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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 29, 2015.

Posted: 29 Jun 2015 13:09:06
ARB Newsclips for June 29, 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

Justices rule against EPA power plant mercury limits. The Supreme
Court ruled Monday against the Obama administration's attempt to
limit power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous air
pollutants, but it may only be a temporary setback for
regulators. The justices split 5-4 along ideological lines to
rule that the Environmental Protection Agency failed to take cost
into account when it first decided to regulate the toxic
emissions from coal- and oil-fired plants.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_EPA_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/usa-court-pollution-idINL2N0ZF11920150629
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-29/epa-loses-at-u-s-supreme-court-on-power-plant-emissions-rule

http://www.wsj.com/articles/high-court-strikes-down-epa-limits-on-mercury-emissions-1435590069?tesla=y

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/supreme-court-rules-against-epa-on-air-pollution-rules/article/2567221

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-supreme-court-toxic-air-pollution-power-plants-20150629-story.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/29/supreme-court-clean-air/28366777/

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/justices-block-emissions-rule-19170

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/supreme-court-invalidates-obama-administration-mercury-air-pollution-rule/ar-AA9ZiTl
 

Drought conditions make bad air worse, aggravate health problems.
A longtime asthma sufferer, Shirley Bittante tries to stay inside
when the air district rates conditions outside her Fair Oaks
house as “unhealthy.” She may have to spend more time indoors
this summer as heat and drought degrade air quality across the
state.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/health-and-medicine/article25719685.html#storylink=cpy


Air quality will be a ‘game changer’ for EV uptake. Air quality
issues across Europe will prove to be a game-changer for electric
vehicles (EVs), according to Nissan. Governments are looking at
how they can mitigate the harmful effects of exhaust emissions,
which include nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10).
In the UK, London will launch the world’s first ultra-low
emission zone (ULEZ) in 2020…
http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/environment/2015/06/29/air-quality-will-be-a-game-changer-for-ev-uptake


CLIMATE CHANGE

UPDATE 1-China works for "win-win" climate plan, poised for
pledge. China is seeking a fair, global system to tackle climate
change and is about to make a joint announcement on the
environment, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said before a summit in
Brussels with top European Union officials on Monday.
Expectations are high that China, the world's biggest carbon
emitter, is about to submit to the United Nations a…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/eu-china-climatechange-idUSL5N0ZF3SC20150629


‘Snail’s Pace’ in Climate Talks, Weak Pledges Frustrate UN Chief.
The secretary general of the United Nations is frustrated with
the pace of negotiations for what’s intended to be a crucial
agreement limiting global warming. Climate change pledges
submitted so far from the world’s leading economies won’t be
enough to keep the planet from warming dangerously…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-29/un-leader-says-climate-talks-won-t-hit-mark-to-limit-warming


Look after fossil fuel workers in shift to clean energy - union
chief. Coal, oil and gas workers need a secure future as the
world moves away from fossil fuel use, and governments and
companies must plan to ensure any new global climate change deal
is fair for all those impacted, a top trade unionist said. So far
there has been little effort to design a "just transition" to a
fossil-free future, putting workers in dirty energy sectors.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/climatechange-fossilfuels-workers-idUKL5N0ZF2C520150629?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews


RPT - ANALYSIS-Oil companies played hardball in bid to defeat
climate outsiders. Petty legal filings. Diversionary ballot
measures. Counting abstentions as no votes. These are just some
of the tactics U.S. oil companies used this spring to quash
efforts by investors to win the right to nominate climate experts
for board seats.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/climatechange-oilcompanies-governance-idUKL1N0ZC2Q820150629


Melting Arctic sea ice could be disrupting the oceans’
circulation—with major consequences. We already know that melting
sea ice in the Arctic is bad news. Less ice means less habitat
for animals like polar bears, and it also means there are fewer
reflective surfaces in the North to bounce sunlight back into
space, allowing the planet to absorb more heat.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/06/29/melting-arctic-sea-ice-could-be-disrupting-the-oceans-circulation-with-potentially-major-consequences/


