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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 1 and April 2, 2015.

Posted: 02 Apr 2015 16:00:31
ARB Newsclips for April 2, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Methane leaks from gas distribution network are far below EPA
estimates, study says. Leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas
and the primary component of natural gas, from pipelines and
distribution centers are less than the federal government
currently estimates, according to a new study. The study finds
that the United States' natural gas distribution network is
leaking between 393 and 854 gigagrams per year of methane.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060016093/print 

Judges skeptical of Iowans' push to regulate CAFO air pollution.
A group of Iowa residents today took to federal court their fight
to force U.S. EPA to regulate air pollution rising from animal
feeding operations under the Clean Air Act. The Winneshiek County
citizens claim the agency has ignored scientific findings by not
setting air standards for ammonium and hydrogen sulfide emitted
from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060016194/print 

Experts at workshop likely to reinforce Texas' doubts on ozone
standard. Texas environmental regulators say that a three-day
workshop scheduled for next week will focus on the science and
policy questions surrounding ground-level ozone, a key component
of smoggy city air. The workshop, to be held in Austin beginning
Tuesday, comes as U.S. EPA is weighing comments on a proposal to
tighten the national standard for ozone from 75 parts per billion
to between 65 and 70 ppb.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060016126/print 

CLIMATE CHANGE

How will Clean Power Plan compliance be tracked? Critics of U.S.
EPA's Clean Power Plan frequently argue that requiring states to
reduce carbon emissions will threaten the grid's reliability and
drive up utility bills. Those are the big-ticket items to worry
about, said Brenda Brickhouse, environment vice president for the
Tennessee Valley Authority. She's also uneasy about something
else: creating an inexpensive, uncomplicated compliance program
to keep track of emission reduction data.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060016178/print 

Western cities had hottest March on record. While much of the
nation shivered, many Western cities sweltered through their
hottest March on record. Cities in California, Arizona, Texas,
Nevada and even Montana had record high temperatures on
individual days last month, according to the National Weather
Service. Some also racked up unusual overall temperatures or
streaks of balmy weather.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HOT_MARCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-04-01-19-49-47

 
Obama’s Strategy on Climate Change, Part of Global Deal, Is
Revealed.  The White House on Tuesday introduced President
Obama’s blueprint for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the
United States by nearly a third over the next decade. Mr. Obama’s
plan, part of a formal written submission to the United Nations
ahead of efforts to forge a global climate change accord in Paris
in December, detailed the United States’ part of an ambitious
joint pledge made by Mr. Obama and President Xi Jinping of China
in November.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/us/obama-to-offer-major-blueprint-on-climate-change.html?_r=0

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-31/obama-s-new-climate-change-plan-in-two-charts

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/31/obama-administration-citing-climate-risks-plans-steep-cuts-in-greenhouse-gas-pollution/


U.S. Sticks With 26-28 Percent by 2025 Cut but Gives Itself
Wiggle Room to Negotiate. The U.S. opted not to budge from an
earlier pledge to cut greenhouse gases 26 percent to 28 percent
over the next decade in its March 31 formal submission toward a
global climate accord, but it kept the door open to possibly
agreeing to cuts closer to the higher end of that range at the
Paris climate summit in December.
http://www.bna.com/us-sticks-2628-n17179924831/ 

Major study shows biodiversity losses can be reversed. Most
people would probably agree that human pressures on the land are
bad news for wildlife. Practices such as agriculture can
introduce pollutants to the environment, force out wildlife, and
change local ecosystems forever. A new study published today in
the journal Nature gives a global view of this damage since the
1500s.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201504020502M2______EUPR_____c2de0000016c8d82_3600-1


Mild 2014 Seen Cutting EU Carbon Market Emissions to Record.
Carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union’s cap-and-trade
program, the world’s largest, probably fell to a record last year
as warmer-than-average weather curbed demand for gas and power.
Emissions from companies covered by the program dropped 5.8
percent to 1.798 billion metric tons in 2014, according to the
median forecast of six analysts…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-01/eu-carbon-market-emissions-seen-at-record-low-on-warm-weather


