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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 20, 2015.

Posted: 20 Oct 2015 12:20:08
ARB Newsclips for October 20, 2015.  

This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.

AIR POLLUTION

Singapore Set to Suffer Indonesia's Defaults as Well as Its Smog.
Singapore’s bond market is bracing for the latest unfortunate
export from Indonesia: debt defaults. The city state, shrouded in
smog from fires in its neighbor, is also starting to feel the
impact of that nation’s currency woes.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-19/singapore-set-to-suffer-indonesia-s-defaults-as-well-as-its-smog

White House Emphasizes Companies’ Commitment to Cutting
Emissions. The Obama administration announced Monday that 81
major companies have committed to large reductions in carbon
emissions, part of a broad push by the White House to show
progress ahead of international climate talks in Paris this year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/20/us/politics/obama-carbon-emissions-climate-nike-mcdonalds-procter-gamble.html?_r=0


Desert solar power plant has a pollution problem. A solar power
plant at the center of the Obama administration’s push to reduce
America’s carbon footprint by using millions of taxpayer dollars
to promote green energy has its own carbon pollution problem. The
Ivanpah plant in the Mojave Desert uses natural gas as a
supplementary fuel.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/plant-688230-gas-energy.html 

Using Fenceline Monitoring to Track Fugitive Emissions. Fenceline
monitoring is making it easier to track fugitive emissions —
undetected air pollution leaks from pipes, seals and other areas
at industrial facilities, according to an article in the EPA’s
Science Matters newsletter. Last month the agency updated air
pollution standards with a rule requiring first-of-its-kind
fenceline monitoring to control emissions from refineries.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/10/20/using-fenceline-monitoring-to-track-fugitive-emissions/#ixzz3p7bKUS8l


CicLAvia improves air quality in LA neighborhoods, study finds.
Thousands of people biked, skated and walked the streets in and
around downtown Los Angeles Sunday, breathing in the fresh air —
at least, fresher air. In a study released Monday, researchers at
the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health said events like
CicLAvia — in which residents are encouraged to ditch their cars
and use alternative forms of transportation…
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/10/19/55084/ciclavia-improves-air-quality-in-neighborhoods-stu/


Human body acts as ‘big sponges’ by absorbing air pollutants
directly through skin, say scientists.  A new study reveals that
the human body absorbs harmful pollutants in the air through the
skin, equivalent to the levels absorbed through breathing. The
absorption through the skin, called “dermal uptake,” has been
found to potentially cause asthma and cancer due to prolonged
period of exposure.
http://www.ibtimes.com.au/human-body-acts-big-sponges-absorbing-air-pollutants-directly-through-skin-say-scientists-1476249


Greens decry ozone limit as easier lift than Bush-era reg. Key
green allies are delivering a scathing critique about the new
ozone standard finalized by the Obama administration earlier this
month: President Obama is letting industry off easy compared to
the Bush administration. Green groups contend that fewer counties
are likely to be named out of compliance under U.S. EPA's final
standard than… http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060026526

CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama Huddling With CEOs to Shore Up Support on Climate.
President Barack Obama is bringing executives from five Fortune
500 companies to the White House on Monday in a bid to shore up
business support for combating climate change.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-16/obama-huddling-with-ceos-to-shore-up-business-help-on-climate


Beefed-up climate deal draft forms basis for UN talks.
Governments have begun negotiating on an updated draft of a
global climate change deal that was released on Tuesday morning
at the latest round of U.N. talks in Bonn, amid relief new
additions had not seen the text balloon. Developing countries
voiced anger at the beginning of the talks on Monday that a
slimmed-down 20-page version of the text…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N12K2F220151020


Dalai Lama: Combating Climate Change a Matter of ‘Survival of
Humanity’. Spiritual leader calls for protection of the Tibetan
plateau in particular. The Dalai Lama said on Tuesday that action
against climate change was a question of “the survival of
humanity,” echoing recent statements by Pope Francis on the need
to combat global warming.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/dalai-lama-combating-climate-change-a-matter-of-survival-of-humanity-1445358872

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/10/20/tibet-climatechange-idINL3N12K2H420151020


