What's New List Serve Post Display

CARB Newsclips for March 24, 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   


ADVANCED CLEAN CARS

California air regulators vote to keep tough fuel standards.
California air regulators voted Friday to keep the state's tough
vehicle emissions standards through 2025.The state Air Resources
Board voted unanimously at a meeting in Riverside to continue
with the standards for 2022 to 2025 after reaching a conclusion
similar to one by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under
the Obama administration.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_FUEL_STANDARDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-24/california-breaks-with-trump-as-state-targets-tougher-auto-rules

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/business/energy-environment/california-upholds-emissions-standards-setting-up-face-off-with-trump.html
 
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-vehicle-emissions-20170324-htmlstory.html
  
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article140631063.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/03/24/unlike-trump-california-affirms-gas-mileage-standard/99601144/
 
http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2017/03/24/california-plows-ahead-tough-auto-regulations/99564450/

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/science/article/California-fuel-standards-to-get-critical-review-11024707.php

http://www.autonews.com/article/20170324/OEM11/170329893/calif.-upholds-obama-emissions-rules-setting-up-clash-with-epa-over
http://www.onenewspage.com/video/20170316/7065648/California-Ready-To-Pursue-Clean-Car-Standards-As.htm

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/california-adopts-strict-rules-for-methane-emissions/

http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/tns-california-methane-emissions.html


AIR POLLUTION

Pollution notice filed with steelmaker Ludlum. The ongoing battle
over air pollution from Allegheny Ludlum’s Brackenridge steel
mill and questions about how much a proposed federal emissions
permit for the plant should allow, could soon land in U.S.
District Court in Pittsburgh. Four environmental organizations
Thursday filed legal notice of their intent to sue the
steelmaker, saying the plant…
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/north/2017/03/24/Allegheny-Ludlum-Brackenridge-steel-mill-pollution-lawsuit/stories/201703240123


British MPs Launch “Super Inquiry” Into Air Pollution Problems.
In a situation that is apparently “unprecedented,” 4 different
Commons committees will question a variety of ministers and air
quality experts, with the aim being to better understand the
situation and the available remedies. The 4 Commons committees in
question are: the health committee; the transport committee; the
environmental audit committee…
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/03/24/british-mps-launch-super-inquiry-air-pollution-problems/


Hopeful combo: World economy grows, carbon emissions stay flat.
For three years running, global carbon dioxide emissions have
been essentially flat, a survey finds. It hints at the potential
for 'decoupling' economic growth from burning fossil fuels.
Don’t throw your hats too high in the air, warn the experts. The
world is still a very long way from doing everything it needs to
do to get global warming under control.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Inhabit/2017/0324/Hopeful-combo-World-economy-grows-carbon-emissions-stay-flat


Wood stoves may increase heart attack risk. Researchers found
risk increased among the elderly. The study — A study published
in the March issue of the journal Epidemiology found the risk of
heart attacks among the elderly living in small cities may be
higher due to air pollution from wood-burning stoves. By the
numbers — Researchers from McGill University and Health Canada
compared pollution data…
http://www.bendbulletin.com/health/5115800-151/study-status-wood-stoves?referrer=carousel12


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change May Be Intensifying China’s Smog Crisis. Chinese
leaders, grappling with some of the world’s worst air pollution,
have long assumed the answer to their woes was gradually reducing
the level of smog-forming chemicals emitted from power plants,
steel factories and cars. But new research suggests another
factor may be hindering China’s efforts to take control of its
devastating smog crisis: climate change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/world/asia/china-air-pollution-smog-climate-change.html?_r=0


California regulators launch new campaign against harmful climate
pollutants. California opened another front in its fight against
global warming on Thursday, launching a new strategy for slashing
so-called super pollutants that have an outsize impact on the
climate. The plan targets emissions such as methane from cow
manure, black carbon from diesel exhaust and hydrofluorocarbons
from refrigerators.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-super-pollutants-20170323-story.html


What Californians believe about climate change. Californians are
more likely to believe that global warming is happening than
residents of nearly every other state – but that doesn’t mean all
Californians agree about it. Belief that global warming is real
ranges from around 65 percent in rural, mountainous counties like
Shasta, Lassen, Tehama and Modoc to more than 80 percent in Bay
Area counties…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article140424748.html#storylink=cpy


Could a Moore's Law for carbon halt climate change? By halving
global carbon emissions each decade, humanity could attain nearly
net-zero emissions by 2050, according to new research.  That term
is often bandied about in discussions of climate change. That's
because experts cite the goal of preventing warming over 2
degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as being absolutely
necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2017/0324/Could-a-Moore-s-Law-for-carbon-halt-climate-change
	

GOP movement to stay in Paris accelerates. A House ally of
President Trump circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter to the
president yesterday challenging him to make the Paris Agreement a
better deal for U.S. fossil fuels. North Dakota Republican Rep.
and Trump adviser Kevin Cramer's letter proposed "conditions" for
remaining within the landmark 2015 climate deal, including
swapping weaker emissions…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/24/stories/1060052026 

