What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 1, 2016.
Posted: 01 Apr 2016 15:09:46
ARB Newsclips for April 1, 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. CAP AND TRADE In power-plant closure fund, a recognition of the energy grid’s future power-plant-closure-fund-recognition-energy-grids-future. State lawmakers are preparing for more power plants to close, in recognition of New York's shift away from traditional fossil fuel-burning plants to power its energy grid. But environmentalists are balking at what they plan to do about it. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2016/03/8595386/power-plant-closure-fund-recognition-energy-grids-future Consumers Union: State’s transportation policies provide some savings for Californians. California households are likely to save up to $1,530 each year by 2030 from clean transportation policies, according to a new report Thursday from Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports. The report, conducted by ICF International, analyzes the consumer impacts of California’s… http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=30268 AIR POLLUTION Officials: Plant owners to pay $8.5M for federal violations. Federal authorities say the operators of a western Massachusetts power plant will pay $8.5 million after agreeing to plead guilty to tampering with air pollution monitoring equipment and submitting false information to regulators. http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article69162262.html#storylink=cpy Torrance residents alarmed over agreement to restart ExxonMobil refinery. Regulators appear poised to sign off on a proposed agreement Saturday allowing ExxonMobil’s Torrance refinery to exceed pollution limits as it resumes gasoline manufacturing, angering some residents who wonder why the agency is bothering with a public hearing at all. http://www.dailynews.com/article/20160331/NEWS/160339889 Air pollution is costing the US more than $4 billion a year. Air pollution contributes to 16,000 premature births in the United States each year, costing $4.33 billion annually, a new study has found. Most of the cost, $3.57 billion, is in lost productivity related to the physical and mental disabilities that arise from being born prematurely, Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an associate professor at… http://www.businessinsider.com/air-pollution-costs-us-4-billion-a-year-2016-3 ALISO CANYON Porter Ranch: SoCal Gas scrimps on its promise to offset gas leak damage. Following the massive, four-month natural gas leak near Porter Ranch, the CEO of Southern California Gas Company publicly vowed to offset the environmental damage from the estimated 100,000 metric tons of the potent greenhouse gas that escaped a ruptured well. "We will develop and we will implement a plan to mitigate… http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/03/31/59088/socal-gas-scrimps-on-its-promise-to-offset-gas-lea/ CLIMATE CHANGE Global regulators eye climate risk disclosure for listed companies. A global task force unveiled plans on Friday for all listed companies to disclose in financial reports how climate-related risks could hit their bottom line. The planned regime will be voluntary, but companies could use it to comply with existing mandatory disclosure rules in most G20 countries on material risks to a company, including from climate change. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-climatechange-accounts-idUSKCN0WY4Y9 Britain's greenhouse gas emissions fell 3.3 pct in 2015: government. Britain's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell by 3.3 percent in 2015, largely due to a decline in coal-fired power generation and marking the third straight yearly drop, preliminary government data showed on Thursday. Output of the heat-trapping gases in Europe's second-largest emitter behind… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-emissions-idUSKCN0WX1BW Regulators Examine Financial Risks of Climate Change. Exploring disclosure rules and stress tests based on different climate scenarios. Regulators around the globe are researching potential risks to financial stability from a failure to contain climate change or a sudden collapse in the value of fossil-fuel assets. Institutions such as the Bank of England, the Financial Stability Board… http://www.wsj.com/articles/regulators-examine-financial-stability-risks-to-climate-change-oil-exposure-1459444688 Wine Industry in U.K. Braced for a Boost From Warmer Climate. The U.K.’s 100 million pound ($144 million) wine industry will thrive in warmer temperatures caused by climate change, so long as investors carefully site vineyards and prepare for some poor harvests caused by weather shocks. That’s the conclusion of scientists at the University of East Anglia in a paper published Friday… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O4WR2N6KLVRW01-05K4BLSVJ51SNID7C0D6CCT0RC http://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/How-is-climate-change-affecting-the-wines-of-the-7220443.php Obama and President Xi of China Vow to Sign Paris Climate Accord Promptly. President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China said Thursday that they would sign the Paris Agreement on climate change on April 22, the first day the United Nations accord will be open for government signatures. Officials cast the announcement as a… http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/world/asia/obama-and-president-xi-of-china-vow-to-sign-paris-climate-accord-promptly.