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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 28, 2016.
Posted: 28 Apr 2016 14:57:39
ARB Newsclips for April 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 Expect More 'Spare The Air' Alerts In Sacramento. May 1 marks the start of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s 22nd year for issuing "Spare the Air" alerts. The alerts are issued from May to October. Last year, the District says there were 5 "Spare The Air" alerts. But this year, in response to a lowered federal ozone health standard, a Sacramento region "Spare The Air"... http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/04/27/expect-more-spare-the-air-alerts-in-sacramento/ UK government faces second court battle over air pollution plans. High court to hear case against government’s ‘woefully inadequate’ plans to tackle air pollution, just a year after losing in the Supreme Court. The UK government is to be sued in the high court over its air pollution plans, just a year after losing at the Supreme Court and being ordered to fulfil its legal duty to cut pollution rapidly. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/28/uk-government-faces-second-court-battle-over-air-pollution-plans Judge clears way for latest legal challenge against government's air quality plan. The long running legal battle over the government's controversial air quality plans is set to continue, after a High Court judge today granted environmental lawyers ClientEarth permission to undertake fresh action against the government over its failure to tackle illegal levels of air pollution. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2456421/judge-clears-way-for-latest-legal-challenge-against-governments-air-quality-plan Groups threaten lawsuit over tardy EPA reviews of NOx, Sox. Two environmental and public health groups are threatening a lawsuit against U.S. EPA over the agency's slowness in revisiting ambient air quality standards for two major classes of pollutants. The agency is overdue in updating the benchmarks for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx)… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036430 EPA standards not strong enough for fetal health – study. Even small amounts of air pollution may cause women to give birth prematurely and could lead to lifelong neurological and respiratory ailments in children, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University. While scientists have long said air pollution can have a negative impact on prenatal health… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036431 ALISO CANYON SoCal Gas exec says company continues risky injection method near local communities. A Southern California Gas Company executive told state lawmakers this week that the company continues to use the same controversial method to inject and withdraw natural gas that has been cited as a possible cause for the uncontrolled, four-month gas leak near Porter Ranch. http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/04/27/60052/socal-gas-exec-says-company-continues-risky-inject/ CLIMATE CHANGE EU calculation for handing out free carbon permits flawed: court. Europe's highest court on Thursday ruled that the European Commission's calculation for handing out free carbon permits to industries was flawed, raising the prospect of higher costs for big energy users. The decision followed a court advisor's opinion in November that the ceiling was too high, when a calculation known as the correction factor… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-carbon-court-idUSKCN0XP1S4?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29 http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-high-court-rules-against-businesses-on-carbon-credits-1461866209 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-28/companies-lose-top-eu-court-fight-over-free-carbon-allowances-ink63bgq Half of U.S. Conservatives Say Climate Change Is Real. Trump and Cruz reject global warming, while more Republicans see it as a threat. The percentage of conservative Republicans who consider global warming a threat shot up 19 points in two years, to 47 percent, according to public opinion researchers at Yale University and George Mason University. Overall, 56 percent of Republicans agree that it’s happening. Including Democrats and independents, the national average for the U.S. is 73 percent. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-27/half-of-u-s-conservatives-say-climate-change-is-real Workers face 'epidemic of heat-related injuries' due to climate change. Major UN report warns heat stress suffered by factory and field workers will devastate health and reduce productivity. Workers in fields and factories face an epidemic of heat-related injuries that will devastate their health, income and productivity as climate change takes hold, a major UN report has warned. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/28/workers-epidemic-heat-related-injuries-climate-change-un-report How UPS, DHL Drive Emissions Cuts, Efficiency Improvements in Transportation and Logistics. Transportation is a major source of carbon pollution, accounting for about 24 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide in 2015. This means that for the US and other nations to meet their commitments under the Paris climate agreement, transportation emissions must be reduced. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/04/28/how-ups-dhl-drive-emissions-cuts-efficiency-improvements-in-transportation-and-logistics/#ixzz4795ERV84 Many More Republicans Now Believe in Climate Change. Poll shows a big leap from two years ago. The number of conservative voters who believe in climate change has almost doubled in the past two years, according to a new poll that attributes the rise in part to a lessening hostility toward the issue by Republican leaders. Forty-seven percent of conservatives now say the climate is changing… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/many-more-republicans-now-believe-in-climate-change/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=30b3f493cf-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-30b3f493cf-327747457 Shareholder pressure mounts on downgraded ExxonMobil. Aviva among latest investors to declare support for climate change resolution at next month’s AGM. A growing list of major investors is backing calls on ExxonMobil to acknowledge climate risk, after its credit rating was downgraded on Tuesday. British insurer Aviva and Seattle’s public pension fund are among the latest to declare their support for a… http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/04/27/shareholder-pressure-mounts-on-downgraded-exxonmobil/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=30b3f493cf-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-30b3f493cf-327747457 California’s Strategy to Combat Climate Change. State’s Environmental Protection Agency Proposals to Reduce Pollutants. The California Environmental Protection Agency has released a proposed strategy on reducing the impacts of climate change focused on curbing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). SLCPs, referred to in the report as “super pollutants” include soot, methane, and fluorinated gases. http://www.globaltrademag.com/global-trade-daily/news/californias-strategy-to-combat-climate-change How Climate Change Affects Ocean’s Oxygen Level. The continues global warming due to climate change has been known to take its toll to Arctic, melting ice caps at an increased rate, but a new study suggests that the warming climate may be sapping considerably amounts of oxygen from the ocean. http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/21285/20160428/climate-change-affects-ocean-s-oxygen-level.htm Boxer wants to offer 'climate bonds' to citizens. A plan introduced yesterday to finance adaptation projects with federal climate bonds might help kick-start needed infrastructure, even as it amounts to a tiny sliver of the loans available worldwide for green development, according to experts. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036402 DROUGHT L.A.'s water wasters will soon face heavier fines and audits. As regulators mull softening the state’s drought restrictions amid outcry from some Northern California water districts, water wasters in Los Angeles will soon face stiffer fines and water audits under a plan approved this week by Mayor Eric Garcetti. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-waste-20160427-story.html Spring Storms Help Snowpack As California Drought Persists. There was no change in drought conditions last week in California and Nevada, but spring storms added snow to the northern Sierra Nevada. The U.S. Drought Monitor released April 28 shows that slightly more than 4 percent of California, in the northwest part of the state, is not in drought. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/04/28/spring-storms-help-snowpack-as-california-drought-persists/ FUELS Rare gasoline cargo heads from China to United States. Trading house Trafigura is shipping a rare cargo of gasoline from China to the United States, as the recent weakening of the Asian market after months of stock builds opens up new routes. Asian gasoline stocks have risen sharply in recent months as traders and refiners betting on strong summer demand for the road fuel in China and other countries ramped up imports and production. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N17V50X Natural Gas Council issues guide to methane emissions studies. The Natural Gas Council, an organization of groups from all phases of the US gas industry, released an independent guide to 75 different studies of methane emissions from gas systems. The ICF International report, “Finding the Facts on Methane Emissions: A Guide to the Literature,” found several recurring findings. http://www.ogj.com/articles/2016/04/natural-gas-council-issues-guide-to-methane-emissions-studies.html BLM methane rule draws cheers, jeers at oversight hearing. House Republicans questioned the Bureau of Land Management's authority at an oversight hearing yesterday to regulate the venting, flaring and leaking of methane gas from tens of thousands of wells on federal and tribal lands. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/04/28/stories/1060036396 VEHICLES Germany to subsidize electric cars to help own auto industry. Germany's auto industry risks being overtaken by foreign competitors unless it receives greater domestic support, the country's economy minister said Wednesday, announcing a 1 billion euro ($1.13 billion) plan to subsidize electric cars that are seen as the technology of the future. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_ELECTRIC_CARS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Daimler launches internal probe on emissions on USA cars. Experts say fixing older-model diesels will be complicated and costly and will probably cut their performance and fuel mileage - two main reasons customers bought them. Some management experts put the blame partly on ambitious, top-down corporate structures. "Daimler will consequently investigate possible indications of irregularities… http://nysepost.com/daimler-launches-internal-probe-on-emissions-on-usa-cars-200084 VW and Shell try to block EU push for electric cars. Industry giants’ call for biofuels over electric and fuel-efficient cars puts Europe’s carbon emissions targets at risk, say experts. Workers in fields and factories face an epidemic of heat-related injuries that will devastate their health, income and productivity as climate change takes hold, a major UN report has warned. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/28/workers-epidemic-heat-related-injuries-climate-change-un-report Ontario plans to build 500 electric vehicle charging stations with $20M investment. Program will fund 27 partners, work to launch new stations by 2017.The government of Ontario is looking to make it easier for electric vehicle drivers to charge up. The province has announced a plan to invest $20 million to build nearly 500 new charging stations at more than 250 locations throughout Ontario by 2017. http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/sustainability/ontario-investing-20m-to-build-500-charging-stations-across-province-167037/ New EV owners racing back to SUVs. Around three-quarters of hybrid and electric car owners who traded in for a new car so far this year are switching back to gasoline-powered cars, in an increase from last year. In 2015, 38.5 percent of hybrid and electric trade-ins were used to purchase a new hybrid or electric car, compared to 27.5 percent in the first quarter of 2016… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036373 VW RECALL Volkswagen CEO apologized in person to Obama over scandal. Volkswagen's CEO says he apologized in person to U.S. President Barack Obama for the carmaker's emissions scandal, in which it rigged its cars to cheat on diesel engine pollution tests. CEO Matthias Mueller said he held a "two minute" conversation with the president during his visit to Hannover, Germany, this week. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/business/international/volkswagen-legal-costs-emissions-cheating.html?_r=0 http://napavalleyregister.com/news/world/volkswagen-ceo-lays-out-plan-to-focus-on-low-emissions/article_94af47d9-1e3b-590b-a4cb-1106d9c3d222.html VW to spend up to $8.8 billion on diesel buybacks, fixes. Volkswagen said Thursday it had set aside 7.8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) to buy back or fix diesel-powered cars that had been rigged to cheat in emissions tests. The sum is part of 16.2 billion euros the company deducted from last year's earnings to cover the costs of the emissions scandal… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/APFN_EU_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-says-diesel-car-buy-backs-to-cost-almost-9-billion-1461831943 Unfair labor practices complaint filed against Volkswagen. The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday filed an unfair labor relations complaint against Volkswagen for the German automaker's refusal to bargain with the United Auto Workers union at its lone U.S. assembly plant in Tennessee. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_UNION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT German opposition wants inquiry into government response to dieselgate. German opposition parties called on Thursday for a parliamentary committee to investigate the government's response to Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, saying Berlin had been too lax in its treatment of the car industry. Volkswagen, the world's second-biggest automaker… http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-germany-inquiry-idUSL5N17V4XO?feedType=RSS&feedName=hotStocksNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FhotStocksNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Hot+Stocks%29 Volkswagen says may have to sell assets to pay for emissions scandal. Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) could face "further significant financial liabilities" beyond the 16.2 billion euros ($18.4 billion) it has provisioned for its diesel emissions scandal and may need to sell assets as a result, it said in its annual report. Europe's biggest carmaker said that although it had made provisions for 2015… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-divestments-dieselgate-idUSKCN0XP12B?