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CARB Newsclips for March 9, 2017. 

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.

CARB BUSINESS

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) invites you to
participate in a public workshop on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18
Funding Plan for Low Carbon Transportation Investments, Air
Quality Improvement Program (AQIP), and the potential $25 million
Volkswagen settlement funds for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV)
aspects of vehicle replacement programs. The meeting will be held
at the following time and place:

Date:                     Thursday, April 6, 2017
Time:                     9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place:                    Cal/EPA Headquarters Building
                          Coastal Hearing Room, Second Floor
                          1001 I Street
                          Sacramento, California 95814

A meeting notice for the workshop is posted at: 
https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aqip/meetings/meetings.htm  
                                                                 
                                           
Staff at the California Air Resources Board (ARB) invites you to
participate in a workshop on updates to Senate Bill 375 regional
passenger vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets
for California's Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO).
The workshops will be held at the locations and dates below, and
will follow the same format and presentation. 

FRESNO:  March 14, 2017 

For more information on these workshops, visit the ARB SB 375
website and see the meeting notice at:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/meetings/meetings.htm 

On March 14, 2017, at 1:30 pm, the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) staff is providing an online training webinar to discuss
tool changes, clarifications, and guidance document updates for
Electric Power Entities for 2016 data reported in 2017.   The
session will include a staff presentation and time for
questions.

Slides for the webinar will be posted at the following link prior
to the start time:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reporting/ghg-rep/guidance/guidance-training.htm
   

The GHG reporting regulation and additional information are
available here:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reporting/ghg-rep/ghg-rep.htm 

Updated guidance documents will be posted prior to the webinar. 
In addition, updated Excel reporting workbooks for Electric Power
Entities (EPE) will be posted prior to the webinar at the
following link: 
https://www.ccdsupport.com/confluence/display/calhelp/Reporting+Form+Instructions#EPE


One or more workshops/meetings have been scheduled and are now
located in ARB's Workshop Calendar Please go to:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/app/calendar/cur_evnt.php?type=workshops   
       
which links to meeting details, including: 

March 14, 2017: SB 375 Targets Update Workshop March 14, 2017.
more info  https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/meetings/meetings.htm 
        

The California Air Resource Board has posted an updated Notice of
Upcoming Low Carbon Fuel Standard Credits Release for Non-Metered
Residential Electric Vehicle Charging. 
http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/workgroups/elect/022217notice.pdf
      

Request for Proposal (RFP):  Data Monitoring, Collection, and
Analysis for Projects Granted under Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-15 Air
Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) and Low Carbon Transportation
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) Investments. 

The California Air Resources Board is seeking a contractor to
monitor, collect, and analyze data for heavy-duty vehicle,
off-road equipment, and bulk ship projects granted under AQIP and
Low Carbon Transportation GGRF Investments, as identified in the
fiscal year (FY) 14-15 Funding Plan approved by the Board in June
2014.  The contractor shall collect and monitor vehicle and
facility data, as applicable, such as vehicle specifications and
performance data, as well as capital costs and operation and
maintenance data for vehicles and facilities. 

RFP Information: The Data Monitoring, Collection, and Analysis
for Projects Granted under FY 14-15 AQIP and Low Carbon
Transportation GGRF Investments RFP advertisement is available
at: 
https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/Events-BS3/event-search.aspx    

(Event ID 0000004538).  In order to submit a response, please
register on the Cal eProcure website at:
https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/    

The final date for the proposal submission is Friday, March 24,
2017, 3:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

AIR POLLUTION

Exclusive: Norway's Wealth Fund May Blacklist Firms Over
Emissions, Corruption Risk. The ethics watchdog for Norway's
$900-billion sovereign wealth fund will recommend this year that
the fund exclude or put on a watch list several firms in the oil,
cement and steel industries for emitting too much greenhouse gas.
Carbon emissions are a new criteria for the fund, which was built
up from the proceeds of…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/09/business/09reuters-norway-swf-ethics.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Shell Sells Nearly All Its Oil Sands Assets in Another Sign of
Sector's Woes. Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday it will sell
nearly all of its tar sands assets, the latest sign that
operations in the Canadian resource continue to struggle as oil
prices remain historically low and energy companies come under
increasing pressure to reduce their impacts on climate change.
The sale, to Canadian Natural Resources Limited, is one of the
biggest in a series of steps by multinational companies to turn
away from the tar sands, among the most expensive and
carbon-intensive sources of oil.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032017/shell-canadian-oil-sands-oil-prices-climate-change-exxon

Shell Cuts Debt With $7.25 Billion Sale of Canada Oil Sands.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc will sell almost all of its production
assets in Canada’s oil sands in a $7.25 billion deal that cuts
debt and reduces involvement in one of the most environmentally
damaging forms of fossil-fuel extraction. All of the company’s
oil-sands interests apart from a 10 percent stake in the
Athabasca mining project will be sold…
https://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/2017/03/09/shell-agrees-to-sell-oil-sands-operations-for-7-25-billion