Oceans might take 1,000 years to recover from climate change,
study suggests. Naturally occurring climate change lowered oxygen
levels in the deep ocean, decimating a broad spectrum of seafloor
life that took some 1,000 years to recover, according to a study
that offers a potential window into the effects of modern
warming. 
Earth's recovery from the last glacial period, in fact, was
slower and more brutal than previously thought…
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83191943/ 

Reducing Climate Change Would 'Create One Million Jobs.'  As the
March 31 deadline for countries to submit their proposals for
tackling irreversible climate change passes, a new report claims
lives could be spared, the climate could be saved from
catastrophic and irreversible change, and one million jobs could
be created if green policies are initiated.
http://www.newsweek.com/report-1-million-jobs-created-if-climate-goals-reached-318280


What California Can Teach Other States about Climate Change. 2006
was a good year for environmentalists. Al Gore had just released
his documentary about climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth,” to
enthusiastic appraisals, and was travelling across the U.S. to
spread the word.
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/what-california-can-teach-other-states-about-climate-change?mbid=rss


Tom Steyer’s group shutters climate policy arm as political
efforts ramp up. The move indicates that Steyer will probably
shift more resources toward his attempts to sway the 2016
elections. The nonprofit launched by environmentalist Tom Steyer
is shutting down its climate and energy program, in a likely
signal that the billionaire is shifting resources to his
organization’s political arm ahead of the presidential elections.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/tom-steyer-nonprofit-shuts-down-climate-program-116584.html#ixzz3WAoIsnJB


Chuck Schumer Votes Reliably on Climate, but Rarely Leads.
Probable next Senate Democratic leader calls for climate action
while keeping quiet on fracking. 'It hasn't been where he's put
most of his time.' Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the probable
next Senate Democratic leader, has been vocal about the need for
climate action and has compiled a solid pro-environment voting
record, but he's never been a leader on the issue,
environmentalists and political experts said.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/01042015/chuck-schumer-reliable-vote-climate-not-leader-democrats


Schumer Called Mixed Bag for Energy Industry, Follows ‘Awesome'
Reid. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is emerging as the likely
successor to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as leader of Senate
Democrats, presents a mixed bag for the energy industry, analysts
told Bloomberg BNA. On the one hand, he opposes a mandate
requiring billions of gallons of ethanol and other biofuels into
the nation's fuel supply and supports hydraulic fracturing.
http://www.bna.com/schumer-called-mixed-n17179924870/ 

Ocean Changes Linked to 2010 Hurricanes, Bitter Winters. An
invisible workhorse of the Atlantic Ocean tirelessly shuffles
cold and warm water back and forth between tropical and Arctic
waters, dragging heat away from the equator. Scientists credit
rich Atlantic fisheries and mild Mediterranean winters with the
sheer power of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation,
or AMOC.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/ocean-link-to-hurricanes-bitter-winters-18846


Antarctica’s Record High Temp Bodes Ill for Ice. The Antarctic
Peninsula is one of the fastest warming spots on the planet, but
in recent days, a stubborn weather pattern sent temperatures
skyrocketing there, setting a record high for the continent.
While the event that set the mercury soaring — called a Chinook,
or foehn wind — isn’t unusual for the region, it does seem to be
increasing with climate change, as winds around Antarctica become
stronger.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/antarctica-record-high-temp-bodes-ill-for-ice-18840


Canada: Ontario’s Climate Change Discussion Paper, 2015 – What’s
In It And Where Will It Lead? The Ontario Ministry of the
Environment and Climate Change released Ontario's Climate Change
Discussion Paper, 2015 in February 2015 . The purpose of the
Discussion Paper is to elicit feedback from the people of
Ontario. In person consultations are taking place with First
Nations and Métis communities and in cities across the province.
http://www.dentons.com/en/insights/newsletters/2015/march/31/climate-change-newsletter/climate-change-newsletter-issue-8?ParentItemID=ugyG+xoGEo0R+Uhpftk7DVYOwEJ/IQrR4yhkipTnx6ggQZEX5tMZsQ==&Archive=False#ontario?utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=LinkedIn-integration


Republicans demand answers on EPA scientific predictions. Four
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Republicans asked
U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy again yesterday to show how
the climate projections her agency uses in its rulemakings have
squared with observed warming in recent years.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060016206/print 

