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Hi Everyone, It's TAX DAY!    ARB Newsclips for April 15, 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

UPDATE 1-Carbon emissions from new cars in EU fall 2.6 pct in
2014 – report. Average carbon dioxide emissions from new cars
sold in the European Union fell 2.6 percent last year, beating
goals set for 2015 as part of efforts to slow climate change, the
European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Wednesday. Average
emissions slipped to 123.4 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre,
below a 2015 goal of 130 grams…
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/15/eu-autos-idINL5N0XC3WP20150415


House Lawmakers Squabble With EPA Over Power Plant Bill, Impacts
of Carbon Rules. House Republicans acknowledge that draft
legislation allowing states to opt out of the Environmental
Protection Agency's carbon pollution rules for power plants was a
forceful response but said such an approach is necessary given
the agency's “extreme, radical” approach to redefining the
electricity markets in every state.
http://www.bna.com/house-lawmakers-squabble-n17179925291/ 

Experimenting at Home With Air Quality Monitors. Two years ago,
when Thomas Talhelm was a Fulbright scholar in Beijing, he built
his own air purifier after growing concerned about the city’s
notorious pollution. To test his handiwork, he spent about $260
for a portable device that counts tiny particles in the air.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/business/experimenting-at-home-with-air-quality-monitors.html?_r=0


North Bay residents vent at forum over proposed fireplace
phaseout plan. Marin residents have a laundry list of concerns
about proposed air pollution regulations that would require
residents to replace open-air fireplaces with alternative devices
-- such as federally certified wood-burning, gas, or electric
options -- or completely remove or wall off fireplaces, but they
all agree the air district needs to step up enforcement during
Spare the Air days.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_27910327/north-bay-residents-vent-at-forum-over-proposed


Increased Air Pollution Linked to Higher Risk of Cardiovascular
Disease.  Air pollution and smog have health consequences for
affected populations ranging from respiratory problems to death.
Fine particulate matter especially has become the focus in recent
years, because it increases the probability of dying from
respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=21734 

Dutch government facing legal action over failure to reduce
carbon emissions. Landmark case brought by 886 Dutch citizens
aims for more robust policy to cut emissions within targets set
by IPCC to help avoid critical 2C rise in global temperatures.
The first public hearings will take place in the Hague on Tuesday
in the first case in the world to use existing human rights and
tort law to hold a government…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/14/dutch-government-facing-legal-action-over-failure-to-reduce-carbon-emissions


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change plan faces high-profile legal test. The
centerpiece of the Obama administration's effort to tackle
climate change is facing a high-profile legal test. A federal
appeals court hears arguments Thursday in two cases challenging
the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to slash carbon
pollution from coal-fired power plants blamed for global warming.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLEAN_AIR_LAWSUITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Obama allies attack Inhofe as ‘champion’ denier of climate
change. President Obama’s eternal campaign machine is launching
political attacks this week against one of his primary Republican
foes, Sen. James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, for being “the worst
climate-change denier in the country.” In a newspaper ad and
email blasts, Organizing for Action is targeting…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/15/obama-allies-attack-inhofe-champion-denier-climate/#ixzz3XOhMk3dD


Vermont Senate passes climate change resolution. The Vermont
Senate has endorsed a resolution urging Congress to take more
aggressive steps to address climate change, and saying the
phenomenon is being caused mainly by human action. The Senate
gave the resolution preliminary approval Tuesday on a 23-5 roll
call vote, with two members absent.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Vermont-Senate-passes-climate-change-resolution-6200797.php


Senate Democrats Say McConnell ‘Staying Behind’ On Climate Rules.
Democrats say McConnell’s ‘opt out’ plan inconsistent with home
state’s goals. Senate Democrats are fighting back against
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's ploy to get governors to opt
out of the EPA's climate rules for power plants, by telling them
how his home state of Kentucky is acting to address climate
change.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/senate-democrats-say-mcconnell-staying-behind-on-climate-rules-20150414


Obama’s climate change plan faces crucial test. Regulations at
the center of President Obama’s climate change initiative face a
crucial test this week when opponents will attempt to block them
before they’re even made final. A federal appeals court in
Washington, D.C., will hear oral arguments Thursday in a
high-stakes legal challenge to the Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) proposed emissions limits for existing power
plants.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/238863-obamas-climate-change-plan-faces-crucial-test


