What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 28, 2016.
Posted: 28 Mar 2016 14:36:59
ARB Newsclips for March 28, 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 China's polluted Hebei promises clean-up for 2022 Winter Games. The top official in China's northern province of Hebei, one of the country's most polluted, has vowed to use the staging of the 2022 Winter Olympics to drive efforts to cut smog, promote clean energy and ease dependence on heavy industry. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-china-pollution-idUSKCN0WU0LQ?virtualBrandChannel=11563 Supreme Court won’t hear EPA air pollution case. The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a case on how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces air pollution rules. In the case, Ohio v. Sierra Club, Ohio maintains that a state does not need to submit a plan to reduce pollution levels after being found to… http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/274453-supreme-court-wont-hear-epa-air-pollution-case CLIMATE CHANGE Overlooked Tool to Fight Climate Change: A Tweak in Fuel Standards. One of the best new opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions might be to tweak a bureaucratic regulation we’ve had around for close to four decades. Changing vehicle fuel efficiency standards — if done properly — could not only reduce emissions from cars and trucks, but also set the nation on a path that… http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/upshot/overlooked-tool-to-fight-climate-change-a-tweak-in-fuel-standards.html?_r=1 Scientists: Expect more rock slides with climate change. A pair of local scientists say climate change may bring one more thing to worry about: rock slides from out of the blue. It’s a caution they raised this month after studying a high cliff in Yosemite National Park to find out why mountainous rocks fall from high places for no obvious reason. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Scientists-Expect-more-rock-slides-with-climate-7109200.php Oil industry gears up for new climate fight. A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. The state has a good cap-and-trade system, Robert Stavins said, but some of its other environmental policies are weakening it. He pointed to a rule known as the low carbon fuel standard, which is supposed to increase production of clean fuels. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fuel-709862-standard-carbon.html Scientists fly glacial ice to south pole to unlock secrets of global warming. High on Mont Blanc, huge ice cores are being extracted to help researchers study the alarming rate of glacial melt. In a few weeks, researchers will begin work on a remarkable scientific project. They will drill deep into the Col du Dôme glacier on Mont Blanc and remove a 130 metre core of ice. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/27/saving-glaciers-ice-cores-shipped-mont-blanc-antarctica-climate-change The Gentle Giant’s Climate Problem. How the resources exposed by a melting north won’t help Canada’s economic future—and could hurt it. Canada would be poised to become a new agricultural, resource-rich superpower if it weren’t for the rocks—and all that water. In northeast Alberta, at the furthest edge of Canada’s great plains, lie the tar sands. http://observer.com/2016/03/the-gentle-giants-climate-problem/ How to Talk Global Warming in Plain English. Scientists struggle to convey the risks of climate change simply. In New Orleans, the city’s planners would love to see block-by-block estimates of how sea-level rise might affect neighborhoods and critical infrastructure. In Seattle, they want to know how to shape their municipal culture so that even basic budgeting decisions factor in evolving climate patterns… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-talk-global-warming-in-plain-english/ DROUGHT Ethiopia to Miss 11% Growth Target as Drought Hurts Agriculture. Ethiopia’s economy will expand by between 7 percent and 10 percent this fiscal year, missing the government’s target, as a severe drought hurts agriculture. “The economy will continue to register growth, if not a double-digit fast economic growth… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O4LSFI6KLVR501-77PFPF2PLNG04DHNSFVUT9US8K Saudi land purchases fuel debate over US water rights. Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company will soon be unable to farm alfalfa in its own parched country to feed its 170,000 cows. So it's turning to an unlikely place to grow the water-chugging crop - the drought-stricken American Southwest. Almarai Co. bought land in January that roughly doubled its holdings in California's Palo Verde Valley… http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_MIDDLE_EAST?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-03-28-02-21-31 Police escorts, curfews and long lines: What it takes to get water in west India. A s two dozen policemen looked on, 25 giant tanker trucks were loaded up with water from a small reservoir in rural western India. Escorted by police vehicles, the tankers filed down the dusty road about 12 miles to deliver the water to Latur, a city of 500,000 people whose municipal water facilities long ago ran dry. http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-india-water-20160328-story.html FUELS California ARB posts discussion document on $500M FY 2016-17 spend for low carbon transportation and fuels; $230M to fund CVRP. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff has posted a discussion document prior to a 4 April 2016 public workshop on the development of the FY 2016-17 Funding Plan for Low Carbon Transportation and Fuels Investments and AQIP. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/03/20160328-arb.html Sugarcane, modified to produce oil, promises better biodiesel. Biofuels offer the promise of lower emissions, but they are often made from crops that might otherwise be used for food—or displace food acreage. Given the scale of production needed for a given biofuel to have a meaningful impact on carbon emissions, that's a problem. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103102_sugarcane-modified-to-produce-oil-promises-better-biodiesel VEHICLES Big Bear Lake pushing for first public vehicle charger. Imagine driving roughly 100 miles from downtown Los Angeles to the tranquil mountain community of Big Bear Lake. You want to drive around and see the sites, but if you are in an electric-powered car, it might be time to think about fuel conservation. There’s the trip home to think about. There’s no publicly available vehicle charger in the Big Bear area… http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20160327/big-bear-lake-pushing-for-first-public-vehicle-charger Very cheap, low-range electric cars key for China, India: Nissan CEO Ghosn. Carlos Ghosn, who runs automakers Nissan and Renault, is one of the few auto executives who'll regularly take questions from a roomful of more than 100 journalists. At last week's New York Auto Show, many of the questions concerned plans by the Renault Nissan Alliance for more and higher-volume electric cars. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103053_very-cheap-low-range-electric-cars-key-for-china-india-nissan-ceo-ghosn What's the best city for electric cars in the US? Researchers at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs recently compiled a list of the most electric car-friendly US cities in terms of infrastructure and incentives. Which city does it the best? Since modern electric cars went on sale in volume five years ago, some cities have been more eager to promote them than others. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/0328/What-s-the-best-city-for-electric-cars-in-the-US EPA vs. Diesel Performance – Finding a Better Way. From the modern automotive industry’s early days to now, there has been a delicate balance of power between original equipment manufacturers and government regulators regarding policies on vehicle emissions. While OEMs integrate compliance with federal standards into their corporate operations and accept it as a cost of doing business…. http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1603-epa-vs-diesel-performance-finding-a-better-way/ Next Hyundai fuel-cell vehicle to be another SUV. The current Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell was the first of the modern crop of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to go on sale, and it's also the only one with a crossover utility vehicle body. As the name suggests, it's a (previous-generation) Tucson fitted with a fuel-cell powertrain. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103100_next-hyundai-fuel-cell-vehicle-to-be-another-suv VW RECALL VW diesel scandal now 6 months old; what have we learned? The actual six-month anniversary of the Volkswagen diesel-cheating scandal came 10 days ago, and news has continued to bubble up since then. Most recently, all three parties who must agree on a regulatory settlement (the EPA, the powerful California Air Resources Board, and VW itself) were granted a further delay in a court-mandated deadline to release plans for updates to 580,000 affected vehicles. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103095_vw-diesel-scandal-now-6-months-old-what-have-we-learned VW Isn’t the Only Car Maker Facing Billions in Emissions Fees. Volkswagen went to court last week over the emissions scandal. The US government is suing the automaker for cheating air pollution tests and VW faces fines that could total as much as $46 billion. But Volkswagen may not be the only automaker on the hook for emissions failings. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/03/28/vw-isnt-the-only-car-maker-facing-billions-in-emissions-fees/#ixzz44DbOuMu8 Volkswagen recalls 5,600 U.S. electric vehicles for stalling issue. Volkswagen AG is recalling nearly 5,600 electric e-Golf cars in the United States to address a battery problem that can cause stalling, the company said Monday. VW said the recall covers all electric vehicles it has sold in the United States since it launched it in November 2014. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/volkswagen-recalls-5-600-u-electric-vehicles-stalling-170351289--finance.html GREEN ENERGY Energy Department backs power line from Plains to Southeast. The U.S. Department of Energy said Friday it would partner with a private firm hoping to build a transmission line to carry wind power from the High Plains to the southeastern United States, angering Arkansas politicians who believe the federal government is helping the project bypass state utility regulators. The agency, invoking the infrastructure-improvement Energy Policy Act of 2005, said it would participate in the 705-mile Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project… http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article68280317.html#storylink=cpy Wind turbines taller than the Empire State Building? Wind power may not be the cheapest, most efficient, or even most common form of renewable energy, but it is surely one of the most visually impressive methods of power generation. Anyone who has driven from Detroit to Toronto for instance can attest to the awe that comes from seeing dozens of windmills rising hundreds of feet into the air all turning in slow arcs with the wind. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/03/26/wind-turbines-taller-than-empire-state-building/79468004/ $30 Million Clean Energy Development Program Launched By INTASAVE. The INTASAVE Energy program is deploying $30 million in developing low and lower-income countries to install more clean energy and low-carbon energy infrastructure. Initially, it is focusing on such projects in Africa in the form of solar nano-grids. http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/28/30-million-clean-energy-development-program-launched-intasave/ Momentum building behind U.S. wind energy. For the first time ever, federal government uses congressional authority to join wind power program. U.S. wind energy advocates scored a second victory after the federal government gave its support to a transmission line to service the wind power sector. For the first time, the Department of Energy used authority mandated by… http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Industry/2016/03/28/Momentum-building-behind-US-wind-energy/6881459159450/ Solar group finds renewables win with independent voters. Conservative candidates trying to woo independent swing-state voters should talk more about the virtues of solar power, according to new polling released last week by the Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC). A survey of 600 independent voters in 11 states found that 90 percent of respondents favor increasing the use of solar energy… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/28/stories/1060034655 OPINIONS Letters: Bad timing of work on Carmel Valley Road. The Carmel Valley supervisor’s office has just informed the Carmel Valley citizens of the extensive road work currently being done on Carmel Valley road for a several mile stretch. While, in general, the county’s maintenance efforts must be applauded, the details of this particular effort prompt more questions than applause. http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20160327/LOCAL1/160329788 New survey finds a growing climate consensus among meteorologists. 96% of AMS members realize climate change is happening, and most understand humans are responsible. There have been multiple scientific studies that all concur: scientists know that climate change is happening and it is largely caused by humans. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/mar/28/new-survey-finds-a-growing-climate-consensus-among-meteorologists How do clouds form? It's way more complex than we learned in school. Researchers still have a lot to learn about the processes, both macro and micro, that control clouds. The water cycle is one of the first science lessons children receive in elementary school. The lesson may go something like this: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0328/How-do-clouds-form-It-s-way-more-complex-than-we-learned-in-school The Way We Currently Monitor Air Pollution Near the Ship Channel Sucks, Researchers Say. Houston is the petrochemical epicenter of the United States, possibly the world. Yet we have no idea what chemicals the people who live near the industrial tangle of pipelines, train tracks, refineries and chemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel have to breathe in every day… http://www.houstonpress.com/news/the-way-we-currently-monitor-air-pollution-near-the-ship-channel-sucks-researchers-say-8263528 BLOGS California proposes $230 million in funding for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project through 2017. Next week, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) will hold a public workshop on the FY 2016-17 Funding Plan for Low Carbon Transportation and Fuels Investments and AQIP. Under the current proposal, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) would receive $230 million in funding through 2017. http://electrek.co/2016/03/28/california-funding-clean-vehicle/ The Wall Street Journal, Climate Change Denial, and the Galileo Gambit. Fossil fuel companies have been misleading the public and policymakers about the risks of their products for decades. These corporations should obviously be held accountable. It’s odd that we aren’t able to discuss this straightforwardly. After all, accountability is common for other industries. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-e-mann/wall-street-journal-climate-change-denial_b_9551482.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.