What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for March 23, 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

World Bank approves $500 mln loan for Beijing clean-air projects.
The World Bank has approved a $500 million loan to China to
support financing of projects to help control air pollution in
and around Beijing. The money is part of a broader programme
expected to reach $1.4 billion for "green financing" over the
next six years…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3N16V1EQ 

Air pollution experts call for scrappage scheme for diesel cars
and boilers. Report outlines moves that would cut pollution from
road transport and gas combustion in London and increase life
expectancy. Scrappage schemes for diesel cars and boilers, and
allowing only the cleanest buses to drive on key polluted roads…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/23/air-pollution-experts-call-for-scrappage-scheme-for-diesel-cars-and-boilers


The damaging effects of black carbon. Air pollution, both
outdoors and indoors, causes millions of premature deaths each
year. The deaths are mainly caused by the inhalation of
particulate matter. Black carbon, a component of particulate
matter, is especially dangerous to human health because of its
tiny size. But black carbon not only has impacts on human health,
it also affects visibility, harms ecosystems…
http://phys.org/news/2016-03-effects-black-carbon.html#jCp 

ALISO CANYON

Porter Ranch homes to be tested for gas-leak chemicals that may
linger indoors. Los Angeles County health officials will begin
air tests inside more than 120 Porter Ranch homes, to look for
residual chemicals as a result of the massive natural gas leak
that spewed methane into neighborhoods for almost four months.
http://www.dailynews.com/health/20160323/porter-ranch-homes-to-be-tested-for-gas-leak-chemicals-that-may-linger-indoors


Deadline for Porter Ranch residents to return home extended. An
appellate court panel gave Porter Ranch residents who have
relocated to hotels two extra days to return home, officials said
Tuesday. Southern California Gas Company will be required to pay
for about 2,600 residents to stay in hotels until next Tuesday…
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20160322/deadline-for-porter-ranch-residents-to-return-home-extended


CLIMATE CHANGE

White House water summit focuses on climate threat. The White
House held its first national water summit Tuesday, seeking to
put a greater focus on water challenges ranging from climate
change to the old, leaky pipes that waste billions of gallons
across the country every day. The Obama administration invited
businesspeople, scientists and policymakers to the event…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/03/22/white-house-sets-path-new-normal-water-challenges/82135472/


Feds warn of new threats to water supplies with climate change.
The Obama administration underscored the threat of climate change
to Western water supplies Tuesday, releasing a report that
projects less snowpack in the mountains and reduced flows in
major rivers — all of which spells a much drier future for places
such as California. The report estimates that diminished runoff
from the Sierra Nevada will prompt an average 9 percent drop…
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Feds-warn-of-new-threats-to-water-supplies-with-6968450.php


Study: Farms, hydropower at risk in West's changing climate.
Climate change could upset the complex interplay of rain, snow
and temperature in the West, hurting food production, the
environment and electrical generation at dams, the federal
government warned Tuesday. Some areas could get more rain and
less snow, reducing the snowmelt flowing into reservoirs in the
summer…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-709250-river-less.html

Climate action just merged with Middle East peace efforts. The
Palestinian National Authority may have just given its Republican
detractors in the U.S. Congress an inadvertent win by making it
impossible for the United States to pay future dues to the U.N.
body on climate change. When the Palestinian territories became
the 197th party to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change last week…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/23/stories/1060034485 

China's small factories slowly joining low-carbon transition. On
a recent winter morning, Lu Shuhang, a senior executive of a
textile mill here in this port city near Shanghai, went on the
hunt for an invisible enemy. Lu, together with a group of five
people, searched through the ZJG Addchance Dyeing & Finishing Co.
Ltd. factory floor for hours.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/23/stories/1060034457 

FUELS

RPT-Big Corn finds unlikely allies in US biofuel push: carmakers
and drivers. U.S. corn producers may have found two unlikely
allies in their decade-long battle with big oil to get ethanol
into the nation's fuel stream: automobile manufacturers and
American drivers. The auto industry's slow, somewhat grudging
acceptance of government policy on renewable fuels and bumper car
sales…
http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-biofuels-autos-idUSL2N16U1YP 

Global Oil Power Venezuela Suddenly Has a Thirst for U.S. Crude.
Venezuela, owner of the world’s largest crude oil reserves,
suddenly has a deep thirst for American oil. Petroleos de
Venezuela SA, the state-owned oil company, has ordered millions
of barrels of crude from the U.S. this year, according to
published reports and data provided to Bloomberg…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-21/global-oil-power-venezuela-suddenly-has-a-thirst-for-u-s-crude