New Studies Reveal Climate Extremes From Fire to Ice. Climate
scientists don't just rely on computer models and contemporary
observations to understand the intimate relationship between CO2
in the atmosphere and environmental conditions on Earth. They
also look to the ancient past — and two reports in recent days
have made it clear how intimate that relationship is.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/snowball-earth-climate-extremes-volcanoes-18883


Singapore could get hotter, wetter from 2070: Climate change
study. The unusually warm temperatures which Singapore encounters
occasionally could become the norm from 2070, and the country can
also expect more intense and frequent rainfall by then. These
were findings from Phase 1 of the Second National Climate Change
Study…
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-could-get-hotter-wetter-2070-climate-change-study


Rapid warming period may be underway as Earth sets another
record. March was the warmest such month on record for the globe
as a whole, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA),
which is one of the centers that keeps tabs on global climate
data. The JMA found that global average surface temperatures were
0.56 degrees Fahrenheit (0.31 degrees Celsius) above the 1981 to
2010 average during the month…
http://mashable.com/2015/04/15/march-warmest-month-global-warming/


Harvard's $36 billion endowment may have a 100-million-ton carbon
footprint. A new report released Tuesday finds that Harvard
University's $36 billion endowment — the largest in the world —
may finance more than 100 million tons of "potential carbon
dioxide emissions." If considered as a fossil fuel company
itself, Harvard would rank as number 88 of the top 100 companies
as ranked by their potential carbon emissions, the report finds.
http://mashable.com/2015/04/14/harvard-endowment-carbon-dioxide/


Will Harvard Divest From Fossil Fuels? Students And Alumni Demand
Answers In Week Of Action. Environmental activists at Harvard are
hoping to flip the equation on global warming this week: instead
of climate change bringing rising temperatures, they hope adding
heat to the discussion will change the climate of the
University’s approach to the issue.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/15/3646760/at-harvard-climate-week-gives-way-to-heat-week/


New Studies Reveal Climate Extremes From Fire to Ice. Climate
scientists don't just rely on computer models and contemporary
observations to understand the intimate relationship between CO2
in the atmosphere and environmental conditions on Earth. They
also look to the ancient past — and two reports in recent days
have made it clear how intimate that relationship is.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/snowball-earth-climate-extremes-volcanoes-18883


As foreign ministers meet on key world issues, will climate make
the cut? Climate change is one of the 21st century's biggest
global security challenges, and world leaders should make it a
core part of their foreign policy agendas, argues a major new
report commissioned by the United States, the United Kingdom,
Germany and the European Union.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060016786 

How a change in a Pacific current led to a pause in global
warming. In 1999, a circulation pattern in the Pacific Ocean
changed suddenly, which some scientists say made global
temperatures plateau and led to the global warming "hiatus." A
new study, published this month in Geophysical Research Letters,
lends weight to this theory.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/15/stories/1060016761 

BLM crafting guidance on social cost of carbon -- internal memo.
The Bureau of Land Management is developing comprehensive
guidance on calculating the climate change impacts of mining oil,
gas and coal from public lands, according to an internal memo
obtained by Greenwire. The memo, sent this month by Ed Roberson,
BLM's assistant director of resources and planning, says the
rapid warming of the planet…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/04/15/stories/1060016810 

DROUGHT

Exclusive: Warm winter temperatures slammed California wind
farms. Wind energy deliveries to California's top utility fell by
half in the first two months of the year because of unusually
weak winds in some Western states. The slowed wind energy
production has exacerbated electricity shortfalls caused by a
long drought, which has reduced hydroelectric power in the most
populous U.S. state.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/15/us-wind-california-exclusive-idUSKBN0N60AT20150415


Drought’s economic harm ‘limited’ Legislative analyst finds
biggest risk to homebuilding. California’s punishing drought has
fallowed farmland and yellowed front lawns, yet it will have
little noticeable impact on the state’s overall economy or
government revenue, at least in the short term, according to a
new report by the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal analyst.
http://www.modbee.com/news/article18558578.html#storylink=cpy 

