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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 3, 2016.

Posted: 03 Feb 2016 11:56:19
ARB Newsclips for February 3, 2016. 

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

Port of LA criticized after TraPac terminal falls short on air
quality mandates. The Port of Los Angeles is coming under renewed
criticism following release of an audit that revealed air
quality-improvement mandates were not met by the 173-acre TraPac
terminal. The revelations come on the heels of the port’s
acknowledgment late last year that it had not met 11 of the 52
pollution-cutting measures…
http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20160202/port-of-la-criticized-after-trapac-terminal-falls-short-on-air-quality-mandates

EPA accused of watering down new oil refinery emission
regulations. Two local groups have joined nearly a dozen public
interest groups nationwide in a lawsuit challenging the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency over exemptions they believe will
weaken regulations designed to impose stricter limits on oil
refinery emissions. It was just last September when the same
environmental and public health groups…
http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20160202/epa-accused-of-watering-down-new-oil-refinery-emission-regulations


ALISO CANYON

Prosecutor smells crime, charges utility for huge gas leak. Top
prosecutors in Los Angeles County and the state of California are
the latest to make moves against a utility for a massive and
still-flowing gas leak, joining a growing group that now includes
several levels of government along with parts of the private
sector. LA County's District Attorney Jackie Lacey filed
misdemeanor criminal charges Tuesday against Southern California
Gas Co…
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_GAS_LEAK?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-02-17-10-58


Plug for California gas well leak draws closer in fits and
starts.  A calamitous natural gas leak near Los Angeles is
inching closer to finally being plugged after months of trial and
error with different techniques aimed at sealing a foul-smelling
hole that has forced thousands of residents from their homes.
Southern California Gas Co, a unit of Sempra Energy, this week
said it will start drilling a second relief well on Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-methane-plug-idUSKCN0VC0F7?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews


L.A. County files criminal charges over Porter Ranch gas leak. 
Southern California Gas Co. on Tuesday was charged with failing
to immediately notify state authorities about the natural gas
leak in Aliso Canyon. L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey filed
four misdemeanor criminal charges against the gas company,
accusing it of releasing air contaminants and neglecting to
report the release of hazardous materials until three days...
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-attorney-general-lawsuit-aliso-canyon-leak-20160202-story.html

http://www.bna.com/california-joins-lawsuit-n57982066885/ 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change and pets: More fleas, more heartworm. Climate
change doesn't just affect habitats for wildlife. It's also
affecting cats and dogs. Fleas and ticks are getting smaller, but
there are more of them, they eat more often, and they're causing
problems in what used to be the colder months. Heartworm is
spread by mosquitoes, but those mosquitoes — which used to be
found only in certain regions — are now carrying the disease all
over the United States.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/ct-climate-change-pets-20160203-story.html

http://www.freep.com/story/life/2016/02/03/pets-climate-change/79749258/


Man-made climate change raised risk for English floods: study.
The study also calculated that human-induced carbon emissions
caused a 43-per-cent increase in the risk of the
once-in-a-century rainfall event. Man-made climate change
directly influenced the historic storms that battered southern
England in the winter of 2013-2014, submerging parts of the
country and causing more than $900 million in damages…
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6260963-man-made-climate-change-raised-risk-for-english-floods-study/


Exxon Stiff-Arms a Request to Take Moral Responsibility for
Climate Change. 
Opposing a shareholder resolution, Exxon says the call to accept
responsibility for global warming and support the 2 degrees
Celsius goal is 'vague.' Oil giant ExxonMobil moved to reject a
shareholder proposal calling for the company to assert moral
leadership on climate change and pledge to work toward limiting
global warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/02022016/exxon-stiff-arms-request-take-moral-responsibility-climate-change


Measuring ocean heating is key to tracking global warming. Taking
the Earth’s temperature is a challenge, but a critically
important one if we are to better understand the nature of
climate change. Human emissions of greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide are causing the Earth to warm. We know this, and
we have known about the heat-trapping nature of these gases for
over 100 years.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/feb/03/measuring-ocean-heating-is-fundamentally-important-to-track-global-warming
.


