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ARB Newsclips for April 25, 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

Plan to extend cap and trade prompts legal disputes.  As
California pursues ever-deeper greenhouse gas reductions,
policymakers are still facing legal questions about their
authority. An opinion by the state's legislative attorney has
found the executive order Gov. Jerry Brown (D) set last year to
reduce emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 may not be
legal.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/25/stories/1060036173 
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article73227072.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#storylink=cpy
  

AIR POLLUTION

EPA smog rule ‘unachievable,’ opponents say. The Obama
administration’s new ozone rule fails to consider sources of
ozone pollution that are beyond states’ control, opponents of the
rule said in court. In opening briefs filed late Friday for their
legal case, conservative states and industry representatives
focused their arguments on the fact that naturally occurring
pollution and emissions…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/277487-epa-smog-rule-unachievable-opponents-say


San Ysidro Residents Brace for a Busier Border. The border
expansion has heightened health concerns among San Ysidro
residents, and calls for an air pollution study of the community
have gone unheeded, activists say. So residents, led by Casa
Familiar, have obtained funding from CalEPA to do their own
air-pollution study.
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/science-environment/san-ysidro-residents-brace-busier-border/


Air pollution hurting U.S. plant diversity, CU scientists find.
CU-led scientists looking at plants and air pollution at 15,000
sites found nitrogen oxide and ammonia pollution is reducing
species diversity. Air pollution is hurting plant life across
North America, diminishing species diversity and may have reached
a tipping point. New research led by University of Colorado
scientists…
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29808345/air-pollution-hurting-u-s-plant-diversity-cu.html
 

Lancaster County still dogged by some of the worst soot and smog
pollution in U.S. Close to half of all Lancaster County residents
are at greater health risk because of some of the poorest air
quality in the nation, says the American Lung Association.
Though there were some strides in cleaner air here, Lancaster
County’s soot problem was the worst of any county east of Utah…
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-county-still-dogged-by-some-of-the-worst-soot/article_fbe227b4-0ae4-11e6-8a60-8b48988b7daf.html


EPA air chief McCabe to address meeting of state regulators. Air
regulators from 18 states will gather in Columbia, S.C., later
this week, and U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan will be a central
topic. Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA's
Office of Air and Radiation, will be the featured speaker…
http://www.eenews.net/interactive/clean_power_plan/column_posts/1060036164

CLIMATE CHANGE

Global warming may have improved U.S. weather, but for how long?
Global warming has mostly made the weather more pleasant for
Americans over the past 40 years, which may explain why much of
the public doesn’t consider climate change as big a threat as do
scientists and the rest of the world, a new study suggests.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/global-warming-may-have-improved-us-weather-but-for-how-long/2016/04/25/cd5dc90a-0730-11e6-b283-e79d81c63c1b_story.html


Long-Term Costs of Cutting Emissions Grow Hazy. Economic costs of
hitting near-term targets appear modest, but modeling grows less
reliable further out. The world’s top officials just signed an
agreement to slow the buildup of planet-warming greenhouse-gas
emissions. They have yet to grapple with the cost of implementing
it.
Economists developing sophisticated models have good and bad
news.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/long-term-costs-of-cutting-emissions-grow-hazy-1461515943


Carbon Pricing Becomes a Cause for the World Bank and I.M.F. The
World Bank and International Monetary Fund are pressing
governments to impose a price tag on planet-warming carbon
dioxide emissions, using economic leverage and technical
assistance that institutions like the United Nations cannot
muster.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/us/politics/carbon-pricingbecomes-a-cause-for-the-world-bank-and-imf.html?ref=energy-environment&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=cdc81860ef-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-cdc81860ef-326457957&_r=2


Why global warming is forcing polar bears into long-distance
swims.  As sea ice disappears, particularly in the Beaufort Sea
on Alaska's northern coast, a new study finds polar bears are
swimming increasingly long distances, often perilous ones, to
find habitable ice. Scientists have long warned about the dangers
global warming could pose to polar bears…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0425/Why-global-warming-is-forcing-polar-bears-into-long-distance-swims