World must pull CO2 from the sky to meet Paris goals. Scientists
have issued a stark outline of the enormous work needed to meet
global climate change targets under the Paris Agreement. In a
paper published online yesterday in the journal Science,
researchers noted that "alarming inconsistencies remain between
science-based targets and national commitments."
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/24/stories/1060052028 

Senators barely mention climate programs at hearing. President
Trump's pick to lead the Department of Agriculture fielded a wide
variety of questions from friendly lawmakers yesterday but shed
little light on the administration's plans for the agency's
wide-ranging climate change programs. Sonny Perdue, the former
two-term Republican governor of Georgia, repeatedly said "yes" to
members of the Senate Agriculture…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/24/stories/1060052018

Chevron chief acknowledges warming, dismisses renewables. John
Watson, the CEO of Chevron Corp., said climate change is real and
should be addressed, but downplayed any scientific consensus
about the issue. At a speech last night in downtown Washington,
Watson said people within the oil industry widely acknowledge the
planet is warming. But, he said, the issue requires more
analysis.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/03/24/stories/1060052056 

DROUGHT

We Have Some Good News on the California Drought. Take a Look.
The majestic beauty of California’s Sierra Nevada never fails to
impress. But the mountain range, which stretches hundreds of
miles, is much more than a stunning vista. It’s a linchpin that
helps make living in an arid state possible. That’s because one
of California’s most important water supplies is melted snow.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/22/us/california-measuring-snowpack.html


The Silver Lake drought is over: Reservoir will be finally
refilled. The drought is over in Silver Lake — at least, at its
picturesque reservoir. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
officials announced Wednesday that the popular Silver Lake
Reservoir — which has stood empty for more than a year — will be
refilled starting in mid-April. The 96-acre reservoir is expected
to be fully refilled by the middle of June…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-silver-lake-filled-20170322-story.html


Climate Change News: Dead Sea Salt Shows Worst Drought Humans
Have Ever Seen. Scientists drilling deep down into the Dead Sea
have found a warning about how climate change could affect us in
the future. A study in the journal Earth and Planetary Science
Letters says samples taken from almost 1,000 feet underneath the
seabed show evidence of drought worse than anything in recorded
human history.
http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-news-dead-sea-salt-shows-worst-drought-humans-have-ever-seen-2514047


FUELS

Natural Gas is Reducing Transport Sector Emissions at U.S. and
Canadian Port Cities. There are a lot of trucks required to
transport freight, containers and other cargo around a port. One
of largest drayage trucking companies in the Ports of Los Angeles
and Long Beach has begun using one of the first Cummins Westport
(CWI) ISX12 G low NOx natural gas engines for trucking
operations.
http://www.oilandgas360.com/natural-gas-is-reducing-transport-sector-emissions-at-u-s-and-canadian-port-cities/


Pipeline decision borrows Obama administration's analysis.
President Trump's move this morning to approve the controversial
Keystone XL oil pipeline was based on the same research and most
of the same State Department staff that laid the groundwork for
President Obama's 2015 rejection of the project. The State
Department has not conducted a new analysis of the environmental,
employment…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/03/24/stories/1060052024 

VEHICLES

California to Soften Autonomous Car Regulations. No human driver
needed. 
California released a proposal this week amending some of its
strict regulations for autonomous vehicles. If all goes as
planned, the state will allow self-driving vehicles to operate
without a human driver behind the wheel starting next year. The
proposal eliminates some of the hoops automakers have to jump…
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/california-relaxes-autonomous-car-regulations/


MISCELLANEOUS

Gas agency 
erred in
 decision, court says. The
Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that the Colorado Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission erred in its rationale for rejecting a
rulemaking petition by youth activists. In the process, the court
disagreed with the agency’s longstanding position that its
mandate under state law is to strike a balance between energy
development and protection of public health…
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/gas-agency-8232erred-in8232-decision8232-court-say


BLOGS    

CA Officials Reaffirm Clean Cars Standards [Updated] [This is an
update from my previous blog] Officials from the California Air
Resources Board (ARB) voted unanimously to reaffirm the state's
clean car standards today at their hearing in Riverside, CA – a
city facing among the worst air pollution in the nation – giving
an official green light to staying on course with the program.
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/simon-mui/ca-officials-reaffirm-clean-cars-standards-updated


A Conservative Takes on Climate Change.  Jay Faison's lonely
crusade.
The contest for loneliest person on the right in Donald Trump’s
Washington would be hard fought among free traders,
pro-immigration libertarians, neoconservative globalists, and
fiscal hawks convinced of the necessity of entitlement reform.
But none of these could possibly be as lonely as the conservative
Republican who believes…
http://www.weeklystandard.com/a-conservative-takes-on-climate-change/article/2007344




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