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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 18, 2015.
Posted: 18 Feb 2015 14:24:23
ARB Newsclips for February 18, 2015. This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office of Communications. You may need to sign in or register with individual websites to view some of the following news articles. CAP AND TRADE Conservation ag may get farmers into “cap and trade” Farmland in the San Joaquin Valley can be managed with conservation practices to sequester carbon, something that could give farmers a seat at the carbon trading table, according to long-term research by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27780 AIR POLLUTION China Urges Fewer Fireworks During New Year Celebrations. Setting off fireworks to celebrate Chinese New Year may be a centuries-old tradition, but the country's authorities are urging people to light fewer of them this week as cities fight a losing battle against relentless, toxic air pollution. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/18/world/asia/ap-as-china-new-year-fireworks.html How did the port shutdown affect L.A. air quality? Dozens of ships backed up off the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports in recent days, unable to unload cargo because of a protracted labor dispute. Work resumed at the ports Tuesday, but the slowdown in shipping traffic raised concerns that emissions from waiting vessels would degrade Southern California air quality. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82847446/ EPA finalizes state requirements for 2008 ozone standard. U.S. EPA has finalized long-awaited requirements for states with areas that exceed the 2008 national ozone limit. Along with setting due dates for states to submit plans to address ground-level ozone pollution, the agency's final rule establishes control technologies for meeting the standard, emissions inventory requirements and processes for areas to demonstrate compliance. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2015/02/17/stories/1060013584 Tighter standards proposed for airplane manufacturing. U.S. EPA has proposed to tighten toxic air pollutant limits for certain industrial facilities involved in the manufacture and maintenance of airplanes. The proposed rule, published today in the Federal Register, would establish pollution limits for processes that apply "specialty coatings" to airplane parts, streamline record-keeping requirements for those facilities… http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060013580/print CLIMATE CHANGE U.S. EPA chief hints at softening carbon rule interim timeline. The Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday that it may ease an interim deadline for states to meet tougher carbon emission standards after regulators and electric utilities complained a lack of time may destabilize electricity supplies. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/usa-carbon-epa-idUKL1N0VR2ES20150218 Global CO2 emissions to grow at slightly slower rate to 2035: BP. Global carbon emissions from energy use will grow at 25 percent between 2013 and 2035, a slightly slower rate than previously estimated, BP said on Tuesday, but still above the rate scientists say would avoid the worst effects of climate change. Emissions are expected to increase at an average rate of 1 percent per year from 2013 to 2035… http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/17/us-oil-bp-carbon-idUKKBN0LL1EV20150217 Millions at Risk From Rapid Sea Rise in Swampy Sundarbans. The tiny hut sculpted out of mud at the edge of the sea is barely large enough for Bokul Mondol and his family to lie down in. The water has taken everything else from them, and one day it almost certainly will take this, too. Saltwater long ago engulfed the 5 acres where Mondol once grew rice and tended fish ponds, as his ancestors had on Bali Island for some 200 years. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/18/world/asia/ap-as-india-vanishing-islands.html Interior Secretary Jewell Visits Eroding Alaska Village. In temperatures slightly higher than Washington, D.C.'s, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell got a firsthand look Monday at the effect of climate change on an Alaska coastal community. Jewell visited Kivalina, a village of 370 on a barrier island just off Alaska's northwest coast, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://bit.ly/1vTc1dX) reported. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/17/us/ap-us-interior-secretary-alaska.html Report: NYC climate to grow hotter, wetter, with more storms. A new climate report is finding that temperatures and sea levels are rising in New York City. Mayor Bill de Blasio's office released the New York City Panel on Climate Change's 2015 report on Tuesday. The reports said that annual temperatures are projected to rise between 4.1 and 5.7 degrees by the 2050s. The sea level is projected to rise 11 to 21 inches by the same period. http://www.wsj.com/articles/AP3475cd1ea08f48c39e45fca10a470fdd Climate change could bring higher temperatures, much higher sea levels, and more flooding to NYC: report. The city's future could be rainy, hot — and underwater. In a new report issued Tuesday, scientists painted a picture that could be even more frightening than the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Climate change could hit New York with higher temperatures, dramatically rising sea levels, more rainfall and flooding, they said. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/weather/scientists-predict-higher-temps-rising-sea-levels-city-article-1.2119490 Sea-level rise will cause more than flooding — these 5 other impacts of rising oceans are just as bad. We have all heard terrible stories about how the future will be devastated by a rise in sea levels. As global temperatures continue to rise, ice in the polar regions and glaciers will melt, dumping tons of extra water into the ocean. Warmer water temperatures will also lead the oceans to expand. http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Sea-level-rise-won-t-just-cause-flooding-6086731.php Americans Support Action on Global Warming. Reports showing that global warming and its worldwide effects on human lives have become more common in recent months and years. Here, we summarize the results of some polls of American public opinion on this subject. Polls concerning the attitudes of the American public on global warming have appeared recently. http://theenergycollective.com/henry-auer/2195551/americans-support-action-global-warming BP's two-word fix for global climate change. Oil supermajor BP says global carbon emissions will continue to rise well above what most scientists regard as safe levels in the years to come. While there's no silver-bullet solution to the threat of climate change, the company endorses one specific policy as a way to guide efforts. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2015/0217/BP-s-two-word-fix-for-global-climate-change Some state electricity regulators still not sure global warming is human-caused. At a conference dominated by the challenge that state public utility commissioners will face implementing U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan, several electricity regulators had a much more basic question: whether the climate change that the federal rule will tackle is even taking place. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013590/print New Zealand's climate change policy is a failure, former leader says. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer lambasted the country's climate change policy as a failure. Speaking at Wellington's Victoria University law school yesterday, the former leader, who served from 1989 to 1990, said New Zealand does not have a credible climate change policy and "seems to have lost its mojo in looking after the environment generally." http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013582/print Scientists are pushed to leap the gulf between their findings and public opinion on climate change. Most scientists are willing and ready to get involved in public policy debates, finds a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, even as communication experts warned scientists last week of the pitfalls of communicating about political hot potatoes such as climate change. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013550/print Study finds that unregulated VSLS efficient at influencing climate through depletion of stratospheric ozone. Although halogens released from long-lived anthropogenic substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are the principal cause of the recent depletion of stratospheric ozone, recent observations show that very short-lived substances (VSLS), with lifetimes generally under six months, are also an important source of stratospheric halogens. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150217-vsls.html DROUGHT California Weighs New Drought Rules at Restaurants, Hotels. Officials are considering new water restrictions as California's drought drags on, possibly forcing residents to ask for water at restaurants and for fresh towels and sheets at hotels. The State Water Resources Control Board floated the ideas at an informational hearing Tuesday as it considers extending and expanding mandatory water-use rules. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/18/us/ap-us-california-drought.html California water officials eye new restrictions in drought. As the California drought drags on, water officials are considering expanding mandatory outdoor water restrictions on homeowners and adding new limits on restaurants, hotels and decorative fountains. At an informational meeting Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board also appeared ready to extend existing rules imposed last summer to boost water supplies. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/article10540007.html#storylink=cpy Drought could spur draining of Tulloch Lake. If winter weather doesn’t return soon with a vengeance, Tulloch Lake – a popular fishing and boating spot between Oakdale and Jamestown, and one of California’s few reservoirs lined with thousands of homes – might look more like a puddle by July. Draining the foothill lake is one option available to the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts, which haven’t resorted to that drought-coping measure in more than 20 years. http://www.modbee.com/news/local/article10559816.html#storylink=cpy Farms face 2nd year without river water. Growers in the Valley’s $37 billion farm belt expect zero river water for 3m acres. The next train wreck in California’s drought is headed for the San Joaquin Valley this week when federal leaders forecast how much river water farmers can expect to irrigate nearly 3 million acres this summer. Most folks in farm country are expecting the same number as last year. http://www.modbee.com/news/article10577846.html#storylink=cpy Storms Bring Rain, Little Help For California's 'Meager' Snowpack. The two storms that hit Northern California between Friday and Monday morning brought the most significant rainfall to the region since mid-December. However, despite the ample rain, and from a half-foot to more than a foot of snow at some Lake Tahoe ski resorts, the National Weather Service Western Region reported that the Sierra Nevada snowpack saw “small increases.” http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/02/09/storms-bring-rain,-little-help-for-californias-meager-snowpack DIESEL ACTIVITIES Diesel Rises for Second Straight Week to $2.86. Fuel prices continue to recover from their lowest levels in years, with both diesel and gasoline increasing over the past week, according to new U.S. Energy Department figures released on Tuesday. The average cost of on-highway diesel is up 3 cents… http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/news/story/2015/02/diesel-costs-rise-for-second-straight-week-hitting-2-865.aspx FUELS Ohio City Loses Fight for Control Over Oil and Gas Drilling. An Ohio city lost a battle for control over oil and gas drilling permits within its borders with the Ohio Supreme Court saying the authority belongs to the state. The ruling on Tuesday runs counter to decisions issued by New York’s top court last year and the highest Pennsylvania court in 2013 as local municipalities concerned over the effects of hydraulic fracturing… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-17/ohio-high-court-leaves-oil-gas-drilling-rules-in-state-s-hands An Expensive Sunset for the Brent Oil Field. Cleaning up an oil field in a forbidding environment like the North Sea may be almost as formidable a task as developing one, and in the coming years, those waters are likely to serve as a laboratory for what happens when the useful lives of oil fields expire. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/business/international/royal-dutch-shell-dismantling-brent-oil-field-in-north-sea.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=1 Refinery explosion in Torrance compounds fears of higher gas prices. An explosion Wednesday morning at the Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Torrance is compounding concerns that limited oil refining capacity in California could push up fuel prices. Fire and police officials said a “second-alarm fire explosion” occurred at the Torrance facility and closed Del Amo Boulevard between Maple Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/1780/article/p2p-82854187/ Here's how port labor strife could translate to higher gas prices. Southern California fuel prices could jump sharply if local refiners cut back on gasoline production because they can't get rid of growing stockpiles of a byproduct known as petroleum coke. The problem is a ripple effect of tense contract talks between the International Longshore Workers Union… http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/02/17/49903/here-s-how-port-labor-strife-could-translate-to-hi/ Biofuel from trash could create green jobs bonanza, says report. Advanced biofuels industry could spur hundreds of thousands of jobs across Europe, says new report, but key European parliament vote next week could throw clean fuel ambitions into disarray. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/17/biofuel-from-trash-could-create-green-jobs-bonanza-says-report Study challenges climate benefits of U.S. low-carbon fuels. A recent study on the carbon footprint of biofuels is adding a new wrinkle to the already corrugated landscape of alternative fuels policies. University of Michigan research professor John DeCicco wrote a study finding that the current method of calculating the carbon emissions associated with transportation fuels is essentially meaningless. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013547/feed GREEN ENERGY UK energy regulation has shaped retail energy market-watchdog. Britain's regulation of electricity and gas supply has shaped competition in the retail energy sector, and several elements will be investigated further, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday. "The supply of electricity and gas is heavily regulated, and the form that regulation takes has a profound effect on the shape of competition in retail energy markets,"… http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/britain-energy-competition-idUKL5N0VS0UM20150218 Dryers: Homes' energy guzzlers just got greener. For the first time in six years, Energy Star certification, a standard seal of approval for energy efficiency, has been expanded to include another major household appliance. Clothes dryers, perhaps the last of the major household appliances to be included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's program, became available in 45 Energy Star models… http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/18/4384778/dryers-homes-energy-guzzlers-just.html#storylink=cpy Community wind farm takes root near Ithaca. A proposed wind farm in the Southern Tier could indicate something significant about future of the state's energy grid. For the past eight years, Marguerite Wells, an organic flower farmer, has quietly raised more than $1 million to build seven wind turbines on a hillside outside of Ithaca. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/02/8562419/community-wind-farm-takes-root-near-ithaca?news-image Texas should consider 7 ways to increase energy efficiency – report. Texas should examine seven approaches to boost energy efficiency, from aligning electric companies' interests with the concept to pinpointing a state agency that can develop programs, a report said yesterday. The document, issued by the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER)… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060013607/print N.Y. green bank chief says 'near frontier' energy projects worth $800M are moving ahead. The head of the Empire State's green bank offered a rosy assessment of the program during an event last week that examined the organization's first year in operation. Caroline Angoorly, NY Green Bank's chief operating officer, was positive about clean energy prospects during a forum hosted by the New York University School of Law. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013606/print DOE joins with military to fight climate change with job training for veterans. The Department of Energy said Friday it has partnered with three military bases to teach new veterans needed skills to work in the solar power industry. On Friday at Camp Pendleton, the marine base north of San Diego, the pilot program's first class of trainees finished their courses, which are designed to prepare veterans for careers in sales, system inspection, panel installation and other solar fields, the department said. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013539/print Multi-state coordination needed to revive U.S. offshore wind industry – report. Following a lackluster several months for offshore wind in the United States, a new report argues that interstate coordination is essential if the industry is going to get back on its feet. Noting that the United States seems to have entered the "post-Cape Wind" era… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013495/print MISCELLANEOUS US wholesale prices drop 0.8 percent in January. U.S. wholesale prices fell by a record amount in January, led by the biggest drop in gasoline prices in six years. The Labor Department said Wednesday that its producer price index declined 0.8 percent last month, the biggest drop in a data series that goes back to November 2009 when the government changed the calculation methods for its wholesale price index. http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/18/4384772_us-wholesale-prices-drop-08-percent.