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ARB Newsclips for May 11, 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

France Seeks to Convince Germany to Mirror 30-Euro Carbon Price.
French Environment and Energy Minister Segolene Royal plans a
domestic carbon floor price of more than four times the current
European level and hopes Germany and other nations will follow
suit and support the measure aimed at reducing pollution from
fossil fuels.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O70ET66KLVRX01-6TJ8MC40D0RFQ7ELCK71CV4U06


What is a carbon tax and how would it work? A primer. One new
policy measure that could get companies to cut their carbon
emissions is to put a price on those emissions. Such a "carbon
tax" is enthusiastically supported by many advocates of greater
action on climate change—including Tesla CEO Elon Musk…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103890_what-is-a-carbon-tax-and-how-would-it-work-a-primer


AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution in India is so bad that it kills half a million
people every year. A new paper has added to the growing body of
research indicating that India’s air pollution has become a
matter of life and death. The study, published this week in the
journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that outdoor air
pollution…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/11/air-pollution-in-india-is-so-bad-that-it-kills-half-a-million-people-every-year/

Torrance ExxonMobil refinery restarts without problems.
ExxonMobil successfully restarted its Torrance refinery and went
without pollution-control devices for fewer than three hours
before its electrostatic precipitator resumed operation, the
region’s air pollution watchdog has confirmed. “The ESP is now
full functioning,” Sam Atwood, a spokesman with the South Coast
Air Quality Management District…
http://www.dailynews.com/business/20160510/torrance-exxonmobil-refinery-restarts-without-problems


US Senators Want Air Pollution Reduced at Ports, Railyards. A
group of U.S. senators, all Democrats, are asking federal
regulators to do more to cut air pollution around port cities and
railyards. New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker joined
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley on Wednesday in a letter urging the
Environmental Protection Agency…
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-senators-air-pollution-reduced-ports-railyards-39040446


EPA fights rehearing of 'belated' emissions challenge. The Obama
administration is pressing federal judges to reject
environmentalists' appeal in a case challenging a 35-year-old
U.S. EPA clean air rule. EPA attorneys yesterday urged the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to deny a
request from community groups and greens asking for the full
court to rehear the case.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/05/11/stories/1060037041 

World's carbon dioxide concentration teetering on the point of no
return. Future in which global concentration of CO2 is
permanently above 400 parts per million looms. The world is
hurtling towards an era when global concentrations of carbon
dioxide never again dip below the 400 parts per million (ppm)
milestone, as two important measuring stations sit on the point
of no return.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/11/worlds-carbon-dioxide-concentration-teetering-on-the-point-of-no-return


China and US set for airline emissions clash. Responsibilities of
rich and emerging economies at issue in Montreal meeting to
thrash out aviation’s contribution to international climate
action. The outcome is critical to the environmental integrity of
the sector’s main contribution to international climate efforts:
a carbon offsetting scheme.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/10/china-and-us-set-for-airline-emissions-clash/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e323b50789-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e323b50789-327747457


CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Warming Cited as Wildfires Increase. Scientists say the
near-destruction of Fort McMurray last week by a wildfire is the
latest indication that the vital boreal forest is at risk from
climate change. Scientists have been warning for decades that
climate change is a threat to the immense tracts of forest that
ring the Northern Hemisphere, with rising temperatures…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/11/science/global-warming-cited-as-wildfires-increase-in-fragile-boreal-forest.html?_r=1&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e323b50789-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e323b50789-327747457


Second Warmest Start to the Year on Record for U.S. While the
weather is chilly and rainy along much of the East Coast, the
Lower 48 as a whole is having its second hottest year to date,
thanks in large part to major western warmth, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday. That
warmth extended all the way up to Alaska, which is seeing its
warmest year…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/western-warmth-drives-temps-higher-20324?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=4fe4a7bb8c-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-4fe4a7bb8c-327747457


Warming seen as lit match in Northern Hemisphere forests.
Scientists have been warning for decades that climate change was
a threat to the immense tracts of forest that ring the Northern
Hemisphere, with rising temperatures, drying trees and earlier
melting of snow contributing to a growing number of wildfires.
The near-destruction of a Canadian city last week by a fire that
sent almost …
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fires-715486-forest-northern.html