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FbusinessNews+%28Business+News%29 VW awards top management 63.24 million euros in remuneration. Volkswagen's said it plans to pay the 12 current and former members of its management board 63.24 million euros ($71.8 million) for 2015, a year when Europe's largest carmaker posted a record loss due to legal and compensation costs for cheating diesel emissions tests. The company withheld part of bonus payments but will award… http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-bonuses-management-idUSF9N0ZM01I VW says no sales of brands or units on the agenda. Volkswagen is not currently contemplating selling any of its brands or units to help pay for the costs of its diesel emissions test cheating scandal, its finance chief told a news conference on Thursday. Frank Witter said Europe's biggest carmaker believed it had provisioned adequately for all known risks… http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-disposals-idUSF9N17F00C?feedType=RSS&feedName=mergersNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FmergersNews+%28Reuters+Mergers+News%29 GREEN ENERGY Radical action needed to decarbonize world energy supply: report. More radical action is needed to decarbonize the world's energy supply and improve energy efficiency to keep the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) said on Wednesday. The ETC is made up of global experts from energy companies, the investment sector… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-energy-idUSKCN0XO16W Thai energy group IFEC teams up with China's Goldwind for wind power projects. Thailand's Inter Far East Energy Pcl said on Wednesday that China's Goldwind International Holding will buy a 10 percent stake in its wind power unit as part of a partnership to expand the wind power business. http://www.reuters.com/article/goldwind-int-far-est-engy-idUSL3N17U1Z2 Why solar-powered planes are still a long way from carrying passengers. Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard made headlines on Saturday when he glided a solar-powered plane onto Moffett Airfield in California after a three-day journey across the Pacific Ocean. It’s the most recent stop in an around-the-world trip that began in Abu Dhabi last spring and is intended to raise awareness about the importance… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/04/27/why-solar-powered-planes-are-still-a-long-way-from-carrying-passengers/ Ground broken for solar energy facility in Hattiesburg. Mississippi Power Co. and Silicon Ranch Corp. are partnering to build the $100 million, 50 megawatt solar farm, which is expected to generate enough electricity to supply power to about 6,500 homes. The groundbreaking was held indoors Wednesday at Lake Terrace Convention Center. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article74380172.html#storylink=cpy Kansas Sens. Roberts, Moran split over wind energy funds. Kansas Republican Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts took opposite votes Tuesday on an amendment to provide $95 million in federal funding for wind energy research. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article74075472.html#storylink=cpy Energy issues roil race for Senate. Energy will play a major role in at least five races that could determine control of the Senate next year. President Obama’s controversial climate policy is looming large in Ohio and Illinois, where the coal industry still employs thousands, while battle lines are being drawn in Colorado, pitting environmentalists against oil and gas companies over drilling. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/277266-energy-issues-factor-in-battle-for-senate Southern Co. sets sights on major wind power acquisitions. Southern Co.'s wholesale power unit plans to buy more wind projects next year, the company's chief executive officer said yesterday. Adding wind would significantly expand Southern's growing renewable energy portfolio and provide more stable, long-term growth opportunities for the energy giant. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036386 Regulatory process stymies renewable growth – industry. House lawmakers yesterday heard from utilities with sizable hydropower portfolios about the financial and practical strains of the current licensing process. Industry representatives told Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans members that it can take years and millions of dollars to secure a new or updated permit from the… http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/04/28/stories/1060036391 Solyndra vs. SunEdison: 2 bankruptcies show how solar has changed. When solar manufacturer Solyndra went belly up in 2011, it led to a full-blown Washington scandal, with congressional hearings and accusations of White House wrongdoing. Solyndra became a one-word expletive that tagged the young solar industry as a boondoggle. Five years later, a far larger solar company, SunEdison Inc., has also gone bankrupt. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036399 DOE releases first rule on portable air conditioners. The Department of Energy released the first-ever proposed efficiency rule on portable air conditioners yesterday. According to analysts, a rule would help address many existing technology inefficiencies, including that some current models may actually heat rooms rather than cool them. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/04/28/stories/1060036414 MISCELLANEOUS Toxic Contamination Found on Portions of Tracks at Penn Station. Amtrak launches cleanup to get rid of chemicals known as PCBs; no harm to riders, spokesman says. For all its ills, New York Penn Station can count one more: toxic contamination on at least two of its tracks. Amtrak has launched a cleanup at the widely ridiculed and crowded station after tests found chemicals known as PCBs… http://www.wsj.com/articles/toxic-contamination-found-on-portions-of-tracks-at-penn-station-1461863531 OPINIONS Global warming could deplete the oceans’ oxygen levels – with severe consequences. In the long list of troubling climate change scenarios, there’s one that gets relatively little attention, but definitely has enormous potential consequences. It goes like this: The oceans are getting warmer — they are, after all, where 90 percent of global warming actually ends up. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/04/28/global-warming-could-deplete-the-oceans-oxygen-levels-with-severe-consequences/ BNSF's proposed port rail yard poses health risks. To the editor: Jim Newton's op-ed article on the recent court decision involving a proposed rail yard at the Port of Los Angeles dismissed the harm from air pollution on the project's neighbors. ("How good environmental legislation goes wrong," Opinion, April 21) Newton claimed that the proposed Southern California International Gateway would reduce air pollution… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0428-thursday-bnsf-rail-yard-20160428-story.html Congress is about to wipe out decades of progress in sustainable water use. As California enters its fifth year of official drought — and its ninth dry year in the past 10 — the elements of a modern, sustainable water system are finally taking shape. The state is improving water efficiency in agriculture and urban areas, expanding wastewater treatment and reuse, figuring out how to capture more storm water… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0428-gleick-congress-water-bills-20160428-story.html Can the U.S. fight climate change with Treasury bonds? Care about the effects of climate change? Sen. Barbara Boxer wants you to be able to help get the country ready. On Wednesday, the senator from California introduced legislation that would allow the Treasury Department to issue up to $200 million annually in "Climate Change Bonds." http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-essential-poli-can-the-us-fight-climate-change-with-treasury-bo-1461795640-htmlstory.html Without change, cap and trade is an illegal tax. A state Senate budget subcommittee has begun hearings on how to spend money collected by the California Air Resources Board from its cap-and-trade auctions. But it is ignoring a fundamental issue: As currently implemented, the law that led to the auctions is likely unconstitutional. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article74005247.html#storylink=cpy Joining hands on climate change: Brazil, California. Protecting our climate is very important to the indigenous people of the Amazon. In the Brazilian state of Acre, where I live, we’re already seeing terrible heat, floods and droughts that we never used to experience. That’s why cooperation with California to protect our forests is important to people here. http://capitolweekly.net/climate-change-california-brazil/ It May Soon Be Too Late to Save the Seas. An alarming new study suggests global warming could leave marine life struggling to exist. What happens if marine life in the oceans can't pull in enough oxygen from the oceans to live? We may be about to find out. A startling new study led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (the federal research arm of the National Science Foundation)… http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-27/it-may-soon-be-too-late-to-save-the-seas Cutting Carbon, Saving Jobs. Border adjustments could protect American jobs and profits as we cut carbon emissions, but it's not as simple as it sounds. Last week, 175 world leaders inked an accord to slow climate change by cutting carbon emissions worldwide. The agreement commits the U.S. to reduce carbon emissions 26 percent by 2025. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-04-26/could-plan-to-cut-carbon-emissions-in-climate-agreement-hurt-american-jobs Climate change. Re: George Will’s column April 24, “The drive to silence climate debate”: The column reinforced the unquestionable point that climate changes by citing the Medieval Warm Period of about 950 to 1250 CE, followed by the Little Ice Age from about 1400 to 1700, neither of which was caused by human industrial activity… http://www.vcstar.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/Climate-change-377361101.html Boutique gas. The California reformulated gasoline regulation created a boutique gasoline that is different from gasoline in the rest of the nation. When this regulation was passed, analysis showed a small decrease in emissions for the boutique gasoline, and it was believed to cost only 5 cents per gallon more. http://www.vcstar.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/Boutique-gas-377359321.html New California Plan Will Shake Up Freight Industry. California, known for its aggressive environmental and transportation policies, is about to shake up the freight industry. In a collaboration of the California Department of Transportation, the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission… https://www.trucks.com/2016/04/28/new-california-plan-will-shake-up-freight-industry/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.