A Case Study of Climate Change vs. Human Activity. Human activity
has had at least as much effect as climate change on the survival
of animals on the Bahamian island of Abaco, a new study suggests.
Researchers looked at 10,000-year-old fossils found in an
underwater cave on Abaco. They compared them with fossils from
the island that date to 1,000 to 3,000 years ago, along with data
from current vertebrate populations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/20/science/a-case-study-of-climate-change-vs-human-activity.html


Europe's greenhouse gas emissions fall to record low. Member
states report a 23% drop since 1990, but the pace is slowing and
several countries have missed renewable and energy efficiency
targets. Greenhouse gas emissions in Europe have plunged to the
lowest level ever recorded after the EU’s member states reported
an estimated 23% drop in emissions between 1990 and 2014.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/20/europes-greenhouse-gas-emissions-fall-to-record-low


Are humans a bigger threat than climate change?  A study of
fossils and bones in a Bahamian sinkhole revealed that, of the
species no longer alive today, 56 percent made it through a
dramatic global warming, only to be killed off by humans.
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe that global warming is
a “very” or “somewhat” serious problem, even if they continue to
debate whether human activity is to blame.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/1020/Are-humans-a-bigger-threat-than-climate-change


Obama recruits 68 companies to support economic impacts of new
climate accord. Nearly 70 companies announced plans to cut carbon
output yesterday as part of a White House campaign to enlist
American businesses in its effort to strike a global deal on
climate change and to challenge attacks that describe warming
policies as economically harmful.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060026585 

DROUGHT

Drought takes toll on 'agritourism' farms that once thrived on
Halloween crowds. Bob Lombardi, 70, went ahead and planted two
acres of baby bear pumpkins in a corner of his shut-down ranch
this year, just to say he had farmed for 50 years. He hoed them
every day by hand, too, the way he and his wife, Joann, did in
the beginning, when they had youth, hope and water.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pumpkins-drought-20151017-story.html


Monarchs Get Help From Unlikely Source: California's Drought. The
struggling monarch butterfly is getting help from an unlikely
source: the California drought. Californians have been ripping up
their lawns in record numbers and many are planting native,
drought-tolerant plants instead -- including milkweed species
native to California that can thrive in arid conditions.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/10/20/monarchs-get-help-from-unlikely-source-californias-drought/


FUELS

New Corn Ethanol Study Finds Renewable Fuel Standard “Created
More Problems Than Solutions”.  A ten-year review of the US
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by researchers at the University of
Tennessee (UT) found that the RFS is “too reliant” on corn
ethanol, and the production of this biofuel is resulting in
additional water and soil problems, as well as “hampering
advancements” in other biofuels.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/10/19/new-corn-ethanol-study-finds-renewable-fuel-standard-created-more-problems-than-solutions/


Obama administration closes off two avenues for new Arctic
drilling. The Obama administration moved on several fronts Friday
to block new oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, weeks after Shell
said it would be walking away from the area “for the foreseeable
future.” The Interior Department announced it was canceling
government auctions of drilling rights in the Chukchi and
Beaufort seas…
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2015/10/16/obama-administration-closes-off-two-avenues-for-new-arctic-drilling/


VEHICLES

Consumer Reports Pulls Its Recommendation on the Tesla Model S.
Consumer Reports pulled its recommendation to purchase the Tesla
Model S after owners of the luxury electric car reported a long
list of reliability issues to the magazine. Tesla shares plunged
9% following the announcement, made in Detroit at an Automotive
Press Association meeting.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/consumer-reports-pulls-its-recommendation-on-the-tesla-model-s-1445363667?mod=e2tw

GM partners with LG companies to develop Chevy Bolt EV. General
Motors Co. said Tuesday that it created a partnership with LG
Corp. to develop the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV, combining
expertise from the automaker and supplier to engineer several
components for the vehicle that goes into production next year.
The Detroit-based automaker called its relationship with LG
“unprecedented.”
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2015/10/20/gm-partners-lg-companies-develop-chevy-bolt-ev/74263840/


Even In 2007, As VW Designed Dirty Diesels, It Said Electric Cars
Were The Future. Many journalists tend to have pack-rat
tendencies, but sorting out old press kits, files, and magazines
can have unexpected rewards. So it was for auto writer John
Rettie, who recently uncovered an interesting tidbit in an issue
of Driver…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100539_even-in-2007-as-vw-designed-dirty-diesels-it-said-electric-cars-were-the-future


