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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 2, 2015.

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 13:39:18
ARB Newsclips for July 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.

CAP AND TRADE

Chinese carbon market doldrums may undermine climate efforts.
Regulatory uncertainty and a lack of transparency have left trade
on China's seven pilot carbon exchanges in the doldrums, which
could undermine efforts to cut the nation's greenhouse gas
emissions. China told the United Nations on Tuesday it would cap
its emissions by 2030, and promised to cut carbon intensity…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/01/us-china-carbon-idUSKCN0PB4BM20150701

EU’s Emissions Trading System Needs More Oversight to Improve
Carbon Market. The EU’s cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide
is the world’s largest system. The European Commission should
consider some changes to the bloc’s emissions trading system to
further improve the working of the carbon market and increase
investor confidence, the European Court of Auditors said on
Thursday.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/eus-emissions-trading-system-needs-more-oversight-to-improve-carbon-market-1435838225

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-01/eu-eyes-setting-aside-carbon-permits-for-production-increases


The morality of a cap-and-trade system. The Ontario government is
steaming ahead with a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse
gasses despite a clear warning from Pope Francis about buying and
selling “carbon credits.” In his encyclical Laudato Si’, the Pope
expressed concern in paragraph 171 that creating a marketplace
for carbon credits could lead to “speculation which would not
help reduce the emission of polluting gases worldwide.”
http://www.catholicregister.org/item/20516-the-morality-of-a-cap-and-trade-system


AIR POLLUTION

Oklahoma Sues to Block EPA Energy Plan as Illegal Power Grab.
Oklahoma sued to block a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
plan that state Attorney General Scott Pruitt called an illegal
move to close coal-fired plants. “The Clean Power Plan is an
unlawful attempt to expand federal bureaucrats’ authority over
states’ energy economies in order to shutter coal-fired power
plants…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-01/oklahoma-files-suit-challenging-epa-clean-power-plan-


Fourth of July Sunny, With a Little Bad Air From Rockets’ Glare.
The U.S. Fourth of July holiday should be a good one for most
people coast to coast, except perhaps for a little choking air in
the wake of the rockets’ red glare. From New York City to Boston,
high temperatures will range in the 70s Fahrenheit
(low-to-mid-20s Celsius), a little below normal peaks in the low
80s…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/fourth-of-july-sunny-with-a-little-bad-air-from-rockets-glare


MORENO VALLEY: Planners OK World Logistics Center mega-warehouse.
Though planners debated air quality and traffic concerns, their
6-1 decision ultimately came down to jobs. The sole dissenting
commissioner, Patricia Korzec, said she feared the Moreno Valley
was becoming a city of warehouses.
http://www.pe.com/articles/project-772096-city-air.html 

CLIMATE CHANGE

World mayors, others pitch in toward global climate accord.
French President Francois Hollande said Wednesday that money is
the main roadblock to a global accord at a U.N. climate
conference in Paris this year. Poor countries need investment to
adapt to climate change, and rich countries need to invest in
cleaner technologies if all agree in December on binding global
reductions in the emissions that heat the planet.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/01/world/europe/ap-eu-france-climate.html?_r=0
 
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/World-mayors-others-pitch-in-toward-global-6360195.php


New USGS report: Coastal erosion threatens northern Alaska.
Erosion is eating away at Alaska's northern coast at some of the
highest rates in the nation, threatening habitat and
infrastructure, according to a new report published Wednesday.
The U.S. Geological Survey study looked at more than 50 years of
data and found an average yearly shoreline change of 1.4 meters -
or more than 4 1/2 feet - taking both beach erosion and expansion
into account.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NORTHERN_ALASKA_EROSION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Germany Gives Dirtiest Coal Plants Six Years for Phase Out.
Germany’s main political parties worked out a compromise plan to
cut power-industry pollution by handing a six-year lifeline to
some of the dirtiest coal-fired plants. Economy Minister Sigmar
Gabriel said 13 percent of power stations burning lignite, a
cheap form of coal, would be phased out by 2021 under the
program.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/germany-to-close-coal-plants-in-effort-to-curb-pollution


Global warming may cause sex changes in lizards.  According to
new research, climate change may leave some lizards in a gender
lurch. The Australian bearded dragon's sex is determined by both
its chromosomes and the environment its egg is incubated in, so
warmer temperatures could be skewing wild populations to have
more females. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/01/global-warming-may-cause-sex-changes-in-lizards/


How Canada's emissions cuts could spur Keystone XL pipeline
approval. Canada hopes new emissions rules will get the
long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline one step closer to US State
Department approval. The pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels of
Canadian oil sands to US Gulf Coast refineries daily. TransCanada
Corp. has written to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arguing
that new Canadian rules on emissions…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2015/0702/How-Canada-s-emissions-cuts-could-spur-Keystone-XL-pipeline-approval


