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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 21, 2015.
Posted: 21 Dec 2015 12:48:05
ARB Newsclips for December 21, 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 Iran closes capital's schools due to air pollution. High air pollution has forced Iranian authorities to close all schools and kindergartens in the capital for two days beginning Sunday, saying the pollution had reached dangerous levels. Iranian state television said on Saturday that a government committee had ordered the schools' closure because of the "polluted and unhealthy" weather. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAN_AIR_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/12/20/world/middleeast/ap-ml-iran-air-pollution.html Porter Ranch gas leak dampens local businesses. It’s a Sunday afternoon and the NFL season is in high gear. But Wines of the World in Porter Ranch, a popular spot for locals to pick up football party supplies, is quiet. No customers are dropping by. A pall has settled over the tony North San Fernando Valley community as a massive leak… http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20151220/porter-ranch-gas-leak-dampens-local-businesses?source=most_viewed CLIMATE CHANGE Obama vetoes anti-climate change measures passed by Congress. President Barack Obama has vetoed two measures that would have blocked steps that his administration is taking to address climate change. One would have nullified carbon pollution standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The second would have voided a set of national standards designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas pollution from existing power plants. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015-12-19/obama-vetoes-anti-climate-change-measures-passed-by-congress To Achieve Paris Climate Goals, U.S. Will Need New Laws. The climate agreement reached in Paris last weekend has been hailed as a landmark in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it could well turn out to be one. But the accord’s lofty goals won’t be achieved without large corporations making big changes. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/business/energy-environment/to-achieve-paris-climate-goals-us-will-need-new-laws.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=1 Republicans grope for way to kill Paris climate agreement. Republicans are running out of ways to undermine the Obama administration's commitments as part of the Paris climate agreement. GOP lawmakers acknowledge that they won't get a vote on the international accord, which they vehemently oppose. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/263780-gop-gropes-for-way-to-kill-paris-climate-deal Climate change warming world's lakes at alarming rate. Many lakes, especially in the cold regions, lose winter ice faster, while others are no more blanketed by clouds, thus, being directly exposed to solar heat. A recent large-scale study sampled over 200 lakes from all continents to help bring the point home: world's lakes are warming faster than the oceans or surface temperature due to climate change. http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2015/12/21/climate-change-warming-worlds-lakes-at-alarming-rate/ Carbon capture projects get $160M federal infusion. The omnibus spending bill that Congress approved last week directs $160 million to boost demonstration projects aimed at commercializing technology to capture and reuse carbon emissions from power plants -- the most prominent of which is the now-$6.5 billion Kemper County Energy Facility in Mississippi. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/12/21/stories/1060029815 DROUGHT California Wants to Store Water for Farmers, but Struggles Over How to Do It. Californians suffering through the fourth year of a punishing drought have a new worry. With fierce storms predicted for the winter, they are bracing for floods by stockpiling sandbags and rushing to buy insurance. Yet those who need water the most, farmers, are in a poor position to take advantage of any deluge. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/science/california-wants-to-store-water-for-farmers-but-struggles-over-how-to-do-it.html California regulators to propose water conservation changes. State regulators say they're proposing changes to water conservation requirements as they anticipate a possible fifth year of drought. The State Water Resources Control Board this week is expected to release the draft changes to the mandate that requires communities statewide to conserve by 25 percent. California is in its driest four-year span on record. http://www.insidebayarea.com/california/ci_29292136/california-regulators-propose-water-conservation-changes Drought dries up livelihoods for farm workers. California's ongoing drought is also drying up livelihoods for the state's thousands of agricultural workers. "The drought has all of California's attention," said Maria Echaveste, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/21/stories/1060029839 FUELS Survey: Gas prices still falling as crude oil costs nosedive. The price of gasoline nationwide keeps dropping. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that the average price of regular gas fell 4 cents in the past two weeks, to $2.06 per gallon. That’s the lowest price since April 2009. But the price-tracking website GasBuddy.com says the average has dropped to $1.99 per gallon… https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/survey-gas-prices-still-falling-as-crude-oil-costs-nosedive/2015/12/20/1bbe1aba-a77c-11e5-b596-113f59ee069a_story.html Oil Prices Slump to 11-Year Lows in Asia and Europe. Oil prices hit 11-year lows in Asia and Europe on Monday, as a glut of crude on world markets and the recent global climate accord continue to depress fossil-fuel prices. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, was trading at $36.50 per barrel in late European trading. Analysts say there is little to restrain continued price declines in the near term. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/business/energy-environment/oil-prices-opec.html Survey: California gas prices still falling as crude oil costs nosedive. The price of gasoline nationwide keeps dropping. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that the average price of regular gas fell 4 cents in the past two weeks, to $2.06 per gallon. That's the lowest price since April 2009. http://www.insidebayarea.com/traffic/ci_29292152/survey-california-gas-prices-still-falling-crude-oil VEHICLES US regulators slap BMW with $40M fine for safety violations. U.S. safety regulators have slapped German automaker BMW AG with a $40 million penalty for moving too slowly to fix Mini brand cars that failed federal crash tests. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Monday BMW failed to send the agency accurate recall information. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article50894720.html#storylink=cpy Electric cars await jump-start in New Jersey. Ask Art Vatsky about his electric car, and he'll tell you about his smooth, quiet commute from Teaneck to the Bronx, the $100 he saves each month bypassing the gas pumps and everything about its engine. But he'll also tell you about its drawbacks: the limited range and lack of charging stations in New Jersey and elsewhere. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article50648145.html#storylink=cpy India’s first Electric Vehicle Expo to be held in Delhi. The country’s first ever Electric Vehicle Expo is set to be inaugurated by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways on December 24, 2015. The Expo comes at a time when the country is looking at a paradigm shift in the way city residents commute in order to bring down dangerous levels of pollution. http://overdrive.in/news/indias-first-electric-vehicle-expo-to-be-held-in-delhi/ VW RECALL Volkswagen Considers Rotation of Key Executives. Car maker undergoing massive management restructuring in the wake of emissions crisis. Volkswagen AG is considering implementing a mandatory rotation of key executives in its engine-development groups across the company’s main brands, another indication that the car maker is growing certain that a culture of tolerance… http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-considers-rotation-of-key-executives-1450628225?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f Volkswagen hires compensation expert to handle 'Dieselgate' claims. Volkswagen is bringing in an expert to handle the claims process in relation to the emissions-cheating scandal that broke earlier this year. More than 500 lawsuits from owners of the affected cars have been filed against Volkswagen after news broke that the German automaker had been installing software to cheat emissions testing. http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/vw-hires-compensation-expert-handle-dieselgate-claims-article-1.2472602 VW Gets More Time To Figure Out TDI Diesel Emission Update. It's been just over three months since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first revealed that Volkswagen diesel cars were equipped with "defeat device" software that allowed them to cheat emissions tests. But U.S. owners of the 482,000 2009 through 2015 models equipped with EA189 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101500_vw-gets-more-time-to-figure-out-tdi-diesel-emission-update GREEN ENERGY Wind Power Continues Steady Growth Across The U.S. The U.S. wind power industry is celebrating after reaching a new milestone in November: 70 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity. "That's enough to power about 19 million homes," says Michael Goggin, senior director of research at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=460527376 Experts predict renewable investment boom as Congress renews tax credits. The U.S. solar and wind power industries will mark the holidays with heightened spirits after receiving multiyear extensions of their coveted renewable energy tax credits from a divided Congress. On Friday, the House and Senate agreed by significant margins to grant extensions to the 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC)… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/21/stories/1060029809 Climate change scientists exchange verbal punches over all-renewable energy solution. A fault line developed in the climate science community last week, as outspoken climate scientist Naomi Oreskes called James Hansen, the former NASA scientist and climate change activist, a "climate denier." At the epicenter of the disagreement is energy policy. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/21/stories/1060029818 MISCELLANEOUS California lieutenant governor orders environmental review of nuclear plant. California's lieutenant governor on Friday directed the State Lands Commission to draw up a plan for a thorough environmental review of PG&E's Diablo Canyon power plant, the state's last operational nuclear power plant. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-nuclearpower-lease-idUSKBN0U201T20151219 OPINIONS Britain's long transition from coal holds lessons for China: Kemp. Britain’s last deep coal mine closed on Friday, bringing the curtain down on an industry that once employed more than 1 million miners at over 3,000 collieries. Coal helped Britain become the first modern industrial power, fuelling her factories, steel works, ships and railways in the 19th century, when the country became famous as the workshop of the world (“Energy transitions”, Smil, 2010). http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-coal-kemp-idUSKBN0U405J20151221 Businessman touts electric bikes used in Europe, China [The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)]. Take a quick glance at the bicycles on display at Adam Solar Rides in Bridgeville, and they look like ordinary two-wheelers. They're not. The bikes, it turns out, are electric bikes (also known as e-bikes), which are booming in popularity in Europe and China, where they're held in high regard for their low impact on the environment. http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201512211247KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_52930_27129-1 Pollution and climate change. The most immediate threat to the earth is not climate change, but the destruction of the ecosystem. Economic growth has not only caused environmental disasters through mining and deforestation. It has also fueled an exponential increase in the amount of waste and effluent that are poisoning the soil and rapidly killing the oceans, mother of all lives. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/letters-to-the-editor.html The ideological causes of smog. Re “Beijing issues a second ‘red alert’ on pollution” (Dec. 17): The article reminds me of the first time I went to that city 51 years ago. Back then the students in my institute used “Dickensian fog” and “London smog” as a metaphor for the awful conditions created by capitalism. Now that London has relatively clean air (but is still capitalist)… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/letters-to-the-editor.html Close SoCalGas' facility in Aliso Canyon – eventually. As the natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon continues into its 10th week, its deleterious effects keep growing. Some 1,700 families in nearby Porter Ranch, sickened by the smell, have been moved away to temporary housing, and 1,000 households more have applied for relocation. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-adv-porter-ranch-gas-leak-20151219-story.html There is a downside to cheap oil. Really. Oil prices have fallen dramatically to the mid-$30s on the New York Mercantile Exchange from more than $105 per barrel in 2014. Such extraordinarily low prices are affecting global stock markets, big oil exporters and consumers worldwide. How can we explain this crash and where are oil prices headed? http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1221-yetiv-oil-price-explainer-20151221-story.html Don't let terrorism take away our focus from climate change. To the editor: Your fine articles on the Paris climate-change deal reported the successes and also the very serious shortcomings of the conference on global warming. ("Climate change activists are just warming up," Dec. 15). http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1219-saturday-climate-change-terrorism-20151219-story.html Four ways to gear up on climate change. This state is a national model for environmental action. But anyone who drives during rush hour knows that Californians are a long way from the finish line on climate change. Californians drive 330 billion miles per year, the vast majority on gasoline and diesel engines whose exhaust generates about 40 percent of the state’s contribution to global warming. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article50538305.html#storylink=cpy They'll always have Paris, but not much else. The hope of Jerry Brown and his predecessor as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, that the U.N.’s Paris Climate Summit, which they attended, actually would achieve something always was illusory. It’s part of the hope from Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which promised a California dream of not only… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/summit-696708-california-paris.html Letters: Practice what you preach on climate. Re: “Rally urges action on climate change” [Irvine World News, Dec. 3]: One hundred “activists” drove their automobiles to the Irvine Spectrum Center to “combat climate change.” Said Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen, “Corporations seeking more profit are destroying the environment all across the globe.” http://www.ocregister.com/articles/news-696736-climate-hair.html BLOGS Quoted: Should Volkswagen ‘cure the air, not the cars’? “A giant sum of money thus will be wasted in attempting to fix cars that cannot all be fixed, and where the fix may be worse than the problem if the cars are crushed well before the end of their useful lives.” — from a letter to the California Air Resources Board last week signed by Elon Musk, Jeff Skoll and others, urging the agency to “show leadership”… http://www.siliconbeat.com/2015/12/21/quoted-303/ ExxonMobil, Peabody Coal Lobbying for Bill Preventing Climate Change Accounting in US Trade Deals. The day before global leaders and diplomats passed a climate change deal in Paris at the United Nations climate summit, the U.S. House of Representatives -- in a 256-158 vote -- authorized the final text of a bill that has a provision preventing climate change to be accounted for in all U.S. trade deals going forward. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-horn/exxonmobil-peabody-coal-l_b_8851220.html Limiting Global Warming Will be Hard, But Hardly Impossible. COP 21's ambitious goals are a call to overcoming the lack of imagination and entrenched groupthink that keep us from seeing and seizing the opportunities at hand. or decades, researchers have been sounding the alarm on climate change: it’s happening, we’re causing it, it’s bad. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/limiting-global-warming-will-be-hard-but-hardly-impossible/ The Art of a Climate Deal. The Paris conference on climate change was quite the cliffhanger. Even till the last minute, we were left wondering: Will Paris be another Copenhagen, where, famously, the deal had unravelled? Officials worked late into the wee hours, well past the official deadline, to cobble together a document on which 196 nations could put their signatures. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bhaskar-chakravorti/the-art-of-a-climate-deal_b_8853584.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.