Shell CEO Urges Switch to Clean Energy as Plans Hefty Renewable
Spending. The oil and gas industry risks losing public support if
progress is not made in the transition to cleaner energy, Royal
Dutch Shell Plc Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said on Thursday.
The world's second largest publicly-traded oil company plans to
increase its investment in renewable energy to $1 billion a year
by…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/09/business/09reuters-ceraweek-shell-shell.html

EPA Chief: Carbon Dioxide Not Primary Cause of Warming. The new
chief of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday he
does not believe that carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to
global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific
consensus and his own agency. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said
measuring the effect of human activity on the climate is "very
challenging"…
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/09/us/politics/ap-us-pruitt-global-warming.html
 http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/09/519425866/epa-chief-scott-pruitt-questions-basic-facts-about-climate-change


Spring Came Early. Scientists Say Climate Change Is a Culprit. 
After a mild winter across much of the United States, February
brought abnormally high temperatures, especially east of the
Rockies. Spring weather arrived more than three weeks earlier
than usual in some places, and new research released Wednesday
shows a strong link to climate change.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/08/climate/early-spring.html


Study: Climate Change Goosed Odds of Freakishly Hot February. A
freakishly balmy February broke more than 11,700 local daily
records for warmth in the United States, but it didn't quite beat
1954 for the warmest February on record, climate scientists said.
The average temperature last month was 41.2 degrees — 7.3 degrees
warmer than normal but three-tenths a degree behind the record…
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/08/science/ap-us-sci-hot-february.html

February's Unusual Heat Has Climate Change Link, Scientists Find.
Global warming has made winter swelters like the one experienced
in February three times more likely, according to a new rapid
analysis. A new rapid analysis has concluded that climate change
has made winter swelters like the one experienced this February
in the United States at least three times more likely.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08032017/climate-change-scientists-heat-wave-february-global-warming


Former GOP chairman: 'Extremely important' to stay in pact.
Former Sen. Richard Lugar hopes the Trump administration not only
remains within the 2015 Paris climate deal but takes an active
role in convincing other countries to do the same. The Indiana
Republican and former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman
told…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/08/stories/1060051097 

'Global climate change' on the chopping block in upcoming budget.
The White House has proposed eliminating climate aid as part of
draconian budget cuts at the State Department, a source familiar
with the funding documents told E&E News. The zeroing out of a
"global climate change" funding cut is likely a reference…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/09/stories/1060051170 

DROUGHT

California Today: Why the State’s Biggest Lake Is Dying.
California’s biggest lake, about 350 square miles, is dying. It’s
not the first time. The Salton Sea, straddling the Imperial and
Coachella Valleys, is the latest incarnation of a body of water
that has been drying and refilling over eons with water from the
Colorado River. Native Americans once fished and camped on Lake
Cahuilla, a prehistoric and larger version.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/us/california-todaywhat-should-be-done-about-the-salton-sea.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
 
FUELS

Engie Pulls Out of UK Shale Gas With Assets Sale to Ineos. French
energy company Engie has sold its British shale gas interests to
petrochemicals firm Ineos for an undisclosed sum, the companies
said on Thursday. Engie was one of the first big energy companies
to back Britain's nascent shale gas industry when it bought parts
of Dart Energy's license’s, a company since then taken over by
IGas, in 2013.
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/09/business/09reuters-britain-shale-engie-ineos.html


'Clean' coal won't be commercially viable before 2030, energy
analysis says. 
Renewables now the cheapest source of reliable power generation
in Australia, RepuTex says. “Clean” coal technologies won’t be
commercially viable before 2030 without government subsidy and
are fundamentally out of sync with the move towards more flexible
power generation, according to the energy market analysis firm
RepuTex.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/09/clean-coal-wont-be-commercially-viable-before-2030-energy-analysis-says


VEHICLES

CIA 'Mission' on Cars Shows Concern About Next-Generation
Vehicles. WikiLeaks documents showing the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency considered a "mission" against connected car
technology underscores auto industry concern that the science
behind the next generation of vehicles could be turned against
them. Cyber security is considered key to the rollout of
tomorrow's self-driving and today's connected cars…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/08/technology/08reuters-cia-wikileaks-autos.html

VW RECALL

VW and Tata Agree to Explore Cooperation in India-Sources.
Volkswagen has signed an agreement with Tata Motors to explore
cooperation in India, company sources close to the matter said,
as the German carmaker tries once again to conquer emerging
markets. After months of talks, the carmakers have signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen exchanges about
technology...
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/09/business/09reuters-volkswagen-tata-motors.html


EPA Auditor to Review Emissions Testing Checks After VW Case. A
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency watchdog plans to review
whether the agency's internal controls are effective at detecting
vehicle emissions fraud, the EPA's Office of Inspector General
said. In a memo dated Monday, the inspector general said it will
"begin preliminary research to determine…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/08/business/08reuters-usa-emissions.html


