What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for November 13, 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

China's gray smog has a blue lining: Air improves this year.
Lawyer Wu Congsi has asthma and keeps air purifiers whirring away
in his office, home and car to counter Beijing's hazardous smog.
He prefers to stay inside unless the sky is blue. But this year,
he's been able to regularly walk the 15 minutes or so to work.
That's because of some good news that so far has gone little
noticed outside of China: The air in Beijing…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_AIR_GETTING_BETTER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Introducing the purple queen. They're called volatile organic
compounds or VOCs, that emanate from adhesives, solvents,
furnishings and even clothing in well insulated energy-efficient
homes. Chemicals used in manufacturing emit fumes that have so
affected indoor air quality that the World Health Organization
conducted a study to determine how to mitigate the problem.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/life/home-garden/maureen-gilmer/2015/11/13/introducing-purple-queen/75499796/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=


CLIMATE CHANGE

Al Gore hosting climate telethon from Paris' Eiffel Tower. Former
U.S. Vice President Al Gore is hosting a 24-hour live webcast
from the foot of the Eiffel Tower to drum up attention for this
month's international climate summit in Paris. Gore, who helped
negotiate the 1997 climate treaty that failed to control global
warming, will host the round-the-clock event that includes
musical performances by Elton John…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_AL_GORE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


French activists 'reclaim' chairs to protest climate change.
French climate activists have carried out an unusual bank heist,
stealing chairs from two bank branches in a protest linked with
the upcoming Paris talks on fighting global warming. The group
says Thursday it will use the chairs to organize a "citizens'
summit" on social and environmental issues during the COP 21
climate negotiations…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_CLIMATE_PROTEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Farmer sues Pakistan's government to demand action on climate
change.  Asghar Leghari had had enough. The farmer was tired of
watching his family fight against the unpredictable weather that
threatened their crops in Rahim Yar Khan District, in Pakistan's
South Punjab region.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/13/pakistan-climatechange-lawsuit-idUSL8N1383YJ20151113#Q5KlQBBp20HgQpku.99


The Secrets in Greenland’s Ice Sheets. By studying the largest
glaciers on earth, scientists hope to determine whether we’ll
have time to respond to climate change or whether it’s already
too late. At one point several hundred thousand years ago, snow
began falling over the center of the earth’s largest island. The
snow did not melt, and in the years that followed, storms brought
even more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/magazine/the-secrets-in-greenlands-ice-sheets.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/11/12/greenland-glacier-melting-global-warming-climate-change/75661092/


U.S. forests will lose ability to sequester CO2 – study. Forests
in the United States are projected to lose their ability to
absorb the nation's carbon dioxide emissions over the next 25
years, which would force the country to pursue deeper emissions
cuts in other sectors to achieve its climate change goals,
according to a study published yesterday by two Forest Service
scientists.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/11/13/stories/1060027976 

DROUGHT

How the drought is forging a new California. A dust devil makes
its way across hot land made white from dried minerals as a
result of the natural lake-bottom buildup and evaporation process
April 10, 2015 near Kings County, Calif. The land is situated in
part of the San Joaquin Valley that used to contain the Tulare
Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the western half of the
continental United States. The lake was dried up by the year 1900
due to emerging agriculture in the region.
http://www.theterranews.com/content/?p=84374 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

A Fullerton startup retrofits old locomotives to reduce their
emissions. The locomotive that arrived at the Anaheim rail yard
earlier this year, a workhorse of North Carolina’s passenger rail
service, has seen better days. Its green paint is smeared with
soot. Its enormous diesel fuel tank is coated with grime from
feeding the 3,000-horsepower…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/emissions-691886-locomotives-rail.html


FUELS

The Hottest Energy Trade: A Ride Aboard the Colonial Pipeline.
Energy companies and trading firms are scrambling for space on
the nation’s biggest refined-fuel pipeline. Energy companies and
trading firms are scrambling for space on the nation’s biggest
refined-fuel pipeline, as U.S. infrastructure fails to keep pace
with the oil boom. The Colonial Pipeline, which covers 5,500
miles stretching from…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottest-energy-trade-a-ride-aboard-the-colonial-pipeline-1447374586

Ryder to Fuel Fleets with 100% Renewable Natural Gas in
California. Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) and Clean Energy Fuels
Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE), today announced an agreement for Ryder to
take the bold step in switching the fuel at their stations in
Orange and Fontana, Ca. to Clean Energy’s Redeem™ renewable
natural gas (RNG), the cleanest fuel commercially available
today.
http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2015/11/ryder-to-fuel-fleets-with-100-renewable-natural-gas-in-cali.html


Beyond what #Exxonknew, refineries face flooding dangers.  Exxon
Mobil Corp., the giant oil producer that's drawn outrage and a
legal investigation for its handling of internal climate change
research, may have a lot to lose from a warming planet, at least
according to one measure. Two of Exxon's biggest refineries, in
Beaumont and Baytown, Texas, are in low-lying areas…
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060027921 

VEHICLES

Merkel Complained in 2010 About California Emissions Rules.
German leader told officials that strict nitrogen-oxide limits
were hurting car makers German Chancellor Angela Merkel
intervened on behalf of German auto makers with California
environment authorities about the state’s tough emissions rules,
saying they were hurting German manufacturers, according to a
spokesman for California’s environment agency. 
http://www.wsj.com/articles/merkel-complained-in-2010-about-california-emissions-rules-1447349303