MIT researchers say reprogramming traffic lights could cut urban
emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions in traffic-clogged cities
could be reduced by simply reprogramming traffic lights to
stimulate more efficient traffic flows, according to new research
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The findings,
detailed in two papers published in the journals Transportation
Science and Transportation Research, describe an approach that
combines vehicle data with city data…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060016088/print  

DROUGHT

California Drought Is Worsened by Global Warming, Scientists Say.
The severe California drought that has led the state to order
cutbacks in water use may not have been set off by climate
change, scientists say, but global warming is making the
situation worse. “The drought is made of two components: not
enough rain and too much heat,” said Michael Oppenheimer, a
climate scientist at Princeton.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/science/california-drought-is-worsened-by-global-warming-scientists-say.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytnational&_r=2


Brown orders California's first mandatory water restrictions:
'It's a different world'. Standing in a brown field that would
normally be smothered in several feet of snow, Gov. Jerry Brown
on Wednesday ordered cities and towns across California to cut
water use by 25% as part of a sweeping set of mandatory drought
restrictions, the first in state history.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83191987/ 
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/01/california-drought-mandatory-water-reductions/70780554/
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/01/4457426/smallest-snowpack-in-history-adds.html

http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_27827782/california-drought-gov-brown-join-water-officials-search?source=most_viewed
 

Water-conscious Peninsula expects lighter hit from Brown’s water
cutback order. Despite ranking among the state’s lowest water
users, even Monterey Peninsula residents will likely be required
to cut back a little more as a result of Gov. Jerry Brown’s
historic order setting mandatory water use restrictions. Aimed at
reaching a statewide 25 percent reduction in water use…
http://www.montereyherald.com/environment-and-nature/20150401/water-conscious-peninsula-expects-lighter-hit-from-browns-water-cutback-order

 
Farmers, Water Agencies React To Brown's Water Order. An
executive order from Governor Jerry Brown imposes a 25 percent
mandatory water reduction on California cities and towns. It’s
the first such order in the state’s history. Cannon Michael says
that’s enough. He farms 10,000 acres of tomatoes and corn in
Central California. “Compare a 25 percent reduction in urban use
to a zero percent allocations for thousands of farms.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/04/01/farmers,-water-agencies-react-to-browns-water-order/


New California Water Reductions Don't Apply to Farmers.
Agriculture in California consumes about 80 percent of water used
by humans. Brown’s executive order requires farmers to submit
information on water usage to the state, but not to cut back
further. 
Jay Lund of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences says
across-the-board cuts to agriculture would be economically
disruptive.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/04/01/new-california-water-reductions-dont-apply-to-farmers/


Bleak California Snowpack ‘Obliterates’ Record Low. April 1 is
supposed to mark the high point of California’s snowpack. It’s
when officials estimate how much water they’re going to see
flowing into reservoirs as winter’s snow melts during the spring
and summer. But after this hot, dry winter, there wasn’t much to
measure, and the snowpack came in at a shocking 6 percent of
normal — an all-time record low.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-snowpack-obliterates-record-low-18847


Calif. water-use crackdown exposes rift between cities, farms.
Drought-stricken California will enforce a mandatory water
cutback of 25 percent for urban residents because the state's
situation is dire, officials said yesterday after Gov. Jerry
Brown (D) issued an executive order with numerous water savings
edicts. On the same day that a reading of the state snowpack
showed the lowest level in recorded history, California leaders
in charge of water, agriculture, fish and game, and other
resources painted the outlook as grim.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060016203/print 

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS/FORMALDEHYDE

Washington Law Firm Files Suit Against Lumber Liquidators. The
law firm of Hagens Berman filed the suit today in U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of California. The law firm of
Hagens Berman filed the suit today in U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California. Lumber Liquidators began
offering free in-home formaldehyde testing kits to customers who
bought laminate flooring products following a bruising March 1
report on the CBS News program 60 Minutes.
http://wydaily.com/2015/04/01/california-law-firm-files-suit-against-lumber-liquidators?cat=localnews/


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Consol Energy rolls out equipment to cut emissions at its airport
drilling operations.  As Consol Energy drills beneath Pittsburgh
International Airport, it's now using new high-horsepower engines
designed to significantly cut air pollution emitted by its
hydraulic fracturing fleet -- and it has become the first natural
gas producer to deploy them, the company said Wednesday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201504020821KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_35092_20722-1


