What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 29, 2015
Posted: 29 Sep 2015 14:39:32
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 Smog Linked to Organ Rejection, Deaths in Lung Transplant Patients. Living near busy roads with high levels of air pollution raises lung transplant patients' risk of organ rejection and death, but some antibiotics lower that risk, a new study shows. Researchers examined data gathered from more than 5,700 lung transplant patients in 10 European countries between 1987 and 2013. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/09/29/smog-linked-to-organ-rejection-deaths-in-lung-transplant-patients EPA: Current smog limit inadequate to protect public health. The current federal limit on smog-forming pollution linked to asthma and respiratory illness "is not adequate to protect the public health," a top environmental regulator said Tuesday. Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said a new, stricter standard is needed to cut dangerous ozone pollution and prevent thousands of asthma attacks, emergency room visits and even premature deaths. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/article36900096.html CLIMATE CHANGE Despite pledges, climate action seen falling short. The emissions pledges that countries have made ahead of a landmark conference in Paris have been a major boost to the slow-moving U.N. effort to fight climate change. Less so for the climate itself. With pledges to cut or curb greenhouse gas pollution on the table from all major countries except India, researchers say the world is on track for more than 2 degrees C (4 F) of warming this century. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_TARGETS_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT New York City flood risk rising due to climate change. The risk of major New York City flooding — such as what happened during Superstorm Sandy in 2012 — is likely to occur once every 25 years, rather than every 500 years, as a result of human-caused global warming, says a study released Monday. http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/09/28/new-york-city-flooding-floods-flood-hurricane-sandy-climate-change/72987564/ Shark culling could indirectly accelerate climate change, study warns. The findings come as shark experts meet at a summit at Taronga Zoo in Sydney to discuss emerging technologies that can deter the marine predators. Shark experts will gather in Sydney on Tuesday to discuss new safety measures, as new research warns the culling of sharks could indirectly accelerate climate change. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/29/shark-culling-climate-change-research State advances climate agenda. The Legislature may have scuttled the centerpiece of Gov. Jerry Brown's climate change plans, but it still approved ambitious new environmental policies that will impact the economy and lives of Californians. In coming years, the new legislation means California's homes and buildings are expected to use dramatically less electricity and the power grid will increase its share of renewable energy. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-341878-ocprint-percent-state.html DIESEL ACTIVITIES Norwegian/Finnish studies find Euro 6 cars exceeding NOx and CO2 type limits in real-world conditions; below on PM. Emission measurements conducted by Institute of Transport Economics in Norway, in collaboration with VTT in Finland, show that new Euro 6 cars with diesel engines are struggling with NOx emissions well in excess of regulatory type limits when in real traffic. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150929-toi.html FUELS Shell move dims oil prospects, delights environmentalists. Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned its long quest to become the first company to produce oil in Alaska's Arctic waters, darkening the nation's long-term oil prospects and delighting environmental groups that tried to block the project. After years of effort, Shell is leaving the region "for the foreseeable future" because it failed to find enough oil to make further drilling worthwhile. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SHELL_ARCTIC_OFFSHORE_WELL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VEHICLES How much can electric cars impact climate change? New report says a lot. Just two months before international climate talks begin in Paris, a new report from energy and environmental groups predicts greenhouse gases can plunge 77 percent in 2050 by electrifying more than half the nation’s cars, trucks and forklifts. Through electrification of 53 percent of the vehicle miles traveled primarily from passenger cars, small trucks, buses and off-road equipment, along with more wind and solar power plants, the nation would realize a reduction in greenhouse gases of 550 metric tons per year in 35 years, equal to 100 million gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles taken off the road, according to the report. http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150929/how-much-can-electric-cars-impact-climate-change-new-report-says-a-lot Tesla Model X launches tonight at Fremont plant. It's Christmas for Tesla lovers. Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors launches its Model X SUV tonight at a private event at its Fremont factory. The first customers, buying the $132,000 Signature version, are expected to receive their cars. Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveiled the prototype in 2012. Production has lagged 18 months behind the initial schedule, but the Palo Alto-based automaker claims about 20,000 customers have placed a deposit for the Model X. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_28894645/tesla-model-x-launches-tonight VW RECALL Volkswagen to refit cars affected by emissions scandal. Volkswagen announced plans on Tuesday to refit up to 11 million vehicles and overhaul its namesake brand following the scandal over its rigging of emissions tests. New Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said the German carmaker would tell customers in the coming days they would need to have diesel vehicles with illegal software refitted, a move which some analysts have said could cost more than $6.5 billion. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/29/us-volkswagen-emissions-plan-idUSKCN0RT0OL20150929?feedType=RSS&feedName=wtMostRead Volkswagen Scandal Highlights European Stalling on New Emissions Tests. European legislators got a jolt this month in their long-running effort to update auto-emissions standards when a German member of the European Parliament suddenly proposed exempting a whole class of vehicles. “This was a huge loophole, and everyone was asking: Where does this idea come from?”… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/world/europe/volkswagen-scandal-highlights-european-stalling-on-new-emissions-tests.html?partner=rss&emc=rss German investigators talking to EPA on VW - transport ministry. German investigators are talking with officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of their probe into manipulation of diesel emissions tests at Volkswagen, a spokesman for the German transport ministry said. "I can confirm this," the spokesman responded when asked about contact with U.S. authorities. "An investigative commission was set up by the ministry last week to clear up the issues surrounding manipulation in Germany. The commission is also holding talks with the U.S. environmental authority." http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/29/volkswagen-emissions-germany-usa-idUSB4N0ZH00820150929?feedType=RSS&feedName=bondsNews VW Crisis Signals Shift for Diesel-Focused Europe Oil Market. Europe’s refineries have been shifting for decades toward greater output of diesel to mirror alterations to the continent’s car fleet. As they have done so, imports have also surged, causing an ever-expanding glut to build up, while the fuel itself is under growing scrutiny for risks it may pose to public health. “This will only be bearish for diesel prices,” said Christopher Haines, a London-based senior oil and gas analyst at BMI Research, which is part of the Fitch Group. “Output levels are good and at the same time stocks are high. If consumption dips, prices will follow.” http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NV8DNK6JIJV801-2C9IAIUUV2EN2NP6U4CIDGEQ7R The Latest: Dutch VW dealers halt sale of diesel cars. Dutch Volkswagen dealers are halting the sale of diesel cars that may be affected by the German automaker's emissions-rigging scandal. Pon, the Dutch importer of Volkswagens, Audis, SEATs and Skodas, says in a statement that the temporary sales halt applies to 4,100 cars that its dealers still have in stock. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article36801426.html#storylink=cpy Volkswagen America CEO: EPA emissions findings 'do not reflect our values'. Volkswagen Group of America President Michael Horn is the latest executive to issue a public apology on behalf of the German carmaker for secretly installing software in its diesel-powered cars to circumvent emissions standards. Horn delivers his apology in a straight-to-camera statement that has been uploaded… http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/volkswagen-ceo-apologizes-company-launches-support-site-article-1.2377235 VW’s stock to be removed from Dow Jones indexes. Volkswagen AG’s stock will be removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability indexes after the automaker cheated on emissions tests. The carmaker’s admission on Sept. 18 that it systematically manipulated U.S. emissions tests prompted a review of its status, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and RobecoSAM said in a statement Tuesday. The stock will be pulled after the close of trading Oct. 5 from the DJSI World, DJSI Europe and all other related indexes, according to the statement. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2015/09/29/vw-sustainibility-indexes/73019318/ PAGE NOT FOUND Staff, supplier Bosch warned VW years ago that diesel emissions software was illegal: reports. Volkswagen ignored warnings from staff and a supplier years ago that the emission test rigging software that sparked the company’s worst ever scandal was illegal, German media reports said Sunday. German authorities, meanwhile, heaped pressure on the embattled corporate titan… http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/09/28/business/staff-supplier-bosch-warned-vw-years-ago-diesel-emissions-software-illegal-reports/#.VgnC1JOE7Sg Price to pay in Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal: Billions of dollars, loss of public trust. German manufacturer Volkswagen, which spent the past decade promoting its clean-diesel cars and clawing its way to the worldwide auto sales mountaintop, is now clamoring to preserve its assets and reputation amid disclosures that its recent-model diesel vehicles included technology to circumvent U.S. pollution limits. Regaining the trust of angry consumers might be the biggest struggle of all, based on random interviews at Sacramento-area Volkswagen dealerships last week. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article36484947.html VW just the latest in long history of cheating car companies. In stock car racing, there's an old adage: If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'. You could say the same sometimes for auto makers up against stricter environmental rules. Volkswagen is far from the first company to stand accused of trying to game required emissions tests. Almost since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, major manufacturers of cars, trucks and heavy equipment have been busted for using what regulators call "defeat devices" — typically programing a vehicle's on-board computer to boost horsepower or fuel mileage by belching out dirtier exhaust than allowed. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article36925599.html GREEN ENERGY Big utilities enter market for small rooftop solar. Traditional power companies are getting into small-scale solar energy and competing for space on your rooftop. The emerging competition comes as utilities and smaller solar installers fight over the future of the U.S. energy system. While the market for residential solar power remains a financial drop in the bucket for a big utility, the installation of solar panels overall grew by more than 50 percent in 2014 and is on track for another record-breaking year at time when the traditional utility business is pretty flat. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_28894650/big-utilities-enter-market-small-rooftop-solar OPINIONS A new low in science: Criminalizing climate change skeptics. Scientists have many important roles to play in preparations for the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris. Some are working hard to clarify uncertainties in the science, others on developing and evaluating alternative climate policies. One group of climate scientists is trying a different approach. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/09/28/new-low-in-science-criminalizing-climate-change-skeptics.html Climate change. Climate change is affecting our economy and national security. Within a few years, climate change, if unaddressed, will produce a magnitude of refugees and resource shortages like we have never seen. It will continue to create a crisis that we cannot run away from. Countless businesses, nonprofits and local governments are already working independently to address and reverse the impacts of climate change. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-climate-change-20150928-story.html When VW cheated ON EMISSIONs, IT cheated ON health. Already, Volkswagen Group is on the hook for what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says could be more than $18 billion in civil penalties for violating the U.S. Clean Air Act with its emissions scam. Additionally, the German automaker will be forced to pay for the repair of 482,000 affected diesel vehicles it sold in the U.S. between 2009 and 2015. And the company will need to defend itself in court from dozens of lawsuits related to the company's use of so-called defeat device software that engages cars' pollution controls only when they are emissions-tested. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-341879-ocprint--.html BLOGS Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Look to Consolidate VW Emissions Scandal Lawsuits. The Volkswagen AG’s emissions-cheating scandal has already spawned more than two dozen plaintiffs’ lawsuits across the country. The lawyers suing the German auto maker want to consolidate all the cases in one court, but they don’t agree on where. It will be up to a federal judicial panel to decide whether the VW litigation… http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2015/09/28/plaintiffs-lawyers-look-to-consolidate-vw-emissions-scandal-lawsuits/ The East and West Must Join Together to Fight Climate Change. With the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, the international community has now adopted an even more expansive set of Sustainable Development Goals for the future. The SDGs aim not only to end extreme poverty and reduce inequality but to do so in a way that is environmentally sustainable. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-rudd/east-west-climate-change_b_8204072.html New York's Next Move Could Shake Up The Climate Change Fight. Mayor Bill de Blasio is ready to quit coal. On Tuesday, the de Blasio administration urged New York City's five pension funds -- worth a collective $160 billion -- to sell their $33 million exposure to coal. “New York City is a global leader when it comes to taking on climate change and reducing our environmental footprint," de Blasio said in a statement. "It’s time that our investments catch up -- and divestment from coal is where we must start." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-york-divest-coal_560a95cee4b0af3706ddd3f1 We May Have Just Bought Ourselves An Extra Decade To Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change. The world appears to have bought itself a little time in the fight to avoid climate catastrophe, according to a new analysis. Virtually every major country has made pledges to limit or reduce carbon pollution in advance of the Paris climate talks this December. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/28/3706024/paris-co2-pledges/ The Time for Excuses on Climate Action is Over. As global leaders have gathered at the United Nations over the last few days, climate action has very much been at the forefront. Looking ahead to the December international climate conference, countries are continuing to put their contributions to reduce climate pollution on the table. These climate action commitments continue to expose the emptiness of Republican excuses to avoid climate action. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sclefkowitz/the_time_for_excuses_on_climat.html EPA expects success from new methane rules. A top environmental regulator said Tuesday that he expects new federal standards for methane emissions will succeed in cutting down on the potent greenhouse gas. Joseph Goffman, the associate assistant administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Air and Regulation, said Tuesday that the agency’s new methane standards, combined with expanded voluntary programs, will help the natural gas industry reduce its methane emissions. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/255273-epa-expects-success-from-new-methane-rules California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.