Proposed Property Tax To Fight Climate Change Criticized As
Unfair. The newest building in Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif.,
headquarters sits right on San Francisco Bay. Its location offers
a spectacular view, but an uncertain future. By the end of the
century, scientists say, sea level could rise three, four, maybe
even five feet, depending on how climate change plays out.
http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=477601725 

Is San Diego’s climate plan legally binding? Questions arise
about longstanding assumption that the blueprint is enforceable
in court. The legal authority of San Diego’s landmark plan to
reduce greenhouse gases has been called into question, prompting
Mayor Kevin Faulconer to say he will seek clarification from the
city attorney.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/10/climate-action-plan-san-diego-legality/?st


Plan to track climate emissions would use network of satellites.
The landmark climate deal signed by 175 countries last month
calls for the "verification and certification" of greenhouse
gases, but a key question remains: how will the global community
ensure that nations are hitting their emission targets? One
solution is a global satellite system…
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2016/05/11/48747/plan-to-track-climate-emissions-would-use-network/


Urban growth and the emissions challenge. In a rapidly urbanizing
world, cities have become a hot spot for climate action. As urban
communities expand, urban planners must increasingly play the
role of climate change problem solvers, experts said yesterday.
Currently, more than 3.5 billion people live in cities, according
to the World Bank.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/11/stories/1060037022

U.N. agency says world may need $500B annually to cope with
warming. Countries could need to spend as much as half a trillion
dollars a year to shore up their defenses to climate change by
midcentury, according to a new report by the U.N. Environment
Programme. The agency found nations will need between $280
billion and $500 billion per year by 2050.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/11/stories/1060037020 

White House seeks stronger construction against climate damage.
Most U.S. building codes fail to fully acknowledge the threat of
climate change, but revamped rules are a crucial step toward
keeping people safe in their homes, workplaces and other
structures as the nation faces increasingly unpredictable
weather, White House officials said yesterday.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/11/stories/1060037039 

DROUGHT

El Nino fizzles out. The recent El Niño winter did not live up to
some “godzilla” forecasts, but it did bring the wettest winter in
five years, with more snow and water in Sierra Nevada and Mother
Lode watersheds, and an easing of statewide drought conditions. 
On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the State Water Resources
Control Board to adjust and extend emergency water conservation…
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/localnews/4308851-151/el-nino-fizzles-out#


California's New Drought Rules.  Governor Jerry Brown announced
Monday that the state will keep some of emergency drought
measures and relax others. Governor Jerry Brown of California
announced new changes to the state’s water-use policies Monday,
extending some of the regulations the government had adopted to
cope with the state’s ongoing, five-year drought…
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/05/california-water/482064/

http://cbsport.org/2016/05/california-drought-water-wasting-rules-made-permanent-under/


Feinstein drought bill to get hearing next week.  A bill to deal
with California's ongoing drought by boosting water supplies and
modifying policies for doling out existing supplies is set for a
hearing next week in a Senate subcommittee. The Energy and
Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power will take…
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/05/11/stories/1060037035 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

*Air monitoring board, CHP look for dirty big-rigs. Officials
from the California Air Resources Board and the California
Highway Patrol inspected heavy-duty trucks in the 1300 block of
West Main Street in Santa Maria on Tuesday. Inspectors looked for
compliance stickers and evidence of smoke and residue that might
indicate a polluting big-rig.
http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/air-monitoring-board-chp-look-for-dirty-big-rigs/article_b8c6be14-17ae-5383-bc06-87ea0317dde1.html


*State Looks For Polluting Trucks in Santa Maria. California Air
Resources Board conducts surprise inspection on Main Street.
Inspectors with the California Air Resources Board (ARB), along
with officers with the California Highway Patrol, were out early
Tuesday morning conducting a surprise enforcement inspection for
heavy-duty trurcks traveling through Santa Maria.
http://www.keyt.com/news/state-looks-for-polluting-trucks-in-santa-maria/39473304


Grant boosts efforts to curb truck emissions in Detroit area. A
nearly $225,000 grant will be used to help reduce emissions from
diesel trucks with the goal of improving air quality in
southeastern Michigan. The funding for the nonprofit Southwest
Detroit Environmental Vision was announced Wednesday by the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article76927912.html#storylink=cpy