FUELS

California energy tech firm pushing gas-to-liquids technology.  A
San Francisco company that has come up with a less expensive
technology to convert natural gas to gasoline, diesel and other
liquids is seeking to put it to use on a larger commercial scale.
Siluria Technologies uses a catalyst to convert methane into
ethylene, a building block for petrochemicals…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/siluria-natgas-gasoline-idUSL2N0WW2KI20150401


EU reaches tentative cap on food-based biofuels –sources. The
European Union reached a tentative deal on Wednesday on a 7
percent limit on how much crop-based biofuel can be used in the
transport sector, EU sources said. The agreement on a legal text,
thrashed out by representatives of the European Commission, the
parliament and member states follows years of argument on
traditional biofuels…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/eu-biofuels-idUSL6N0WY35820150401?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews


China sells Australia-spec gasoline cargo, eyes growing market.
Chinese refiners are setting their eyes on Australia as a new
destination for gasoline exports, as they crank up production of
the motor fuel to meet rising domestic demand, industry sources
said. Investments by refiners to produce cleaner fuels as part of
a national drive to curb domestic vehicle emissions has meant
some are now able to meet stringent Australian specifications,
opening up a new and potentially growing market.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/02/china-gasoline-idUSL3N0WZ1M820150402


German Cabinet Approves Anti-Fracking Draft Law. Draft
legislation effectively bans shale gas fracking for at least five
years. Germany’s cabinet approved draft legislation on Wednesday
effectively banning shale gas fracking for at least five years
despite growing concern along business and western allies that
the country is too reliant on gas imports from Russia.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/german-cabinet-approves-anti-fracking-draft-law-1427896555


Formula E racing fuel so environmentally friendly, it’s
drinkable. Like other aspects of Formula E, the all-electric
racing series coming to the city this weekend, the fuel used to
charge the batteries powering the cars is easy on the
environment. How easy? You can safely drink it. The fuel,
glycerol, is a colorless, odorless sugar alcohol synthesized from
salt water alga and burns in a specially-modified…
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/environment-and-nature/20150401/formula-e-racing-fuel-so-environmentally-friendly-its-drinkable


FUEL: What's in summer gas blend? Beginning today, the gasoline
you pump into your car will be a bit different, and air-quality
officials say it will help us breathe a bit easier. The summer
blend is refined to have less of the volatile hydrocarbon
chemicals, such as butane and pentane. It will thus evaporate
less than the winter blends when under similar conditions.
Reducing how much gasoline can evaporate helps reduce smog.
http://www.pe.com/articles/summer-763648-air-gasoline.html 

Navy biofuels programs sail on amid sinking oil prices. Navy
officials say it's full steam ahead for the service's alternative
fuels program, despite the plummeting price of oil globally.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy Joseph Bryan
said the service is "driving towards the goal" of deriving half
the service's energy from alternative sources by 2020.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060016196/print 

Guardian Media Group to divest its £800m fund from fossil fuels.
GMG becomes largest fund yet known to pull out of coal, oil and
gas companies in a move chair Neil Berkett calls a ‘hard-nosed
business decision’ justified on ethical and financial grounds.
The Guardian Media Group (GMG) is to sell all the fossil fuel
assets in its investment fund of over £800m, making it the
largest yet known to pull out of coal, oil and gas companies.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/01/guardian-media-group-to-divest-its-800m-fund-from-fossil-fuels


 VEHICLES

Tesla Buyers Making Twice U.S. Average See Rebates in Danger.
California’s incentives to purchase electric vehicles are under
attack, as data shows most of the money goes to consumers who
earn twice the national average yet collect cash rebates on Tesla
Motors Inc.’s luxury models. “It’s hard for the average
Californian to understand why someone buying a $100,000 car
should get a rebate…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-02/tesla-buyers-making-twice-u-s-average-find-rebates-under-fire


Renault delivers Twizy number 15,000 to the municipality of
Florence, Italy. Florence asserts its commitment to electric
transport. Renault's cooperation with the city of Florence began
in 2011 when Matteo Renzi (then mayor of Florence) signed an
agreement with the Renault-Nissan Alliance on promotion of the
electric vehicle.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201504010658M2______EUPR_____5c970000022ce98f_3600-1