175 nations sign Paris climate change agreement. World leaders
from 175 countries on Friday signed the Paris Agreement on
climate change at a ceremony in New York, making history as the
largest number of nations to sign an international accord in a
single day. "Last December in Paris, the international community
adopted the world's first universal climate agreement…
http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/london/175-nations-sign-paris-climate-change-agreement-26426471


UK envoy: carbon pricing ‘too sluggish’ to meet climate goals.
Climate Home: Sir David King favours technology development over
emissions trading as a way to shift emerging economies off coal.
Carbon pricing is “too sluggish a weapon” against climate change,
top UK envoy Sir David King said on Monday. Speaking at a
sustainability event in London, Sir David argued innovation to
bring down the cost of clean technology…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/25/uk-envoy-carbon-pricing-sluggish-climate-goals-sir-david-king


Rising carbon dioxide is making the Earth GREENER: Extra plant
growth caused by greenhouse gases could cover the USA twice. The
pumping of excessive carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has
widely been presented as setting our planet on a path towards
disaster. But a new study has revealed rising levels of the
greenhouse gas due to humanity's actions is actually having a
surprising side-effect – it is making the Earth greener.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3557905/Rising-carbon-dioxide-making-Earth-GREENER-Extra-plant-growth-greenhouse-gas-cover-USA-twice.html#ixzz46raS0Mtw
 

Air quality may suffer under climate change.  As the planet
warms, homes and offices may still leave people vulnerable to bad
air, researchers warn. With air conditioning and heating, people
around the world are spending more of their time in the great
indoors. Americans can spend upward of 90 percent of their time
inside.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/25/stories/1060036174 

SEC considers overhaul to climate rule. The Securities and
Exchange Commission is weighing whether to change a key
regulation in a way that could have potentially dramatic
implications for climate change and environmental disclosure. In
a sprawling document issued earlier this month, the SEC announced
that it is considering modernizing disclosure requirements in a
regulation…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/25/stories/1060036172 

DROUGHT

California drought: Stormy El Nino winter has some calling for
end to strict water usage restrictions. Following a wet season
that featured a super El Niño, which helped alleviate drought
conditions across California, some water agencies are looking to
lift water restrictions. In a comment letter dated April 14, the
Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) recommended that
the State Water Resources Control Board rescind the statewide…
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/california-water-managers-ask/56898437


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

On This Waterfront, Robot Longshoremen Are the New Contenders. On
one end of a dock at America’s busiest port, tractor-trailers
haul containers through dense, stop-and-go traffic. Sometimes
they collide. Sometimes the drivers must wait, diesel engines
idling, as piles are unstacked to find the specific container
they need. A few hundred yards away, advanced algorithms select
the most efficient pathway for autonomous…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-25/on-this-waterfront-robot-longshoremen-are-the-new-contenders


VEHICLES

City council considers charging stations on public property. The
New Orleans City Council is considering whether to let residents
install electric vehicle charging stations next to curbs. It's a
move that would be a boon for drivers of such vehicles who live
in homes without off-street parking.
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/technology/article73719352.html#storylink=cpy


Electric cars charging ahead. The electric car movement is
finally moving into the fast lane. With a new fleet of cheaper
and longer-range electric vehicles (EV) on the horizon, experts
say automakers may soon deliver on their long-delayed promise to
bring electric cars to the masses. “This is basically the second
coming of the EV market, particularly in the U.S.,” said Roland
Hwang, director of the energy and transportation program at…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/277250-electric-cars-charging-ahead


Ford CEO Says Regulators Cracking Down on Emissions Reporting
Around the World. In the wake of the Volkswagen and Mitsubishi
emissions reporting scandals, regulators around the world are
getting tougher on automakers with China leading the way, says
Ford CEO Mark Fields. China will be the most stringent about
transparent compliance with fuel economy and greenhouse gas
reporting by automakers…
http://www.hybridcars.com/ford-ceo-says-regulators-cracking-down-on-emissions-reporting-around-the-world/