California Drought: U.S. Water Use Declined Before Current
Drought Began. The Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank
that focuses on water issues, released a report Wednesday that
shows total water use in the United States declined over a period
that ended before the current California drought began. The
report shows total water use in the five-year period ending in
2010 is lower than in 1970…
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/04/15/california-drought-us-water-use-declined-before-current-drought-began/


In Drought-Stricken California, How Much Water Does Agriculture
Use? Agriculture consumes about 40 percent of the state's water,
or 80 percent of water available for human use. Critics question
the viability of growing water-intensive crops like almonds and
rice, but others argue the state's water woes are too complex to
pin on a single industry.
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201504151000 

Drought will have only small impact on California economy says
report. California’s economy may be dinged a bit by the drought,
but there should be few worries about anything deeper, says an
analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office. “While
the drought is affecting many Californians and communities in
different ways, we currently do not expect the drought to have a
significant effect on statewide economic…
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28152 

LA faces 15 percent water cut. For just the fourth time in its
history, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
is imposing mandatory water cuts. It says it will restrict
wholesale deliveries to its 26 member public agencies by 15
percent starting July 1 in an effort to save water and stretch
available supplies in the fourth year of statewide drought.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28151 

Water district considers drought measures. A meeting of the
Coachella Valley Water District's board drew an unusually large
audience and a spirited discussion on Tuesday as the agency began
considering tougher drought measures in response to a
state-mandated 35 percent cut in water use. Board members said
they may adjust the water district's tiered-pricing system.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/04/14/coachella-valley-water-district-cutbacks/25802227/


The Game-Changing Water Revolution: Interview with Stanley
Weiner. Globally, water demand is threatening to dangerously
outpace supply, while in the US, dry states such as Texas and
California are suffering from shortages and the future forebodes
more suffering. For the North American shale boom, the lack of
water is suffocating. Amid this doom and gloom, a water
revolution is emerging…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/the-game-changing-water-revolution-interview-with-stanley-weiner.html


Californians are facing more cuts and stiffer penalties for
ignoring water use restrictions. The effects of California's
prolonged drought are unfolding quickly, and water managers'
actions to conserve supplies could soon hit the wallets of
Southern California's millions of residents. Metropolitan Water
District (MWD), the biggest wholesaler in the state, voted
yesterday to cut by 15 percent the allotment of water it gives to
its 26 member agencies.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/15/stories/1060016783 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Emissions Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Changing the Focus.
After more than a decade of painful NOx and particulate emissions
regulations, things got interesting in altogether new ways with a
2010 decree by President Obama that the EPA, working with the
National Highway Traffic Administration, should attack things
differently. The 2014 fuel economy and greenhouse gas
regulations, finalized in August 2011, are known as Phase 1 of a
longer-term GHG plan.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/article/story/2015/04/emissions-yesterday-today-and-tomorrow-changing-the-focus.aspx


Glenn County judge turns down truck filters injunction. A Glenn
County judge has ruled against the Chico-based Alliance for
California Business in its effort to temporarily suspend the
California Air Resources Board’s requirement on diesel
particulate filters for trucks. In January, the alliance
presented documentation from numerous truck owners and drivers to
Glenn County Superior Court Judge Peter Twede, asking for an
injunction on the filters.
http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150414/glenn-county-judge-turns-down-truck-filters-injunction


FUELS

Deep Sea Drilling Rules and the Transition from Fossil Fuels. The
Department of the Interior will soon issue rules for new (not
existing) oil drilling operations set to be released on the 5th
anniversary of the deadly explosion of a BP oil drilling
operation in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Coral Davenport of
the New York Times: The rule is expected to tighten safety
requirements on blowout preventers, the industry-standard
devices…
http://theenergycollective.com/stevenacohen/2216821/deep-sea-drilling-rules-and-transition-fossil-fuels


Fracking Waste Puts Public at Risk, Study Says. Three decades
after EPA left regulation to states, they're still taking a 'see
no evil' approach to oil-and-gas-waste, Earthworks says. Weakness
in state regulations governing hazardous oil-and-gas waste have
allowed the leftovers to be disposed of with little regard to the
dangers they pose to human health and the environment…
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/15042015/fracking-waste-puts-public-risk-study-says