Big Oil’s Next Big Energy Problem. The LNG market faces an even
longer recovery than oil as spot prices crater, a major project
in Australia is shelved and buyers start renegotiating long-term
contracts. No worries, mate? The country that brought us the
boomerang is playing a starring role in the next phase of the
energy industry’s washout.
While oil prices have been the source of much angst…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/big-oils-next-big-energy-problem-1458748111


Low Gas Prices Create a Detour on the Road to Greater Fuel
Economy.   Since agreeing to tough new federal fuel economy
standards five years ago, automakers have been methodically
improving the gas mileage of their vehicles and reducing
emissions harmful to the environment. But despite investing
billions in fuel-saving technologies and introducing a raft of
lower-mileage models and electric cars…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/business/energy-environment/low-gas-prices-create-a-detour-on-the-road-to-greater-fuel-economy.html?_r=0


UT Center Continues Efforts to Develop Low-Cost Biofuels and
Bio-Based Products. A few years ago, petroleum-based products,
including gasoline, were not available at affordable prices,
unlike the case today. However, the prices are likely to return
to the same level in the coming years.
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=23245 

VEHICLES

Germany won't meet auto sector's hopes on e-car incentives
–FinMin. Germany will find a way to support the development of
electric cars but will not be able to fulfill all the hopes of
the auto industry, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on
Wednesday. German auto sector leaders have pressed the government
to introduce incentives to boost demand for electric cars…
http://www.reuters.com/article/autos-electric-germany-idUSB4N12S01K


Automakers say electrics, hybrids no longer just gas-sippers.
When Toyota aired a Super Bowl television ad featuring a
surprisingly quick Prius gas-electric hybrid eluding police, it
marked a turning point for the auto industry. For years,
automakers pushed fuel efficiency to sell hybrid and electric
vehicles. Now, in an era of cheap gasoline, the message is: These
cars are faster and quieter than their gas-powered counterparts.
And, yes, you still save on fuel.
http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/celebrities/article67759712.html
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/arts-and-entertainment/20160323/automakers-say-electrics-hybrids-no-longer-just-gas-sippers


 Utility plan to add 7,600 EV charging stations wins support. A
utility's controversial plan to install 7,600 electric vehicle
charging stations in California gained traction yesterday, with
some earlier critics signing on to support a revised road map.
The $160 million proposal from Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
(PG&E) won endorsement from a coalition of environmental groups,
automakers, labor unions…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/23/stories/1060034487

VW RECALL

Volkswagen Committed to Launching Two New SUVs in U.S. Dealers
eager for new coupe and entry level SUV. Volkswagen AG is
committed to launching at least two new sport-utility vehicles
for American buyers, its U.S. dealer association said Tuesday,
dismissing speculation the company could pull back from the U.S.
in the wake of its emissions-cheating scandal.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-committed-to-launching-2-new-suvs-in-u-s-1458665070


Should VW pay to retire the dirtiest diesel trucks for its
cheating? In the six months since the EPA revealed that
Volkswagen used illegal "defeat device" software on TDI diesel
cars, there have been many suggestions about how the company
should pay for its deception. VW will of course have to recall
all of the nearly 600,000 affected cars in the U.S.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103015_should-vw-pay-to-retire-the-dirtiest-diesel-trucks-for-its-cheating


LUMBER LIQUIDATORS

Lumber Liquidators pays $2.5 million state penalty. Beleaguered
flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators is paying $2.5 million to
settle allegations that some of its products violated
California's air safety standards.  The penalty announced Tuesday
was the latest that Lumber Liquidators has absorbed for formerly
selling laminate flooring made in China.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/liquidators-370007-ocprint-lumber-flooring.html

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article67520537.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2016/03/23/california-fines-lumber-liquidators-for-pollution.html
 

GREEN ENERGY

Australia announces A$1 billion clean energy fund, in break with
past.  Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday
said the country would establish a A$1 billion ($761.60 million)
clean-energy innovation fund, in a major departure from his
predecessor's much maligned approach to combating climate change.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3N16V03I 

Canada's Clean Tech Industry Gets Nudge From Trudeau's Budget.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is signaling a shift to an
economy that relies more on clean technology and renewable energy
with a budget that offers support for electric vehicle charging
and changes to building codes.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O4GO146K50XZ01-0O3RAMU93CEEM0QB4V09M3G845