Fiat Accused of Cheating Emissions Tests by German Newspaper.
Fiat’s diesel engines are suspected of cheating in the German
emissions tests. According to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag,
Fiat is being investigated by the country’s authorities after
test results uncovered an anomaly with the diesel engine of the
500X.
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/fiat-accused-of-cheating-emissions-tests-by-german-newspaper-106872.html#ixzz46rW4X0vRhttp://www.autoevolution.com/news/fiat-accused-of-cheating-emissions-tests-by-german-newspaper-106872.html#ixzz46rVxOfk7

VW RECALL

Automakers brace for tough scrutiny after VW emissions scandal.
Automakers have to be clearer about the way they certify their
fuel economy and emission ratings as regulators ramp up scrutiny
into the gulf between laboratory results and on-road conditions,
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said.
http://europe.autonews.com/article/20160425/ANE/160429915/automakers-brace-for-tough-scrutiny-after-vw-emissions-scandal


VW won't release diesel scandal investigation report. Volkswagen
lawyers say it's too risky. We want to know what it says.
Volkswagen will no longer publicly release an interim report
about the diesel investigation from law firm Jones Day. In a
statement, the German automaker cited "unacceptable risks" as a
reason for not publishing the information, despite previously
saying it would issue the documents by the end of April.
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/25/vw-diesel-scandal-investigation-report/


GREEN ENERGY

Bigger Fund for Innovative Clean Energy Sought by EU Lawmaker.
The European Union should boost an innovation fund under its
emissions cap-and-trade program in the next decade to help
companies embrace clean energy technologies, according to a
proposal by European Parliament member Fredrick Federley.
Federley, who is a lead lawmaker on the carbon market reform in
the Parliament’s industry committee…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-22/bigger-fund-for-innovative-clean-energy-sought-by-eu-lawmaker


MISCELLANEOUS

Solar-plane pilots say trip was also test of human endurance. The
two Swiss pilots taking turns to fly a solar-powered airplane
around the world said Sunday the endeavor is not only a
demonstration of the importance of renewable energy but also of
the many challenges the human body can endure. Pilot Bertrand
Piccard completed a risky, three-day flight across…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/plane-713437-piccard-solar.html


OPINIONS

VW's Diesel Crisis Is Now a Global Threat: Edward Niedermeyer. If
Volkswagen was hoping that its $10 billion buyback settlement
with U.S. officials would bring some closure to months of
hand-wringing over diesel emissions, its timing couldn't have
been worse. A flood of news over the past week showed that what
was once a single company's scandal has grown into a global
regulatory crisis.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O620AV6K50Y701-59C270HUJ9GB4AB2GIDNU3BP07

Climate DOESN’T change all the time, but deniers’ excuses do.
Climate change deniers are at the last ditch stage now, the
drainage ditch that they have dug in hopes it will carry away the
rising tide of reality that is currently inundating them.
“Climate changes all the time.” They grasp onto this new
formulation like the last desperate straw that it is.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2016/04/25/climate-doesnt-change-all-the-time-but-deniers-excuses-do/
 

California desperately needs new surface storage. Californians
deserve rational and complete answers to their questions: Why has
our state failed to initiate a meaningful response to not just
one or two, but three catastrophic droughts we’ve experienced
over the last 45 years? California simply needs more water. Its
people, fish, wildlife, food producers and others – all have been
harmed by delays
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article73267777.html#storylink=cpy


Particulate pollution more a concern than ozone. I found the
report on Shasta County's air quality to be highly misleading.
First, with little industry, pollutants that combine to form
ozone are largely emitted by motor vehicles. In California, motor
vehicles are regulated exclusively by the State Air Resources
Board. Secondly, the 13 times the levels of ozone exceeded
standards are far below the state average and by…
http://www.redding.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/particulate-pollution-more-a-concern-than-ozone-30ed6d61-fe5f-6384-e053-0100007f32b9-376768141.html