U.K. greenhouse gas emissions levels drop. Greenhouse gas output
in the United Kingdom fell almost 8 percent in 2014, official
figures show. Carbon dioxide emissions dipped 8.9 percent in 2014
from the previous year, while emissions of all the greenhouse
gases were 7.7 percent below 2013 levels, according to Department
of Energy and Climate Change figures.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/03/stories/1060031683 

DROUGHT

California extends mandatory water cuts despite growing snowpack.
The snow keeps piling up, but the rules requiring water
conservation aren’t going away. California’s drought regulators
agreed Tuesday to extend water conservation mandates through the
end of October. The decision came in spite of increasing evidence
that El Niño is delivering better-than-average precipitation…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article57924198.html#storylink=cpy
 

California cut water use 18.3% in December, still barely meeting
Gov. Brown's mandate. As state water regulators consider
extending drought restrictions though the fall, officials
reported Tuesday that urban Californians had reduced their water
use by 18.3% during December. The savings, which are compared
with December 2013 water usage levels, were the smallest in seven
months of reporting and put California’s cumulative savings at
25.5%, down from 26.3% in November.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-conservation-20160202-story.html


With all this rain, why is California extending its drought
emergency? Even after experiencing strong El Niño storms this
winter, California's water regulators voted to maintain emergency
conservation controls through October after the state's
water-saving efforts fell short last month.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0203/With-all-this-rain-why-is-California-extending-its-drought-emergency


Forest Service warns climate change brings serious consequences.
Drought is projected to intensify in frequency and severity,
bringing with it more wildfires, insect-induced tree mortality
and a host of economic impacts as global temperatures rise,
according to a comprehensive scientific assessment released by
the U.S. Forest Service. Simply put, the report released Monday
synthesizes a growing body of research…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/03/stories/1060031686 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Long Beach to power more vehicles with renewable fuel, diesel.
Long Beach officials announced this morning that roughly 18
percent of its vehicle fleet will switch to renewable fuels such
as natural gas and renewable diesel. “The shift to these
renewable fuels is an important part of the city’s commitment to
sustainability and greenhouse gas reductions,” Mayor Robert
Garcia said in a written statement.
http://www.presstelegram.com/environment-and-nature/20160202/long-beach-to-power-more-vehicles-with-renewable-fuel-diesel


FUELS

Foxx sees long-term shift to cleaner fuels, new technology.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said yesterday that the
agency has "bought into" reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
transportation. The transportation sector represents almost 30
percent of overall carbon emissions in the United States, second
only to the power sector, according to U.S. EPA. President Obama
has made addressing global warming a cornerstone of his legacy
and, as part of that…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/03/stories/1060031715 

VEHICLES

EU parliament fails to close loopholes in controversial car
emission tests. MEPs fail to veto proposal that will allow cars
to emit twice the limit of NOx pollution following pressure from
pro-car industry countries. MEPs have failed to veto loopholes in
air pollution limits on new diesel cars, despite public anger in
the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/03/eu-parliament-gives-green-light-for-loopholes-in-car-emissions-tests


Quirky rule ensures top spot for Calif. in clean-car race.
Californians drive almost as many electric vehicles as the rest
of the nation combined, but the same regulations that made the
Golden State a plug-in hotbed are keeping other states from
following suit.
California's aggressive zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) regulation is
the only regulation globally that mandates sales quotas for ZEVs…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/02/03/stories/1060031717 

VW RECALL

Volkswagen Submits Diesel-Engine Fix to California Officials.
Proposal would enable Porsches, Audis and VW car with
six-cylinder, 3.0-liter engines to meet air quality standards.
The Volkswagen Group of America submitted its proposal Tuesday to
bring Porsches, Audis and Volkswagen cars with six-cylinder,
3.0-liter diesel engines up to California’s air quality standards
after state regulators found the vehicles were programmed to…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-submits-diesel-engine-fix-to-california-officials-1454467372

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL2N15I007 
http://www.autonews.com/article/20160202/OEM11/160209945/vw-group-sends-proposal-to-fix-rigged-3.0-liter-diesels-to-u.s.-calif.

http://bsccomment.com/2016/02/03/vw-submits-fix-for-3-0-liter-diesels-to-california-officials.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/vw-submits-california-recall-fix-002531282.html

