What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for July 27, 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

Statkraft to Trade California Carbon Permits as Volumes Rise.
Statkraft AS, Norway’s state-owned power company, set up a North
American environmental-markets business to seek out trading
opportunities as volumes rise in programs in California and
states in the U.S. Northeast. The company hired Patrick Pfeiffer
as managing director of Statkraft U.S. LLC in San Francisco…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-23/statkraft-to-trade-californian-emission-permits-as-volumes-rise


France Passes New Energy Law Quadruples Carbon Price. French
lawmakers adopted a long-delayed energy law that will reduce the
country’s reliance on nuclear reactors and raise carbon prices
almost fourfold. Lawmakers late Wednesday passed legislation that
included a last-minute amendment initially rejected by the
government to increase the target price of carbon to 56 euros
($61.48) a ton in 2020…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-23/france-passes-new-energy-law-quadruples-carbon-price


California is cap-and-trade leader — and a loner.  It was
midmorning one day in May, and somewhere deep inside a 25-story
tower in Sacramento, an auction, cloaked in secrecy, was about to
begin. There was no gavel pounding. No shouting. No frenzy of
traders running around. Instead, an unknown number of state
workers surrendered their cellphones and took positions
monitoring…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-673967-state-trade.html


California businesses pay others to curb emissions. Large
industrial facilities in California have a few choices about how
they comply with the state’s cap and trade program. Businesses
can emit less pollution, buy allowances to pollute, or they can
pay for other projects – called offsets - to reduce emissions
rather than the polluters. Offset projects are located all over
the U.S, but that’s not why they’ve come under fire.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/07/27/53370/california-businesses-pay-others-to-curb-emissions/


AIR POLLUTION

U.S. proposes voluntary oil and gas company cuts in methane
emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a
program for oil and gas companies to make voluntary pledges to
cut and track emissions of methane, one component of its wider
strategy to target the potent greenhouse gas and combat climate
change, the agency said Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/23/us-usa-natgas-methane-idUSKCN0PX2NT20150723

http://www.platts.com/latest-news/natural-gas/washington/us-epa-unveils-methane-challenge-to-entice-ambitious-21851049


Study outlines congestion, air pollution improvements for Bob
Hope Airport. Planes, trains and automobiles — and buses and
bikes and even good old walking. All these modes of
transportation converge at Bob Hope Airport, and a recent transit
study outlines potential improvements around the airport to
enable it to serve as a transportation hub within the region.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-burbank-air-transit-20150725-story.html
 

China Air Pollution: US Expert Doubts Country Will Be Able To
Curb Rampant Smog. A prominent U.S. environmental expert has
raised doubts about China's ability to curb its rampant air
pollution problem, despite recent reports that the country's
clampdown against pollution was making some progress.
http://www.ibtimes.com/china-air-pollution-us-expert-doubts-country-will-be-able-curb-rampant-smog-2024775


Tougher Air Pollution Targets In EU Could Save €40 Billion In Air
Pollution Costs. Tougher national caps on the emissions of common
air pollutants may soon be headed to the European Union,
following the approval of European Commission proposals by the
Environment Committee (ENVI) of the European Parliament. The new
caps call for the emissions in question to be reduced by 70% by
2030…
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/26/tougher-air-pollution-targets-eu-save-e40-billion-air-pollution-costs/


Climate study: Recession fueled C0 2 emissions drop. The
economic recession of 2008-09 might have hurt your bank account,
but new analysis suggests that it was good for the planet. It
turns out that when people don’t have the cash to purchase new
things, it can have a significant effect on the amount of carbon
dioxide that gets pumped into the atmosphere through the burning
of fossil fuels, according to a study in Nature Communications.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2015/07/25/study-recession-fueled-c02-emissions-drop.html
 

CLIMATE CHANGE

In Iowa, Clinton says climate plan will promote renewables.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton says
climate change is real and people are "just not paying attention"
if they don't acknowledge it. Addressing this issue Sunday,
Clinton touted a program that would combat climate change at
least in part by changing the tax code to promote renewable
energy.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DEM_2016_CLINTON?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/usa-election-clinton-idUSL1N1060JS20150727

