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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 19, 2015

Posted: 19 Mar 2015 11:24:50
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

Report: Sacramento gets short end of stick from cap-and-trade
program.  California's cap-and-trade program will reap far more
revenue for clean air projects than the state had previously
projected. But most of those dollars will flow disproportionately
to the Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley, according to a report
released Tuesday. It's already stirred controversy.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/03/19/report-says-sacramento-gets-short-end-of-the-stick.html


AIR POLLUTION

Another Culprit Of Air Pollution: Palm Oil Used In Deodorants And
Cookies.  To the growing list of human behavior causing pollution
and climate change, you can add one more: unsustainable
production of palm oil, needed for multiple consumer products
from deodorants and toothpastes to cookies and chocolates. The
Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit science advocacy
organization based in Cambridge, Mass., in a report says air
pollution in South East Asia, including the infamous and
debilitating haze that can grip the region, is caused by, amongst
other things, unsustainable practices like deforestation,
landscape fires and draining peatlands.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2015/03/19/another-culprit-of-air-pollution-palm-oil-used-in-deodorants-and-cookies/


CLIMATE CHANGE

California Legislature Debating 2015 Climate Leadership
Legislation.  During his fourth inaugural address just three
months ago, California Governor Jerry Brown announced an
ambitious new plan to address the impacts of climate change in
California over the next 15 years.  The groundbreaking plan
proposed to increase from thirty-three to fifty percent the
amount of electricity derived from renewable sources, reduce the
petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to fifty percent, and
double the energy efficiency of existing buildings and make
heating fuels cleaner.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/03/18/california-legislature-debating-2015-climate-leadership-legislation/


Obama orders 40 percent cut in government's greenhouse gases.
President Barack Obama ordered the federal government on Thursday
to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 40 percent, as the
U.S. seeks to spur other nations to get serious about climate
change. Obama's executive order also directs the government to
ramp up use of renewable energy sources to 30 percent of the
federal government's consumption.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Related articles:
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Obama-to-order-gov-t-to-cut-its-greenhouse-gas-6144478.php

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/17/obama-administration-calls-for-more-renewable-energy-tighter-pollution-controls-on-taxpayer-owned-lands/


Scientists document rapid decline in Amazon's ability to soak up
carbon. How the world's tropical forests will respond to climate
change is one of the greatest uncertainties dogging climate
scientists today. As greenhouse gas concentrations increase, will
forests suck up even more carbon dioxide, providing a modest
cushion against the worst impacts of a warming planet?
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/03/19/stories/1060015356 

Permafrost melt will severely tilt climate scales – researchers.
Carbon released from permafrost will not be offset by plants
absorbing carbon from the atmosphere -- even if plants grow more
quickly in high-latitude regions, researchers say. As permafrost
melts, plants are better able to access nitrogen in deeper layers
of soil. Though Arctic plants may benefit from the fertilization
effects of nitrogen…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060015355/print

Top U.S. negotiator heads to China as countries flesh out
emission pledges. U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd
Stern is returning to Beijing for another set of bilateral
climate talks with the Chinese government, the State Department
announced yesterday. The U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group
will be led by Stern and Vice Chairman Zhang Yong of the Chinese
National Development…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060015353/print 

Australia's farmers face the first serious threats from climate
change. From tasteless carrots to sunburned apples, a new report
by two University of Melbourne researchers paints a challenging
picture for Australia's agricultural sector and the impacts of
climate change in the decades to come. Through the examination of
55 food commodities and a breakdown of the ways each of the
country's multiple climate regions will be affected by climate
change…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060015328/print

DROUGHT

California governor to propose $1B drought plan.  Gov. Jerry
Brown and legislative leaders will propose more than $1 billion
in drought relief spending for California, according to a
legislative staffer who has been briefed on the package. The
staffer tells The Associated Press that the vast majority of the
package to be announced Thursday accelerates spending that voters
have already approved for water and flood projects.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Related articles:
http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/article15329447.html 
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83094406/ 

Scientists say El Niño won't bring drought relief. Earlier this
month, meteorologists announced that the El Niño weather
phenomenon had finally arrived after a year of predictions.
Though the phenomenon was expected to bring some drought relief
to Southwestern states, this year's El Niño came in late and
fairly weak. El Niño is triggered by a warming of parts of the
central Pacific Ocean.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060015316/print 

FUELS

Feds eye oil, gas drilling off East Coast, Alaska, Gulf.
Environmentalists say allowing offshore drilling along the U.S.
East Coast from northern Virginia to the Georgia-Florida border
could lead to a catastrophic oil spill devastating to the crucial
tourism industry. But business and petroleum groups say they want
to be able to explore whether significant oil and gas reserves
exist that could stabilize energy prices and help the economy
overall.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OCEAN_DRILLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Propel Debuts High Performance Renewable Diesel. 
California-based Propel Fuels has debuted North America’s first
retail rollout of High Performance Renewable (HPR) diesel. This
company news release says the green fuel uses Neste Oil’s NEXBTL
renewable diesel. “Diesel HPR exceeds conventional diesel in
power, performance and value,” said Rob Elam, CEO and Co-Founder
of Propel. “Propel is committed to offering Californians the most
advanced low carbon fuels that meet our high standards for
quality and value.”
http://domesticfuel.com/2015/03/19/propel-debuts-high-performance-renewable-diesel/


