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ARB Newsclips for December 18, 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

Canada is selling its clean air to China. The air in China's
major cities, as has been well documented, is atrocious. Last
month, the smog choking parts of the country was so thick that
the situation got widely described as having reached "doomsday"
levels. On Friday, authorities in Beijing issued the second-ever
"red alert," warning of hazardous smog descending on the city
over the next few days.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/12/18/canada-is-selling-its-clean-air-to-china/

http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article50439155.html


China Warns of Widespread Smog, Beijing Issues Second 'Red
Alert'. China warned residents across a large part of its north
on Friday to prepare for a wave of choking smog arriving over the
weekend, the worst of which is expected over Beijing, prompting
the capital to issue its second ever "red alert".
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/12/18/world/asia/18reuters-china-pollution.html


Beijing's 'red alert' smog warning closes schools, limits
driving. Beijing issued its second-ever “red alert” for smog
Friday morning, triggering school closures and driving
restrictions across the city. Beijing residents were less than
thrilled – many questioned the government’s commitment to
fighting air pollution, and the effectiveness…
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-beijing-red-alert-smog-warning-20151218-story.html


Court narrows state's environmental review law. The California
Supreme Court on Thursday limited the scope of the state's
environmental review law, saying public agencies generally don't
have to evaluate the impact of air pollution and other existing
environmental problems on residents of a proposed development.
But the court created an exception in cases where the development
could exacerbate existing environmental hazards.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/environmental-355405-ocprint-air-court.html


Is China cracking down on pollution violators?  Worsening air
conditions in China have lead to heightened public frustrations
with pollution, causing the government to confront companies
believed to be lying about their emissions data. Chinese police
have detained 10 company officials Thursday for lying about their
pollution data, the environment ministry reports.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1217/Is-China-cracking-down-on-pollution-violators


CLIMATE CHANGE

Why Paris could mark the beginning of the end for global warming
denial.  After 195 countries agreed in Paris Dec. 12 to a
sweeping agreement to try to bring global warming under control,
there has been much analysis of what this means for the future of
energy. But there are reasons to think that it also may have a
surprising impact on the future of politics, even in the U.S. …
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/12/18/why-paris-could-mark-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-global-warming-denial/


San Diego adopts an ambitious, and legally binding, plan to cut
emissions. Raising the bar for municipalities across the country,
San Diego has adopted one of the nation's most ambitious plans to
cut carbon emissions. And in one aspect, the city's document goes
further than the historic climate change deal forged Sunday by
world leaders gathered in Paris: It creates legally binding
mandates for reducing levels of greenhouse gases.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-sd-climate-20151218-story.html


Study: Lake Tahoe Warming Due To Climate Change. Lake Tahoe is
among hundreds of lakes worldwide that researchers say are
warming due to climate change. The study funded by NASA and the
National Science Foundation was presented this week at the
American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. The study
used 25 years of satellite and on-scene measurements of…
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/12/18/study-lake-tahoe-warming-due-to-climate-change/

http://www.modbee.com/news/state/article50444880.html

Ireland plans to wipe out 95 per cent of carbon emissions.
Ireland unveils bold plan to revolutionize energy systems and
radically slash emissions by 2050. Ireland has revealed an
ambitious new plan to eliminate fossil fuels from its energy
system by the end of the century, in a move the country's Energy
Minister Alex White said would transform the country's attitude
to energy use.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2439698/ireland-plans-to-wipe-out-95-per-cent-of-carbon-emissions


Agency turns over subpoenaed climate documents. Federal officials
are turning over scores of emails and documents related to
climate science research in response to a subpoena from a House
committee. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) official said Thursday that the agency provided about 100
documents to the House Science Committee this week.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/263623-noaa-turns-over-subpoenaed-climate-documents-to-house-committee


DROUGHT

Scarred Riverbeds and Dead Pistachio Trees in a Parched Iran. The
early-morning sun meagerly brightened the gloom of this sad
township, a collection of empty, crumbling houses along a highway
through the dusty desert landscape in southeastern Iran. Until a
decade or so ago, Amin Shoul would come here every year to help
his father harvest pistachios, the nuts that are as much a symbol
of Iran as caviar.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/19/world/middleeast/scarred-riverbeds-and-dead-pistachio-trees-in-a-parched-iran.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0


Ballyhooed Calif. plant's launch sparks desalination debate.  At
the dedication of the desalination plant here this week,
lawmakers heralded the $1 billion facility as a turning point for
drought-ravaged California. The Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad
Desalination Plant makes ocean water drinkable and pipes 50
million gallons a day into San Diego.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029657 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Judges rebuff EPA's 'transparent sleight of hand' in diesel case.
Federal judges in Washington, D.C., ruled today that their court
shouldn't be the one to hear challenges to a California air
pollution rule, sharply rejecting the Obama administration's
arguments.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029774 