Abbott told to cut Australia emissions 30% by 2025. Australia
should cut greenhouse gas emissions 30% from 2000 levels by 2025,
the government’s Climate Change Authority has recommended. By
2030, the country should target a 40-60% cut, according to the
advisory body’s final report. These goals “broadly match” the US
and EU targets and are in line with the global goal to limit
warming to 2C, the experts said.
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/07/02/abbott-told-to-cut-australia-emissions-30-by-2025/#sthash.PkOGVkw1.dpuf


GE Helps Beijing Power Plant Reduce Emissions, Boost Efficiency.
General Electric Power Generation Services has been selected to
help a Beijing power plant reduce its emissions and boost
efficiency. The cornerstone of China’s $40 billion plan to power
the 2008 Olympics was the Taiyanggong Thermal Power Station. The
780-MW natural gas-fired plant in Beijing was the first step in
an effort to improve electricity generation facilities…
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/07/02/ge-helps-beijing-power-plant-reduce-emissions-boost-efficiency/#ixzz3ekoOzJTk


EPA cuts heat-trapping refrigerants and coolants. U.S. EPA
finalized a rule today that will phase out the use of
heat-trapping hydrofluorocarbons for air conditioning and
refrigeration. The agency has already approved a list of
alternatives for the chemicals, which are thousands of times as
climate-forcing as carbon dioxide but which stay in the
atmosphere for a relatively short time.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/07/02/stories/1060021231 

DROUGHT

California: Record water savings shows big cuts possible. Water
use in drought-stricken California plunged by record levels in
May, and Gov. Jerry Brown's administration cited that as proof
cities can hit steep summer conservation targets they have
blasted as unfair. The State Water Resources Control Board on
Wednesday released data showing urban water usage fell 29 percent
in May compared to the same month in 2013. The savings were the
best showing since the agency started tracking conservation last
summer.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-may-water-conservation-20150701-story.html#page=1

http://news.yahoo.com/california-cities-show-biggest-water-savings-yet-drought-184118824.html;_ylt=AwrTceDNgJVVGyUAavgnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEzOWlpMXBsBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDRkZHRTAyXzEEc2VjA3Nj#


Snow Drought Saps Washington State’s Economy. The dire situation
in the Olympic Mountains is hurting Washington farmers and
businesses. The Olympic Mountains that tower above this farming
community normally rank among the snowiest places in the U.S.,
with drifts several feet deep lingering into June. But this year,
the Olympics recorded virtually no snow in all but the highest
peaks.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/snow-drought-saps-washington-states-economy-1435801630


Calif. committee examines impacts to fish from pot growers
bogarting water. California lawmakers yesterday called for the
regulation of marijuana farms to protect stream flows and help
fish species like coho salmon and steelhead, which face possible
extinction as the state's drought rages on.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/02/stories/1060021201 

FUELS

New West Coast Oil Refinery Proposed To Meet Clean-Fuel Demand.
Along the Columbia River in Washington state, developers are
planning the first new oil refinery on the West Coast in 25
years. Paradoxically, the goal of the project is to meet new
clean-fuel standards. It's certainly not a result local
environmental groups expected when they championed those
standards.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098959_new-west-coast-oil-refinery-proposed-to-meet-clean-fuel-demand


VEHICLES

Tesla Beats Delivery Forecast With 52% Quarterly Surge. Tesla
delivered 11,507 Model S sedans in the period, the Palo Alto,
California-based manufacturer said Thursday in a statement of
preliminary figures. The company predicted in May that it would
sell 10,000 to 11,000 of the electric-powered car, its only
model, during the second quarter.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/tesla-beats-delivery-forecast-with-52-quarterly-surge

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Tesla-tops-11-000-vehicles-delivered-in-second-6362535.php

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/percent-669815-tesla-quarter.html

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098964_tesla-delivers-11500-electric-cars-globally-from-april-through-june-it-says


BMW Pushes Fuel-Cell Car Development With First Street Tests. BMW
AG will test a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells for the
first time on public roads this month as the German automaker
looks to expand clean-car offerings after rolling out the
battery-powered i3 in 2013. The company plans “a technically
mature, customer-ready vehicle sometime after 2020…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-01/bmw-s-first-fuel-cell-car-starts-testing-in-clean-engine-push


CARB Approves $373M in Clean-Vehicle Grants. The California Air
Resources Board (CARB) has approved $373-million in grants to
bolster alternative-fuel vehicles, including fleet-eligible
rebates for low- and zero-emission passenger vehicles, the board
announced. The budget for the annual Funding Plan for Low Carbon
Transportation Investments and the Air Quality Improvement
Program is up by $150 million over last year's budget, CARB
reported.
http://www.greenfleetmagazine.com/news/story/2015/07/carb-approves-clean-vehicle-funding-plan.aspx
 