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-26/hillary-clinton-outlines-climate-change-proposals

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-previews-plans-to-combat-climate-change-1437946583

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/07/26/clinton-to-unveil-climate-change-plan/
  
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/07/26/in-iowa-clinton-says-climate-plan-will-promote-renewables

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-hillary-clinton-climate-policy-20150726-story.html


U.S. companies pledge financial, political support for U.N.
climate deal. 
Thirteen big name American companies on Monday were to announce
$140 billion in low-carbon investments to lend support to a
global climate change deal in Paris in December, the White House
said. Companies including General Motors (GM.N), Bank of America
(BAC.N), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Coca Cola (KO.N)…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/us-usa-climatechange-business-idUSKCN0Q102O20150727?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews


China's carbon exchanges bend the rules to meet compliance
targets. The vast majority of firms covered by China's pilot
carbon emission exchanges met their targets this year, but
success was achieved largely by flexible regulations and a supply
glut that kept permits cheap, participants said. After China's
Chongqing met its deadline on Thursday, all seven of the
country's pilot emissions trading schemes…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/china-carbon-idUSL3N1032OC20150724


Apple, Goldman Among Firms in $140 Billion Climate Pledge.
Executives from 13 major U.S. corporations announced at least
$140 billion in new investments to decrease their carbon
footprints as part of a White House initiative to recruit private
commitments ahead of a United Nations climate-change summit later
this year in Paris.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-27/apple-goldman-among-companies-in-140-billion-climate-pledge


Companies to Pledge $140 Billion in Efforts to Cut Carbon
Emissions.  Move part of new Obama administration initiative
ahead of U.N. climate-change summit. More than a dozen U.S.
companies on Monday will pledge to invest more than $140 billion
in efforts to cut carbon emissions as part of a new Obama
administration initiative leading up to the United Nations
climate-change summit later this year.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-to-pledge-140-billion-in-efforts-to-cut-carbon-emissions-1437950378


Alaska’s terrifying wildfire season and what it says about
climate change. Hundreds of wildfires are continually whipping
across this state this summer, leaving in their wake millions of
acres of charred trees and blackened earth. At the Fairbanks
compound of the state’s Division of Forestry recently, workers
were busy washing a mountain of soot-covered fire hoses, which
stood in piles roughly six feet high and 100 feet long.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/26/alaskas-terrifying-wildfire-season-and-what-it-says-about-climate-change/


Major corporations back Obama climate change goals. The Obama
administration recruited some big-name corporate help Monday to
help push its climate change plans in the United States and
across the globe. Thirteen major companies — from Alcoa to
Walmart — made anti-pollution commitments that mirror the
president's plans, and agreed to back the administration's
efforts at climate change talks later this year.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/27/obama-climate-change-brian-deese-alcoa-walmart/30728093/


Are wildfires getting worse with climate change? Researchers from
the University of California, Davis, describe the increased
frequency of wildfires in high elevations as 'yet another
harbinger of climate change.' Wildfires in California are burning
at increasingly higher elevations, according to a new study, with
scientists saying the phenomenon is another signal of approaching
climate change…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Science-Notebook/2015/0727/Are-wildfires-getting-worse-with-climate-change


Study: GMO rice could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More than
half of the people on the planet eat rice as a staple food.
Growing rice emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas — to the tune
of 25 million to 100 million metric tons of methane every year, a
notable contribution to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/business/study-gmo-rice-could-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/article_8bac75f2-3354-11e5-80f8-6f83e06ff721.html


Rising Sea Levels Could Decimate Sea Turtle Nests. Rising sea
levels could decimate sea turtle nesting sites around the world,
scientists have warned, with the largest rookery site for green
turtles increasingly at risk from being swamped by seawater.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/rising-seas-could-decimate-turtle-nests-19276


Beneath Alaskan Wildfires, A Hidden Threat: Long-Frozen Carbon's
Thaw. The Fish Creek Fire in Interior Alaska isn't much to look
at. It's about 7,500 acres in size, sitting about an hour south
of Fairbanks near the twisty Tanana River. The main fire front —
the made-for-TV part, with torching trees and pulses of orange
heat…
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/27/426595377/beneath-alaskan-wildfires-a-hidden-threat-long-frozen-carbons-thaw