2016 Scion iA Review, Honda Solar Charging, VW On Electric Cars:
Today's Car News. Today, we drive the 2016 Scion iA subcompact
sedan, Honda tests solar-powered electric-car charging in the
Marshall Islands, and some digging reveals that Volkswagen
thought electric cars were the future, back in 2007.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100548_2016-scion-ia-review-honda-solar-charging-vw-on-electric-cars-todays-car-news


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Banks May Balk at Financing $68 Billion California Bullet Train.
California is counting on private companies to kick in as much as
$35.5 billion toward the most expensive public-works project in
U.S. history, a proposed high-speed rail line linking San
Francisco with Los Angeles. Banks and other contractors who’ve
studied the plan say not so fast.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-19/banks-may-balk-at-financing-68-billion-california-bullet-train


VW RECALL

Volkswagen Suspends Quality-Control Chief. Frank Tuch is the
fifth senior executive to be put on leave in connection with an
emissions cheating scandal. Volkswagen AG recently suspended its
chief quality-control official, Frank Tuch, the fifth senior
executive to be put on leave in connection with an emissions
cheating scandal, according to a person close to the company.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-suspends-quality-control-chief-1445345666

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/10/20/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-investigation-suspension/74262268/


States probe VW over emissions, look for settlement money. An
expanding investigation into Volkswagen's emissions-cheating
scandal launched by state attorneys general could last years and
will likely end in a negotiated settlement. Forty-five states and
D.C. have joined the review, investigating how VW was able to
game emissions tests to hide that its "Clean Diesel" cars emitted
smog-causing exhaust up to 40 times dirtier than the law allows.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/States-probe-VW-over-emissions-look-for-6578765.php


Two-thirds of Germans still trust Volkswagen after emissions
scandal. Polls shows 65% of respondents think the scandal has
been exaggerated, and 63% expect it to be forgotten in a year.
Two-thirds of Germans say they still trust Volkswagen despite the
emissions rigging scandal that has engulfed the carmaker,
according to a survey.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/20/two-thirds-of-germans-still-trust-volkswagen-after-emissions-scandal


GREEN ENERGY

Power line opponents give renewables their Keystone moment. Dave
Ulery was set to build his "forever home" on his family's 26-acre
property near the Ozark mountain foothills in Arkansas when a
knock on the door heralded trouble. The visitor represented Clean
Line Energy Partners LLC, a Texas company established to build
transmission lines for carrying wind and solar power.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/20/us-usa-climatechange-renewables-insight-idUSKCN0SE0BL20151020


Google’s newest renewable energy investment: Africa’s biggest
wind farm. Google has made a reputation for itself in recent
years as a major investor in renewable energy. And this morning,
the company announced its newest investment: a wind power project
in Kenya that, when completed, will be the continent’s biggest
wind farm.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/10/20/googles-newest-renewable-energy-investment-africas-biggest-wind-farm/


Energy minister 'open-minded' about UK solar subsidy cuts. Energy
minister Andrea Leadsom has told MPs she remains “open-minded”
about plans to slash subsidies for solar power in order to
protect consumer bills, but told MPs on Tuesday that “very
expensive” nuclear power stations were nonetheless “affordable
for customers”. Leadsom was questioned by MPs on the energy and
climate change (ECC)…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/20/energy-minister-open-minded-about-uk-solar-subsidy-cuts


Rubio targets environmental regs in energy plan. Sen. Marco Rubio
wants to overhaul and limit the way that environmental
regulations are written and give states more control over energy.
The Republican senator from Florida and presidential hopeful
largely targets environmental restrictions favored by the Obama
administration and Democrats in his energy plan released Friday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/257168-rubio-targets-environmental-regs-in-energy-plan


Renewable Energy Cuts Wholesale Cost Of Energy.  A new report has
concluded that renewable energy is cutting the wholesale price of
energy as well as decreasing the impact of subsidies on bill
payers. Specifically, wind and solar generators reduced the
wholesale cost of electricity by £1.55 billion in the UK in 2014.
In net terms, the cost of supporting wind and solar generation
technology in 2014 was only £1.12 billion…
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/10/20/renewable-energy-cuts-wholesale-cost-energy/


