What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for March 14, 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

In towns with most polluted air, fear that smog fight will slow
down at AQMD. when Mira Loma resident Stephen Anderson drives
through his community he's surrounded by warehouses. The
sprawling complexes housing the world's goods sit next to schools
and parks, neighborhoods and shopping centers, bringing a stream
of diesel trucks that pollute the air with their exhaust.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-aqmd-inland-20160314-story.html


Air quality regulators challenged over limits. The battle for
control of Southern California's smog cleanup strategy
intensified this week, with several environmental and community
groups suing regional regulators over new emission limits for oil
refineries, power plants and other smokestack polluters.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/air-368363-ocprint-board-pollution.html


ALISO CANYON

Gas company finishes cleaning Porter Ranch parks as fallout from
leak continues. Southern California Gas Co. said Saturday that it
has completed the cleaning of four public parks in Porter Ranch
after residents complained about oily residue found on playground
equipment. Residents of the San Fernando Valley community have
complained of suffering from headaches…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-porter-ranch-20160312-story.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Nissan recalls 46,859 Leaf electric cars to fix brakes. Nissan is
recalling 46,859 electric cars to fix the brakes. The recall
involves the 2013 to 2015 Nissan Leaf electric cars. The Leaf may
have brake trouble in extremely cold weather. Nissan told the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the computer
in the electronic brake booster needs to be reprogrammed.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/03/13/nissan-recalls-46859-leaf-electric-cars-fix-brakes/81724366/


China tweaks electric-car plans to reward success, reduce fraud.
China will be phasing out its electric-car subsidies in favor of
other policies that authorities will believe yield greater gains.
Over the past few years, China's government has aggressively
promoted electric cars in the hope that mass adoption will help
alleviate the country's infamous air pollution. But China's
electric-car policies are now in flux.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/0314/China-tweaks-electric-car-plans-to-reward-success-reduce-fraud


The Paris climate agreement calls for big investments in
renewable energy. Here’s why governments love it. This past
December, governments of the world met in Paris to negotiate a
global climate agreement. It’s considered a breakthrough. Here’s
why.
Until now, climate agreements were “top-down,” giving countries
targets and timetables for reducing climate-warming carbon
emissions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/14/the-paris-climate-agreement-calls-for-massive-investments-in-renewable-energy-heres-why-governments-love-it/


Rare Right Whales Gather in Cape Cod, Possibly Driven by Climate
Change. Nearly half of the approximately 500-some remaining right
whales have been spotted in Cape Cod over the past few years—and
now dozens of the critically endangered animals have congregated
in the area as spring approaches and their main food source,
plankton, begins to grow in abundance there.
http://www.newsweek.com/rare-right-whales-congregate-cape-cod-possibly-driven-climate-change-436719?rx=us


Record-Shattering February Warmth Bakes Alaska, Arctic 18°F Above
Normal. How hot was it last month globally? It was so hot that
the famed Iditarod sled race in Alaska brought in extra snow from
hundreds of miles away by train. It was so hot that NASA now
reports that last month beat the all-time global record for
hottest February by a stunning 0.85°F, when such records are
usually measured in hundredths of a degree.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/03/13/3759569/record-february-warmth-alaska-arctic/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e574e6da15-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e574e6da15-327747457


Heat Waves, Droughts and Heavy Rain Have Clear Links to Climate
Change, Says National Academies. Connection to hurricanes,
tornadoes, hail and wildfires less certain, according to extreme
weather report. Scientists can now say with confidence whether
heat waves, such as the one that struck Russia in 2010 and caused
55,000 deaths, are linked to climate change.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heat-waves-droughts-and-heavy-rain-have-clear-links-to-climate-change-says-national-academies/


Yes, Scientists Can Link Extreme Weather Events To Climate
Change. When asked about a particular weather event’s link to
climate change, scientists are typically cautious to make
definitive statements — especially in the immediate aftermath,
before they’ve had the chance to study the event. But according
to a new study, it’s getting easier for scientists to make the
link between climate change…
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/03/14/3759699/climate-change-extreme-events-study/