Carbon-tax initiative divides environmentalists. This summer, as
Washington bakes in a West Coast drought, a flock of
petition-toting activists has fanned out to parks, festivals and
street corners, trying to force the sort of sweeping action on
global warming that has eluded state lawmakers. They’re wrangling
signatures for Initiative 732…
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/carbon-tax-initiative-divides-environmentalists/


DROUGHT

Half of Columbia River sockeye salmon dying due to hot water.
More than a quarter million sockeye salmon returning from the
ocean to spawn are either dead or dying in the Columbia River and
its tributaries due to warming water temperatures. Federal and
state fisheries biologists say the warm water is lethal for the
cold-water species and is wiping out at least half of this year's
return of 500,000 fish.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DYING_SALMON?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/article28806547.html#storylink=cpy


South Africa Seen Cutting 2015 Corn Output Estimate on Drought.
South Africa, the continent’s largest producer of corn, will
probably cut its estimate for output of the grain in 2015 by 0.2
percent as a drought damaged the crop, a survey showed. Farmers
will reap 9.74 million metric tons this season, according to the
median of three analysts’ predictions in a Bloomberg survey.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-27/south-africa-seen-cutting-2015-corn-output-estimate-on-drought

On four continents, historic droughts wreak havoc. California's
historic drought appears to be matched by severe dry spells on
three other continents. Brazil, North Korea and South Africa are
bearing the brunt of much lower-than-average precipitation,
wreaking havoc on millions of peoples' lives and livelihoods.
While the causes vary from country to country, the chance of more
intense droughts…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/07/24/historic-droughts-wreak-havoc-usa-brazil-n-korea/30513289/


There's little incentive for L.A. renters to take shorter
showers.  When Emi Nakagawa rented a studio apartment in San
Gabriel, she didn't think twice before jumping into the shower.
"There was no incentive" not to, she said, because Nakagawa, like
the millions of Southern Californians who rent apartments, didn't
directly pay for her water and never knew how much she used. In
the fourth year of drought, Californians are under orders to
reduce their water consumption by 25%...
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-apartments-water-20150726-story.html


Famous 'E.T.' trees suffering from California drought, worried
neighbors say. This summer, neighbors of the more than 100
historic deodar cedars lining a Granada Hills avenue had become
more and more worried about the threat posed by long-term drought
to the landmark trees featured in the 1982 blockbuster "E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial."
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28531744/landmark-trees-made-famous-e-t-suffering-from


Drought cuts into recreation as low water levels plague
reservoirs. Santa Margarita Lake was bright and quiet as Thomas
Kohl relaxed outside the Marina Point store Tuesday afternoon,
taking a break from his job as a self-described dock hand. In the
lake below him, several paddleboats, kayaks and pontoon boats
were tied up to the dock, bobbing in the low water.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/07/25/3735718_drought-cuts-into-recreation-at.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Funding Will Help Farm Workers Hurt By The Drought. New state and
federal funding will provide relief for farm workers hurt by
California's drought. The U.S. Department of Labor is providing
$18 million, and the state is providing $7.5 million. An
estimated 18,000 people have lost their jobs because of the
drought -- most of them in the Central Valley.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/07/27/funding-will-help-farm-workers-hurt-by-the-drought/


Drought Results In Modesto's 'Negative Outlook' For Water
Service. The drought is one reason the City of Modesto has
received a "negative outlook" for water service. The city is
using less water and that means less revenue. Moody's Investors
Service didn't lower the city's bond rating, but basically said
it's not sure the city's water enterprise is in the best shape to
cover its debt.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/07/27/drought-blamed-for-modestos-negative-outlook-for-water-service/


Drought-starved San Joaquin River Delta becoming saltier as ocean
pushes inland. State officials say they are struggling to keep
portions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta fresh as
saltier water from the San Francisco Bay pushes inland during
another summer of drought. Normally, rivers push back saltier
water and keep the delta fresh.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-673952-delta-san.html 