FUELS

Big Oil Abandons $2.5 Billion in U.S. Arctic Drilling Rights. 
After plunking down more than $2.5 billion for drilling rights in
U.S. Arctic waters, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, ConocoPhillips and
other companies have quietly relinquished claims they once hoped
would net the next big oil discovery.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-10/big-oil-abandons-2-5-billion-in-u-s-arctic-drilling-rights?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=4fe4a7bb8c-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-4fe4a7bb8c-327747457

States, Chamber back Keystone lawsuit against Obama. The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce and several states this week filed supporting
briefs in a lawsuit over President Obama’s November rejection of
the Keystone XL pipeline.  TransCanada sued the Obama
administration in January over the president's veto of the
Keystone XL pipeline.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/279375-states-chamber-back-keystone-developer-lawsuit-against-obama?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e323b50789-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e323b50789-327747457

VEHICLES

Peugeot, Dongfeng to develop electric cars. PSA Peugeot Citroen
and Dongfeng Motor said they signed an agreement on Wednesday to
create a common platform to build electric cars for the Peugeot,
Citroen, DS and Dongfeng brands from 2019. PSA added in a
statement that Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile (DPCA) planned
to generate revenue of more than…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-psa-dongfeng-idUSKCN0Y20OT?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28Reuters+Technology+News%29


As Pollution From Online Shopping Grows, London Funds a Solution.
London’s delivery companies are experimenting with electric
vehicles to curb the smog spewed by vans distributing parcels
packed with goods purchased on the Internet. The U.K. capital’s
transport authority is catalyzing the transition from diesel to
battery-powered vehicles by funding Gnewt Cargo Ltd., which
operates London’s largest all electric delivery fleet.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O6PN4R6JIJV301-5K1TLM85P772NQG1LSJHF7EVMH


Fix for Audi, VW, Porsche V-6 diesels closer to approval
[Report]. Last November, the EPA announced that nearly 100,000
cars and SUVs fitted with VW Group's 3-liter V-6 diesel engines
violated the Clean Air Act. The agency said at the time that
their emissions were up to nine times the legal limit in some
circumstances. While that's better than the figure of "up to 35
times" legal limits…
http://bakersfieldnow.com/news/auto-matters/fix-for-audi-vw-porsche-v-6-diesels-closer-to-approval-report

Tesla to promote Chinese national electric-car charging standard.
To date, Tesla Motors has offered its buyers the company's
Supercharger DC fast-charging standard, which presently charges
more quickly than the CHAdeMO or Combined Charging Standard (CCS)
systems used by other carmakers.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103886_tesla-to-promote-chinese-national-electric-car-charging-standard

Buying an electric car can increase fuel use allowed by CAFE
rules. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say incentives
to sell alternative-fuel vehicle in federal laws could
potentially create a short-term rise in fuel consumption and
emissions from major automakers' new vehicles. Professors Jeremy
Michalek, Ines Azevedo, and Alan Jenn studied Corporate Average
Fuel Economy policies and greenhouse emissions standards and
reported their findings.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103898_buying-an-electric-car-can-increase-fuel-use-allowed-by-cafe-rules


Japan now has more electric car charge points than petrol
stations. Survey finds 35,000 filling stations overtaken by more
than 40,000 recharge points – although many belong to private
owners. When it comes to electric vehicles, Japan is speeding
ahead of the rest of the world, blissfully free of the range
anxiety that afflicts plug-in drivers elsewhere.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/10/japan-electric-car-charge-points-petrol-stations


VW RECALL

Volkswagen Says Emissions Probe Finds No Wrongdoing by Board.
Tens of thousands of the car maker’s workers demonstrate in
Germany for higher wages. Volkswagen AG said Wednesday an
internal probe into its emissions-cheating scandal found no
evidence of wrongdoing by members of senior management, and asked
shareholders to back the board at their general meeting next
month.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-says-emissions-probe-finds-board-didnt-breach-duty-1462974444


