What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for July 8, 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

EU carbon market reform backed by MEPs. The European Parliament
has today approved plans to reform the EU's emissions trading
scheme (EU ETS) in 2019. MEPs voted 495 to 198 in favour of a
proposal to begin operating a Market Stability Reserve (MSR) to
remove some of the surplus carbon credits that have depressed
carbon prices to around €7.50 per tonne.
http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2416902/eu-carbon-market-reform-backed-by-meps


AIR POLLUTION

Salas biomass bill makes progress. Clears state Senate committee.
A bill that would subsidize Valley power plants that turn
agricultural and other green waste into electricity has cleared a
key Senate committee, according to Assemblyman Rudy Salas,
D-Bakersfield. Salas, the bill's co-author, said the legislation
would help reduce pollution from open-field agricultural waste
burning.
http://hanfordsentinel.com/selma_enterprise/news/salas-biomass-bill-makes-progress/article_10439e21-6a98-5bc9-83b6-f866b8f98a8d.html
 

US appeals court rejects NC challenge of air pollution rule.  An
appeals court Tuesday dismissed North Carolina’s challenge of
federal air pollution rules, saying the state filed its claim too
late. The case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit arose after the Environmental Protection
Agency issued a rule limiting fine-particle pollution in 2010.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article26680630.html#storylink=cpy

An Unprecedented Number Of Canadian Wildfires Send Smoke
Pollution Across The United States. Fueled by unusually high
temperatures, hundreds of wildfires are burning across Western
Canada — and they’re sending their smoke south across the United
States border. Wildfire danger throughout Western Canada is “very
high,” according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System
(CWFIS)…
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/07/3677532/canadian-wildfires-smoke-united-states/


CLIMATE CHANGE

Technical solutions alone can't fix climate change: scientists.
Dealing with climate change and its risks will require not only
technical responses like drought-resilient crops and higher sea
walls but also reshaping economic and political incentives that
are driving global warming, scientists said on Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/us-climatechange-science-technology-idUSKCN0PI23K20150708


World Suffering Surge in Extreme Rainfall Due to Climate Change.
The world is suffering a surge in record-breaking rainfall
because of climate change, scientists say. Extreme rains, like
those that led to flooding and a cholera outbreak that killed
hundreds in Pakistan in 2010, are happening 12 percent more often
globally and 56 percent more frequently in Southeast Asia than if
the world wasn’t warming…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-08/world-suffering-surge-in-extreme-rainfall-due-to-climate-change

Pope presses environment message in bio-diverse Ecuador. Pope
Francis challenged Latin America’s youth to take up his
environmental protection campaign Tuesday, saying the defense of
God’s creation isn’t just a recommendation but a requirement.
Francis appeal, delivered at Quito’s Catholic University, is
particularly relevant for Ecuador… 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/pope-has-packed-final-ecuador-day-but-holding-up-well/2015/07/07/4fff26fc-24be-11e5-b621-b55e495e9b78_story.html

http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-ap-lt-pope-south-america-20150707-story.html


California Governor Presses Harper to Cut Canada Emissions. The
trio of leaders behind North America’s largest cap-and-trade
market want Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other
global leaders to do more to cut emissions and combat climate
change. California Governor Jerry Brown joined Ontario Premier
Kathleen Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard in taking
aim Wednesday at Canada’s federal government for inaction on the
issue…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-08/ontario-s-wynne-calls-for-emissions-cut-as-climate-summit-begins

http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-jerry-brown-climate-pact-ontario-quebec-20150708-story.html
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/get-with-it-on-climate-change-federal-politicians-take-beating-at-climate-summit-as-premiers-call-for-action


Gov. Brown says climate change creates Titanic-like scenario for
world. Gov. Jerry Brown arrived here Tuesday with an ominous
message to deliver at a climate change conference with
representatives from across the Americas. In an interview before
his trip, the governor said the world needs to make significant
changes in order to prevent an irreversible "tipping point" in
the environment…
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-jerry-brown-climate-change-toronto-20150707-story.html


For Jerry Brown, climate change issue melds the spiritual and
political. Buried in Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change
was a reference that Gov. Jerry Brown could have appreciated. The
pontiff cited a French priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, whose
controversial writings on science and religion veered from church
dogma and were forbidden for Brown to study when he was a young
Jesuit seminary student.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-brown-climate-20150708-story.html#page=1


UC Merced Connect: Climate scientist leads effort to shape
national dialogue. Climate scientist Emmanuel Vincent noticed
climate change discussions in Europe had become somewhat
politically polarized before he left France a few years ago and
found the same situation on a larger scale when he came to
America.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/education/eye-on-education/article26683183.html#storylink=cpy


Climate action by cities could help us avoid the worst of climate
change. In the tepid slugfest that is international climate
negotiations, governments around the world are currently
submitting their emission reduction pledges to the U.N. in the
run-up to the climate summit in Paris this December. Some
countries, of course, are doing a bit better than others.
http://grist.org/news/climate-action-by-cities-could-help-us-avoid-the-worst-of-climate-change/


