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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 20, 2015.
Posted: 20 Mar 2015 14:55:27
ARB Newsclips for March 20, 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 Cap-and-Trade, Fence Line Monitor Concerns Stall Justice Council Advice to EPA on Rules. The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council couldn't agree March 19 on final advice to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the agency's refinery and Clean Power Plan proposals. The council did approve during a teleconference letters to be sent to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on its stance regarding the farmworker protection proposal and chemical safety issues. http://www.bna.com/capandtrade-fence-line-n17179924212/ RGGI Auction Extends US Carbon Market Winning Streak. North America’s longest-running carbon market just set a new mark for carbon pricing across the Northeast US, passing a significant revenue milestone years ahead of schedule, and continuing an impressive winning streak for American and Canadian carbon auctions. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/20/rggi-auction-extends-us-carbon-market-winning-streak/ New Forests and Round Valley Indian Tribes register first forest carbon offset project. The Round Valley Indian Tribes and New Forests announced the regulatory approval of the first forest carbon offset project developed on Native American trust land for the California carbon market. The California Air Resources Board (“ARB”) approved issuance of over 540,000 ARB offset credits to the Round Valley Indian Tribes Improved Forest Management Project in February 2015. http://www.lesprom.com/en/news/New_Forests_and_Round_Valley_Indian_Tribes_register_first_forest_carbon_offset_project_66782/#sthash.2m5Uc81t.dpuf AIR POLLUTION Chinese capital shuts third coal-fired plant in war on smog. China's smog-hit capital Beijing has shut down the third of its four coal-fired power plants as part of its campaign to cut pollution, with the final one scheduled to close next year, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. In 2013, the city promised in its clean air action plan to bring annual coal consumption down to less than 10 million tonnes by 2017… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/20/us-china-pollution-beijing-idUSKBN0MG1D120150320 Singapore's air pollution rises to unhealthy level. Singapore's air pollution hit levels classified "unhealthy" on Friday, the government's National Environment Agency said on its website. (www.haze.gov.sg) . The 3-hour Pollution Standards Index (PSI) in the city-state rose to 102 at 4 p.m. local time (0800 GMT). A PSI reading above 100 indicates air pollution has reached an "unhealthy" level. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/20/us-singapore-pollution-idUSKBN0MG0QS20150320 EPA to require electronic reporting of emissions data. U.S. EPA today said it plans to require industrial facilities to submit certain air emissions data electronically, part of a larger agency shift to bring environmental regulation into the 21st century. According to the proposal, most facilities subject to Clean Air Act new source performance standards would have to electronically submit reports on excess emissions, performance tests and other data requirements. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060015459/print CLIMATE CHANGE US climate change envoy: China, US working closer on deal. A U.S. envoy for climate change said Friday that China and the U.S. are working more closely than ever ahead of a conference this year in Paris that raises hopes for a global plan to cut greenhouse emissions. Special Envoy Todd Stern told reporters in Beijing that he still expects hard negotiations between many countries in advance of the U.N. summit. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/20/china-usa-climatechange-idUSL3N0WM31X20150320 Prince Charles Presses Climate-Change Agenda With Obama. While Prince Charles’s visit to the White House lacks the buzz created when his son called on the U.S. president in December, President Barack Obama still cares enough to time a climate-change announcement to the British royal’s arrival. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/prince-charles-to-press-obama-on-sick-patient-climate-change Scotland Starts 76 Million-Pound Low-Carbon Infrastructure Plan. Scotland began a 76 million-pound ($112 million) program of investment in low-carbon infrastructure such as heating for homes and transportation improvements. The Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme is getting 33 million pounds from the European Regional Development Fund and the rest from match-funding partners… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/scotland-starts-76-million-pound-low-carbon-infrastructure-plan U.S. Negotiator Sees Global Climate Change Deal Happening This Year. Negotiators are looking to avoid stumbling blocks that troubled 2009 Copenhagen talks. The top U.S. climate negotiator expressed cautious optimism about sealing a new global climate change pact by the end of the year, stressing growing cooperation between the U.S. and China to limit carbon emissions. http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-negotiator-sees-global-climate-change-deal-this-year-1426849480 McConnell Urges States to Help Thwart Obama’s ‘War on Coal’. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has begun an aggressive campaign to block President Obama’s climate change agenda in statehouses and courtrooms across the country, arenas far beyond Mr. McConnell’s official reach and authority. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/us/politics/mitch-mcconnell-urges-states-to-help-thwart-obamas-war-on-coal.html?ref=politics&_r=0 Feds: Review of 4 decades of North Pacific seabird surveys indicates 2 percent loss every year. The number of seabirds, including gulls, puffins and auklets, has dropped significantly in the Gulf of Alaska and northeast Bering Sea, a possible consequence of warmer waters, according to a preliminary federal analysis of nearly 40 years of surveys. http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/03/19/feds-document-seabird-loss-in-north-pacific-waters Warm Spring Expected for West, Flooding Risk in East. Spring has sprung, but for parts of the country the season will be a hangover of winter’s extremes: The West looks to stay stuck in hot, dry conditions, and eastern areas walloped by snowstorms could see flooding if the snow on the ground melts too quickly. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its outlook for spring weather across the country on Thursday…http://www.climatecentral.org/news/spring-outlook-warming-18797 Annual greenhouse gas emissions from forests drop by a quarter, U.N. says. Yearly carbon emissions from the world's forests have dropped by more than 25 percent in the last 15 years, a U.N. agency said on Friday. The decrease in annual emissions, which cause global warming, is largely due to slowing rates of global deforestation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported. http://news.yahoo.com/annual-greenhouse-gas-emissions-forests-drop-quarter-u-170549225.html http://www.stackyard.com/news/2015/03/fao/04_carbon.html DROUGHT UN warns world could have 40 percent water shortfall by 2030. The world could suffer a 40 percent shortfall in water in just 15 years unless countries dramatically change their use of the resource, a U.N. report warned Friday. Many underground water reserves are already running low, while rainfall patterns are predicted to become more erratic with climate change. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WORLD_WATER_CRISIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT California governor proposes $1 billion in drought spending. As California copes with a fourth straight year of drought, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday proposed legislation to accelerate more than $1 billion in water spending and urged residents to do their part to conserve. Winter is ending in California without enough snow and rain to replenish reservoirs, offering little relief from the worst drought in a generation. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-brown-emergency-drought-20150318-story.html No, California won't run out of water in a year. Lawmakers are proposing emergency legislation, state officials are clamping down on watering lawns and, as California enters a fourth year of drought, some are worried that the state could run out of water. State water managers and other experts said Thursday that California is in no danger of running out of water in the next two years, even after an extremely dry January and paltry snowpack. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0320-drought-explainer-20150320-story.html Drought relief package proposed. Spending could start soon for $1.1 billion plan. With California trudging into its fourth dry year, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday announced $1.1 billion in emergency funding for flood protection and drought relief. http://www.modbee.com/news/article15432716.html#storylink=cpy Manteca Considers Selling Treated Wastewater For Farm Irrigation. The drought is creating a new way for cities to make money, including selling treated wastewater for farm irrigation. A Manteca group called Neighbors United is urging the city council to sell treated wastewater to local farmers as water sources dry up in the drought. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/03/19/manteca-considers-selling-treated-wastewater-for-farm-irrigation/ DIESEL ACTIVITIES CARB offers webinars, other informational opportunities on diesel regs. The California Air Resources Board is offering multiple classes for truck owners and drivers to learn more about the state’s emissions regulations. In an effort to help educate the trucking community about emissions rules compliance, CARB will host on-site classes and a few webinars that truckers and others can watch anywhere with an Internet connection. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=28712#.VQxBahYpmdw FUELS Here's the Next Biggest Threat to Global Crude Oil Prices. The next big threat to oil prices isn’t from OPEC or Bakken shale. It’s Russian samovars, or teapots. Simple refineries that process crude into fuel oil are scaling back, because when oil prices slump, the government reduces the discount that these refiners -- known as teapots to those in the industry -- get for exporting fuel. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/russian-teapots-pose-next-big-threat-to-global-crude-oil-prices European Coal Falls to Lowest Since 2007 as Demand Outlook Dims. European coal prices fell to the lowest in more than seven years amid a worldwide glut of the fuel as governments from the U.S. to China boost efforts to shift away from the most-polluting energy source. Prices for delivery next year to northwest Europe slid as much as 0.7 percent, according to broker data compiled by Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/eu-next-year-coal-falls-to-record-low-close-as-glut-grows Natural Gas Drops for Second Day on Forecasts for Mild Weather. Natural gas futures slid for a second day in New York on forecasts for mild weather in the central and western U.S. that would limit demand for the heating fuel. Temperatures may be mostly normal or higher than usual in the regions through April 3, according to Commodity Weather Group LLC in Bethesda, Maryland. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/u-s-natgas-rises-third-time-in-four-days-after-supply-report-i7hamz1y U.S. Sets First Fracking Standards in More Than 30 Years. The Obama administration issued the first federal regulations for fracking since the drilling technique fueled a domestic energy boom, requiring extensive disclosures of the chemicals used on public land. After years of debate and delay, the Bureau of Land Management on Friday said drillers on federal lands must reveal the chemicals they use… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/u-s-sets-first-fracking-rules-since-process-fueled-energy-boom Debt Is Oil Patch's Four-Letter Word. The 60 percent plunge in crude oil prices since mid-2014 isn't just about increased production and slower global growth. Debt may be the four-letter word when it comes to explaining the extent of the energy sector's collapse, a paper in the Bank for International Settlement's Quarterly Review shows. While production has certainly increased and consumption cooled… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/debt-is-oil-patch-s-four-letter-word EU Leaders Seek Tighter Oversight of Russian Gas Deals. European Union leaders called for more transparency in natural gas contracts with Russia and other external suppliers under the proposed energy union plan. EU heads of government held their first talks about developing closer energy ties among the bloc’s 28 nations on Thursday in a push to increase security of supply… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/eu-leaders-may-seek-more-oversight-of-russian-gas-deals Japan court denies injunction against MOX nuclear fuel use. A local district court in southwestern Japan on Friday denied granting an injunction against Kyushu Electric Power Co's use of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel at its Genkai No.3 reactor, the nuclear operator said. The Saga district court on the island of Kyushu found that the No.3 reactor at the Genkai plant meets Japan's nuclear regulator's stringent safety rules and that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the fuel posed a specific danger. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/20/us-japan-nuclear-kyushu-elec-pwr-idUSKBN0MG11T20150320?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews Interior unveils BLM frack rule -- FracFocus in, waste pits out. The Obama administration released its final rule today for drilling and hydraulic fracturing on federal land, its biggest foray yet into the divisive issue many call "fracking." The rule, announced by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, offered something for each side in the divisive debate. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060015477/print Producers tell judges that EPA rule is 'impossible' A coalition of ethanol producers today sought to convince a federal appeals court that U.S. EPA's rules for curbing sulfur in gasoline are "logically impossible to satisfy." The Energy Future Coalition and eight ethanol producers say the rules create a Catch-22: EPA seeks higher blends of alternative fuels to be used in the market… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060015466/print Oil industry groups sue EPA for failing to set biofuel goals. Oil industry groups this week sued U.S. EPA for failing to establish annual biofuel mandates under the renewable fuel standard program. The complaint filed Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia accuses EPA of violating the Clean Air Act by not setting the requirements for 2014 and 2015. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060015464/print 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. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_ALTERNATIVE_FUEL_VEHICLES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Nissan Announces Leadership Changes in North America. Nissan today announced leadership changes within its North American operations coinciding with the upcoming start of the company’s Fiscal Year 2015 on April 1. The changes announced today will positively impact the company’s North American operations and further accelerate progress towards the company’s global ‘Power 88’ mid-term business plan. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/20/tn-nissan-idUSnBw205405a+100+BSW20150320 Tesla unveils apps for 'range anxiety,' self-driving car. Tesla Motors has unveiled new software updates that could relieve "range anxiety" and give its electric vehicles the ability to drive themselves. In an invitation-only telephone conference Thursday, the company's chief executive, Elon Musk, said new Tesla vehicles will soon be able to steer themselves, park themselves and brake in an emergency. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-tesla-musk-range-anxiety-20150318-story.html Researchers find 'hidden benefits' of electric vehicles -- they can make cities cooler, healthier. The world's most compact and industrial cities, with limited greenery, smothering blacktop and hardened buildings, amplify climate change effects by trapping and retaining heat. Scientists describe the phenomenon as the "urban heat island effect," or UHIE. Public health officials often link its presence to heat wave deaths, and grid operators chart spikes in power surges and outages on cities' hottest days worldwide. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060015437/print GREEN ENERGY Solar Power Inc. Seeks to Develop Floating Projects in U.S. Solar Power Inc., a renewable-energy developer backed by China’s LDK Solar Co., is joining with Aqua Clean Energy to develop floating solar projects in the U.S. and Mexico. The joint venture would put solar panels on platforms in reservoirs, quarry lakes, irrigation canals and tailing ponds, Shanghai-based Solar Power said in a statement Thursday. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/solar-power-inc-seeks-to-develop-floating-projects-in-u-s- Carlyle Group Raises $2.5 Billion for International Energy Deals. Carlyle Group LP has raised $2.5 billion for an international energy fund as the private equity investor bolsters its oil and gas firepower after the collapse in prices. Marcel van Poecke, head of Carlyle International Energy Partners, said the Washington-based firm closed the fund after commitments from 160 investors. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/carlyle-group-raises-2-5-billion-for-international-energy-deals Look What Today's Eclipse Did to German Solar Power Output. This chart shows what happens to solar when the moon blocks out the sun. While sun watchers across Europe thrilled at the chance to experience a rare solar eclipse on Friday, energy companies suffered through some nervous moments. Solar power generators in Germany were unsure about how the sudden disappearance and then reappearance of the sun… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/look-what-today-s-eclipse-did-to-german-solar-power-output Solar Age’s First Eclipse Passes With Brief Surge in Power Price. Power prices in Germany fluttered as the first eclipse of the emerging solar age passed and utility operators worked overtime to keep the grid supplied. The moon blocked about 80 percent of the sun’s light across Europe from about 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. London time Friday. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-20/eclipse-tests-european-power-grid-flooded-by-solar-farms-i7hlfkm0 MISCELLANEOUS Scientists explore 2,000 miles of the ocean floor -- and you can too. Now you can explore the ocean floor without leaving your desk. The U.S. Geological Survey this week posted thousands of photos and videos of the U.S. coastline and adjacent seafloor, allowing users to explore sections of the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts in an interactive map. Most of the areas covered in the new imagery have never been seen before. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83101019/ The surprising psychology behind why some people become environmentalists. The environment — and especially the subject of climate change — is one of the most polarizing topics in American politics. This fact is obvious and indisputable — but what is the root reason behind it? Psychologists are beginning to probe that question using the tools of their trade — surveys, questionnaires and correlations. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/19/the-surprising-reason-why-some-people-become-environmentalists-and-others-dont/ Head of National Renewable Energy Lab to retire. The director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced yesterday he will retire at the end of September. Over his 10-year tenure, Dan Arvizu oversaw a doubling of NREL's research portfolio, adding research in high-performance computing, electric grid integration, and basic materials and biological science to its primary work in renewable energy and energy efficiency, according to NREL, which is based in Golden, Colo. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060015463/print OPINIONS California’s response to drought has fallen woefully short. This drought, this water emergency – the worst in our short recorded history – is so serious that the State Water Resources Control Board voted Tuesday to mandate that hotels give patrons the option of declining fresh linens and require homeowners to limit watering their lawns to just two days a week. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/ben-boychuk/article15382553.html#storylink=cpy Officials cobble $1 billion to fight drought. At legislators’ prodding, Gov. Jerry Brown began loosening his tight fist by agreeing to spend $1.1 billion to combat the drought. The question: What has taken so long? In his initial budget proposal, Brown allocated a paltry $23 million from the $7.5 billion bond approved by voters in November to deal with the drought. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article15406862.html#storylink=cpy AM Alert: Does California’s water use drive climate change? A press conference about responding to California’s crippling drought may have seemed like an odd place for questions about energy efficiency. But there Gov. Jerry Brown was yesterday, talking about why he is proposing money for low-emission farming equipment. What, a reporter asked; does that have to do with water? http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article15411614.html#storylink=cpy Water restrictions are just a taste of what's to come for California. Action on Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board to restrict lawn watering and home car-washing made big news outside of California but barely raised eyebrows in-state. That's because most urban agencies had already imposed those kinds of limits more than a year ago. Californians responded initially with big water savings but let the hoses and sprinklers run again toward the end of last year… http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83102513/ Feds should take over protecting groundwater. California has lost control of its quickly diminishing water. While state officials lose no opportunity to tout California’s environmental leadership to the world and to plead with residents to conserve water, regulators have allowed oil companies to dump billions of gallons of toxic wastewater each year into protected underground drinking water. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article15381533.html#storylink=cpy What’s the threat? Paraphrasing President Barack Obama from a few weeks ago: Climate change is a greater threat than the Islamic State. Paraphrasing his national security adviser about the same time: The Islamic State is not an existential threat, like World War II. Translating those confusing words makes climate change more existential than IS terrorism, and possibly as existential as World War II. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/03/20/3547031_whats-the-threat.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy BLOGS Costa Rica Powered By 100% Renewable Energy For First 75 Days Of 2015. The Latin American country of Costa Rica has achieved the milestone of generating 100 per cent of its energy from renewable resources, with a combination of hydropower and geothermal for 75 days in a row, the state-owned Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) said. Boosted by good rains at four of he country’s main hydroelectric plants… http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/20/costa-rica-powered-by-100-renewable-energy-for-first-75-days-of-2015/ Canada Could Go 100 Percent Renewable By 2035 If Its Government Gets Serious About Climate Change. Canada can be a world leader in emissions reductions and renewable energy use, but only if its federal government decides to take climate change seriously, according to a new report. The report, published Wednesday by 70 Canadian academics, looked at Canada’s potential to shift its electricity production to renewable sources and cut its emissions. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/20/3635370/canada-academics-report-on-emissions-renewable-energy/ The Biggest Source Of U.S. Carbon Emissions Is Coal Extracted From Public Lands. Taxpayer-owned coal is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress and The Wilderness Society. The report, released Thursday, finds that emissions from coal, oil and gas that is mined or drilled on federal lands and waters could account for 24 percent of all energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2012. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/20/3636600/coal-leasing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-report/ The Senate Had A Hearing On Oil Exports And Didn’t Mention The Environment Once. On Thursday, the Senate Energy Committee convened a hearing to discuss the U.S. ban on crude oil exports, which has been in place since 1973. With the United States in the midst of an oil boom — and with Americans using less gas than ever before…http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/20/3636291/oil-export-environmental-impacts/ 51% of BMW Group’s electricity worldwide from renewable sources; targeting 100%. At its Annual Account Press Conference 2015, the BMW Group announced that, for the first time in the history of the Group, 51% of its electricity worldwide is being supplied from renewable sources. This is a significant milestone for the company, its aim being to gradually increase the share of renewable energy to 100% over the coming years. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/03/20150320-bmw.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.