VW board proposes approval of execs' work despite scandal.
Volkswagen's board of directors has recommended shareholders
formally approve the work of the company's top management team
for last year despite the scandal over cars rigged to cheat on
U.S. diesel emissions tests. The recommendation is part of the
agenda for the company's annual shareholder meeting on June 22.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_29877637/vw-board-proposes-approval-execs-work-despite-scandal


GREEN ENERGY

Yingli Green Says It Probably Can't Repay Debts Due Thursday (1).
Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. said it probably can’t repay
1.7 billion yuan ($260 million) of debt that matures on Thursday
and that it’s in talks with creditors about refinancing.
Liansheng Miao, chairman and founder of the Chinese solar panel
maker…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O70GNSSYF02201-3CPSGLOVEKRSUB361S732A4PCQ


South Africa to add 7,000 MW of renewable power to grid by
mid-2016. South Africa will connect 7,000 megawatts (MW) of
renewable power to its grid by mid this year when the first 47
projects become fully operational, the energy minister said on
Wednesday.  Africa's most industrialized country has turned to
solar and wind power to plug electricity shortages…
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5N18849S 

EUROPE POWER-Spot slips on abundant wind power supply. European
spot electricity prices for next-day delivery fell on Wednesday
on higher wind power output and low demand, while year ahead
prices rose alongside oil futures and other fuels. Power from
renewable wind sources is expected to rise by 3.4 gigawatts (GW)…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N18841L 

OPINIONS

Research: Coffee bean shortage predicted due to climate change.
If you weren't already concerned about climate change, would it
draw your attention if it affected your coffee habit? It turns
out that coffee is the latest food item to be under threat due to
the rise of global temperatures.
http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Wine-coffee-Favorite-foods-are-vulnerable-to-7457057.php


California needs more water storage (East Bay Times My Word).
California desperately needs additional water storage capacity.
The proposed enlargement of Los Vaqueros Reservoir by 115,000
acre-feet is a step in the right direction, albeit a very small
one. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover 1 acre
of land to a depth of 1 foot.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/opinion/ci_29873550/california-needs-more-water-storage-east-bay-times


With Hydrogen, Toyota Aims To Reclaim The Green Image Stolen By
Tesla. At a swanky Tokyo hotel in 1997, as birds flitted across
the sky on giant video screens, Toyota Motor  introduced the
Prius to the world. It wasn’t exactly sexy: a funny-looking
compact sedan with itty-bitty wheels and a sloping nose. But
under the hood was something new: a 1.5-liter four-cylinder
engine mated to an electric motor…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2016/05/11/with-hydrogen-toyota-aims-to-reclaim-the-green-image-stolen-by-tesla/#374c76217a8e


Guest view: Electric vehicles growing option for Valley. The San
Joaquin Valley is starting a shift that will help our economy,
our air quality, and our most disadvantaged communities. We want
Valley residents to know that electric vehicles are quickly
becoming a viable option for all families and can save money
while improving air quality.
The Valley has been caught in a cycle with electric vehicles that
has left the region…
http://www.recordnet.com/opinion/20160510/guest-view-electric-vehicles-growing-option-for-valley

The epic journey of a modest proposal. In 1968, John H. Dales, an
obscure Canadian economics professor, came back from a sabbatical
determined to end what he felt was an endless and meaningless
drama between environmental groups and industry over the problem
of pollution. Industries fielded experts who would argue their
emissions were necessary for jobs and profits.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/11/stories/1060037009 


*TELEVISION COVERAGE OF ARB BIG RIG INSPECTIONS – SANTA MARIA
(Note: these are large portions of newscasts including the
inspection stories)

Air Resources Board on KCOY-SBA (CBS) - Santa Barbara, CA
05/10/2016 16:59:05


California air resources board on KSBY-SBA (NBC) - Santa Barbara,
CA
05/10/2016 17:05:53
KSBY News at 5 (News)


California air resources board on KSBY-SBA NBC) - Santa Barbara,
CA 
05/10/2016 18:16:20
KSBY News at 6 (News)


Air Resources Board on KEYT (ABC) - Santa Barbara, CA
05/11/2016 05:06:43
KEYT Newschannel 3 at 5 AM (News)


California air resources board on KEYT (ABC) - Santa Barbara, CA
05/11/2016 06:05:50
KEYT Newschannel 3 at 6 AM (News)






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