What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 28, 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

With cap and trade plan, China adopts emissions policy that
couldn’t get through U.S. Congress. China may be the world’s
largest greenhouse gas producer, but Chinese President Xi Jinping
is likely to make his new commitment to introduce a nationwide
cap and trade program to limit greenhouse gas emissions a
centerpiece of his speech at the United Nations General Assembly
Monday morning.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/28/with-cap-and-trade-plan-china-adopts-emissions-policy-that-couldnt-get-through-u-s-congress/


Almond growers could get carbon credits. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture is starting an experimental program that could allow
Valley almond growers to sell carbon credits in California's
cap-and-trade market. A recent University of California, Davis,
study found that almonds contribute little to carbon emissions.
http://hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/almond-growers-could-get-carbon-credits/article_f2e8b4b4-c92e-5855-a2d3-daa346b30a74.html

Carbon Pricing Schemes Have Almost Doubled Since 2012. The World
Bank has concluded that carbon pricing schemes globally have
almost doubled since 2012, and are now worth about $50 billion.
In a new Feature Story on its website, The World Bank Group have
praised the efforts of nations, cities, and businesses the world
over, for implementing carbon pricing schemes. 
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/09/28/carbon-pricing-schemes-almost-doubled-since-2012/
 

State Board's Carbon Fuel Limits Pick Up Where Failed Legislation
Left Off. It’s not exactly a new regulation (pdf) with tougher
fuel standards, designed to accomplish administratively what
Governor Jerry Brown couldn’t push through the Legislature—as
touted in varying degrees here, here and here. But the action
taken Friday by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) does
affirm…
http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/news/top-stories/state-boards-carbon-fuel-limits-pick-up-where-failed-legislation-left-off-150928?news=857520


AIR POLLUTION

Masks and Other Air Pollution Defenses. Q. I commute by car
through an area of bad highway air pollution. Would wearing a
surgical mask help protect me from health problems? A. Possibly,
but there is only limited evidence to show that even the best
modern surgical masks, which help filter out a wide range of
particle sizes, make a difference along a congested highway. The
pollutants encountered include ultrafine particles…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/science/masks-and-other-air-pollution-defenses.html?_r=0


Health Update 2015: Is Air Pollution Killing You? New Study
Reports. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley
found exposure to high levels of pollution lead to health
problems in both infants and adults. The study had only limited
evidence to demonstrate there was an increase in adult mortality,
though some evidence pointed to higher mortality in the elderly.
http://www.ibtimes.com/health-update-2015-air-pollution-killing-you-new-study-reports-2115891?rel=latest4


VW scandal fuels French debate on whether to dump diesel, as
polluted Paris bans cars for day. Guidebooks rarely mention it,
but Paris is one of the most polluted cities in the rich world.
The Eiffel Tower is periodically shrouded in smog, and there's
one key culprit: France's disproportionately heavy reliance on
diesel fuel. Critics are increasingly questioning the need for
diesel vehicles…
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/09/27/amid-vw-scandal-polluted-paris-asks-if-time-to-dump-diesel


Week ahead: EPA set to release ozone rule. The Environmental
Protection Agency is set to release a contentious new rule
limiting surface-level ozone pollution. The agency has proposed
tightening the current standard on ozone from 75 parts per
billion to 65 or 70 parts per billion. Regulators say they need
to raise the standards to help the environment and improve public
health.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/254994-week-ahead-epa-set-to-release-ozone-rule


CLIMATE CHANGE

National climate pledges to curb temperature rises: study.
National promises to curb greenhouse gas emissions will help
avert the worst levels of global warming by 2100, but more action
is needed to keep temperature rises within the 2 degree limit set
by governments, a study showed on Monday. Promises by governments
this year to restrain emissions beyond 2020 would limit warming…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/28/us-climatechange-outlook-idUSKCN0RS1G820150928?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews


France's Hollande says climate talk promises must now become
action. French President Francois Hollande said on Sunday he was
encouraged by promises made by leaders at the U.N. General
Assembly to reach a climate change deal in Paris in November, but
said those words now had to be turned into concrete action.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/27/uk-un-assembly-france-climatechange-idUKKCN0RR0ZZ20150927

UPDATE 1-China-U.S. deal sets bar low ahead of Paris climate
talks. China and the United States have outlined an eye-catching
"common vision" to secure an ambitious global climate deal later
this year, but experts say a centrepiece pledge by Beijing to
establish a nationwide carbon market is no game-changer. In a
joint statement made during President Xi Jinping's visit to the
United States, China confirmed it would launch national
cap-and-trade scheme in 2017, forcing big emitters to buy credits
to meet CO2 reduction targets.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N11Y3HF20150928

  
Limited Progress Seen Even as More Nations Step Up on Climate.
The pledges that countries are making to battle climate change
would still allow the world to heat up by more than 6 degrees
Fahrenheit, a new analysis shows, a level that scientists say is
likely to produce catastrophes ranging from food shortages to
widespread extinctions of plant and animal life. Yet, in the
world of global climate politics, that counts as progress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/28/world/limited-progress-seen-even-as-more-nations-step-up-on-climate.html


India and Brazil will not follow China's pledge to donate to
poorer nations' climate efforts. Neither India nor Brazil will
unveil a major financial contribution toward poorer countries
grappling with climate change as China did last week to the tune
of $3.1 billion, ministers from both major economies said this
weekend.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/28/stories/1060025396 

Climate Change Update 2015: Brazil Vows To Reduce Carbon
Emissions By Nearly Half. The president of Brazil vowed to reduce
the country's carbon emissions significantly in a speech to the
United Nations Sunday. President Dilma Rousseff said the South
American nation would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent
by 2025 from 2005 levels.
http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-update-2015-brazil-vows-reduce-carbon-emissions-nearly-half-2115770


DROUGHT

Exports suffer as Sacramento Valley rice crop takes hit in
drought. It’s harvest time in Sacramento Valley rice country, and
like a lot of farmers in the state, rice grower Fritz Durst loves
the idea that California agriculture helps feed the world. It’s
more than an idle boast. Traditionally, nearly half of the
state’s agricultural output is shipped each year to international
destinations, from Mexico to the Middle East…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article36705894.html#storylink=cpy


Drought has killed 25M trees, heightening wildfire risks. The
number of dead trees in California has soared to 25 million, the
result of drought and diseases exacerbated by lack of water. The
toll seen at the end of summer is more than double the 12 million
dead trees counted in spring. It brings with it mounting costs
for rural counties and for individuals who have dead trees on
their land.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/09/28/stories/1060025416 

Californians digging deep to slash. Golden State residents show
rest of Southwest plenty of ways to reduce water waste.
Californians aren't letting their water crisis go to waste. 
After helplessly watching their mountain reservoirs sink into
mud, many like Raymond Lobjois have made drastic changes that
will forever shrink their consumption.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/investigations/2015/09/25/as-river-runs-dry-california-water-crisis/72102742/


California drought drives cities to filter drinkable water from
sewage. Plants deliver filtered water that is 'clean down to the
atomic level'. The liquid in the trough below looks remarkably
like iced tea. But trust me, you don't want to drink it.  Not
yet. "This is the first step of our treatment process," says
Denis Bilodeau, vice-president of the Orange County Water
District, on a metal catwalk next to a canal of municipal sewage.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/california-sewage-to-drinking-water-1.3231396


Calif. could learn from nation's 'Big Dry' response.  Those
enduring California's ongoing drought can look to the world's
smallest continent for a vision of how they might end up because
of it. Through a 13-year drought called the "Big Dry,"
Australians buckled down on water conservation and recycling,
leaving their nation better prepared than ever for a future world
where droughts could strike again.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060025406/search?keyword=california