Most South Bay cities hit water conservation targets, Palos
Verdes Peninsula falls short. South Bay residents largely met
water conservation targets during the first month of statewide
restrictions, officials say, but some property owners on the
Palos Verdes Peninsula who fell short will see drought surcharges
on their water bills.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20150726/most-south-bay-cities-hit-water-conservation-targets-palos-verdes-peninsula-falls-short


Struggle to save endangered Santa Ana sucker may reach U.S.
Supreme Court. 20-year struggle to protect a rare bottom-feeding
fish from extinction appears headed toward resolution as Inland
Empire cities and water agencies are asking the court of last
resort to intervene. Two cities and 10 water agencies say they
will petition the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a plan to try to
save the Santa Ana sucker…
http://www.latimes.com/local/orangecounty/la-me-sucker-drought-20150727-story.html


Takings arguments bubble up as Calif. cuts water rights. In
drought-stricken California, lawyers are asking a simple question
with a complicated answer. Can the state take away water rights?
At issue: the U.S. Constitution's 5th Amendment, which says no
property shall be taken without just compensation.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/07/27/stories/1060022451 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

CARB announces $250,000 Navistar fine over DPF verification. -
The dog days of summer have not been kind to truck-making giant
Navistar. One week after the Environmental Protection Agency
filed a civil lawsuit seeking $300 million in fines and
penalties, the California Air Resources Board announced it will
fine the Lisle, Ill.-based manufacturer of International trucks.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=29464#.VbZrU02D6Uk 
 

FUELS

EU tries again for compromise on deal to phase out coal aid. EU
bosses are pushing to resolve a clash between industry and
environmental policy with a new strategy to phase out funding to
export coal technology to developing nations, ahead of a meeting
of leading economic powers on the issue. The European Commission,
the EU executive, urges tougher rules on when subsidies, known as
coal export credits…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/us-eu-coal-idUSKCN0Q117J20150727


Oil Heading for Fall as Diesel’s Engine Sputters. Oil prices will
weaken further once summer’s peak gasoline demand rolls over. If
you want to understand why oil is back below $50 a barrel and
likely headed much lower once summer ends, start with PetroChina
’s stock prices. Mainland-listed shares in China’s national oil
champion are up 27% so far this year…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-heading-for-fall-as-diesels-engine-sputters-1437935038


Los Angeles County gas prices continue slow drop following sharp
rise. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular
gasoline in Los Angeles County dropped today for the 11th
consecutive day, decreasing a half-cent to $4.162. The average
price has dropped 14 cents over the past 11 days, including 1.1
cents on Sunday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price
Information Service.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/business/20150727/los-angeles-county-gas-prices-continue-slow-drop-following-sharp-rise


How Do You Make Greener Fuel? Copy a Leaf. The fuel Californians
burn getting around in cars and trucks is a big driver of climate
change, accounting for more than a third of the carbon pollution
the state puts out. Researchers in Berkeley are hoping to reverse
that trend that by making fuel that doesn’t come from oil or
other fossil fuels.
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/07/27/how-do-you-make-greener-fuel-copy-a-leaf/


VEHICLES

U.S. auto safety regulators fine Fiat Chrysler record $105
million. The U.S. auto safety watchdog, toughening its stance
against manufacturer defects, announced on Sunday a record $105
million in fines against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCHA.MI)
over lapses in safety recalls involving millions of vehicles.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/us-fiat-chrysler-recall-fine-idUSKCN0Q00BH20150727


Valeo lifts guidance as orders surge for fuel-saving car tech.
French car parts maker Valeo beat sales expectations and posted a
record order intake for the first half on stronger demand for
fuel-saving and driving-assistance technologies, the company said
on Monday. Net income rose 34 percent to 344 million euros ($379
million) as revenue jumped 15 percent to 7.298 billion in
January-June…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/valeo-results-idUSL5N1070AS20150727