DROUGHT

Lawsuits over California water rights are a fight a century in
the making. The lawsuits hit the courts within days of the state
mailing notices to some Central Valley irrigation districts: They
were to stop diverting from rivers and streams because there
wasn't enough water to go around. Unsurprising as the move may be
in this fourth year of drought, to the districts, the notices
amounted to an assault on water rights they have held for more
than a century.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-water-rights-legal-20150629-story.html#page=1


Sacramento water agencies brace for historic drop in Folsom Lake
levels. Folsom Lake is losing more than a billion gallons of
water each day. Lake levels will likely fall to historic lows by
summer’s end, testing the reliability of a water supply that once
seemed invulnerable. The region’s top water officials say they
are ready: Scared, but prepared. They have imposed significant,
mandatory water-use rules on their customers.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article25676410.html#storylink=cpy


California drought resurrects old population growth concerns.
Earlier this month, with his East Bay community facing the
prospect of losing its only source of water, Edwin Pattison
appeared before residents at a town hall meeting and lamented the
strain of California’s growing population on dwindling water
supplies.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25672837.html#storylink=cpy


DWP fast-tracks $600 million water treatment plant in North
Hollywood. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power may
spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the next 20 years to
capture rainwater and send it underground into the massive San
Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin to eventually be used as
drinking water.  But that groundwater basin is home to one of the
largest Superfund contamination sites in the U.S. …
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20150628/dwp-fast-tracks-600-million-water-treatment-plant-in-north-hollywood


Drought Blamed For Decline In Duck Population. The drought can be
blamed for a number of problems and the latest is a major decline
in the duck population. A new survey shows lack of rain has led
to poor habitats. The duck population in California's Central
Valley has dropped by 30 percent from last year.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/06/29/drought-blamed-for-decline-in-duck-population/


California drought: State orders San Francisco water cutbacks. 
San Francisco is the latest community that regulators have told
to stop taking some river water during the drought despite the
city's decades-old water rights. The State Water Resources
Control Board on Friday ordered the cutback under its latest
round of notices that waterways are too dry to meet demand in the
drought. Its cutbacks have involved water districts and
corporations generally spared from water cuts because of their
strong claims.
http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150626/california-drought-state-orders-san-francisco-water-cutbacks


More historic water cutbacks for California farmers. State
officials once again slashed water use for Northern California
farmers on Friday, announcing a new round of cutbacks targeted at
people and businesses who laid claim to their water as far back
as 1858. The new curtailments impact just 11 water rights
holders, but they're one more sign of how serious the drought has
become.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/06/26/more-historic-water-cutbacks-for-california-farmers/29364113/


Parched California Farmers Hope to Tap Wastewater From Cities.
Facing record-low water supplies and a dry summer ahead, some
California farmers are getting creative in looking for new
sources of water. In one community, they’re planning to buy water
from cities — after it’s already been used. Through flushing
toilets and running faucets, the city of Modesto produces
millions of gallons of wastewater a day…
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/29/parched-california-farmers-hope-to-tap-wastewater-from-cities/


FUELS

For Godfather of Ethanol, a Bet on Nascar With High Stakes. Jeff
Broin’s silhouette shines in the glossy hood of the modified
grass-green Chevrolet SS. It’s moments before the start of
Nascar’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway in
Brooklyn, Michigan, and Broin is having a quick chat with young
driver Austin Dillon.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-25/for-the-godfather-of-ethanol-a-bet-on-nascar-with-high-stakes


Exxon Mobil, BP Suspend Canadian Arctic Exploratory Drilling
Program in Beaufort Sea. Imperial Oil to seek retroactive
extension of Canadian Arctic exploration lease. An oil industry
consortium including  Exxon Mobil Corp.  and  BP  PLC on Friday
suspended its Canadian arctic exploration program in the Beaufort
Sea, citing insufficient time to begin test drilling before its
lease expires in 2020.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-mobil-bp-suspend-canadian-arctic-exploratory-drilling-program-in-beaufort-sea-1435348381