FUELS

RPT-UPDATE 1-Europe's gasoline-heavy refiners see profit in VW
scandal. Some of Europe's struggling refineries could get an
unexpected boost from Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal if
once-dominant gasoline regains its popularity. Europe's
refineries, many of which were built in the 1950s to support
booming petrol demand, have been hit over the past 20 years by
shrinking fuel…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N11Y1CZ20150928


California Board Backs New Limits on Carbon From Gas and Diesel.
California air regulators on Friday approved a substantial cut to
carbon pollution from gasoline and diesel fuels, a move that will
force oil producers to reduce the amount of carbon generated by
all transportation fuels in the state at least 10 percent by
2020. The action, coming two weeks after a stinging defeat for
Gov. Jerry Brown’s planned 50 percent cut in petroleum use by
2030…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/us/california-board-backs-new-limits-on-carbon-from-gas-and-diesel.html?_r=1


California regulators restore emission-cutting fuel rule. State:
Plan will likely cost commuters up to $56 per year.  California
regulators on Friday restored ambitious rules to cut
transportation fuel emissions 10 percent within five years, a
decision that gives Gov. Jerry Brown a boost for his climate
change agenda.
http://www.kcra.com/news/california-regulators-restore-emissioncutting-fuel-rule/35490804


Biomass Burning Has Environmental and Health Benefits, UI Study
Reveals. Biomass burning sometimes gets a bad rap. That's because
many associate the burning of living and dead vegetation with
human-caused fires and clearing of land that release unhealthy
particles and gases that spur global warming. But what if you
burned biomass in a controlled environment, such as in a power
plant that at least partially replaces using a fossil fuel?
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=22541 

Average US Gasoline Price Drops 9¢ in Two Weeks: Lundberg.  The
average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States fell 9
cents in the past two weeks as refiners and retailers reduced
their profit margins to sell more fuel, according to a Lundberg
survey released on Sept. 27.
http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=39554 

VEHICLES

Tesla blows away the competition when it comes to how far its
cars can go on a charge. Tesla is unveiling its much-awaited
Model X Tuesday, which has many of the same features as the Model
S with a few extra perks. With the same range as the Model S (250
to 270 miles depending on the model bought) the Model X differs
in its ability to seat more and all-wheel drive standard (as
opposed to optionality).
http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-range-versus-the-competition-2015-9


Which Is Best Use Of Electric Cars: Eliminating Some Gas, Or
Saving Lots Of It? Electric-car friendly policies like tax
incentives and zero-emission vehicle mandates are meant to put as
many plug-in cars on the road as possible.  Policymakers hope
that by making electric cars more available, and more attractive
to consumers…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100214_which-is-best-use-of-electric-cars-eliminating-some-gas-or-saving-lots-of-it


VW RECALL

German govt. says had no prior knowledge of Volkswagen defeat
devices. The German government had no prior information about
rigged diesel emissions tests at carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE)
before the story broke earlier this month, a spokesman said on
Monday. "The transport minister found out about the allegations
of manipulation the weekend before last.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/28/us-volkswagen-emissions-germany-idUSKCN0RS15Q20150928


VW emissions issue affects 1.8 mln light commercial vehicles –
paper. Volkswagen's light commercial vehicles account for 1.8
million of the 11 million diesel cars fitted with software linked
to a scandal over rigged emissions tests, a spokesman for VW's
commercial vehicles business told a German newspaper.  The VW
business, whose models include the Transporter and Caddy vans…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/28/volkswagen-emissions-commercial-idUSL5N11Y3V320150928


Audi Confirms 2.1 Million Cars Involved in Volkswagen Emissions
Scandal. Diesel-powered vehicles among 11 million Volkswagen
group cars affected. About 2.1 million Audi cars have the
software that is at the center of the Volkswagen AG emissions
scandal, a spokesman for Audi AG said Monday. Volkswagen, which
owns most of Audi, revealed last week that software for
manipulating emissions test results
http://www.wsj.com/articles/audi-confirms-2-1-million-cars-involved-in-emissions-scandal-1443436979?mod=trending_now_5