Los Angeles Gets State Grant To Test Electric-Car Sharing
Program. California has more electric cars than any other state,
but officials have recently redirected their focus toward getting
those cars into the hands of lower-income drivers. The state
recently adjusted the rules of its electric-car tax credit to
steer funds away from the wealthiest buyers.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099283_los-angeles-gets-state-grant-to-test-electric-car-sharing-program


GREEN ENERGY

In Pakistan, solar lamps turn women into green energy
entrepreneurs.  As the sun sets and darkness falls over a village
outside Bahawalpur, Shama Bibi switches on her solar lantern and
starts sewing clothes for an upcoming family wedding. Not long
ago, nightfall would have forced her to stop working. But now
with access to solar-powered lamps, Bibi can sew as long as she
needs to.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/pakistan-solar-women-idUSL5N10734920150727


Offshore wind power gets foothold in US with Rhode Island
project. Rhode Island's Deepwater Wind will start installing the
foundations for North America's first offshore wind farm on
Monday, a milestone the company says could pave the way for an
industry long established in Europe but that is still struggling
with opposition in the United States.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/usa-windfarm-deepwater-idUSL5N10359C20150727


J-Power Begins Building 16MW Wind Power Station in North Japan.
Electric Power Development Co., also known as J-Power, began
construction of a 16-megawatt wind power station in the northern
prefecture of Akita. The plant will start running in February
2017, J-Power said in a statement on Monday. Enercon GmbH will
supply seven 2.3-megawatt turbines for the project.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NS4WG96JIJUO01-5UIG7L1PDR126OA7J0M5J4EVSH


Red tape cut for home solar.  New San Diego law makes
installation cheaper, streamlined. Installing solar energy
systems will get easier and cheaper in San Diego under a new law
unanimously approved this week by the City Council. The goal of
the new law is to accelerate the number of homes switching to
solar, which will help the city meet some of the goals in its
climate action plan.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/23/solar-home-install-law-cheap-streamline/


Surf shop goes green. LAGUNA BEACH Mark Christy is on his second
Prius, his home landscape is drought-tolerant and he actually
uses stainless-steel straws instead of plastic. “We are obsessed
with recycling at home and take out a virtually empty ‘trash' can
each week next to our full-to-the-brim recycling can,” Christy
says. Recently, Christy took that personal mantra to his surf
shop in Laguna Beach.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/green-330734-ocprint-christy-laguna.html


Fight may take air out of mandate for sun, wind power. The most
tumultuous issue in Gov. Rick Snyder’s bid to reshape Michigan’s
energy policy is the battle over whether to require power
companies to generate a certain quota of electricity through
renewable sources. While environmentalists push for the expansion
of a mandate that the major utilities get 10 percent of their
electricity…
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/environment/2015/07/26/fight-may-take-air-mandate-sun-wind-power/30719769/


What makes a bond 'green'? A Wall Street bank seeks clarity.
British bank Barclays PLC and U.S. financial indices and
information firm MSCI Inc. said Friday they are soliciting
comments from clients to change their rules on categorizing green
bonds. The companies launched the Barclays MSCI Green Bond Index
family in November. Currently, criteria for the fixed-income
index -- one of a handful of such tools…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/27/stories/1060022427 

MISCELLANEOUS

German prosecutor to charge eight Deutsche Bank staff in carbon
tax case –Spiegel. A German prosecutor is set to charge eight
Deutsche Bank employees following an investigation into tax fraud
linked to trading of carbon certificates, Der Spiegel magazine
reported on Saturday, without disclosing any sources. Frankfurt's
chief prosecutor will accuse them of securing fees and bonuses
from participating in a carbon emission certificate scam…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/25/deutschebank-carbon-idUSL5N10505H20150725


OPINIONS

Australia's LNG double-edged sword shows commodity challenges:
Russell. With commodity prices slumping, the local currency
slipping and manufacturing jobs disappearing, Australians are
starting to question whether they've backed the wrong economic
horse. The country's wealth and unbroken 24 years of economic
growth have largely been built on exploiting natural resources…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/us-column-russell-australia-commodities-idUSKCN0Q116D20150727


