
Trump’s climate agenda. Xavier Becerra, California’s combative
attorney general, has become the Golden State’s face of
resistance to the Trump administration’s domestic initiatives,
the blunt voice rejecting the president’s attempts to roll back
the progressive immigration and environmental policies so central
to California’s sense of itself.
http://fusion.net/story/570170/california-attorney-general-trumps-climate-attacks/


New York Senate narrowly passes bill to reallocate funds for
nuclear subsidies. The New York Senate voted 32-28 in favor of a
measure to fund Zero Emissions Credits aimed at saving the
state's nuclear facilities, but some clean energy advocates say
the subsidies would come at the expense of regional efforts.
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-york-senate-narrowly-passes-bill-to-reallocate-funds-for-nuclear-subsid/445272/


Boston creates website for climate change data removed from EPA's
site. Boston is among 13 cities to have posted the EPA's climate
change information, which includes research on global warming and
emissions data.
http://www.metro.us/news/local-news/boston/climate-change-epa-boston-website


US eyed FCA diesels since 2015 – report. US regulators told Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles in November 2015 they suspected some of the
automaker's vehicles were equipped with secret software allowing
them to violate emission control standards, according to a news
agency report citing recently released emails.
http://www.just-auto.com/news/us-eyed-fca-diesels-since-2015-report_id177125.aspx


Creative Pie Slicing To Address Climate Policy Opposition. There
are two fundamental, and fundamentally different, barriers to
pricing greenhouse gases.  The one economists tend to focus on is
the economy-wide cost of reducing emissions: substituting to
lower-carbon and (for now) higher cost production of energy and
other products.  That is, the hit to the size of the economic
pie. 
http://www.theenergycollective.com/severinborenstein/2406934/creative-pie-slicing-address-climate-policy-opposition