Pacific islands stand to lose billions in infrastructure damage
from climate change – study. The most valuable infrastructure on
South Pacific island nations is built closest to the coast,
putting countries at a multibillion-dollar risk from storms,
sea-level rise and other damages associated with climate change,
new research out of Australia has found.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/08/stories/1060021422 

Bonds funding climate-related projects rise to $600B. The
District of Columbia's water utility, DC Water, sold a $350
million bond last July, funneling the money into flood mitigation
and waterfront restoration efforts. In June, Morgan Stanley
finalized a $500 million bond that will help pay for wind farms
in Texas and more efficient lighting hardware in the firm's New
York office, while ANZ…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/08/stories/1060021423 


DROUGHT

Drought puts N.Korean children's lives at risk – UNICEF. A severe
drought in North Korea is putting the lives of children at risk
and many are in serious danger of disease and malnutrition, the
U.N. children's agency said on Wednesday. UNICEF said in a
statement that there had been in a sharp increase in cases of
diarrhea among children in drought-affected areas…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/northkorea-drought-unicef-idUSL3N0ZO2A920150708


California Pot Growers Raid Waterways.  Mostly illegal operations
siphoning from streams to quench thirsty cash crops in
drought-stricken state. California’s marijuana industry is taking
a toll on the state’s scarce water resources and the environment,
with growers sometimes illegally siphoning off entire streams to
produce the nation’s largest supply of pot. In the Cascade
Mountains here in the northern part of the state, thousands of
mostly illegal pot farms dot the lush evergreen forests—many
using pipes…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/california-pot-growers-raid-waterways-1436307538


Tom Selleck drought shamed, accused of stealing truckloads of
hydrant water. Actor Tom Selleck had truckloads of water from a
public hydrant delivered to his sprawling Hidden Valley ranch,
according to court documents filed against the veteran actor by a
Ventura County water district.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-tom-selleck-water-complaint-20150707-story.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/tom-selleck-accused-stealing-water-calif-drought-article-1.2285468


California agency considers water prices to save in drought.
California Gov. Jerry Brown called for an overhaul in water
pricing as part of his sweeping drought order, and regulators on
Wednesday will discuss how to best do that in light of legal
questions over rates designed to encourage conservation. The
State Water Resources Control Board scheduled a workshop to
discuss what the state's role is in tinkering with local water
rates…
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/California-agency-considers-water-prices-to-save-6372173.php

California OK’s drought curb on Sacramento River flows.
California regulators have given final approval to a
controversial drought plan to restrict the flow of water pouring
out of Lake Shasta this summer in a bid to preserve an endangered
fish species. The plan will effectively deprive downstream
farmers of as much as 250,000 acre-feet of water during the
crucial months of the growing season.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article26740363.html#storylink=cpy


Martinez approves drought plan. Residents that use 200 or more
gallons of water a day can expect to pay 50 cents per unit more
for it within the next month or two. The temporary increase is
part of the city's drought plan, unanimously approved by the city
council July 1. The Martinez Drought Plan is a response to Gov.
Jerry Brown's mandated 25 percent reduction in the use of potable
urban water.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_28446831/martinez-approves-drought-plan


DIESEL ACTIVITY

Bosch: Emissions – How diesel affects air quality. Bosch explains
why diesel is crucial to achieving CO2 targets, how to reduce
nitrogen oxide emissions, and what impact smokers and tires have
on emissions of particulate matter. Paris, London, Stuttgart –
air quality is at the focus of debate all over Europe – a debate
that often centers on diesel engines.
http://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/bosch-emissions-diesel-affects-air-quality/


FUELS

Why is California gasoline so expensive?  Gasoline sold in
California costs more than in the rest of the U.S. — sometimes
dramatically so. That's because the Golden State's market is
isolated from outside fuel suppliers that might moderate prices.
The fuel market here is an economic island, and occasionally
circumstances combine to make California's gasoline even pricier
than on the actual island of Hawaii.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gasoline-manipulation-infobox-20150706-story.html


Biofuels can be a bigger part of green energy. Despite
California’s leadership in green energy promotion, our state is a
woefully lopsided net importer of clean biofuels. State lawmakers
have a golden opportunity to correct this unfortunate paradox by
negotiating a follow-up budget provision that invests some of the
state’s cap-and-trade revenues in California-produced biofuels.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article26679073.html#storylink=cpy


Biofuels industry, farmers advocate against Loudermilk amendment.
On July 2, a group of two dozen biofuel trade groups and
companies issued a letter to members of the U.S. House of
Representatives urging them to reject an proposals that amend,
repeal, defund or otherwise modify or interfere with the
renewable fuels standard (RFS).
http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/12404/biofuels-industry-farmers-advocate-against-loudermilk-amendment


EPA is underestimating methane emissions from the Barnett Shale –
study. As the U.S. oil and gas industry emits carbon pollutants
like CO2 and methane to the atmosphere, its emissions are tracked
closely by federal regulators. But the federal tracking
underestimates emissions of methane, which is the primary
component of natural gas…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/08/stories/1060021406 