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy Noise and light pollution alters ecologies. Human noise and light are creating fundamental changes in ecological communities -- changing the density, diversity and dependencies of bird species that are biological barometers of the natural world. But peace can be restored to the wilderness by enlisting technologies that create a darker and more silent world, a panel of experts said Monday in San Jose… http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27539608/noise-and-light-pollution-alters-ecologies Placer County Subsidizes Bicycles To Get Cars Off The Road. The parking lot at Green Hills Elementary school is almost empty when Principal Peter Towne pulls off his black helmet and swings his bike into the rack. "It's a beautiful ride. I mean it's the sunrise right now. It's gorgeous," says Towne. "I defy anyone who's commuting in their car to hear a bird sing or make friends." http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/02/17/placer-county-subsidizes-bicycles-to-get-cars-off-the-road/ Is Compostable Cutlery Really Breaking Down? There’s a growing market for disposable eating utensils. They have names like taterware or spudware -- forks and knives can be made out of potato starch instead of plastic. You might buy the tableware believing its better for the environment. But, that depends on where you toss it out. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/02/17/is-compostable-cutlery-really-breaking-down/ OPINIONS Boosting renewable energy will improve our national security. Gov. Jerry Brown’s goal to curb oil use by half and generate half of California’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 is laudable. Diversifying our energy sources, however, isn’t just about creating jobs, investing in innovation or slowing climate change. It’s really about keeping our industries, businesses and families safe. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article10546079.html#storylink=cpy OTHER VIEWS: Can science solve climate change? What happens if humans fail to cut carbon dioxide emissions enough to prevent worsening climate change? A new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences contemplates some very unattractive -- but potentially necessary -- backup plans. Ending deforestation seems like an obvious answer. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/national-voices/x570379434/Can-science-solve-climate-change Guest Editorial: Backup plans for the Earth on climate change. What happens if humans fail to cut carbon dioxide emissions enough to prevent worsening climate change? A new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences contemplates some very unattractive — but potentially necessary — backup plans. Ending deforestation seems like an obvious answer. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20150217/guest-editorial-backup-plans-for-the-earth-on-climate-change BLOGS Japan Looks to Ocean for Renewable Energy. As an island nation, Japan controls large swaths of ocean territory, about the sixth-greatest expanse of any country in the world, according to government data. That is stark contrast to its relatively meagre land area, which ranks near the middle of list, in 60th place. So it makes sense for Japan to look to the seas for renewable energy — something it hasn’t done so far. http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/18/japan-looks-to-ocean-for-renewable-energy/?KEYWORDS=energy The weird way that climate change could lead to new disease outbreaks around the world. Climate change could be behind more than just rising ocean levels, melting polar ice caps, and extreme weather events – it could also be creating the ecological basis for infectious diseases to spread to new places and new hosts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2015/02/18/the-weird-way-that-climate-change-could-lead-to-new-disease-outbreaks-around-the-world/ Can Wind Energy Be Counted On To Help Meet Obama's Carbon Goals? The wind energy sector is perpetually facing headwinds. But despite the challenges, those producers say that they are well prepared to help the country meet carbon reduction goals under the White House’s Clean Power Plan. That plan, which was unveiled last summer and which will be finalized this June, will require a reduction in heat-trapping emissions of 30 percent by 2030. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2015/02/18/can-wind-energy-be-counted-on-to-help-meet-obamas-carbon-goals/ Quoted: On Apple, Tesla and making electric cars. “If Apple was going to make a car, it would be ten times easier to just buy Tesla. But Apple doesn’t want a single branded experience, it wants Apple in many, many cars.” — Tim Bajarin, analyst with Creative Strategies, on reports that Apple is working on an electric vehicle. http://www.siliconbeat.com/2015/02/17/quoted-on-apple-tesla-and-making-electric-cars/ Update on the GM-Honda collaboration on Gen 2 Fuel Cell Propulsion System. Over the past two years, GM and Honda have been collaborating on next-generation fuel cell and hydrogen storage systems, aiming at commercialization in the 2020 time frame. (Earlier post.) At the SAE 2015 Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Technologies Symposium in Los Angeles last week, Andrew Bosco, Chief Engineer for fuel cell engineering at GM… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150217-bosco.html Britain’s most powerful politicians agree fighting climate change is a jolly good idea. There’s good climate news from the United Kingdom. On Saturday, the leaders of the country’s three major parties — Conservative, Liberal Democrat, and Labor — all signed a joint pledge to aggressively fight climate change and phase out the use of coal. http://grist.org/climate-energy/britains-most-powerful-politicians-agree-fighting-climate-change-is-a-jolly-good-idea/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.