German Prosecutors Investigating Winterkorn, Volkswagen’s
Ex-C.E.O.. The potential damage to Volkswagen from an emissions
cheating scandal grew again on Monday, as prosecutors said they
were investigating the former chief executive, and the company
disclosed that more than two million Audi-brand cars — a crucial
source of Volkswagen’s profit — were among the affected vehicles.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/business/international/volkswagen-winterkorn-diesel-investigation.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0


Volkswagen said to be warned years ago about illegal emissions
tricks.  German media reported Sunday that Volkswagen was warned
years ago about the use of illegal tricks to defeat emissions
tests. The German automaker admitted last week that it used
special software to fool U.S. emissions tests for its diesel
vehicles. About 11 million VW diesel cars built since 2008 are
affected by the scandal.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-volkswagen-warned-20150927-story.html


VW facing 'tsunami' of legal trouble in emissions scandal.  Who
knew about the deception, when did they know it and who directed
it? Those are among questions that state and federal
investigators want answered as they plunge into the emissions
scandal at Volkswagen that has cost the chief executive his job,
caused stock prices to plummet and could result in billions of
dollars in fines.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/VW-facing-tsunami-of-legal-trouble-in-emissions-6532984.php


VW Diesel Drivers Hurt, Confused, Angry, Remorseful. After the
discovery that it installed software allowing diesel cars to
cheat on emissions tests, the heat is coming down on Volkswagen.
Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned last week, and
the company may soon face a criminal probe by the U.S. Justice
Department. On top of that, VW must face the wrath of angry
owners. Many of the owners of the 482,000 implicated VW and Audi
vehicles in the U.S. bought their cars…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100228_vw-diesel-drivers-hurt-confused-angry-remorseful

EPA Will Test New-Car Emissions On The Road After VW Scandal.
Recent incidents of carmakers overestimating fuel economy have
led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider
stricter testing standards. But the unfolding Volkswagen diesel
emissions scandal may finally be pushing the agency to take
concrete action. 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100229_epa-will-test-new-car-emissions-on-the-road-after-vw-scandal


Deadly Diesel Emissions Plummeting in California.  Amidst the bad
publicity coming from Volkswagen's engineered fraud on diesel
emissions testing comes good news from California Air Resources
Board: The cancer risk from airborne toxins, most of which come
from burning diesel fuel, dropped 76 percent.
http://www.planetizen.com/node/81255/deadly-diesel-emissions-plummeting-california


Volkswagen Needs to Adopt 21st Century Sustainability Management.
Volkswagen's deliberate and systematic effort to violate clean
air rules is a shameful scandal, but it is also an example of
management incompetence. Like BP's inability to manage its
drilling contractors in the Gulf of Mexico, it is an example of
massive and predictable management failure.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/volkswagen-needs-to-adopt_b_8207160.html


GREEN ENERGY

Bosnian power utility ERS to build 48 MW wind farm. Bosnia's
autonomous Serb Republic on Monday awarded a concession to
regional power utility ERS to build a 48 megawatt (MW) wind farm
in southeastern Bosnia, the first such renewable energy project
in the region. The concession for the project, which will help to
diversify energy sources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
in Bosnia, was awarded for a period of 50 years.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/28/bosnia-energy-windfarm-idUSL5N11Y1WK20150928?feedType=RSS&feedName=financialsSector


State solar users would lose savings if proposal is OKd;
SolarCity describes 'catastrophic' future. Tired of growing
electricity bills, Miguel Espinoza decided to turn to the sun,
rather than the grid, for power. The Inglewood resident signed in
March with solar leasing giant SolarCity to fix his electric
bills at $130 a month — down from the $250 to $300 he had been
paying.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar-net-metering-20150927-story.html