GREEN ENERGY

German Wind-to-Hydrogen Plant Takes Car-Fuel Battle to Tesla.
After decades of research, Linde AG says the elements needed to
make hydrogen-fuelled cars a viable challenger to Tesla Inc’s
battery-driven vehicles are finally falling into place. The
world’s largest industrial gas supplier will today open a plant
that uses wind power to convert water into the gas.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/german-wind-to-hydrogen-plant-takes-car-fueling-battle-to-tesla


India's $100 billion solar push draws foreign firms as locals
take backseat. India's $100 billion push into solar energy over
the next decade will be driven by foreign players as
uncompetitive local manufacturers fall by the wayside, no longer
protected by government restrictions on the sector. The money
pouring into India's solar industry is likely to be soaked up by
foreign-organized projects such as one run by China's Trina
Solar…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/02/us-india-solar-idUSKCN0PC1E420150702?virtualBrandChannel=11563
 

Tesla’s Battery Push Is Good News for This Israeli Solar Company.
 It’s good to do business with Elon Musk. That’s what SolarEdge
Technologies Inc. is discovering, as demand from customers
including Musk’s SolarCity Corp. helped the shares double since
its March initial public offering.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-02/tesla-s-battery-push-is-good-news-for-this-israeli-solar-company


MISCELLANEOUS

Solar-powered plane nears Hawaii in record-setting flight. The
Solar Impulse 2, the sun-powered plane attempting to fly around
the world, is scheduled to land late Thursday or early Friday in
Hawaii after an arduous five-day flight across the Pacific from
Japan. At four days and counting, the plane and its pilot André
Borschberg have now set records for longest solo flight and
longest solar-powered flight in terms of time…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/02/solar-impulse-solar-powered-plane-hawaii/29615487/


BP agrees to $18.7B settlement for environmental, state damages.
BP PLC has reached an up-to-$18.7 billion agreement in principle
for a settlement with Gulf Coast states and the federal
government for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, bringing to
a close a major chapter in the disaster that killed 11 rig
workers and spewed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of
Mexico for 87 days.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060021204 

OPINION

A moonshot to save a warming planet. Every silver lining has a
cloud. The technologies that offer human beings comforts and
opportunities that would have been unimaginable two centuries ago
ultimately depend on an abundance of energy. Fire is the source
of that energy. But the burning of fossil fuels, from which we
gain so much, also releases the carbon dioxide that threatens to
destabilise the climate.
http://www.todayonline.com/world/moonshot-save-warming-planet 

Why Should Climate Philanthropy Care About Energy Access?
Investing in clean energy access provides a disruptive
opportunity to revolutionize electricity systems and get on the
right side of the politics of development -- philanthropy just
hasn't realized it yet. To be fair, philanthropy needs to step up
it's game on climate across the board.
http://www.theenergycollective.com/guayjguay/2245257/why-should-climate-philanthropy-care-about-energy-access


BLOGS

Inter-religious march in Rome demands action on climate change.
Several thousand Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews
and Moslems marched through Rome to the Vatican on Sunday to
demand action on climate change and thank Pope Francis for his
encyclical on the environment. They marched behind banners
reading “Many Faiths – One Planet” and “The Earth – Our Common
Home – Climate Action Now!”
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/07/02/inter-religious-march-in-rome-demands-action-on-climate-change/


Scientific and political consensus emerging: not all biomass is
"carbon neutral". When dealing with a thorny public policy issue,
it's always noteworthy when scientific and political consensus
begins to emerge. Last week, a number of statements out of
different parts of our government showed that our understanding
of the role biomass--essentially plant material burned to produce
energy…
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/slyutse/scientific_and_political_conse.html


Here's Where Electric Vehicles Actually Cause More Pollution Than
Gas Cars. The idea that gasoline cars might cause less
environmental harm than electric vehicles seems impossibly
backwards. But consider the following thought experiment before
you dismiss it out of hand. A view from the tailpipe gives EVs a
clear edge: no emissions, no pollution, no problem.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/01/electric-vehicles-pollution_n_7708406.html


New Efforts Address Electric Vehicle Affordability. Through the
first 5 months of 2015, according to data from Hybridcars.com,
plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales are down in the United
States by 4% from 2014. This is due, in part, to the current
price of gasoline being lower than the 2014 price by $0.89 cents
per gallon (per the U.S. Energy Information Administration)…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2015/07/02/electric-vehicle-affordability/




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

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