GREEN ENERGY

Facebook to build new, wind-powered data center. Facebook's
newest data center will be built in Fort Worth, completely
powered by renewable energy. Facebook worked with local energy
companies to bring 200-megawatts of renewable wind power to the
Texas grid, the company said Tuesday. Producing about half the
power of a typical coal plant, the wind farm will be located 90
miles from the data center…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-facebook-data-20150707-story.html


Economists defend contested energy efficiency study. The authors
of a study that riled environmental groups are responding to
criticism of their finding that not all energy efficiency
programs are cost-effective. Economists from the University of
Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley, tracked
30,000 low-income Michigan households eligible for the federal
Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides funding to
conduct energy audits…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/08/stories/1060021421 

MISCELLANEOUS

California levels new charges in recycling fraud crackdown. A Los
Angeles-area truck driver has been charged with smuggling 7,000
pounds of used beverage containers into California from out of
state, marking the third such arrest this year in a crackdown by
California's recycling enforcement agents. Cesar Vargas, 42, is
accused of trying to defraud the California Redemption Value
(CRV) program…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/us-usa-recycle-california-idUSKCN0PI00D20150708


OPINIONS

Recycling Industry Created Its Own Mess. The American recycling
business is in the dumps. According to Dave Steinert, the CEO of
Waste Management, America's largest recycling company, the
industry is experiencing a "national crisis," with almost all of
America's 2,000 high-tech recycling facilities -- including
Steinert's own -- running in the red.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-07-07/recycling-industry-created-its-own-mess


Reporter’s Notebook: A Culinary Look at the California Drought. 
As a food writer, I think every story can be told from the plate.
Politics, race relations, health and crime – all of it has a food
angle, somehow. You just have to find it. Earlier this spring,
Gov. Jerry Brown of California announced a series of mandatory
water restrictions. Friends in the state started showering for
shorter times.
http://www.nytimes.com/times-insider/2015/07/08/reporters-notebook-a-culinary-look-at-the-california-drought/?_r=0


Calderon and Stern: Fight climate change, boost economy. Taking
strong climate action is a multitrillion dollar opportunity for
better economic growth. Recent trends in the global economy —
such as the falling cost of clean energy, the spread of carbon
pricing and the continuing volatility of oil prices — are
building momentum for low-carbon growth and development.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/07/06/climate-change-action-poverty-economy-column/29777415/
 

Halting new housing is no answer to state’s drought. Perhaps it’s
human nature, when a person is concerned about one big problem,
to apply answers to entirely other problems through the filter of
the main concern. That is certainly what many Woodlanders
concerned about excess population growth are doing when it comes
to the state’s ongoing drought.
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/opinion/20150707/halting-new-housing-is-no-answer-to-states-drought


BLOGS

Why are Bay Area ocean temperatures 5 degrees warmer? Nate Wells,
40, has surfed San Francisco’s Ocean Beach for 26 years and
braved waters so cold his skin tingled and hurt. Surfing in
Northern California typically requires a thick wetsuit, a hood
and booties, but riding the waves last Friday, Wells wore a
lightweight 3/2-millimeter suit and was hot and uncomfortable.
http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2015/07/07/why-are-bay-area-ocean-temperatures-5-degrees-warmer/


Does California Or Texas Have Better Air Quality? Listening to
the environmental left and its criticism of all things Texas, a
non-Texan could be forgiven for thinking that the skies above the
Lone Star State were a perpetual shade of smoggy-brown. But, none
other than the American Lung Association, using U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckdevore/2015/07/07/does-california-or-texas-have-better-air-quality/


Can The Internet Of Things Mitigate California's Historic
Drought? Recently CERES invited me with a group of experts to
visit California’s Pajaro Valley, home to some of the most
productive farmlands in the nation. The Pajaro Valley is largely
dependent on groundwater for its farming needs.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2015/07/08/can-the-internet-of-things-mitigate-californias-historic-drought/?ss=lists


Global Energy Targets For The Next 15 Years. Reliable and
affordable energy is vital for today’s developing and emerging
economies. Driven mostly by its five-fold increase in coal use,
China’s economy has grown 18-fold over the past thirty years
while lifting 680 million people out of poverty. Almost three
billion people still don’t have access to modern energy…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bjornlomborg/2015/07/07/global-energy-targets-for-the-next-15-years/


Carbon-Saving Innovation in the Airline Industry. Relative to the
rapidly changing automotive industry, which pumps out new models
every year, the airline industry has evolved at a considerably
slower pace. This is not surprising, given that around 1,000
aircraft are made by Airbus and Boeing BA -0.29%, the leading
manufacturers. Unlike cars, changes in design and function take
longer to incorporate into planes.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2015/07/08/airline-industry-innovation/


Welcome to an Extreme, Warming World. My hometown, Vancouver, is
in a rainforest so we celebrate sunny days. People I talk to are
enjoying the recent warm, dry weather, but they invariably add,
"This isn't normal" -- especially with all the smoke from nearby
forest fires. With no mountain snowpack and almost no spring
rain, rivers, creeks and reservoirs are at levels typically not
seen until fall.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-suzuki/climate-change_b_7748308.html




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