What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for February 29, 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

Asbestos-like mineral raises concern in arid West, including
California. Recent research is focusing new attention on an
asbestos-like mineral, blamed for staggering rates of a deadly
cancer in Turkey that also is found in the rocks and soil of 13
Western states, including California. The U.S. Geological Survey
has identified 95 sites where the mineral, erionite, exists. Nine
of the identified locations are in California.
http://capitolweekly.net/asbestos-like-erionite-material-california-west-concern/


China's pollution problem gets hairy with 'nose-tache' to filter
smog. Quirky video shows a population of ‘pollution survivors’
who have adapted by growing luxuriant nose hair. For almost every
Beijing resident it will be a familiar sight which quite
literally gets up their nose. The smog which pervades the skies
of the capital – and many other large cities – is sometime so all
pervading that it can almost…
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/chinas-pollution-problem-gets-hairy-as-activists-reveal-nose-tache-to-filter-smog


Wash. scraps proposed carbon rule, plans new steps on climate.
Washington air regulators last week withdrew their plan to cap
large greenhouse gas emitters, promising to present a new
proposal in the spring that some observers hope will be more akin
to other carbon regulations in the United States. The now-defunct
proposal by Gov. Jay Inslee's (D) Department of Ecology would
have subjected emitters…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/29/stories/1060033140 

Warren Buffett discounts climate exposure, likens risks to Y2K.
Billionaire Warren Buffett this weekend told his company's
shareholders that they shouldn't worry about the firm's exposure
to climate change. In a letter to Berkshire Hathaway Inc., one of
the world's biggest insurers and a significant insurer of
catastrophic damage, Buffett wrote that personal concerns about
climate change should not be confused with business risks.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/29/stories/1060033141 

ALISO CANYON

After gas leak, Porter Ranch homeowners hold their breath over
property values. he capping of a massive gas leak this month
brought relief to the Porter Ranch community. But as thousands of
displaced residents return to their homes, many are worrying if
their property values have taken a big hit. The four-month leak
in Aliso Canyon laid bare that Porter Ranch is near an enormous
natural gas storage reservoir…
http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-porter-ranch-properties-20160228-story.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Leonardo DiCaprio ties his work in 'The Revenant' to a greater
cause -- fighting climate change.  After enduring freezing
winters, horse-carcass sleeping bags and a gruesome bear attack,
Leonardo DiCaprio has finally won his first Oscar. Following
20-plus years of disappointments at the Academy Awards, DiCaprio
notched a lead actor win for his performance in "The Revenant."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-et-mn-oscars-leonardo-dicaprio-revenant-climate-change-20160229-story.html


The disappearing wetlands in California’s Central Valley. Where
water is scarce, waterbirds pay the price. Each year, 181 species
of waterfowl, shorebirds and riparian birds flock to California’s
Central Valley to nest between November and March. The space they
roost in is already limited: There are just 19 wetlands,
comprised of National Wildlife Refuges and State Wildlife Areas,
spread across little more than 270 square miles in the valley’s
22,500-square-mile expanse.
http://www.hcn.org/articles/the-disappearing-wetlands-in-californias-central-valley


Nike chairman gives Stanford $400M to tackle climate change. Nike
Inc. co-founder and chairman Philip Knight has announced a $400
million donation to Stanford University to create a new program
for graduate students focused on climate change. The
Knight-Hennessy Scholars program will grapple with "increasingly
complex challenges facing the world," including climate change
and poverty.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/29/stories/1060033133 

DROUGHT

California is about to get a ton of rain, but it’s still not
enough to beat the drought. There’s a ton of rain in the forecast
for California. A fire hose of moisture from the tropical Pacific
Ocean is expected to take aim at the West Coast, delivering a
series of storms to the Golden State. But although the weather
pattern appears to be changing, the drought is not, and even a
wetter-than-average March may be too little, too late.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/02/29/california-is-about-to-get-a-ton-of-rain-but-its-still-not-enough-to-beat-the-drought/


Names, addresses of DWP customers who received turf rebates are
released. After a seven-month legal battle, the Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California on Friday released the
names and addresses of thousands of Los Angeles residents who
received cash rebates for replacing their lawns.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-turf-rebate-data-release-with-exceptions-20160225-story.html


Bay Area gets just 2% of normal February rainfall. It’s no longer
a sure bet that El Niño will be a drought killer. That’s because
all those February dry and sunny days produced pitiful rainfall
totals around the Bay Area, leaving the region with some major
catching up to do in March. The latest numbers from the National
Weather Service show everywhere in the Bay Area is below normal
in rainfall for the year.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pitiful-February-rainfall-douses-drought-busting-6860642.php


After a tough year of drought, almonds still celebrated in Capay
Valley.  California almonds were maligned over this past year as
prime water guzzlers during a devastating drought, but that
didn’t take the bloom off several thousand fragrant acres of
white and pink almond blossoms highlighting the 101st annual
Capay Valley Almond Festival on Sunday.
http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article63082277.html#storylink=cpy