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGreenhouse%20Gas%20Emissions&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection Study reveals hidden value of Baja California mangroves in climate change fight. As climate change has heightened concerns about the global decline of mangroves, a study released this week found that such ecosystems along the desert coast of Baja California may be more important than previously thought for keeping heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-mangrove-study-20160331-story.html New Antarctica ice loss model doubles sea-level rise estimates. A melting Antarctica alone could raise oceans by more than 3 feet by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continued unabated, roughly doubling previous total sea-level rise estimates, according to new research. Scientists previously thought glacial melt in Antarctica would raise sea levels… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/31/stories/1060034859 Lawmakers, health groups line up behind embattled EPA rule. A variety of Clean Power Plan supporters are coming out of the woodwork this week as deadlines approach for federal court filings. Today marks the last day parties can submit "friend of the court" briefs to back U.S. EPA's embattled climate rule… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/04/01/stories/1060034925 Climate change creates winners and losers among birds. Birds of a feather flock together, it's said -- and where climate change is concerned, bird species on both sides of the Atlantic are responding in similar ways. That's the finding from a new study published yesterday in the journal Science, which shows rising global temperatures are creating winners… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/01/stories/1060034932 64 groups endorse Obama's $750M request for U.N. fund. More than 60 environmental, civil rights, faith, humanitarian and other organizations yesterday said they support the Obama administration's request to provide $750 million to a U.N. fund for developing countries to address climate change. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/01/stories/1060034958 DROUGHT Average snowpack could prolong California water conservation. A nearly average spring snowpack in the Sierra Nevada will likely prolong tough water conservation measures in drought-stricken California — although the restrictions could be loosened in some areas after an El Nino storm system drenched the northern half of the state this winter, officials said. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article69159507.html#storylink=cpy Water Agency: 'Relax' Conservation Mandate For Northern California. Some water providers in northern California say that with near-normal northern Sierra snowpack, state water managers should "relax" conservation mandates for the region. The comments come a day after the season’s last Sierra Nevada snowpack measurement and as the latest U.S. Drought Monitor… http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/03/31/water-agency-relax-conservation-mandate-for-northern-california/ Asia could feel severe water stress by 2050. Asia, home to roughly half the world's population, could find itself high and dry by the middle of the century, scientists say. Coupled with climate change, Asia's explosive population growth and uninhibited economic development could lead to a severe water shortfall… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/31/stories/1060034858 DIESEL ACTIVITIES Mexico urged to pass strong emissions limits for heavy trucks; 20,000 deaths cited. A lot of attention is paid to emissions from cars, but heavy-duty trucks represent a major part of the problem as well. Trucks cover more mileage than the average passenger car every year, and with much worse fuel economy. That's led the U.S. and Canada to tighten emissions standards for large trucks in recent years. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103173_mexico-urged-to-pass-strong-emissions-limits-for-heavy-trucks-20000-deaths-cited FUELS Oil companies drop their Clean Fuels fight. While the battle against a state biofuels program won’t end entirely, a cluster of oil companies and interest groups angling for a fight to repeal the policy during the November election said Thursday it’s giving up. The surrender ends a yearslong fight against Oregon’s low-carbon fuel standard, also known as Clean Fuels because it aims to… http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/4176293-151/oil-companies-drop-their-clean-fuels-fight# EPA again urges companies to voluntarily seek out methane leaks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched another voluntary program urging oil and gas companies to seek out methane leaks in their production system of their own accord. Speaking at the Global Methane Forum in Washington D.C. Wednesday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said 41 companies had already signed… http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/03/30/epa-again-urges-companies-to-voluntarily-seek-out-methane-leaks/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=f3f5781296-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-f3f5781296-327747457 Science panel at odds over biomass blueprint. The fate of U.S. EPA's framework that spells out how carbon emissions released from the burning of bioenergy should be accounted for remains uncertain after its Science Advisory Board (SAB) took up the matter yesterday. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/01/stories/1060034934 Trade group slams EPA's voluntary methane program. The oil and gas industry's trade group yesterday predicted that few exploration and production companies would join a new U.S. EPA voluntary program to reduce methane emissions. The American Petroleum Institute said companies have little incentive to join the program… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/01/stories/1060034935 VEHICLES Volkswagen Brand's U.S. Sales Decline 10% in Fifth Straight Drop. Volkswagen AG’s namesake brand said its March U.S. sales fell 10 percent, declining for a fifth straight month as the German automaker struggles after regulators revealed in September that it cheated on diesel-emissions tests. Deliveries slid to 26,914, Volkswagen said in a statement Friday. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-01/volkswagen-brand-s-u-s-sales-decline-10-in-fifth-straight-drop A Lot Riding on Tesla’s Model 3 Unveiling. Electric-car maker aims to prove its coming mass-market vehicle will sell at a profit. Tony Wetzel is taking Thursday off to hang out at a Tesla Motors Inc. showroom outside of Boston and place a deposit on the electric-car maker’s latest model. Referring to Thursday as Model 3 Day—in recognition of the public debut of the Silicon Valley auto maker’s first affordable vehicle… http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-lot-riding-on-teslas-model-3-unveiling-1459362994 http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29709508/tesla-model-3-customers-anticipation-builds A Tesla For The Masses? Orders For Model 3 Top 100K In First Hours. Tesla, the maker of electric vehicles, Thursday night unveiled its mass-market Model 3. The car is expected to have a range of 215 miles at a base price of $35,000 ($27,500 after federal tax credits). Tesla CEO Elon Musk told a crowd of loyal fans in Hawthorne, Calif., he is "fairly confident" the vehicle will go on sale in 2017. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/01/472640001/a-tesla-for-the-masses-the-model-3-is-unveiled-in-california Electric Car Pledge: is carbon the right reason to get buyers to switch? Buyers have many different reasons for choosing a plug-in electric car. Creating marketing campaigns that address all of them has bedeviled highly-paid professionals for five years. A new campaign urging North American drivers to make their next car an electric vehicle inadvertently highlights the challenge. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103163_electric-car-pledge-is-carbon-the-right-reason-to-get-buyers-to-switch Study: Lightweight Materials In Vehicles Increases Vehicle-Cycle GHG Emissions But Improves Fuel Economy. The use of lightweight materials (carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, wrought aluminum, etc.) in vehicle manufacture results in higher vehicle-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, but also in improved fuel-economy, which leads to a net benefit as far as total life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions go… http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/31/study-lightweight-materials-vehicles-increases-vehicle-cycle-ghg-emissions-improves-fuel-economy/ VW RECALL Volkswagen's Looming Dividend Cut Shows Investor-Owner Divide. As Volkswagen AG’s first dividend cut in six years looms in the wake of the diesel-emissions scandal, the carmaker must balance the interests of labor, government and family power brokers against those of investors who have felt short-changed for years. The carmaker’s two largest shareholders… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-31/volkswagen-s-looming-dividend-cut-shows-investor-owner-divide EPA official who drafted Volkswagen order owns a VW. The director of U.S. EPA's Air Enforcement Division found himself on the sidelines as the federal government moved against Volkswagen over the company's emissions-cheating scheme. Why? Because air enforcement chief Phillip Brooks owns a Volkswagen car, specifically one of the models that company had programmed with software to skirt clean air rules. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/03/31/stories/1060034893 GREEN ENERGY Mexico Awards 1,720 Megawatts Of Wind & Solar In First Power Auction. Seeking to boost the development of clean electricity south of our border, Mexico has conducted its first power auction, awarding 1,720 megawatts of wind and solar energy. This auction took place following the government’s end of the state electricity monopoly in 2013. Mexican government’s auction saw a total of seven wind and solar organizations… http://cleantechnica.com/2016/04/01/mexico-awards-1720-megawatts-wind-solar-first-power-auction/ Researchers Aim to Develop Battery and Solar Cell Hybrid from Two Single Systems. In the FFG project SolaBat, TU Graz is entering almost new research territory. Photovoltaic cells are to be combined into one device with electrochemical energy storage systems. Whether fair weather or foul, sustainable energy supply must be independent of natural fluctuations of renewable energy sources… http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=23267 How America’s big data centers are going green. Tech companies could substantially bolster the clean energy market. Data are everywhere. With the number of Internet-connected devices expected to jump to 38.5 billion worldwide in the next four years, information is increasingly important to how we live. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy/2016/0330/How-America-s-big-data-centers-are-going-green DOJ cracks down on alleged tax credits scheme. The Department of Justice said it has discovered 90 people claiming fictitious tax credits under an alleged "solar energy scheme," showing progress in investigations for the associated federal court case. Justice sought an injunction against three companies and three men last fall, claiming the group's solar lense… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/03/31/stories/1060034833 OPINIONS Don’t Be Fooled by a Climate Change ‘Pause’. Misconception: There was a global warming “pause,” so climate change is bunk. Actually: That’s like saying a temporary dip in the stock market means that the best long-term investment strategy is keeping your cash under the mattress. Those who deny the science of climate change and the role of human activity… http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/02/science/climate-change-misconception-pause.html?_r=0 Deal with the drought or just keep suing? A recent statewide public opinion survey found that Californians rank water supply and the drought as top concerns facing the state – above the economy, education, immigration and every other issue. We’ve responded by removing lawns and taking shorter showers… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-710276-project-california.html How much rain did SoCal receive this winter? Not much at all. It's the last day of March, which means it's the end of the six-month period during which Southern California receives most of its rain. So, during this El Niño winter, how much rain did the region get? Not much at all. A number close to 100 would mean it had been a typical year for precipitation… http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/03/31/59075/how-much-rain-did-socal-receive-this-winter-not-mu/ Evolving California High Speed Rail Now Degraded To Only A Commuter Train! When voters passed in the November 2008 election, Prop 1A, they approved partially funding a 800 mile High Speed Rail project, that was to run from San Francisco to San Diego. The project was to be constructed quickly and be up and running by 2020. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2016/04/evolving-california-high-speed-rail-now-degraded-to-only-a-commuter-train/ BLOGS Why it is time to rebuild the energy system. A broad spectrum of experts agree that if we are to meet the global climate challenge, then a paradigm shift must occur away from the use of fossil fuels and towards the widespread adoption of clean energy. The urgency of the task is underscored by an ever-increasing body of scientific evidence… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georg-kell/why-it-is-time-to-rebuild_b_9589282.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.