Put price on carbon to lower pollution levels.  Kudos to Sam
Richards for his informative article "Pollution still
significant" (Page 1B, April 21). I found it particularly
alarming that the area where I live, Santa Clara County, received
F ratings for both ozone and particulate matter. No wonder so
many of us have suffered from allergies and asthma these past few
years. Clearly more needs to be done to improve this situation.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_29801429/april-25-readers-letters


What Does the Energy Bill Mean for Builders? Lawmakers from both
the House and Senate will next iron out differences over the
bill. The energy package is the first major piece of energy
legislation passed in nearly a decade. "A lot of hard work over
the last five years went into passage of this bipartisan bill and
I want to thank Senator Shaheen for being a true partner
throughout this process".
http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2016/04/25/what-does-the-energy-bill-mean-for-builders/http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2016/04/25/what-does-the-energy-bill-mean-for-builders/
 

Letter: Ban fracking to protect Butte County’s water. Despite the
major rains in Northern California, the drought is not over
statewide, as reported in this newspaper. Of special concern to
us is that while water is a basic human necessity, it is also the
most valuable resource in Butte County. Agriculture is our
county’s No. 1 industry and is valued at over $869 million. This
makes water the lifeblood of our county’s economy.
Please help us protect our water, our aquifer and our economy
from fracking…
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20160423/letter-ban-fracking-to-protect-butte-countys-water


Was water conservation just a fad? One question that’s been in a
lot of people’s minds as the drought ran on is whether attitudes
were changing for good about water conservation, or if it was
just a fad, a passing fancy. The evidence is building up that
it’s the latter. In the past few days, we’ve seen the homeowners
association for a gated Bay Area enclave order residents to water
their lawns or face fines.
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20160423/was-water-conservation-just-a-fad


BLOGS

How Emerging Nations Can Use Data to Curb Pollution. In India’s
Gujarat region, regulators recently faced a conundrum: They had
strong air-quality standards on the books, and the tens of
thousands of industrial facilities in the region were reported by
their auditors as being in compliance. And yet, air quality in
cities in Gujarat was among the worst in India.
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/04/25/how-emerging-nations-can-use-data-to-curb-pollution/


Dan Walters: California’s tax breaks finally get some scrutiny.
California’s state and local governments collect a
quarter-trillion dollars in taxes each year, equivalent to about
12 percent of the state’s personal income. However, were
California to eliminate all of its “tax expenditures” – special
tax treatment for certain kinds of income or transactions…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/dan-walters/article73629987.html#storylink=cpy


Jerry Brown’s lofty aspirations come face to face with the law.
Lobbyist Don Gilbert, representing Bay Area sewage districts,
requested $20 million from an Assembly budget subcommittee to
fund “poop to power” projects, with a straight face, mostly. The
investment, he told the panel, would cut the cost of technology
to generate electricity from human waste, thereby solving “an
issue we all contribute to, most days.”
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article73409747.html#storylink=cpy


A Low Carbon Future: The Complexities From Delhi. Even the
normally cautious Guardian enthused about the signal of global
seriousness about climate change evidenced by a record 170
nations signing the Paris Accord on a single day, and emerging
hopes that enough nations might ratify by the end of this year to
bring the accord into legal effect four years earlier than
originally anticipated.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-pope/a-low-carbon-future-the-c_b_9772330.html


How An Ancient Technology Could Revolutionize Wind Energy. 
The Carthaginians had it figured out. A bladeless wind energy
convertor inspired by the sailing boats of Ancient Carthage is
set to breeze past traditional turbines in terms of efficiency,
according to its Tunisian developers. A Tunisian start-up has
taken inspiration from the…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ancient-technology-revolutionize-wind-energy_us_571e16d4e4b0d4d3f723c89b




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