U.S. gasoline prices dip for first time in more than two months
–survey. The average price of regular grade gasoline fell by
nearly 2 cents over the last two weeks, the first nationwide
price decline at the pumps after more than two months of steady
increases, according to the Lundberg survey released on Sunday.
Drivers paid an average of $2.85 a gallon, 86 cents below the
average price paid at this time last year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/28/usa-gasoline-prices-idUSL2N0ZE0CG20150628


U.S. weekly oil rig count decline slows: Baker Hughes. Energy
firms pulled three rigs from U.S. oil fields this week, the
smallest drop in five weeks, data showed on Friday, a sign the
collapse in drilling is coming to an end as crude prices
recovered after falling 60 percent from last June to March. It
was the 29th straight weekly decline, bringing the total down to
628, the lowest since August 2010, oil services company…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/us-energy-oil-rigs-baker-hughes-idUSKCN0P902320150629


US Ethanol production reaches record high. In Washington,
according to EIA data as analyzed by the Renewable Fuels
Association, ethanol production averaged 994,000 barrels per day
(b/d)—or 41.75 million gallons daily. That is up 14,000 b/d from
the week before and an all-time record high. The four-week
average for ethanol production stood at 985,000 b/d for an
annualized rate of 15.10 billion gallons.
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2015/06/27/us-ethanol-production-reaches-record-high/


Diesel Priced Almost As Low As Gasoline, As Gas Demand Surges.
The price of diesel fuel in the U.S. has fallen more than 25
cents per gallon this year. And thanks to high demand for
gasoline, the two fuels now cost nearly the same in many states.
The difference in price between gasoline and diesel is now the
smallest that it's been in six years.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098907_diesel-priced-almost-as-low-as-gasoline-as-gas-demand-surges
 

Scientists report cheaper, more efficient way to produce hydrogen
for fuel. Researchers at Stanford University have developed a
low-cost catalyst that could help make the development of
zero-emission hydrogen fuel more feasible. In a study published
last week in the journal Nature Communications, graduate student
Haotian Wang and his colleagues showed that it is possible to
split water and isolate hydrogen…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/29/stories/1060021004 

VEHICLES

VW Renewable Diesel Test Finds Same Drivability, Lower Carbon
Emissions. Three years ago, Volkswagen announced that it was
testing two different types of renewable diesel fuel in a pair of
its TDI diesel-engined cars sold in the U.S. Now, the company
says it has finished its testing, and the results are in. The
renewable fuel gave the same performance as conventional crude
oil-based diesel…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098895_vw-renewable-diesel-test-finds-same-driveability-lower-carbon-emissions


Tesla Gigafactory Update, VW Tests Renewable Diesel, Chevy Cruze
Hybrid: Today's Car News. Today, we have an update on
construction of the Tesla battery "Gigafactory," Volkswagen's
verdict on renewable diesel, and the possibility of a Chevrolet
Cruze hybrid. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Breathing
the fumes produced by heavy traffic is bad for your health, but
could the actual noise it makes cause problems as well?
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098913_tesla-gigafactory-update-vw-tests-renewable-diesel-chevy-cruze-hybrid-todays-car-news


Solid-State Batteries Already Powering Electric Cars: BlueCars,
In Fact. In the quest for a better battery chemistry that can
make electric cars more competitive with internal combustion,
solid-state cells have generated quite a bit of buzz. As the name
implies, solid-state cells replace the liquid electrolyte used in
current lithium-ion cells with a solid material--a design that
has numerous potential advantages, proponents say.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098904_solid-state-batteries-already-powering-electric-cars-bluecars-in-fact


GREEN ENERGY

Solar-powered plane takes off on longest leg of round-the-world
trip. The takeoff was planned under the cover of darkness. After
two months of setbacks, delay and dismay, the team aiming to
accomplish the first ever solar-powered plane trip around the
world wanted to start its longest and most difficult leg in
secret. If they had to turn back yet again…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/29/solar-powered-plane-takes-off-on-longest-leg-of-round-the-world-trip/?tid=hp_mm
 