Cash-Hungry U.S. Power Producers Lured by Mexico Energy Reforms.
U.S. electricity producers seeking a salve for low prices at home
and growing competition from solar and wind power are exploring
whether to make a bet on Mexico’s sputtering energy revolution.
This year, for the first time, Mexico will allow independent
companies, including those from outside the country, to compete
in selling wholesale power.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O2PN9M6VDKHW01-78TRH57BQTA660VNJH41PGM6SH


Giant Solar Farm Seeks Backers to Deliver 24-Hour Power in Chile.
Valhalla Energia is seeking partners to build a 600-megawatt
solar project in Chile that will incorporate hydropower to
deliver energy 24 hours a day. The company is in talks with
investors to raise as much as 40 percent of the estimated $1.3
billion needed for the project -- $900 million for the solar
component…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O4983J6JIJUO01-2NV82HBPECLGKVHP2P9K24AORR


Renewable critics unhappy with Vermont energy siting bill.
Critics of Vermont's process for selecting sites for renewable
energy projects say they're unhappy with legislation working its
way through the Senate that is designed to give towns and
regional planning commissions greater say in where solar and wind
power projects go.
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article67477572.html#storylink=cpy

Apple Operating At 93% Renewable Electricity Worldwide. Speaking
at Apple’s Monday ‘Loop You In’ event, the company’s VP of
environment, Lisa Jackson, claimed 93% of Apple’s facilities
worldwide run on renewable electricity. Apple has been targeting
the running of all its facilities — stores, data centers,
manufacturing facilities — from 100% renewable energy for a
couple of years now…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/23/apple-operating-93-renewable-energy-worldwide/


Solar + Residential Energy Storage System Launched By JLM Energy.
California-based JLM Energy has launched a new solar power and
residential energy storage system which uses Lithium Iron
Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries to work with the solar array.
Proprietary software helps manage the system for effective energy
efficiency…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/23/solar-residential-energy-storage-system-launched-jlm-energy/
   
  
Clean energy jobs multiplying in the heartland – study. Buoyed by
rising demand for renewable energy, alternative transportation
and energy efficiency applications, the Midwest has emerged as a
hub of the U.S. clean energy economy, with more than a
half-million workers employed across 12 central U.S. states, a
new regional analysis has found.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/23/stories/1060034456 

MISCELLANEOUS

229 leaks found in state's underground gas storage facilities,
most considered minor. Only one of the dozen underground gas
storage facilities in California had no leaking gas wells or
fixtures, according to tests required by state regulators in the
wake of a well blowout in Southern California. The leak reports
were filed in mid-February but not released by the California
Public Utilities Commission…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-gas-leaks-storage-wells-20160322-story.html


OPINIONS

There's a lot about water in California that we don't know. We
need more data. To the editor: While showing images of recently
refreshed reservoirs in the northern part of the state, The Times
was right to make sure its readers knew that California's drought
isn't over. What you see at the surface — in lakes and rivers —
can belie what's underneath.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0323-wednesday-water-drought-california-20160323-story.html


The best mitigation for the Aliso Canyon gas leak: Shut the well
down. To the editor: The California Air Resource Board's plan to
penalize Southern California Gas Co. for nearly 100,000 tons of
methane pollution from the Aliso Canyon leak won't work as
drafted. Following the worst gas leak in our country's history,
the air board's proposed “offset” approach…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0323-wednesday-aliso-canyon-well-20160323-story.html


Air quality on the Nipomo Mesa: The rest of the ‘dust rule’
story. The Tribune carried a front-page story March 17 on the San
Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s Rule 1001
being upheld in court. The rule is intended to reduce the amount
of dust pollution from the Oceano Dunes.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article67652377.html#storylink=cpy


The Presidency and Sustainability. As Americans watch the current
presidential campaign, President Obama's approval ratings
continue to grow. We have a president in tune with contemporary
culture, with his ego and insecurities in check as he faces the
unique work of the American presidency. In President Obama's
second term, he has worked the seams of executive power to become
America's first sustainability president.
http://theenergycollective.com/stevenacohen/2324404/presidency-and-sustainability


BLOGS

How California got way ahead of the rest of the world in fighting
climate change. Jennifer Gill got pregnant with her first child
when she was in eighth grade. She didn’t finish high school, but
she got her GED during a stint in prison for forgery. For most of
her working life she was a waitress in and around the town of
Oildale, a suburb of Bakersfield in the southern tip of
California’s Central Valley. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-california-got-way-ahead-of-the-rest-of-the-world-in-fighting-climate-change/




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