Volkswagen Plans to Scrap Bonuses for Supervisory Board Members.
Volkswagen plans to scrap bonus payments for members of its
supervisory board, it said on Thursday, the latest sign of
belt-tightening as the German carmaker grapples with the cost of
its emissions scandal. Supervisory board members have agreed to
accept only fixed salaries in future and scrap bonuses, a
spokesman said, citing a proposal…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/09/business/09reuters-volkswagen-bonuses.html

GREEN ENERGY

Greece to Get EBRD Funding for Renewable Energy Drive.
Cash-strapped Greece will get more funding from the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) after its board
approved up to 300 million euros (260.1 million pounds) to fund
renewable energy projects. Greece is heavily dependent on
imported fossil fuels and the EBRD aims to mobilize much-needed
investment and financing to help exploit the country's huge
potential for renewables, including solar, wind…
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/03/09/business/09reuters-greece-ebrd-funding.html


New Mexico's Famed Arena Recognized for Green Features. The
University of New Mexico's legendary basketball arena, a
mid-century fixture that was modernized as part of a
multimillion-dollar renovation a few years ago, is being
recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council. Built in 1966, The
Pit is one of college basketball's most famous — and loudest —
buildings.
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/08/us/ap-us-new-mexico-the-pit.html


Tesla powers up pioneering Hawaii solar storage project. Tesla
has reportedly completed its first major solar storage project
since its $2bn acquisition of SolarCity, underlining the electric
vehicle giant's plans to become a major player in the wider clean
tech sector. The company said it has brought online the Kapaia
solar and storage project in Hawaii, combining a 13MW solar array
with…
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3006172/tesla-powers-up-pioneering-hawaii-solar-storage-project


After 'impressive' 2016, market poised to triple by 2022.
America's solar market is poised to triple over the next six
years, according to industry data released this morning.
Coming off a record 2016, when developers installed 14.7 GW of
new solar photovoltaic capacity, the industry is projected to
ride a wave of falling prices and strong consumer demand through
the end of the decade, with an average 13 GW of new capacity
coming online each year through 2020.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/09/stories/1060051169 

MISCELLANEOUS

The Senate just voted to overturn another environmental rule —
sending it to Trump’s desk. An Obama-era rule aimed at
modernizing the management of public lands is one step closer to
being repealed. The Senate voted Tuesday to overturn an Interior
Department regulation known as the Planning 2.0 rule in a move
that critics say hands too much influence to the oil and gas
industry…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/08/the-senate-just-voted-to-overturn-another-environmental-rule-sending-it-to-trumps-desk/?utm_term=.b70c291251fe

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Chief Environmental Justice Official at EPA Resigns, With Plea to
Pruitt to Protect Vulnerable Communities. Mustafa Ali quits after
24 years, as new administrator prepares deep cuts in programs
affecting the poor and minorities. The head of the environmental
justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency has
stepped down, departing the government with a lengthy letter to
Scott Pruitt…
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032017/epa-environmental-justice-mustafa-ali-flint-water-crisis-dakota-access-pipeline-trump-scott-pruitt


OPINIONS

Don’t Roll Back the Vehicle Fuel Standards. One of the signal
achievements of the Obama administration was reaching an
agreement with the auto industry to dramatically increase fuel
efficiency standards for vehicles, doubling them to 54.5 miles
per gallon by 2025. The industry now wants to renege. At its
behest, the Trump administration is expected to initiate a
rollback.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/opinion/dont-roll-back-the-vehicle-fuel-standards.html


What's at stake as the GOP moves to slash regulations? For
starters, clean air. Amid the Republican backlash against federal
scientists who write rules governing everything from movie
theater popcorn to offshore oil drilling, stories abound of
overburdened businesses, heavy-handed civil servants and crushing
paperwork. But another story, one involving a deadly household
material…
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-regulatory-reform-science-20170309-story.html


BLOGS

Financial Heavyweights Call For Emissions Disclosure, But Is It
Enough? The private sector must play its part in the race to keep
a global temperature rise below 2 degrees. The world has changed
a lot since CDP began securing climate disclosure from companies
fifteen years ago. In 2002, asking a company for data on its
carbon emissions was a relatively novel concept…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/financial-heavyweights-call-for-emissions-disclosure_us_58bfe2a3e4b070e55af9e97e


Steve Bannon's Weird Journey From Biosphere Champion to Climate
Denying Crank. The mysterious conversion of Donald Trump's chief
strategist. As climate scientists go, Wally Broecker is famous.
The 85-year-old geochemist and Columbia University professor not
only coined the term "global warming," but was one of the first
researchers to accurately predict how much the Earth's
temperature would change…
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/03/steve-bannon-climate-change-project-biosphere





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