Up to 13M Americans at risk from sea-level rise – study.  As many
as 13 million people in the continental United States may be at
risk from flooding due to sea-level rise by the year 2100,
according to a study out today. Thirty-one counties could each
see more than 100,000 people affected by 6 feet of sea-level
rise, the study led by the University of Georgia found.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/03/14/stories/1060033943 

DROUGHT

Beverly Hills put a spotlight on its celebrity water wasters --
and it worked. Officials in Beverly Hills say they tried it all:
educational campaigns, usage restrictions and written notices for
people suspected of wasting water. Despite those efforts, the
community missed its savings target every month since June, when
a statewide 25% reduction in urban water consumption became
mandatory amid the punishing drought.
http://www.latimes.com/local/westside/la-me-beverly-hills-water-20160314-story.html


Catching Storm Runoff Could Ease Droughts, But It’s No Quick Fix.
Storm water is starting to get some serious attention in
California, as the state’s drought enters a fifth year. Thanks in
part to El Niño, rain has been surging through downspouts and
gutters lately. And a lot of it: one storm in Los Angeles County,
packing one inch of rainfall, means 10 billion gallons of water.
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/03/14/catching-storm-runoff-could-ease-droughts-but-it-wont-come-cheap/



Group of farmers beats water conservation goals. A group of
California farmers who delighted regulators combating the state's
drought by volunteering last year to use less water on their
crops for the growing season has again surprised officials by
exceeding an initial conservation target, officials said Friday.
Farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta last summer
used 32 percent less water compared with 2013.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-368314-ocprint-farmers-state.html


FUELS

Alberta plant to make biofuel from canola oil. Canada is putting
10 million Canadian dollars ($7.6 million) into technology to
turn plant oils into renewable fuels. Once it's completed in
mid-2017, the facility, owned by Canadian energy company SBI
BioEnergy Inc., should produce roughly 10 million liters (2.64
million gallons) of renewable diesel fuel per year.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/14/stories/1060033925 

Greens welcome methane rollout with $80K ad campaign. The League
of Conservation Voters today launched an $80,000 ad campaign
thanking the Obama administration for committing to regulate
methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The online ads,
which link oil and gas production with risks to children…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/03/14/stories/1060033939 

VEHICLES

Toyota and Partners Begin Hydrogen Supply Chain Test Project.
Toyota Motor Corp. and partners will begin a project to use
hydrogen produced from renewable energy to power forklifts to
test the feasibility of a low-carbon hydrogen supply chain.
Electricity generated at a wind-power plant in Yokohama City near
Tokyo will be used to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O40RXJ6KLVRR01-7PCMMPRULQHQ0MVRD62GTHEPHL

http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2016/03/14/toyota-wind-power-hydrogen-fuel-cells/81754218/


China tweaks electric-car plans to reward success, reduce fraud.
Over the past few years, China's government has aggressively
promoted electric cars in the hope that mass adoption will help
alleviate the country's infamous air pollution. But China's
electric-car policies are now in flux. The government previously
relied on subsidies to encourage sales, a model also used in
other countries.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102832_china-tweaks-electric-car-plans-to-reward-success-reduce-fraud


Hyundai delivers first Tucson fuel cell vehicle in Ontario.
Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. has delivered its first fuel cell
vehicle in Ontario, Canada to Joseph Cargnelli, Chief Technology
Officer and Co-Founder at Mississauga-based Hydrogenics
Corporation.  In November, 2014, Hyundai Auto Canada announced it
would become the first Canadian automotive company to offer fuel
cell vehicles to real-world customers.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/03/20160314-hyundai.html 