From oil to renewable diesel -- one company finds a 'business
opportunity' in climate change. A Nordic oil company is making a
big bet on biofuels' future role in the global economy. Since
2007, Finland's Neste Oil Corp. has transitioned away from fossil
fuels and is focusing a rapidly increasing part of its business
on producing biodiesel from waste fats, plant oils and residues.
In just under a decade, the company has gone from a traditional
fossil fuel-based oil company to become…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/15/stories/1060016789 

VEHICLES

PNM, Nissan partner to offer electric vehicle drivers free access
to fast-charge station. Nissan, local Santa Fe businesses and
Public Service Company of New Mexico unveiled a free quick-charge
station for electric vehicles Tuesday in the San Isidro Shopping
Plaza parking lot, 3462 Zafarano Drive. The stations are free for
two years because Nissan is funding the equipment and paying for
the electricity.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201504151106KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_20907_48558-1


Lexus Bypassing Plug-In Hybrids, Looking At Fuel Cells, Maybe
EVs. Hybrid models are a very significant part of the lineup for
both the luxury brand Lexus and its mainstream counterpart (and
parent company) Toyota. Hybrids accounted for about 16 percent of
the brands’ U.S. sales, while they encompass nearly 70 percent of
the U.S. hybrid market and about 85 percent of the luxury hybrid
market.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097815_lexus-bypassing-plug-in-hybrids-looking-at-fuel-cells-maybe-evs


Honda Insight Hybrid: The Least-Wanted Car In America? Automakers
and their dealers know that when a vehicle is updated,
redesigned, or discontinued, the last lagging examples of the old
model may sit on lots for months, perhaps even years. So it
appears to be with the Honda Insight, the subcompact mild hybrid
hatchback that the company discontinued after the 2014 model
year.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097804_honda-insight-hybrid-the-least-wanted-car-in-america

 
GREEN ENERGY 

Energy Future Files Reorganization Plan. Plan outlines how the
Texas energy company hopes to restructure $42 billion in debt and
exit bankruptcy. Energy Future Holdings Corp. filed a plan that
outlines how the Texas energy company hopes to restructure $42
billion in debt and exit bankruptcy.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/energy-future-files-42-billion-chapter-11-reorganization-plan-1429018731?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business


Duke Energy says coal ash guilty plea may cut power to military
bases. If Duke Energy pleads guilty to federal criminal
violations of the Clean Water Act, will the lights go out at Ft.
Bragg, N.C.? The nation’s largest electric utility raised that
possibility in federal court Tuesday, suggesting that a federal
law could prevent a guilty Duke Energy from supplying power to
military bases and federal facilities in North Carolina.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-duke-coal-ash-20150414-story.html


Mobilizing Public and Private Investments for New and Renewable
Energy Projects. The energy market in the United States is
undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by technological
advancement, market dynamics, and better policies and laws—none
of which was possible a decade ago. Venture capitalists made huge
profits from the computing boom of the 1980s…
http://theenergycollective.com/jnyangon/2217091/mobilizing-public-and-private-investments-new-and-renewable-energy-projects


Clean Energy Seeing Global ‘Renaissance’ Cheap oil, cheap natural
gas and increasingly cheap renewables are ushering in an era of
abundant energy — an energy renaissance — at a time when a
changing climate demands that energy be used more efficiently and
be as low-carbon as possible. That is one of the central messages
of the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Future of Energy
Summit taking place this week in New York City.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/clean-energy-seeing-global-renaissance-18885


Portland, Ore., energy company examines joining Calif. grid
system. Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp is looking at joining the
wholesale electricity market headed by the California grid
operator. PacifiCorp, which serves about 1.8 million customers in
Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and a small portion of
California, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with
the California Independent Operator…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/04/15/stories/1060016757 

MISCELLANEOUS

New bills renew California's anti-smoking effort. A proposal
would limit vaping in certain public places. California has
become a battleground between the tobacco industry and health
groups as lawmakers push proposals that include increasing
cigarette taxes by $2 a pack and raising the legal smoking age
from 18 to 21. The state once led the nation in snuffing out
smoking, but health activists say a strong tobacco lobby and a
lack of political will have blocked new efforts in recent years.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83300067/ 

OPINIONS

What to watch for in federal court hearing on EPA carbon rules.
More than a dozen states and a coal company will urge a U.S.
appeals court on Thursday to throw out the Environmental
Protection Agency's proposal to limit carbon dioxide emissions
from U.S. power plants. The rules are still in draft form, but
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear
oral arguments in two lawsuits that represent the first…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/15/usa-carbon-regulations-idUSL2N0XB2D120150415?type=companyNews