First Zero-Net Affordable Apartments Open In Woodland. Zero-net
energy homes produce as much energy as they use. But it’s not
easy to find zero-net energy housing that’s affordable. The city
of Woodland now has the first zero-net energy low-income
apartments in the nation.  Open the door of this three bedroom
apartment in Woodland and it looks like most other new
apartments. Clean, with new appliances and cool on this hot
summer day.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/06/29/first-zero-net-affordable-apartments-open-in-woodland/


DOE to award $20M to projects to recover rare earth elements from
coal and coal byproducts. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has
issued a funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001202) that will award an
estimated $20 million to projects quickly to develop bench scale
and pilot scale projects for recovering Rare Earth Elements
(REE)—a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table
and key components of electronics and renewable energy
technologies—from coal and coal byproducts.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150629-doeree.html 

Half of Europe’s electricity set to be from renewables by 2030.
Europe will likely get more than half of its electricity from
renewable sources by the end of the next decade if EU countries
meet their climate pledges, according to a draft commission
paper. A planned overhaul of the continent’s electricity grids
will now need to be sped up, says the leaked text, seen by the
Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/26/half-europes-electricity-set-to-be-renewable-2030?CMP=share_btn_tw


OPINIONS

Opinion: Drought shows need to untangle California water rights.
There is absolutely nothing in California government – or its
politics – more complicated and contentious than water rights.
Who has what rights to extract and use how much water from which
California rivers and aquifers is an almost impenetrable thicket
of state laws, regulatory decisions, judicial actions and, in
some cases…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article25682590.html#storylink=cpy


Valley Voice: Think before you jump on landscaping swap.
California is enduring the most serious drought it has ever
faced. But is the choice to rip up your lawn, or keep it and be
considered a water hog? The answer may not be clear cut. We know
Californians love their yards. According to a study we conducted
recently with Harris Poll, 82 percent of those in the Western
U.S. think spending time outside in their yards is important.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/06/28/valley-voice-landscape-choices-drought/29365459/


Letter: Clean air for our kids. I was interested to learn about
the connection between disease risk and the time of the year one
is born in Ana Swanson’s recent article (Monitor Nation & World,
June 16). While we may not yet understand this fascinating
phenomenon very well, we do understand how global warming can
affect health.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/17535629-95/letter-clean-air-for-our-kids


BLOGS

Climate laws and policies have doubled every five years since
1997: Global Climate Legislation Study. The 2015 Global Climate
Legislation Study comes at a pivotal time in international
climate diplomacy, as countries will be meeting for the UN
Conference of the Parties in December of 2015 to discuss each
country's intended actions for dealing with climate change.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/hchen/climate_laws_and_policies_doubled.html


As EPA Hands Down New Rules on Renewable Fuel Standard, Critics
Say 'Blend Wall' a Fiction Created by Big Oil. The renewable fuel
industry is at a crossroads. It has been put into peril by a
concept, known as a "blend wall," some observers believe is a
fiction created by the oil industry. The very future of the
renewable fuel industry hangs in the balance.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-alexander/as-epa-hands-down-new-rul_b_7685190.html


Saab Owner To Build $400 Million Electric Car Factory In China.
The Chinese-backed investment group that bought technology and
assets from Sweden’s Saab in 
2012 now says it plans to build a $400 million factory and R&D
unit for electric cars in Tianjin, northeast China. National
Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs) held a launching ceremony on
Sunday in the Tianjin Binhai Hi-Tech Industrial Development Area…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jnylander/2015/06/29/saab-owner-to-build-400-million-electric-car-factory-in-china/


Will the World Plug Into the Sun? Even as the world is
frantically searching for alternative energy, there is one source
that will always hang around without ever getting depleted. The
Sun. In the next 10 to 20 years, or maybe even by 2050, solar PV
is expected to be the main source of powerful energy, suited to
the new millennium.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/preetam-kaushik/sun-energy_b_7684572.html




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

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