U Toronto LCA suggests that with CNG as primary vehicle energy
source, EVs best targeted at non-attainment areas. A team at the
University of Toronto has examined the life cycle air emissions
(climate change and human health) impact benefits and life cycle
ownership costs of compressed natural gas (CNG) use directly in
conventional vehicles (CV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV)…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150401-luk.html 

UPS to add 1,400 new CNG vehicles over next year; building 15 new
CNG fueling stations. UPS announced plans to purchase and deploy
1,400 new CNG vehicles over the next year, representing a 27.5%
increase to UPS’ current industry-leading alternative fuel and
advanced technology fleet of 5,088 vehicles worldwide. To support
the purchase and planned deployment of the 1,400 new CNG
vehicles, UPS plans to build 15 compressed natural gas (CNG)
fueling stations.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150402-ups.html 

Kia Soul EV To Go On Sale In Five More States By This June. When
the Kia Soul EV electric car debuted just over a year ago, Kia
planned a fairly cautious roll out. The electric tall wagon would
launch in California, and sales would expand to other states at
an undetermined future point. Then reality struck. It turned out
that buyers really liked the idea of an all-electric tall wagon
with 93 miles of range.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097563_kia-soul-ev-to-go-on-sale-in-five-more-states-by-this-june


Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Mar: Leaf Surpasses Volt In Total
Sales Since 2010. For more than four years, the Nissan Leaf and
Chevy Volt have been the highest-volume plug-in electric cars
sold in the U.S. Last month, for the first time in roughly three
years, the Nissan Leaf's total U.S. sales surpassed those of the
Chevrolet Volt. 
With March deliveries of 1,817 Leafs, compared to 639 Volts…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097589_plug-in-electric-car-sales-in-mar-leaf-surpasses-volt-in-total-sales-since-2010

 
GREEN ENERGY

GE Makes Once-a-Decade Bet on Big Turbines as Energy Use Surges.
General Electric Co.’s industrial overhaul rests in part on a
piece of machinery that’s larger than a Winnebago and weighs as
much as a Boeing 747. Now, it just needs to work. GE plans to
deliver its newest gas turbine in July, a decade after the
rollout of an earlier model that was hindered by performance
issues and sold poorly.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-01/ge-makes-once-a-decade-bet-on-big-turbines-as-energy-use-surges


Siemens receives major order for 300-MW wind project in Oklahoma.
Hamburg - Siemens has been awarded an order from Apex Clean
Energy to supply, support installation and provide long-term
service for 130 wind turbines for the 299-megawatts (MW) Kay Wind
project to be located in Kay County, Oklahoma. Installation of
the wind turbines is scheduled to begin this year, with the start
of operations expected for the fourth quarter of 2015.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201504010701M2______EUPR_____bf69000001a9e9cc_3600-1


Clouds on horizon for solar projects. Municipal and large
commercial solar projects in Massachusetts are being stymied by
caps on net metering, which gives a credit for any unused energy
they provide to the electrical grid, and incentive to install new
panel arrays, advocates said yesterday. The caps for both large
private and public solar projects in National Grid territory were
hit within the past two weeks…
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201504020107KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_60746_2787-1


Green Investment Bank's new wind power fund pulls in 463 mln
pounds. Britain's Green Investment Bank (GIB) has raised 463
million pounds ($685 million) in the first close of its offshore
wind power fund, it said on Wednesday. The bank was created in
2012 by the government to back green energy projects in Britain
and to spur private sector investment in the low-carbon energy
sector.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/funds-britain-idUSL6N0WX3PY20150401


An unnecessary delay for Mojave Desert renewable energy plan.
Federal and state officials have spent six years examining how
best to allocate land in the Mojave Desert to satisfy two
disparate environmental imperatives: renewable energy to reduce
Californians' thirst for gas and oil, and conservation to
preserve unique places and protect wildlife in the desert's
fragile habitat. By identifying the least environmentally
sensitive land in advance…
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83191734/ 

Northwest US wind power output falls in 2015. Wind generation in
the Northwest Power Pool in the first three months of 2015 fell
by 19pc from a year earlier while load declined by 9pc. An
unusually warm winter in the pool's territory, which covers the
northwest US and western Canada, has cut into the snowpack and
boosted hydropower generation at the same time as wind output
fell.
http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=1017550&menu=yes