What does it take to convince libertarians and conservatives that
climate change is a problem? When it comes to climate change,
there is an amazing confluence of policy preferences and
scientific assessments.  Those who generally favor aggressive
regulatory interventions to address environmental concerns are
convinced global warming is a serious (if not catastrophic)
environmental concern…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/04/14/what-does-it-take-to-convince-libertarians-and-conservatives-that-climate-change-is-a-problem/

Another View: California can reach petroleum reduction goal. When
the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worked together to
pass Assembly Bill 32, skeptics said we set naive and unrealistic
targets and that the California Air Resources Board could not be
trusted with its implementation. Yet here we are, well on our way
to meeting our carbon reduction targets, with an economy that is
stronger than ever.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article18522089.html#storylink=cpy


Lake guzzles water. Every day there is an article in the
newspaper or on the TV about the worsening drought in California.
The governor is telling us that we are going to have to deal with
drastic cutbacks in use and take extraordinary conservation
measures. And yet, in last Tuesday’s Tribune, there was a column
by Lon Allan about a plan to pump water out of the ground and put
it in Atascadero Lake.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/04/15/3587432_lake-guzzles-water.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Is hard-to-reach energy slowing down economic growth? Since the
early 20th Century, the amount of energy required to produce new
energy has skyrocketed. That puts a drag on the economy, Cobb
writes, as more and more resources are devoted to keeping up with
energy demand. It should seem obvious that it takes energy to get
energy.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2015/0414/Is-hard-to-reach-energy-slowing-down-economic-growth


A carbon fee that acts as a tax is no fee at all: Editorial
Agenda 2015. Terminal 6, a facility of the Port of Portland
situated along the Columbia River, awaits a new tenant and a new
life. Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp. wants to move in and
build a propane terminal that would receive gas from Canada via
trains, load it from super-cold riverside storage tanks onto
ocean-going tankers…
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/04/a_carbon_fee_that_acts_as_a_ta.html


BLOGS

Broadcast meteorologists increasingly convinced manmade climate
change is happening. TV weathercasters are more convinced than
ever climate change is happening and that human activities are a
major contributor suggest the results of a new report. More than
90 percent of 464 broadcast meteorologists who responded to a
2015 survey agree climate change is happening and, of those…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/04/14/study-broadcast-meteorologists-increasingly-convinced-manmade-climate-change-is-happening/


Council expected to pass major air code overhaul this week. The
most comprehensive update to the city's air codes in 40 years is
expected to pass the Council this week after a committee hearing
today. The 200-plus page bill was first rolled out by Mayor Bill
de Blasio, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and
environmental protection committee chair Donovan Richards last
April.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/04/8566016/council-expected-pass-major-air-code-overhaul-week


Climate Rally in Canada Brings National Attention to the Problem
of Tar Sands and Lack of Federal Action. In one of the largest
climate gatherings on record in Canada, more than 25,000 people
took to the streets of Quebec City to demand that Canadian
premiers begin taking bold actions to address climate change. The
march, organized by Act on Climate--a coalition of more than 80
environmental, union, indigenous, and student organizations and
communities from across Canada…
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jaxelrod/climate_rally_in_canada_brings.html


Methane Emissions from Oil & Gas are on the Rise, Confirm Latest
EPA Data. Methane emissions from the US oil and gas sector
increased, according to new data finalized today by the
Environmental Protection Agency. Sadly, the figures come as no
surprise, based on preliminary numbers and plenty of other
observations, both scientific and anecdotal. 
http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2015/04/15/methane-emissions-from-oil-gas-are-on-the-rise-confirm-latest-epa-data/


EIA report: How solar will help the US become a net energy
exporter. The EIA expects 31GW of PV to be installed between 2013
and 2040. Source: SunPower. Solar energy and other renewable
technologies are set to play a major role in helping the US
become a net energy exporter by 2030, according to a new report
by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Its latest Annual
Energy Outlook (AEO) predicts an end to net energy imports
between 2020 and 2030…
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/eia_report_how_solar_will_help_the_us_become_a_net_energy_exporter




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