It's clean and green, but don't ask what's in new diesel fuel. 
Speaking in front of a diesel pump in Sacramento on Wednesday,
California Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols promoted
the first high-performance renewable diesel fuel for sale in the
state. "People who know me as the 'clean air' person might me
surprised to see me selling diesel fuel," Nichols said.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/03/18/its-clean-and-green-but-dont-ask-whats-in-new.html


Propel debuts cost-competitive renewable diesel in California. In
California, Propel Fuels has launched California’s most advanced
diesel fuel: Diesel HPR (High Performance Renewable) at Propel
locations across Northern California. Propel’s Diesel HPR uses
Neste Oil’s NEXBTL renewable diesel, a low-carbon renewable fuel
that meets petroleum diesel specifications for use in diesel
engines while realizing the benefits of better performance and
lower emissions.
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2015/03/18/propel-debuts-cost-competitive-renewable-diesel-in-california/


VEHICLES

China boosts fleet of electric, hybrid vehicles.  Chinese
authorities have announced plans to boost the number of electric,
hybrid and other alternative fuel-powered vehicles used for
public transportation, while sales of such cars for private use
have spiked in recent months. The Transport Ministry announced
Wednesday that officials aimed to add 200,000 buses and 100,000
taxis powered by alternative fuels by 2020. Last year, the
country added 15,000 alternative fuel-powered buses to its
roads.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/china-boosts-fleet-of-electric-hybrid-vehicles/2015/03/19/cfb81e16-cdee-11e4-8730-4f473416e759_story.html


PG&E giving rebates for electric cars?  Californians who buy an
electric car already get a generous rebate from the state, not to
mention a hefty federal tax credit. Soon, many of them may get a
rebate from their utility company as well. Pacific Gas and
Electric Co. on Wednesday proposed offering one-time rebates to
customers with electric cars. If approved by the California
Public Utilities Commission, the rebates could be available as
soon as next year. The amount of the rebate has not yet been
determined.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/PG-E-giving-rebates-for-electric-cars-6143856.php


GREEN ENERGY

Outlook for Solar Gets a Bit Brighter.  Here is a trick question:
Which country led the European Union last year in putting new
solar panels on rooftops and in countryside energy parks? If you
chose sunny Spain or balmy Italy, you were wrong. Britain, the
green and pleasant land often shrouded in cloud, was the leader,
according to the market research firm I.H.S. Britain, like other
countries in the European Union, has pledged to sharply cut
carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/business/energy-environment/solar-outlook-improves-in-europe-and-developing-countries.html?_r=0


Solar-powered plane lands in Myanmar on 3rd leg of journey.  A
solar-powered plane landed in Myanmar on Thursday night, the
third leg of a round-the-world trip aimed at highlighting clean
energy. Dozens of trees had to be cleared ahead of the Solar
Impulse 2's arrival at the Mandalay International Airport for its
giant mobile hangar and exhibition tent, said Taik Aung, the
country's director of air navigation and safety division. 
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article15329099.html 

MISCELLANEOUS

Cal State L.A. receives $1-million gift to study urban
environment.  Cal State Los Angeles has received a $1-million
gift to study environmental problems afflicting large urban
areas, officials said this week. The donation from the Sikand
Foundation will establish the Gunjit S. Sikand Faculty Endowment
for Research in Urban Sustainability.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-calstate-gift-20150318-story.html


Urban sprawl costs U.S. billions annually – report. Rapid and
uncontrolled development in urban areas costs the United States
more than $1 trillion annually, according to a new study. When
cities grow, they tend to get more spread out, increasing
residents' need to commute by car and reducing the accessibility
of a city. The sprawl can create increased fuel costs from
sitting in traffic, maintaining cars and larger homes, and more
dispersed activities.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060015330/print

BLOGS

Top hurricane expert: Climate change influenced Tropical Cyclone
Pam.  Late last week, one of the strongest tropical cyclones on
record in the South Pacific made a direct hit on the island
nation of Vanuatu, leaving more than 20 people dead and massive
destruction in its wake. Tropical Cyclone Pam’s sustained winds
of 165 mph and gusts nearing 200 ripped trees from the ground and
flattened homes. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/03/18/top-hurricane-expert-climate-change-influenced-tropical-cyclone-pam/


The Wages of Cyclone Pam  He also warned that the climate in the
region would remain volatile as long as global warming goes
unchecked. “The cyclone seasons, the warm, the rain, all this is
affected,” he said. “Yes, climate change is contributing to
this.” No deaths have been reported in other countries, but,
according to a press release issued by Tuvalu, nearly half of its
population has been displaced.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-wages-of-cyclone-pam



California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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