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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 7, 2015.
Posted: 07 Aug 2015 12:02:14
ARB Newsclips for August 7, 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 ClearSign wins contract for emission-curbing system from Tesoro. ClearSign Combustion Corp (CLIR.O), a small company whose technology helps refiners cut nitrogen oxide emissions, has signed a deal with Tesoro Corp (TSO.N) to retrofit a Los Angeles refinery heater with a combustion control system. The refinery, which supplies 50 percent of the jet fuel used by Los Angeles International Airport, is aiming to halve nitrogen oxide emissions by 2020… http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/08/07/uk-clearsign-tesoro-contract-idINKCN0QC1FG20150807 China Gets a Little More Fresh Air. Idled factories, less coal use, and lower emissions make breathing easier. On a Tuesday afternoon in late July, a newlywed couple prepared to pose for their wedding portraits in front of Beijing’s historic Drum Tower. Lily Chen, 28, in a sparkling white gown and tiara, checked her makeup in a mirror—and then looked up the Air Quality Index (AQI) on her smartphone. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-06/pollution-china-gets-a-little-more-fresh-air Fire, weather shift Red Bluff skies full of haze. Skies were full of haze throughout Thursday prompting the Tehama County Air Pollution Control District to issue an air advisory announcing the county had reached an unhealthy air quality range. A majority of Thursday saw the county sitting at unhealthy conditions for all groups and a caution that everyone should limit outdoor exposure. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/general-news/20150807/fire-weather-shift-red-bluff-skies-full-of-haze San Joaquin Valley enjoys best July air quality in decades. The San Joaquin Valley had three weeks of healthy air in July for the first time in 20 years. The Fresno Bee reports that for 21 days last month, the air didn't exceed the eight-hour federal health standard for ozone — a harmful gas that attacks the lungs, skin and eyes. The Valley averages only five or six good air days a month. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/San-Joaquin-Valley-enjoys-best-July-air-quality-in-decades-320966541.html CLIMATE CHANGE Green California Just Won the Climate Fight, Now Comes the Pain. Here’s some irony for you. California, the world’s pioneer of climate change policy, may actually lose out on some clean power thanks to President Obama’s federal limits on carbon pollution. The Golden State built its push for fewer climate-warming emissions on a hefty dose of clean power from nearby states. So what happens if states decide to keep that energy for themselves to meet their own needs under Obama’s Clean Power Plan? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-06/green-california-just-won-the-climate-fight-now-comes-the-pain Matterhorn glacier reveals remains of Japanese climbers missing for 45 years. One night in August 1970, two young Japanese climbers set up a tent in the Swiss Alps. They wanted to rest up for the next day’s ascent up a 9,200-foot glacier at the base of the 14,692-foot Matterhorn mountain when a sudden snowstorm took them by surprise, police told Reuters. The climbers vanished and, for decades it seems, were entombed in ice. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/07/matterhorn-glacier-reveals-remains-from-long-lost-japanese-climbers-missing-45-years/ Gov. Brown highlights climate change risks at site of Rocky fire. In his quest to force tougher action on climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown has traveled to China, Mexico, Canada, even the Vatican. But he was much closer to home on Thursday, just a couple dozen miles from the ranch his family has owned for generations. Standing in front of scorched hills, the smell of smoke lingering in the air… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rocky-fire-brown-20150807-story.html Jerry Brown says 'California is burning' and climate change is to blame. The devastating Rocky Fire in Lake County is showing signs that the imminent danger is diminishing, but the state faces an even bigger threat, Gov. Jerry Brown warned on Thursday. Brown traveled to the scorched hillside at Cowboy Camp, just off fire-ravaged Highway 20… http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Jerry-Brown-says-California-is-burning-and-6429417.php Carbon War Room's Peter Boyd on the 'entrepreneurial NGO'. After serving as launch director for the Richard Branson-backed climate think tank Carbon War Room in 2009, Peter Boyd went on to serve as the organization's chief operating officer until late 2014. Around that time, Carbon War Room merged with the Rocky Mountain Institute. Boyd, meanwhile, has a total of more than 15 years of strategy… http://www.greenbiz.com/article/carbon-war-rooms-peter-boyd-entrepreneurial-ngo Silicon Valley Lab Fighting Global Warming With Cloud Brightening Project. Some scientists in Silicon Valley may have to come up with a way to combat climate change. Only on 5, Kiet Do shows us how cloud brightening would work, if tests are successful. (video) http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/watch/silicon-valley-lab-fighting-global-warming-with-cloud-brightening-project/vp-BBlqLLT Caribbean's largest oil and gas producer promises to slash GHGs. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean's largest producer of oil and gas, pledged yesterday to ratchet down its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. In a formal submission to the United Nations, the twin island country -- one of the wealthiest in the region thanks to its large fossil fuel reserves -- said it will curb carbon… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/07/stories/1060023146 DOD study: Climate change is a security threat—now. There's a standing joke among military meteorologists and Navy oceanographers: Soldiers, sailors and airmen often say they are not interested in climate, but they care a lot about the weather. That attitude is slowly changing among senior leaders, based on the conclusions of a Pentagon report to Congress on the national security implications of climate change. http://defensesystems.com/articles/2015/08/07/dod-climate-change-threat-report.aspx DROUGHT Making Water More Liquid. When water is scarce, letting people trade it gets the precious resource to where it’s needed most. The water wells in the rich farmland of California’s Central Valley keep getting deeper, and the pumps keep getting more powerful. Farmers have agreed to reduce their usage of surface water, but nothing stops them from looking for water beneath their properties. So, in the fourth year of a devastating drought, down they go… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-06/to-ease-california-s-drought-make-water-easier-to-trade Judge halts release of names of DWP customers who got grants to replace lawns. Heeding the call to conserve water, tens of thousands of Southern California residents and businesses replaced their lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping with the help of $340 million in grants from the Metropolitan Water District. Government officials have praised those who got rid of their grass. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-turf-personal-data-20150807-story.html Treasures revealed as California drought drains lakes. The Lakeview Motel's name is false advertising these dry days. The same thing is true for the Paradise Cove Lodge down California 178. That's because the water level in man-made Lake Isabella has dropped about 59 feet since the last big wet year in 2011. There are 32,632 acre-feet of water in the lake -- 5.8 % of the lake's capacity... http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0806-drought-submerged-20150806-story.html#page=1 Water use continues to drop in Napa. A sign on Oak Circle in Yountville warns of watering restrictions. Napa has reported a second consecutive month reaching conservation targets set by the state during California’s drought. The city reduced its July consumption by about 29 percent from the same month in 2013… http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/water-use-continues-to-drop-in-napa/article_c87dc107-f3c1-5fda-ab6e-7239b0b06736.html FUELS Why Native Alaskans Support Shell's Arctic Drilling. Activists trying to stop Shell's offshore oil drilling in the U.S.'s Arctic Ocean region invoke the interests of native Alaskans. "These communities depend on this environment for food and resources and have stewarded it for centuries," Greenpeace says, as part of its "The People vs. Shell" campaign—what the group describes as possibly "the most important fight in… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-06/why-native-alaskans-support-shell-s-arctic-drilling King Coal, Long Besieged, Is Deposed by the Market. In April 2005, President George W. Bush hailed “clean coal” as a key to “greater energy independence,” pledging $2 billion in research funds that promised a new golden age for America’s most abundant energy resource. But a decade later, the United States coal industry is reeling as never before in its history… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/business/energy-environment/coal-industry-wobbles-as-market-forces-slug-away.html?_r=1 Record prices, profits for gasoline in July. As gas prices slowly drop across the region, California motorists can breathe a sigh of relief after spending $1.2 billion more on gas than the rest of the nation in July, while refineries brought in record profits, according to Consumer Watchdog. The group, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of consumer interests, said California drivers spent $201 more… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/prices-332705-ocprint-profits-year.html VEHICLES 2016 Chevrolet Volt to offer more range than predecessor. Chevrolet's plug-in hybrid sedan, the Volt, will be getting an upgrade for 2016. The Volt's new, second-generation Voltec powertrain will give the Volt a pure EV range of 53 miles, nearly a 40 percent improvement over the first-generation Volt, which offered a 38-mile range. Charged in full, the Volt will travel up to 53 miles gas-free… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/volt-332743-ocprint-car-model.html 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf SE: $30K Price For New Electric Car Version. The 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car's base price will drop by some $4,500 compared to the 2015 model, thanks to the addition of a new entry-level model. The VW e-Golf SE will start at $29,815 including destination, before any Federal, state, or local incentives. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099471_2016-volkswagen-e-golf-se-30k-price-for-new-electric-car-version GREEN ENERGY Infant U.S. wave-to-energy industry looks to build more testing facilities. In the wave energy world, progress means having "steel in the water." Now that gadgets are graduating from mere prototypes to pre-commercial machines, their engineers must find the best places to try them out in the open ocean. "You can learn a lot in the lab, but in order to prove commercial viability, you need to prove ocean viability… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/08/07/stories/1060023142 USDA offers $63M to boost renewables, efficiency. The Agriculture Department has set aside $63 million in loans and grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. USDA will help fund 264 projects through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The department estimates the projects will generate or save 207.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/08/07/stories/1060023171 OPINIONS Electric Cars as a Source of Capital. Electric cars, at least, can be capital goods even when not being driven. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology can turn the big battery in a Tesla, Volt, or other electric car into a power plant. The Aug. 3 Notable & Quotable about Uber increasing capital-stock formation is an intriguing notion and, I’m sure, correct as far as it goes. http://www.wsj.com/articles/electric-cars-as-a-source-of-capital-1438892675 Tesla Has to Start Acting Like a Car Company. The relationship between Wall Street and the auto industry has always been contentious, with automakers balancing their huge capital needs and long-term business model against investors' relentless focus on short-term returns. Tesla has turned this struggle on its head in its short time as a public company… http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-06/tesla-has-to-start-acting-like-a-car-company COMMENTARY: Electric vehicles on verge of disruption. Back in 1898, New York City hosted a global environmental summit. Flummoxed, the assembled experts disbanded early without agreeing on workable solutions. What daunting crisis brought about this precursor of today's big UN climate conferences? Fast-growing cities were propelling travel via horse-drawn buggies… http://paloverdevalleytimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=807&ArticleID=21720 BLOGS The reality of global warming: We’re all frogs in a pot of slowly boiling water. In 2009, global leaders agreed to try not to let the world warm more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. This is sometimes seen as a rule of thumb for keeping on the right side of climate change, within “safe” territory. But that’s not at all how scientists meant it… http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/08/07/before-the-century-ends-it-may-be-too-hot-for-people-to-work-outside/ NOAA as certain as it gets about a quiet Atlantic hurricane season. Don’t expect a lot of hurricanes late this summer and fall, but don’t let your guard down. That’s the screaming message of the updated Atlantic hurricane forecast released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center now says there is a 90 percent chance… http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/08/06/noaa-as-certain-as-it-gets-about-a-quiet-atlantic-hurricane-season/ State legislators support climate action at NCSL's Seattle conference. Legislators from states all over America gathered in Seattle this week, and climate change was at the top of the agenda. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the largest non-partisan organization supporting state legislators, hosted the four day summit to explore the wide variety of issues that confront states. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ahaq/state_legislators_support_clim.html Cars could be more efficient if 95 octane is the new 'regular'. The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Transportation and Air Quality is starting to think that raising the octane level that's considered to be regular gas could go a long way toward making modern, downsized engines even more efficient. 95-octane gas could be possible, but the investigation into the issue is still getting underway. http://www.autoblog.com/2015/08/07/95-octane-cars-more-efficient-report/ Tesoro settles pollution suit from California regulators for $4 million. Texas-based oil manufacturer Tesoro Corp. has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the company spewed smog- and ozone-producing pollutants at its refinery in Martinez. Bay Area air quality regulators announced the deal Wednesday after an eight-year investigation found that refinery workers disposed… http://fuelfix.com/blog/2015/08/06/tesoro-settles-pollution-suit-from-california-regulators-for-4-million/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.