A renewable energy success story above the Arctic Circle. An
autumn rainstorm was moving across the Kotzebue Sound in late
September as Matt Bergan stopped by the power plant to check how
much renewable electricity was flowing into this northeastern
coastal community. Four miles outside town, 19 wind turbines were
spinning steadily in the breeze…
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060026559

OPINIONS

Will the Brown Administration’s War on Climate Change Doom the
State’s Logistics Industry? California Governor Edmund G. Brown,
Jr. has long had a tortuous relationship with state
transportation policy. The latest episode, involving his
administration’s proposals to sharply reduce the harmful air
emissions associated with the movement of goods is no exception.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2015/10/will-the-brown-administrations-war-on-climate-change-doom-the-states-logistics-industry/


California’s Diesel Rule Scam. The state imposes a rule based on
phony science on all U.S. truckers. The Environmental Protection
Agency and California Air Resources Board (CARB) are riding high
after exposing Volkswagen’s emission scam. But the
self-proclaimed guardians are running their own regulatory
racket. See their shakedown of Virginia-based trucker Estes
Express Lines.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-diesel-rule-scam-1445212223


Water desalination is here. But is it sustainable? In a very dry
state, turning to the sea as a source of water for drinking,
bathing and irrigation has its attractions. Desalination is
drought-proof — the ocean is one pond we can’t empty so quickly.
It’s more expensive, but the cost is relatively stable, and as
technology makes the process more efficient, those costs have
been trending downward.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/la-ol-desalination-20151019-story.html


Climate change isn't the cause of California's wildfires, but
it's still a major threat. To the editor: It's correct to call
out Gov. Jerry Brown for invoking climate change to explain this
year's wildfires if the science is not there to back it up.
("Gov. Brown's link between climate change and wildfires is
unsupported, fire experts say," Oct. 18) On the other hand,
there's nothing in his faux pas…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1020-tuesday-fires-climate-change-201501020-story.html


Valley Voice: Don't fall for CV Link's flowery promises. The Oct.
4 Valley Voice, "CV Link would be a boon for the valley," by
Sabby Jonathan is disingenuous at best. It is a boondoggle!
First, equating year-round athletic training with the YMCA's one
day health event is ridiculous.  I worked extensively with our
biking and hiking communities (the "bump and grind" trail, for
example)…
http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/2015/10/20/valley-voice-dont-fall-cv-links-flowery-promises/74271822/


Solar power in crisis: 'My panels generate enough power for two
loads of washing' Endless energy from the sun looked like a
long-term solution for running our homes. But now the state has
pulled the plug on the subsidies that made panels affordable for
many. What happens now? Sit back, relax, and read this story with
an untroubled conscience: it has been created on a laptop and
mobile phone powered entirely by the rays of the sun.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/20/solar-power-in-crisis-panels-generate-power-government-subsidy


Solar Power Expansion Could Pose Ecological Risks. Scientists are
concerned about threats to biological diversity. Solar power
development is big business in sunny California, fueled by low
solar panel prices and the drive to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions to tackle climate change.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/solar-power-expansion-could-pose-ecological-risks/

BLOGS

As Lightning Deaths Surge in India, Some Blame Global Warming.
Villagers squeezed into a tiny community hall in August to ask
visiting scientists to help fight a killer stalking their
families. Four people in this hamlet of 1,100 have been killed by
lightning strikes this year, in what locals say is a steadily
worsening toll of injuries and deaths.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/10/20/as-lightning-deaths-surge-in-india-some-blame-global-warming/


Europe Already Beat Its 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Target.
It's a "strong signal" that "Europe stands by its commitments and
that our climate and energy policies work," EU Climate
Commissioner said. The European Union, the world's No. 3
greenhouse gas polluter, says its emissions fell 4 percent last
year, meaning the 28-nation bloc has already surpassed its target
for 2020.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/europe-already-beat-its-2020-greenhouse-gas-emissions-target_56263c5ee4b0bce347021b8b


Is Your Car Affected By The Volkswagen Diesel Scandal? Check Your
VIN. We're one month into the Dieselgate fiasco, and there's no
relief in sight for Volkswagen owners. In fact, as more of the
automaker's offices are raided and plundered by investigators, we
wouldn't be surprised to see new and unpleasant revelations come
to light.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1100545_is-your-car-affected-by-the-volkswagen-diesel-scandal-check-your-vin






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

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