FUELS

Hydrogen from biomethane; gasoline & diesel from tree residue;
cellulosic ethanol among new proposed California LCFS fuel
pathways. California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff posted 32
new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) fuel pathway applications for
comments at the LCFS website. Among the multiple applications for
different processing pathways of corn or sorghum ethanol are four
pathways from LytEn for hydrogen produced from biomethane…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/12/hydrogen-from-biomethane-gasoline-diesel-from-tree-residue-cellulosic-ethanol-among-new-proposed-cal.html


VEHICLES

Saab successor makes EV deal with Chinese company. National
Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (Nevs), the electric vehicle company
that succeeded Swedish automaker Saab, announced that it has
entered into a collaboration with Chinese leasing company Panda
New Energy Co. to supply 150,000 sedan vehicles in a deal that is
pegged at 78 billion yuan ($12 billion).
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029719 

VW RECALL

Volkswagen creates U.S. diesel emissions claims program.
Volkswagen of America said on Thursday it is creating an
independent claims program for the owners of nearly 600,000
diesel vehicles that emit up to 40 times legally allowable
emissions. The German automaker said it was naming compensation
expert Ken Feinberg, who administered compensation funds for the
Sept. 11, 2001 attacks…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-idUSKBN0U02QW20151218

Don’t fine Volkswagen; make it go electric, clean tech types say.
Rather than forcing Volkswagen to fix its polluting diesel cars
in California, state officials should require the company to
speed up its release of electric vehicles instead, a group of
clean-tech investors and executives argued Thursday. The group,
which includes Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, also wants…
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Don-t-fine-Volkswagen-make-it-go-electric-6705670.php


Volkswagen Taps Kenneth Feinberg for Emissions-Crisis Claims
Program. Attorney ran compensation programs linked to GM ignition
switch, BP oil spill. Volkswagen AG tapped victims-compensation
expert Kenneth Feinberg to run a program addressing U.S. owners’
claims linked to the German auto giant’s tainted diesel-powered
vehicles.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029719 

VW Names Kenneth Feinberg to Oversee Fund for Claims on Emissions
Deception. Volkswagen has hired Kenneth R. Feinberg, a prominent
specialist in compensation funds, to devise and administer a
program to address claims related to vehicles that have been
affected by the company’s admitted use of deceptive software to
cheat on emissions tests.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/business/ken-feinberg-vw-lawsuit-compensation-fund.html


Elon Musk, others urge dropping fixes as penalty in VW scandal. 
A group of corporate and environmental executives yesterday urged
California's Air Resources Board to steer away from making
Volkswagen Group fix cars as part of its emissions cheating
scandal. The alliance of 45 people, which included Tesla Motors
CEO Elon Musk, told the Air Resources Board (ARB)…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029750 
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/california-could-forgive-volkswagen-after-the-dieselgate-scandal-103086.html


Musk On VW, Ford F-150 Hybrid, 2015 Mercedes S550e Driven:
Today's Car News. Today, Tesla CEO Elon Musk signs a proposal to
force Volkswagen to develop zero-emission vehicles as penance for
its diesel cheating, a Ford F-150 hybrid is reconfirmed by the
company's CEO, and we drive the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550e plug-in
hybrid. 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101489_musk-on-vw-ford-f-150-hybrid-2015-mercedes-s550e-driven-todays-car-news


VW hires lawyer to handle claims tied to emissions scandal.
Volkswagen has hired Kenneth Feinberg -- a high-profile lawyer
who has worked on some of the biggest national cases in the
United States in the past 15 years -- to create and manage a
program to address claims related to the car company's emissions
violation scandal.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029731 

GREEN ENERGY

Britain slashes renewable funding.  A week after a landmark
climate deal was signed in Paris, Britain slashed renewable
energy subsidies, raising questions about its commitment to
greenhouse gas emissions cuts. Since a Conservative government
came to power in May, it has been curbing spending on all
renewable subsidies…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/18/stories/1060029716

On the cusp of a boom, 'soft costs' pose a challenge for solar.
Solar energy is surging in the United States, but the biggest
boost isn't coming from better hardware. Instead, innovative
business models and cutting red tape are the seeds that need to
be planted for the solar energy sector to bloom. The technology
behind solar power continues to ramp up in performance and drop
in price. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060029745 