VW RECALL

Volkswagen diesels might not be completely fixable, regulator
says. It seemed like a fairly simple remedy for a major
automotive defect: Require the carmaker to recall the vehicles
and make them right. But the fix for Volkswagen’s diesel air
pollution scandal is proving anything but simple. Officials with
the California Air Resources Board, the state agency that helped
discover that Volkswagen had rigged thousands of diesel cars to
cheat on pollution tests…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article65974982.html#storylink=cpy


GREEN ENERGY

Researchers' idea will blow you away: 656-foot long blades on
wind turbines. Efforts to increase wind power mean that turbine
blades are getting bigger and bigger. But a new design in the
works takes the idea to levels most people can barely imagine:
Blades up to 656.2 feet long — more than two football fields.
Today's longest blades are 262.5 feet. The blades at Imperial
County's Ocotillo wind farm, which sends electricity to San
Diego, are 173.9 feet long.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-cutting-edge-windmills-20160313-story.html


MISCELLANEOUS

Officials reach out to neighbors of shuttered battery recycling
plant concerned about lead contamination. A small army of
volunteers led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti went
door-to-door Saturday to begin the task of assessing the extent
of the lead contamination in thousands of homes, businesses and
schools surrounding a shuttered battery-recycling plant east of
downtown.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lead-contamination-20160312-story.html


OPINIONS

Australia’s Research on Climate Change. Re “Australia Turns Its
Back on Climate Science” (editorial, March 4), about changes in
focus and funding by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organization: Australia remains committed to
climate science research and to increased global action to
address climate change. Csiro, Australia’s leading science
agency, is making a strong contribution to the growing body of
international climate change knowledge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/opinion/australias-research-on-climate-change.html?_r=0


Despite what divestment activists say, ExxonMobil is searching
for climate solutions.  ExxonMobil recognizes the risks posed by
climate change. We believe that everyone -- including oil and gas
companies -- should be engaged in meaningful action to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. Based on recent media coverage of our
company however, you could be forgiven if you found this
surprising. A coordinated public relations campaign is under way
against ExxonMobil…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-le-0314-exxonmobil-climate-change-divestment-blowback-20160314-story.html
 

How the refineries came to own our air pollution regulators.
Regulatory capture" is the term for what happens when an agency
overseeing an industry begins to see things the industry's way.
Consider the most recent illustration: the South Coast Air
Quality Management District board and the refinery industry. The
refineries are among the worst-polluting facilities in the
Southland…
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-20160311-column.html


Supposedly thirsty California farmers must wise up about water.
El Niño has brought much needed rain. But this doesn’t mean the
state should stop talking about water. The next drought could
have far more profound impacts on the state’s economy, unless
California starts using its water wisely. Unfortunately the
agricultural industry, user of 80 percent of the state’s
consumable water, is doing everything but.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article65087057.html#storylink=cpy


An end to the drought? During my brief tenure at the Press
Democrat over in Santa Rosa, I got to indulge two of my longtime
passions – weather and the complicated state of our civil
infrastructure. I was covering the early stirrings of our current
drought, and one of the first interesting things I discovered was
that there is…
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/columnists/sean-scully/an-end-to-the-drought/article_c5744dfd-584b-5a9a-b99a-d61fa6030a65.html


Valley Voice: Benoit betrays our clean air legacy. Riverside
County Supervisor John Benoit was the deciding vote in the palace
coup staged last week at the South Coast Air Quality Management
District, when its new Republican majority voted behind closed
doors to fire Executive Officer Barry Wallerstein. Orchestrated
by the oil industry, the Republican Party, and termed out L.A.
County Supervisor Mike Antonovich…
http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/03/12/valley-voice-white-benoit-wallerstein-ouster-vote/81650002/


Taxpayers need to derail bullet-train debacle. California’s
high-speed rail project has been an unprecedented string of
bait-and-switch tactics. Yet, the latest switcheroo still managed
to be mind-boggling. The California High-Speed Rail Authority
wants to shift directions entirely, and now proposes building the
line from Bakersfield to San Jose first…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/train-707785-san-project.html



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