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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 11, 2016
Posted: 11 Jan 2016 13:51:29
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 Air quality flag hopes to bring awareness to Imperial. Air pollution has become a huge topic in today’s society. The Imperial Valley has some of the worst air quality and many residents do not know about it. According to Respira Sano, an asthma education group, “Approximately 23,000 children and adults have been diagnosed with asthma.” http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/air-quality-flag-hopes-to-bring-awareness-to-imperial/article_c0e10d50-b7f2-11e5-ab80-1f2076017ac2.html ALISO CANYON California Residents Fear Long-Term Impact of Gas Leak. When Robyn Shapiro’s 18-month-old son started suffering from nosebleeds last fall, she knew it was time to leave her home in Porter Ranch, the Los Angeles neighborhood where thousands of residents say they have been sickened by a massive natural gas leak. Shapiro, 43, moved her family 15 miles away in early December and said her son’s health quickly improved. http://time.com/4173516/california-gas-leak-resident-reaction/ Porter Ranch residents demand that Aliso Canyon gas facility be shut down. Hundreds of San Fernando Valley residents crowded into a high school gymnasium Saturday to express outrage over a gas leak that has sickened and displaced thousands from the Porter Ranch area. “You need to shut it down. It’s killing us,” Maureen Capra told South Coast Air Quality Management District officials. Capra, who has lived in Porter Ranch for four decades, said she and her family have suffered headaches, bloody noses and asthma because of the damaged storage well in Aliso Canyon. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-residents-to-demand-porter-ranch-gas-facility-shut-down-20160109-story.html SoCalGas seeks to burn gas leaking from well. Southern California Gas Co. is seeking regulatory approval for a plan to capture and burn some gas leaking from a well site above Porter Ranch, sickening some residents and forcing more than 2,000 to flee their homes. The company has been discussing a two-phase burn option with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said gas company spokeswoman Kristine Lloyd. Permit applications for Phase 2 were submitted on Monday and for Phase 1 on Friday. http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201601090918KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_945_61175-1 UC Davis Scientist First To Measure Methane Leak At Aliso Canyon. UC Davis scientist Stephen Conley has been flying his special pollution detection plane just downwind of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility since early November. He says the amount of leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is unlike anything he’s ever seen. “If you imagine a United States Navy aircraft carrier and what that weighs, that’s about what’s coming out of this leak every month,” says Conley. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/01/11/uc-davis-scientist-first-to-measure-methane-leak-at-aliso-canyon/ CLIMATE CHANGE Paris Global Warming Agreement Is One More New Year's Resolution. Like most New Year’s resolutions, the hope generated by the Paris climate accord last month will fade into disappointment. Global warming is generating huge risks for our world, and collectively we are managing those risks very badly. My new book Behavioral Risk Management explains why deep seated psychological pitfalls underlie the biggest risk management failures from the last fifteen years, including our slow response to address global warming properly. http://www.forbes.com/sites/hershshefrin/2016/01/09/paris-global-warming-agreement-is-one-more-new-years-resolution/ Crusading state prepares to take on new climate threats. California is poised to enact a slew of new policies in 2016 aimed at furthering the state's progressive trajectory on climate change. With the backing of Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and state lawmakers, regulators are preparing a new "scoping plan" aimed at extending and expanding their current suite of climate policies through 2030. It includes regulations for black carbon, the particulate matter released by wood-burning and diesel engines, as well as proposals to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and dairy farms. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/11/stories/1060030391 Powerful replacement in works for climate-modeling computer. One of the most powerful computers in the world dedicated to climate change, weather and other earth science research will be replaced in 2017 by an even faster machine, officials announced Monday. The Yellowstone supercomputer in Wyoming currently ranks among the 60 fastest in the world. The new supercomputer, to be named Cheyenne, will be at least 2 1/2 times more powerful, the National Center for Atmospheric Research said. http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article54082300.html Company Behind Methane Leak Is Ordered to Offset the Climate Damage. California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered Southern California Gas Co. to pay for a mitigation program to offset damage to the world's climate from a massive methane leak at an underground natural gas storage facility in Los Angeles. The directive was part of Brown's Jan. 6 declaration of a state of emergency. The ongoing leak has caused more than 2,300 people to evacuate their homes and forced school closures in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of northwest Los Angeles. Brown's proclamation also directed state agencies to protect public health and safety, oversee efforts to stop the 12-week-old leak and ensure that SoCal Gas is held accountable for costs and any violations. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/10012016/california-methane-leak-so-cal-gas-company-ordered-offset-carbon-emissions-climate-change-governor-brown NASA technologies could save GHGs and $25B. Green technologies developed by NASA to cut emissions, fuel and noise from airplanes could save the nation's airlines more than $25 billion if implemented, according to the agency. The research, conducted between 2009 and 2015, aimed to find solutions that would reduce the total impact of aviation on the environment. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/11/stories/1060030368 Climate change means more fear, less fun for global middle class: UBS. The erosion of wealth among the world's middle class due to climate change is a threat to economic and social stability which could spur its 1 billion members to push for action on global warming, Swiss bank UBS Group AG said. In a study of middle-class consumption in 215 cities around the world, UBS analysts found spending priorities were noticeably different in cities most at risk from climate change such as Los Angeles, Tokyo and Shanghai. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-cities-wealth-idUSKCN0UP1AE20160111 DROUGHT California drought: How will we know when it’s over? Now that 2016 has gotten off to a wet start, with a series of El Niño storms drenching California in recent days, the question is turning up with increasing frequency at dinner parties and coffee shops: “How will we know when the drought is over?” The answer, water experts say, is more complicated than you’d think. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/environment-and-nature/20160109/california-drought-how-will-we-know-when-its-over As rain drenches California, some see a way to fight drought. Much of the torrential rain that fell on Southern California this week flowed right into the ocean, just like it did before the state’s epic drought. That seemed like a good idea for many years, as storm drains provided a crucial defense against flooding. But with California entering what may be a fifth year of drought, water agencies are slowly moving to capture and store more of this precious resource. http://napavalleyregister.com/ap/state/as-rain-drenches-california-some-see-a-way-to-fight/article_7601e9cc-cdf7-55e5-8919-3ca79b4149e0.html FUELS New efficient electrolysis process for direct hydrogen production from biomass; 16.7% of energy required for water electrolysis. Researchers at Georgia Tech, with colleagues at Hunan University and the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have devised a novel, efficient electrolysis approach for hydrogen evolution directly from native biomasses—cellulose, lignin and even wood and grass powders—to hydrogen at low temperature. A paper on their work is published in the RSC journal Energy and Environmental Science. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/01/20160209-gatech.html VEHICLES Cool Electric Cars And The Vinyl Revival. General Motors’ new electric car gets 200 miles on a single charge, has full access to both Google and Apple infotainment and navigation systems and can be a giant WiFi hub. Pretty great, right? It’s no wonder GM’s CEO is calling Volt a platform, not just a car … Curie – Intel’s revolutionary, button-sized Internet of Things chip – is ready to start shipping, beginning with a collaboration with ESPN to integrate the module into the Slope Style and Men’s Big Air completion at the upcoming X-Games to provide data for extreme athletes’ rotations, jump heights and even the force of their landings. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmarkman/2016/01/10/cool-electric-cars-and-the-vinyl-revival/ 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Specs Released: Battery Pack, Motor Power, And More. The production version of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV 200-mile electric car made its auto-show debut this morning in Detroit, after last week's global unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But while the car was familiar, Chevy provided some eagerly sought information on the car's specifications. The capacity of the Bolt EV's lithium-ion battery pack is 60 kilowatt-hours, and the output of the electric motor driving its front wheels is up to 150 kilowatts (200 horsepower). http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101775_2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-specs-released-battery-pack-motor-power-and-more VW unveils plug-in Tiguan GTE Active concept. Volkswagen AG on Monday unveiled a plug-in version of its Tiguan SUV as it attempts to further electrify its lineup. The German automaker, embroiled in an emissions-cheating scandal over its diesel vehicles, showed off the five-seater Monday morning. It includes a six-speed automatic transmission and will have a driving range of 580 miles on both gasoline and its two electric batteries, including 20 all-electric miles. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/detroit-auto-show/2016/01/10/vw-tiguan-gte-concept/78598308/ Powertech’s H2 fueling station increases number of fills. British Columbia—based Powertech Labs’ hydrogen fueling station, located onsite at the company’s headquarters, has increased the number of vehicles that it services. The station, the only 70 MPa fast-fill hydrogen fueling station in Canada, currently meets the fueling needs for Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai fuel cell electric vehicles, with a total of 9 vehicles using the station. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/01/20160111-powertech.html VW RECALL VW CEO vows to rebuild trust, credibility. Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller said the embattled automaker’s top priority in 2016 is winning back customer trust and credibility in the wake of violations over diesel emissions rules. “I fully understand the severity of the emissions issue and the impact it has had on all the lives of people who rely on Volkswagen around the world,” Mueller said in a speech Sunday at the VW Group’s annual reception to kick off the Detroit auto show. “It is not only our cars we have to fix. We know we have to repair our credibility, too.” http://www.autonews.com/article/20160110/OEM02/160119985/vw-ceo-vows-to-rebuild-trust-credibility GREEN ENERGY Solar Surges Past Wind, Hydro as California’s No. 1 Renewable Energy Source. In just a few short years, solar power has gotten big in California, and now it’s at the top of the renewable energy heap. Data compiled from daily reports by the state’s major grid manager indicate that in 2015, solar became the No. 1 source of renewable energy in California. Not only did solar beat wind power for the first time, but it also topped drought-depleted hydropower, the long-standing leader in California electricity generation outside fossil fuels and nuclear. http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/01/11/solar-power-california-top-source-of-renewable-energy MISCELLANEOUS Bentonville teens to give car an electric makeover. A team of Bentonville High School students intends to convert a traditional gasoline-powered car to an electric one and enter the vehicle in a competition in the spring. They already have the car, a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu donated to them last month by a Bentonville dealership. They also have the confidence and much of the knowledge they need to complete the project. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article53477315.html OPINIONS Why climate change is an ethical problem. Climate change presents a severe ethical challenge, forcing us to confront difficult questions as individual moral agents, and even more so as members of larger political systems. It is genuinely global and seriously intergenerational, and crosses species boundaries. It also takes place in a setting where existing institutions and theories are weak, proving little ethical guidance. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/01/09/why-climate-change-is-an-ethical-problem/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.