Analysis: California grid eyes 50pc renewable goal. Fulfilling a
possible state mandate for procuring 50pc of electricity from
renewable sources requires savvy consumers, energy storage and
finding uses for excessive daytime solar power generation, the
California Independent System Operator (ISO) says. The 50pc goal
proposed by governor Jerry Brown (D) is achievable with the right
set of policies…
http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=1016800&menu=yes


Los Angeles can add more solar, study says. The Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power can significantly expand its use of
solar energy to replace the coal-fired generation the utility is
dropping from its supply mix, according to a study. The municipal
utility can increase its solar capacity to 1,500MW by 2025 from
the current 153.5MW if it can overcome the challenges of slowing
existing programs…
http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=1017070&menu=yes
 

State regulators plead for break on Clean Power Plan rules until
court challenges end. U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy may be
so certain of the Clean Power Plan's legal footing that she
doesn't need to develop a Plan B, as she said this week. But many
state regulators are worried that they will devote time, finances
and resources to the challenge of lowering their power sectors'
greenhouse gas emissions, only to see the unprecedented EPA rule
thrown out by federal courts.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/02/stories/1060016169 

Marine life at seafloor may take 1,000 years to recover from
climate change. Invertebrate fossil records suggest that ocean
seafloor ecosystems could take millennia rather than decades to
recover from the effects of climate change. A recent study by
researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that
invertebrate species living on the ocean floor took hundreds of
years to rebound at the end of the last ice age…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/02/stories/1060016171 


DOE-backed study to track climate impacts on tropical forests
over a decade. A $100 million Energy Department-backed effort is
underway to model the effects of climate change on tropical
ecosystems. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
and eight other federal institutions will spend the next 10 years
studying the dense, diverse, and carbon- and water-rich
environment of tropical rainforests and their role in a changed
climate.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060016167/print 

Scientists probe climate-stressed reefs considered a harbinger of
oceans' future. Research scientists are delving deep into the
coral reefs of the Channel Islands in order to learn more about
the species growing in the deep-sea environment but also to take
a peek at the future state of the oceans. The Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary, a protected area of 1,470 square miles
established in 1980 and located off the West Coast of the United
States, experiences weather patterns…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060016147/print 

MISCELLANEOUS

Sacramento City Council Bans Plastic Bags. The Sacramento City
Council has voted unanimously to ban plastic grocery bags and
require a minimum ten-cent charge for reusable or paper bags. The
ordinance is similar to a California law signed last year by
Governor Jerry Brown. Opponents to the state law gathered enough
voter signatures to put the ban on the November 2016 ballot. 
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/03/31/sacramento-city-council-bans-plastic-bags/


Nuclear Regulatory Commission Urged To Review Procedures. An
environmental group is calling on the head of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission to reverse a staff decision and review the
installation of faulty steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear
power plant. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff took almost
three years to respond to a petition filed by Friends of the
Earth.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/apr/01/nuclear-regulatory-commission-urged-review-procedu/


Governor says he will sign transportation funding proposal.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday that he will sign a
transportation funding bill expected to raise $900 million for
the state's infrastructure needs through changes to the state's
gas tax and new fees on electric cars and hotel visits. The
proposal approved by lawmakers Tuesday night converts the state's
mix of taxes on gasoline to an excise tax of 26 cents…
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/01/4457452_governor-says-he-will-sign-transportation.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


With Roundup classified as 'probable' carcinogen, what's next?
Two weeks ago, the World Health Organization's cancer research
arm designated glyphosate as a "probable" carcinogen. It was
immediately labeled a clear danger by opponents of large-scale
industrial agriculture, and concurrently brushed off by Monsanto
Co. and technology-focused scientific organizations. Glyphosate
is better known by its Monsanto-given name, Roundup.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060016212/print 

OPINIONS

Here's why Obama is approving Arctic drilling again. For a leader
who has made fighting climate change a priority, President Barack
Obama's decision to approve Royal Dutch Shell's return to oil and
gas exploration off Alaska was seen by many environmentalists as
a contradiction.  
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/usa-shell-arctic-idUSKBN0MS54K20150401?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563