MISCELLANEOUS

What California stands to gain from Congress' budget deal. The
sweeping budget deal — a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill —
tackles a number of policy areas, including making some $650
billion in tax breaks permanent, adopting new cybersecurity rules
and repealing a decades-old ban on crude oil exports. These types
of year-end bills are loaded with spending in just about every
area of government, and are sometimes referred to as “Christmas
trees.”
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-omnibus-spending-bill-california-20151218-htmlstory.html


OPINIONS

Letter: Climate change is political power play. Maurice Strong
(founder of the World Meteorological Organization): “Isn’t the
only hope for the planet that the industrialized nations
collapse? Isn’t it our obligation to bring that about?” United
Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres stated that the aim of
the Paris talks is “to change the economic development model that
has been reigning...since the Industrial Revolution.”
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article49904220.html#storylink=cpy


A Bottom-Up Approach to Clean Energy. Climate change has proven
to be a tough issue on which to make progress both domestically
and internationally. Last week's Paris agreement provides a
foundation for action to bring down the level of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere and to spur a transition toward a clean energy
future. It doesn't specify every detail of what needs to be done
in the next several decades…
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-paris-climate-agreement-a-good-strategy/a-bottom-up-approach-to-clean-energy


Is the Paris Climate Agreement a Good Strategy? This week, 195
nations came together in Paris and adopted a global agreement to
combat climate change. The accord aims to keep global warming
below 2 degree Celsius, with nations pledging to gradually reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, among other goals.
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-paris-climate-agreement-a-good-strategy?offset=20


An Agreement to Prop Up the Climate Industry. The question before
us is straightforward: Is the Paris climate agreement to limit
greenhouse gas emissions a good strategy? A strategy, of course,
is a set of tools used to achieve some goal. It is not the goal
itself. Accordingly, we must ask: What is the goal? If it is some
unspecified reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions intended
to moderate …
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-paris-climate-agreement-a-good-strategy/an-agreement-to-prop-up-the-climate-industry


A Huge Step Forward on Climate Change. The short answer is that
the Paris climate agreement is a huge step in the right
direction. And it is historic, for a few simple reasons. First of
all, the Paris agreement is ambitious. Countries are now
committed to action to limit global warming to well below 2
degrees Celsius and to make efforts to limit the increase to 1.5
degrees.
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-paris-climate-agreement-a-good-strategy/a-huge-step-forward-on-climate-change

An Important, but Imperfect, Agreement by an Unprecedented
Coalition. The climate change agreement negotiated last week in
Paris is an important milestone. It's not perfect, and it doesn't
automatically put us on a path to success. But it's a critical
step forward. International agreements can do certain things.
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-paris-climate-agreement-a-good-strategy/an-important-but-imperfect-agreement-by-an-unprecedented-coalition


Haunted by Waters. You stand in the mist and roar of Snoqualmie
Falls, more than 100 feet higher than Niagara, and feel the
liquid power of the Cascade Mountains crashing down. It’s been
raining, seemingly nonstop, for at least a month in the Pacific
Northwest, and this is the payoff. Hope is 4,000 cubic feet of
water per second, going off a cliff.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/opinion/haunted-by-waters.html


Elon Musk Wants California To Forgive Volkswagen For Dieselgate
(But There's A Very Big Catch). The ongoing Dieselgate scandal
has thrown Volkswagen into an administrative, public relations,
and financial crisis.  But while many residents of Planet Earth
seem eager to shove Volkswagen under the bus, the automaker
received a vote of support from 45 entrepreneurs and investors…
http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1101488_elon-musk-wants-california-to-forgive-volkswagen-for-dieselgate-but-theres-a-very-big-catch


BLOGS

Fuzzy Math? China Detains 10, Alleging Pollution Fraud. Chinese
authorities have uncovered eight cases of pollution-data fraud —
one involving a Coca-Cola plant — and are punishing 10 people for
alleged wrongdoing. The announcement by the Ministry of
Environmental Protection comes as China attempts to clean up its
pollution problem, caused by decades of breakneck industrial
growth and a lack of environmental oversight.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/12/18/fuzzy-math-china-detains-10-alleging-pollution-fraud/


A Weapon Against Climate Change May Be Right Under Our Feet.
Healthy soil may play a huge role in mitigating global warming
and helping us adapt to it. Scientists battling to slow climate
change and cope with its effects are harnessing an overlooked,
yet potentially powerful partner -- one that happens to be right
beneath our feet. Soil, they say, is critical to reducing the
buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, where it traps heat
and warms the planet.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/soil-climate-change_567217e3e4b0648fe3023ad0





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