California Reservoirs Are Dumping Water in a Drought, But Science
Could Change That. There’s a rule in California that may seem
bizarre in a drought-stricken state: in the winter, reservoirs
aren’t allowed to fill up completely. In fact, even as this post
goes up, a handful of reservoirs are releasing water to maintain
empty space. The practice, which has long inflamed combatants in
California’s water wars…
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/29/california-reservoirs-are-dumping-water-in-a-drought-but-science-could-change-that/


Did global warming 'pause'? Depends how you define 'pause' The
theory that global warming paused in the 2000s was largely put to
rest last year when NOAA recalculated some of its data. However,
a commentary published this month has called that recalculation
into question. After seemingly being put to rest last year, the
controversy over a supposed “hiatus” has resurfaced…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0226/Did-global-warming-pause-Depends-how-you-define-pause

Australia's 'millennium drought' lasted 15 years — here's what
California could learn from it. California has experienced, over
the past few years, its most severe drought on record. In
response to worsening conditions, Governor Jerry Brown announced
the first ever statewide mandatory reduction in urban water use
in April 2015. This calls on Californians to reduce their use of
potable (safe for drinking and food preparation) urban water by
25% from pre-drought levels.
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-california-could-learn-from-australia-2016-2


A Tale of Two Water Systems. California’s population growth
enables it to build top-of-the-line infrastructure—something that
isn’t possible for Rust Belt cities. This growing region needs
more water, and it’s spending hundreds of millions to get it. A
$72 million plant opened here in 2014 to turn wastewater into
drinking water…
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/a-tale-of-two-water-systems/471207/?single_page=true&print=


Cybertrees help researchers study drought. Some might say it's an
exercise in patience to study the impacts of climate change on
forests. Trees grow slowly, sometimes taking centuries to mature,
and climate change is gradual. Computers, on the other hand, are
much faster.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/29/stories/1060033135 


VW RECALL

VW ex-CEO told of defeat device admission weeks before news was
public: BamS.  Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) former chief executive
Martin Winterkorn was informed that the carmaker had told
regulators it was using defeat devices two weeks before the
scandal became public, German tabloid Bild am Sonntag reported on
Sunday. It said it was in possession of a letter sent by an
unnamed manager directly to…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-winterkorn-idUSKCN0W00VS?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews


GREEN ENERGY

Investment in Green Energy Soars Amid Slumping Oil Prices. The
report, by Clean Energy Canada, says it had been expected that
investment in the sector would "stall" as the price of oil and
other fossil fuels dropped. Clean Energy Canada, which works to
accelerate the transition to renewable energy, said an
unprecedented US$367 billion was invested globally in renewable
power in 2015, and the Paris commitments will boost its momentum.
http://nysepost.com/investment-in-green-energy-soars-amid-slumping-oil-prices-139093


Australian first: Newstead aims to run on 100% renewable energy
within five years. Agreement with energy company Powercor will
see Victorian town move to solar power, save money and perhaps
become a model for other towns. The quiet Victorian town of
Newstead – population approaching 500 – has a big ambition: to
source all its electricity needs without burning any fossil fuels
at all.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/mar/01/australian-first-newstead-aims-to-run-on-100-renewable-energy-within-five-years

Feds: Here’s Another HUGE Problem With Green Energy. Green energy
is so unreliable and intermittent that it could wreck the power
grid, according to industry and government experts. The U.S.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is currently
investigating how green energy undermines the reliability of the
electrical grid. FERC believe there is a “significant risk” of
electricity in the United States becoming unreliable because
“wind and solar…
http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/29/feds-heres-another-huge-problem-with-green-energy/#ixzz41bXsI71E


Clean energy leader tapped as science envoy.  A leading expert on
clean energy access in developing countries has been named one of
five U.S. science envoys as part of a one-year State Department
appointment. Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy at the
University of California, Berkeley, said he will focus on helping
countries in Africa and the Middle East to green their grids and
develop decentralized solar and other off-grid solutions.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/29/stories/1060033134 

MISCELLANEOUS

Are synthetic playing surfaces hazardous to athletes' health? The
debate over 'crumb rubber' and cancer. When doctors found Stage 2
Hodgkin's lymphoma in her lungs, Emily Prince had questions. The
college biology major wanted to know why cancer would strike
someone so young and healthy. She found little help in existing
research, which has yet to clearly identify a cause for the
disease.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-artificial-turf-debate-20160229-story.html


OPINIONS

Weak El Niño fails to fix California’s drought.  Water, water
everywhere. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. The El Niño everyone
was counting on to bail California out of the drought that has
lingered for four years appears to have wimped out after a
January just wet enough to get our hopes up. Remember that great
snowpack in the Sierra?
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article62776707.html#storylink=cpy


Steve Westly and Scott Bryan: Silicon Valley is tackling the
drought. Last year, California's drought cost our economy over $2
billion and 20,000 jobs. Californians understand that the lack of
a sustainable water supply costs us much more than brown lawns.
The drought has forced all of us to understand that water is not
an unlimited resource. In Silicon Valley, the drought has also
spurred…
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_29576788/steve-westly-and-scott-bryan-silicon-valley-is



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