Climate change skeptics may be about to lose one of their
favorite arguments. Whenever you point to melting ice in polar
regions, climate change doubters or skeptics have an answer. Ice
floating atop the seas around Antarctica, they point out, is
growing — and that’s not what you would expect from global
warming, right? In late 2013 and early 2014, an iconic moment
capturing this phenomenon occurred when a research vessel…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/27/climate-change-skeptics-may-be-about-to-lose-one-of-their-favorite-arguments/


Dan Walters: Anti-carbon crusade clouded with uncertainities.
Declaring it a moral imperative, California’s leading figures
have embarked on a crusade to “decarbonize” the state, sharply
reducing emissions of gases they say threaten to wreak havoc,
even extinction, on the globe’s human population. “We don’t even
know how far we’ve gone, or if we’ve gone over the edge,” Gov.
Jerry Brown said last week at a Vatican conference on climate
change…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article28766335.html#storylink=cpy


Another View: California can solve water problems in a way
Australia can’t.  When it’s dry in California, pundits start to
look toward Australia for comparisons of how to react to drought
(“Australia displays key water reforms”; Viewpoints, July 19).
But there’s less there than meets the eye, and there’s no reason
to believe that tactics employed in that distant land would work
in California. For one thing, California simply does not share
Australia’s hydrology. 
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article28557670.html#storylink=cpy


Walters whiffed. While I agree that the anti-vaccination movement
is based in fear, I don’t understand how columnist Dan Walters
can compare it to fear of tobacco or fear of climate change. As
far as I know, there is no real scientific evidence that
vaccinations cause serious health problems. But the science on
the dangers of tobacco and the risks of climate… 
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article28584223.html#storylink=cpy


Our Voice: Officials must ready highways for El Niño.  What
appears to be a record El Niño brewing in the Pacific could bring
welcome heavy rains to drought-ravaged California. But there’s
one particularly dark cloud in that mix. Many bridges along roads
and highways in the Golden State have been flagged as vulnerable
to heavy flooding and there are fears a strong severe weather
period could wreak havoc on state transportation.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/07/27/voice-bridges-el-nio/30733017/


An all-of-the-above approach to drought. California continues to
endure its worst drought in more than 1,200 years. A growing
number of communities have been impacted by the severe drought
conditions, and mandatory water usage reductions are doing little
to alleviate their effects. While we can’t make it rain, we can
do more to utilize readily available water.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-673761-projects-desalination.html


Putting climate change ahead of constituents. Racial and economic
inequality may be key issues facing America today, but the steps
often pushed by progressives, including minority politicians,
seem more likely to exacerbate these divisions than repair them.
In a broad arc of policies affecting everything from housing to
employment, the agenda being adopted serves to stunt upward
mobility, self-sufficiency and property ownership.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-673763-state-new.html


Editorials from around Oregon. The (Medford) Mail Tribune, July
21, on supporting the use of electric vehicles: Official
statistics indicate state-installed fast-charging stations for
electric vehicles have recorded 30,000 uses in three years. That
might sound impressive, but a closer look reveals traffic on the
West Coast Electric Highway is a far cry from bumper-to-bumper.
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/article28865956.html#storylink=cpy


Opinion: Engine Warranties and Diesel Additives. For many years
now, diesel engine manufacturers have continued to allude to
equipment buyers about avoiding the use of diesel fuel additives.
This position is expected, given the fact that engine
manufacturers warranty the new equipment and its viability for
extended periods of time after the purchase.
http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=38972 

BLOGS

This Factor Predicts What People Think About Climate Change. 
Education affects climate change beliefs differently if you live
in the U.S. Around the world, people with higher levels of
education are more likely to understand climate change than their
less-educated counterparts, according to new research published
in the journal Nature Climate Change.
http://time.com/3972986/climate-change-education/ 

Inside China's shift to a low-carbon economy. China's
announcement of how it plans to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions represents the clearest signal to date that a major
structural shift away from carbon-intensive development is
underway in the world’s second-largest economy. The direction
outlined by the Chinese government — to peak the country’s
carbon-dioxide emissions around 2030 or likely earlier...
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/inside-chinas-shift-low-carbon-economy




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