2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid coming to market with
EPA-estimated 27-mile electric range; starts at $34,600. The 2016
Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is arriving
in select dealerships in 10 states this week with an
EPA-estimated 27-mile (43.5-kilometer) All-Electric Range (AER).
At the Sonata PHEV’s launch in January, Hyundai had estimated a
22-mile AER (earlier post), which it later bumped up to around 24
miles (earlier post).
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/11/20151113-sonataphev.html


VW RECALL

Volkswagen brand sales dip in wake of scandal. Volkswagen's
flagship brand saw global auto sales fall 5.3 percent in October
in the wake of a scandal over cars equipped with software that
let them cheat on U.S. diesel emissions tests. It appeared that
economic downturns in Brazil and Russia caused as much or more
damage than the scandal to the month's figures.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN_SALES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-13/vw-brand-deliveries-decline-in-october-amid-emissions-scandal
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFF9N13401520151113
 http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-sales-fall-in-october-amid-emissions-scandal-1447426173?alg=y
 
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/11/13/volkswagen-global-sales-dip-53-percent-in-oct-after-scandal


Brazil fines Volkswagen $13 million over emissions scheme. The
Brazilian government says its environmental protection agency has
fined Volkswagen $13 million over the German automaker's
emissions cheating scheme. Brazil's Ibama environmental agency
also is requiring Volkswagen to present a plan for recalling
vehicles sold here that contain software that turns on pollution…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_BRAZIL_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


EPA Will Add On-Road Testing For Emissions Compliance. In the
wake of the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will expand on-road
emissions testing to all diesel vehicles. The agency currently
conducts only a handful of on-road tests of new vehicles each
year, to confirm laboratory results. 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100950_epa-will-add-on-road-testing-for-emissions-compliance


GREEN ENERGY

Enel sticks to guidance ahead of green merger. Italy's biggest
utility, Enel (ENEI.MI), posted a 12 percent rise in core
earnings for the third quarter on Friday and beat forecasts, as
it prepares to merge with renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green
Power (EGPW.MI).
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/13/us-enel-results-idUSKCN0T21H220151113#Xb8m0vF2H7wd1kFf.99


Clean-energy lender Renovate America tops $1 billion in loans. A
leading clean-energy lender has topped $1 billion in loans for
home improvements — a milestone for the San Diego company as well
as a once-foundering government program to encourage projects
that reduce electricity or water use. Renovate America got into
the business in 2011 as the Property Assessed Clean Energy
financing program…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar-renovate-america-20151113-story.html


Indian Railways To Issue Green Bonds. One of the world’s largest
rail networks is planning to raise funding through green bonds to
finance development of renewable energy infrastructure. Indian
Railways is expected to issue its first green bonds to finance
project development in accordance with the capacity addition
targets announced this year.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/11/13/indian-railways-issue-green-bonds/


How solar is turning American energy on its head. It's early
days, but solar power is beginning to show how it could recast
the entire American power grid. Some power companies are worried.
But in Vermont, they're giddy with excitement. At first glance,
Baxter Street seems an unlikely place for an energy revolution.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1112/How-solar-is-turning-American-energy-on-its-head


MISCELLANEOUS

Expanded budget for turf replacement rebates nearly spent, Santa
Clara Valley Water. The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board
of Directors has kicked in an extra $4.6 million for its popular
landscape conversion rebate program. Despite approving the
expenditure on Oct. 27, there has been so much interest in the
program that the expanded budget of $22.8 million is nearly spent
for the year…
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20151113/expanded-budget-for-turf-replacement-rebates-nearly-spent-santa-clara-valley-water-district-says


OPINIONS

How to Respond to Climate Change. To the Editor: Re “Tough
Realities of the Climate Talks,” by Steven E. Koonin (Op-Ed, Nov.
4): The first rule in managing any crisis is: If you find
yourself in a hole, stop digging. In order to manage climate
change, we have to reduce its primary cause, the greenhouse gas
emissions that are making the problem worse by the day.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/opinion/how-to-respond-to-climate-change.html?_r=0


Thanks to climate change, the future looks awfully warm – and
very itchy. In the midst of dire headlines and global horror,
sometimes the greatest, most devastating terror strikes you right
in your home, right in your bedroom, in the middle of the night. 
I was awoken the other night by an unpleasant itch on the bridge
of my nose. In my dizzy half-consciousness…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/13/thanks-to-climate-change-the-future-looks-awfully-warm-and-very-itchy
 

Melting glacier? Yawn. Climate change is boring, worthy – and
terrifying. It’s the existential threat to our species, and it
bores us to tears. Admit it. You think the consequences of
human-driven climate change are terrifying, but it seems too
abstract, too technical and too long term. A recent poll in the
US found that, while most Americans accepted that the climate was
indeed changing…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/13/climate-change-melting-greenland-glacier-warning
 

Turning up the heat on Amber Rudd over renewable energy. Amber
Rudd admits the UK doesn’t have the right policies to meet the
UK’s renewable energy targets (Rudd criticised after leak reveals
renewables failure, 10 November), but she is clutching at straws
to try to transfer the burden on to transport and renewable heat,
while sacrificing a popular grassroots movement that could bring
about a real transition to a low-carbon economy…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/12/turning-up-the-heat-on-amber-rudd-over-renewable-energy

BLOGS

TJ Cox: Clean air is good for business, not just health. “Yuck”
was the immediate reply from my off-at-college daughter after I
recently texted her a picture of Fresno’s air quality. Yuck is
right. Her response made me reflect on a Fresno Bee opinion piece
by several members of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District Board about the Environmental Protection
Agency’s recent proposal to establish more…
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article44265252.html#storylink=cpy




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