California's mandatory water cutbacks are a good move. Residents
of large urban areas have weathered California's current drought,
well into its fourth year, without making many substantial
changes. Los Angeles was shielded from the full impact by water
stored in reservoirs. Many Sacramento residents still have no
water meters.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83199911/ 

U.S. has bold plan to stall climate change.  In baseball, there's
a traditional comeback after a tough season: "Wait 'til next
year!" For climate change "next year" is now. This year is the
time and the United Nations' international climate negotiations
in Paris in December are the place to secure strong global
agreement to curb heat-trapping emissions. A successful climate
pact will send a signal around the world that a shift to a
low-carbon economy is underway. 
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/31/opinions/richardson-climate-change/


EDITORIAL: Farmers don’t need the state telling them what to
plant. Farms are not exaggerated lawns. Almonds, grapes and
tomatoes have more value than, say, geraniums. We found the
suggestion in a column published March 25 in The Bee perplexing.
It could only have been written by someone with virtually no
knowledge of farming, at least in our part of California.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/01/4457947/editorial-farmers-dont-need-the.html#storylink=cpy


EDITORIAL: Fresno city manager now says public scrutiny is
'welcome'. Farms are not exaggerated lawns. Almonds, grapes and
tomatoes have more value than, say, geraniums. We found the
suggestion in a column published March 25 in The Bee perplexing.
It could only have been written by someone with virtually no
knowledge of farming, at least in our part of California.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/01/4457947/editorial-farmers-dont-need-the.html#storylink=cpy


Our View: It’s no longer optional, we must conserve water. We
must do more. That’s not a request, that’s an order. Gov. Jerry
Brown delivered that message Wednesday. A press conference
including many of his top officials drove home the point that
California has not done enough to save water. Now, conservation
is no longer optional. In this fourth and worst year of drought,
we must either cut water use or many will go without.
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/editorials/article17163722.html#storylink=cpy


EDITORIAL: California taxing away cheap gas. Just in time for
Spring Break road trips, Californians have been enjoying slightly
lower gas prices. Yet gripes remain about the state paying on
average almost 80 cents more per gallon than the rest of the
United States. After prices rose by $1 in just four weeks, the
jump was examined last week by a joint hearing in the state
Senate of the Energy…
http://www.pe.com/articles/state-763715-cents-california.html  

JOE MATHEWS: Stadium will ease drought? No fooling?  Could a new
pro football stadium help California beat its drought? That's the
ambitious goal of the latest stadium proposal to appear in Los
Angeles. The project -- details of which are only now becoming
public -- would provide more than a home for the National
Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars, who are looking to leave
their smaller market in North Florida.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/forum/x565635977/Stadium-will-ease-drought-No-fooling


Will Renewables Demand be Hobbled by Growing Oil Glut? Although
little has been reported on the daily pages of the economic
media, it has been increasingly verified that solar, wind,
ethanol, geothermal, and the trend toward electric cars have been
negatively impacted by the "overflow" of oil and natural gas
availability, while relatively static power generation demand has
been slowly switching back to fossil fuels.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/morrisbeschlosseconomics/2015/04/01/morris-beschloss-economics-oil-renewable-energy/70768336/


Drought Etiquette: When Is Yellow No Longer Mellow? It seems so
simple. Stop hosing down your sidewalk. Forgo washing the car out
on the street. Be prudent in all your outdoor watering. Quit
letting the water run while you brush your teeth or shave or do
anything else. Take Navy showers. Put a brick in the tank of your
toilet or install a low-flow model.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/20/drought-etiquette-when-is-yellow-no-longer-mellow/

 
Even climate villain Australia might be thinking about cleaning
up its act. There was a somewhat surprising announcement this
week from a country with one of the world’s worst climate
reputations: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s office
declared that his government is committed to signing on to the
next major international climate accord, set to be hammered out
in Paris later this year.
http://grist.org/climate-energy/even-climate-villain-australia-might-be-thinking-about-cleaning-up-its-act/


Opinion: Scientific illiteracy in left-wing politics. It seems
that every week we hear a new story that demonstrates a lack of
scientific literacy in right-wing politics. Recently we learned
that employees of Florida’s Department of Environmental
Protection under the tenure of Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) were
instructed not to use the terms “climate change” and “global
warming” in official correspondences.
http://tech.mit.edu/V135/N9/vierra.html 




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

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