Walmart doubles down on renewable energy with wind deal. The
world’s largest retailer will buy 58% of the energy produced by a
new wind facility in Texas, as the retailer looks to ultimately
get to 100% renewable use. Walmart (WMT 0.05%)   is taking a big
step toward fulfilling its long-term ambition of being wholly
supplied by renewable energy…
http://fortune.com/2015/09/28/walmart-renewable-energy/ 

Solar energy becomes a major power player in the Middle East. In
a patch of otherwise empty desert 30 miles south of Dubai, the
outline of what is expected to become the Middle East's largest
photovoltaic solar project is taking form in the sands of the
United Arab Emirates. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar
Park, launched in 2013 with 13 megawatts of capacity…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/28/stories/1060025361 

OPINIONS

RPT-COLUMN-China carbon trading not all bad news for commodities:
Russell. China's planned national cap-and-trade carbon emissions
system may at first appear to be yet another bearish factor for
commodity demand in the world's largest consumer of natural
resources.  In theory, limiting the amount of carbon emissions by
setting a price per tonne and then making polluters pay for
permits…
http://af.reuters.com/article/metalsNews/idAFL3N11Y1LJ20150928 

In Moreno Valley, profit vs. pollution. If there was ever a
project that required the scrutiny and public protections of the
California Environmental Quality Act, it's the World Logistics
Center. Sadly, the massive warehouse complex in Moreno Valley,
which could snarl traffic and create as much smog as a major oil
refinery, may not get them.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-0928-world-logistics-center-20150928-story.html


Why El Niño won't save us from the drought. We've all seen the
forecasts: there's a 95 percent chance El Niño will hit the
Northern Hemisphere this winter. For Californians, for whom the
sound of rain has become an exciting novelty, the idea of a rainy
season sounds like the promise of salvation. The drought will
end, and we will be saved.
http://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/Why-El-Ni-o-won-t-save-us-from-the-drought-6530641.php

What Can China Achieve with Cap-and-Trade? It was hard to avoid
the irony. The leader of China—nominally, at least, a Communist
country—came to Washington and announced that his government was
adopting a market-based approach to curbing carbon emissions.
Meanwhile, to reduce its carbon emissions, the unreservedly
capitalist U.S. of A. is relying on regulations issued by a
centralized bureaucracy.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-can-china-achieve-with-cap-and-trade


Pope Francis’ call to action on climate change: Editorial.  In
the Pope’s view, humankind “is not authorized to abuse
(creation), much less to destroy it.” Pope Francis covered a lot
of moral ground in his speech to the United Nations on Friday, as
the world body marks its 70th anniversary.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/09/27/pope-francis-call-to-action-on-climate-change-editorial.html

BLOGS

California’s Renewables Progress Commendable But Emission Of
Global CO2 Still Exponential. California continues its remarkable
legislative breakthroughs in going green under the SB 350 Clean
Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015. Legislation just
passed sets two goals for 2030: 50% of state utility power from
renewables and a 50% increase in energy efficiency of buildings.
http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/09/californias-renewables-progress-commendable-but-emission-of-global-co2-still-exponential/


Europe's $36M hydrogen infrastructure for 325 vehicles in Europe.
 Fresh of its victory from installing the first
publicly-accessible hydrogen refueling station in the UK, ITM
Power is going after the rest of the continent, or at least nine
other countries throughout Western Europe. The company, like
others before it, will try to address the rather expensive
chicken-or-egg issue of providing enough hydrogen refueling
stations for the fuel-cell vehicles…
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/28/europes-36m-hydrogen-infrastructure-for-325-vehicles-in-europe/


Obama’s solar energy socialism. President Barack Obama recently
made headlines in Nevada by promoting the “progress” his
administration has made in promoting solar power and fighting
climate change. Most media outlets conveniently forgot to mention
one crucial fact: Without government mandates, subsidies, and
sweetheart deals, the sun would quickly set on Obama’s solar
empire.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/254987-obamas-solar-energy-socialism




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