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/volkswagen-group-submits-its-proposed-fix-for-v6-tdi-engines-to-us-regulators-104259.html


VW Diesel Scandal Erodes Trust In Germany, Auto Industry Too. The
revelation that Volkswagen used "defeat device" software to cheat
on U.S. emissions tests shook the public's confidence in one of
the world's largest carmakers. Volkswagen hasn't done much to
rebuild its reputation since its cheating was first revealed by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a press conference in
September.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102181_vw-diesel-scandal-erodes-trust-in-germany-auto-industry-too

GREEN ENERGY

Biggest Offshore Wind Project Yet Gets Green Light From Dong.
Dong Energy A/S is moving ahead with work on what will become the
world’s biggest offshore wind farm once it’s complete, a facility
generating 1.2 gigawatts of power off the Yorkshire coast in the
U.K. The Hornsea Project One wind farm may cost $5.7 billion...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-03/biggest-offshore-wind-project-yet-gets-green-light-from-dong


After climate summit, this year's green bond issuance could
exceed $50 billion -Moody's. The global agreement reached at the
climate summit in Paris could prompt the amount of bonds this
year issued to finance low-carbon projects to exceed $50 billion,
Moody's Investor Service said on Tuesday. This would follow a
record $42.4 billion issuance in 2015.
http://www.reuters.com/article/climatechange-greenbonds-moodys-idUSL8N15H3H9


Could mechanical trees be the next big green technology?
Scientists find that small vibrations already happening in the
hustle-bustle of the modern world could trigger electricity
generation in tree-like structures. Tiny leafless mechanical
"trees" may be the next frontier for harvesting green energy. New
research reveals that tree-like units can generate electricity by
being shaken slightly.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0202/Could-mechanical-trees-be-the-next-big-green-technology


Global Wind Industry Hits Record 62 GW Installed In 2015. The
global wind energy industry had a record year in 2015, with 62 GW
installed, led by China which installed just under 29 GW. Three
separate reports investigating wind development through 2015 have
all arrived this week, thanks to Bloomberg New Energy Finance,
the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), and Navigant
Research.
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/02/03/global-wind-industry-hits-record-62-gw-installed-2015/

China Blows Past the U.S. in Wind Power. Reducing air pollution
is a bigger incentive than lowering carbon emissions. China
solidified its standing as the world’s wind energy behemoth in
2015, adding almost as much wind power capacity in one year as
the total installed capacity of the three largest U.S.
wind-producing states: Texas, Iowa and California.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-blows-past-the-u-s-in-wind-power/


MISCELLANEOUS

OPINIONS

Did the climate spin out of control on its own? Scientists dig
into the data to see if the world's climate could change
dramatically without external drivers and how the system stays
stable. If humans weren't pumping unsustainable amounts of
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, would we still face global
warming? A team of scientists dug into satellite data and
physical climate models…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0202/Did-the-climate-spin-out-of-control-on-its-own
 
Use Market Pricing to Reduce California CO2 Emissions. Nobody
should be surprised that California’s cap-and-trade program is
the most cost-effective strategy to reduce carbon emissions.
What’s astonishing is that policy makers insist on pursuing other
more expensive options. The existing mandate to GHG reduce
emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 is apparently on an achievable
path…
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2016/02/use-market-pricing-to-reduce-california-co2-emissions/

BLOGS

The Surprising Way Ships' Wakes Could Help Ease Global Warming.
It's all about making the Earth's surface more reflective. The
shipping industry gets blamed for its share of environmental
ills, from air and water pollution to collisions that kill whales
and other marine animals. But in a new paper published last week
in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, scientists
argue that the wakes…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ships-ease-global-warming_us_56b0e2cce4b0655877f73d91


Air pollution in Europe and the EU lack of action.  Air pollution
from vehicles is killing tens of thousands of people every year
in the UK alone, write Jean Lambert, Molly Scott Cato & Keith
Taylor, an outrage set into stark focus by VW's 'test cheating'.
The EU's response? To relax tests and allow cars to be more
polluting - with the full support of the UK government. Rather
than clampi



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

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