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This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.
CARB BUSINESS

Sound Wall-Vegetation Combination Barriers as Near-Roadway
Pollutant Mitigation Strategies. 

Suzanne Paulson, Ph.D.,
Yifang Zhu, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles and Akula Venkatram, Ph.D.
University of California, Riverside

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 2:00 p.m., PDT (WEBCAST) Sierra Hearing
Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento, California
For more go to the announcement at:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/paulson6/paulson6.htm  
___________________________

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff invites you to
participate in the third meeting in an ongoing series of public
working meetings to discuss Co-processing of biogenic feedstocks
at conventional petroleum refineries. Topics include (1) pathway
application and evaluation of the carbon intensity of renewable
fractions, (2) quantifying and reporting the renewable fuel
volumes, and (3) monitoring and verification under the Low Carbon
Fuel Standard (LCFS).
The next meeting will be held at the following time and
location:

DATE: Friday, June 2, 2017
TIME: 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Sierra Hearing Room, 2nd Floor
ADDRESS: California Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters
Building
1001 “I” Street
Sacramento, California 95814

Today’s notice is intended to confirm the date, time and
location, and supply instructions on how to participate
(in-person, over the phone, or webcast). This information along
with a discussion paper and other materials for review will be
posted at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs_meetings/lcfs_meetings.htm 
    

______________________________________

Staff from the California Department of Transportation, the
California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission,
and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
invite you to participate in workshops to discuss implementation
of the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan (Action Plan).

The workshops will be held at the locations and on the dates
noted below.  The agencies will follow the same format and show
the same presentation at each of the workshop locations.    

LOS ANGELES:  May 30, 2017

SAN DIEGO:       May 31, 2017 

For more information on the California Sustainable Freight Action
Plan including upcoming workshops, please visit the webpage at
http://www.casustainablefreight.org/              
_________________________

The California Air Resources Board in collaboration with the
South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, is holding a free professional wet
cleaning demonstration workshop.   

The free workshop will be held on Sunday, June 11, 2017 from
2:00PM - 4:00PM in
Los Angeles.  Doors open at 1:45 PM.

Venue: London Cleaners, 1073 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024. 

Space is limited.  Register early at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-professional-wet-cleaning-demonstration-workshop-for-dry-cleaners-tickets-33498967313
  or by searching for "wet cleaning workshop" on Eventbrite at:
http://www.eventbrite.com   For more details about the workshop,
please visit ARB's Non-Toxic Dry Cleaning Incentive Program
(AB998) website at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/dryclean/ab998.htm         
_________________________

AIR POLLUTION

What those diesel fumes are REALLY doing to your health: Heart
attacks, strokes and 40,000 deaths a year are blamed on rising
air pollution levels
Taking a breath of ‘fresh air’ may not be quite as healthy as you
thought. Air pollution has become a major health problem in
Britain, claiming more lives here than in most Western European
countries, an alarming UN report revealed last week.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4553248/What-diesel-fumes-REALLY-doing-health.html#ixzz4iaoSlf7M


Make this the week you... fight the pollution INSIDE your home
A University of Surrey survey found that indoor air pollution can
be worse for our health than outside because of all the chemicals
in our homes. You can check pollution levels with a monitor, £170
from foobot.io, which sends data to a phone app.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4550610/Make-week-fight-pollution-INSIDE-home.html#ixzz4ib3UUydd

CLIMATE CHANGE

New advertising campaign targets lawmakers over votes for climate
change policies
A coalition of California businesses launched a new advertising
campaign on Saturday to pressure lawmakers against enacting
tighter policies on climate change and air pollution.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-california-climate-advertising-1495894122-htmlstory.html


Climate change could make cities 8C hotter – scientists
Under a dual onslaught of global warming and localised urban
heating, some of the world’s cities may be as much as 8C (14.4F)
warmer by 2100, researchers have warned.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/30/climate-change-could-make-cities-8c-hotter-scientists

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-cities-idUSKBN18P1KS


Climate change is literally keeping us up at night
Rising temperatures caused by climate change seem to be
disrupting America’s sleep patterns, according to a new study. A
temperature increase of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit causes three bad
nights of sleep per 100 individuals per month. Across the United
States, that amounts to 9 million sleepless nights a month and
110 million nights each year.
http://nypost.com/2017/05/29/climate-change-is-literally-keeping-us-up-at-night/

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/climate-change-will-give-us-all-sleepless-nights-3dp7m269z
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-sleep-20170522-story.html


Could Individual States Lead Climate Change Efforts? 
Governor Terry McAuliffe, seen here at a National Governors
Association meeting earlier this year, recently announced a plan
to cut back on Virginia's carbon emissions. David Hart at George
Mason University thinks other states could adopt similar measures
to combat climate change.
http://wvtf.org/post/could-individual-states-lead-climate-change-efforts#stream/0


The Ghost of Climate-Change Future
The water is everywhere. For the second time in a month, Hawaii’s
coastlines have been swamped by epic tides. The phenomenon, known
as a king tide, is actually a convergence of a few different
factors: high lunar tides, rising sea levels associated with…
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/the-ghost-of-climate-change-future/528471/



Climate change: $4 trillion carbon tax is needed to save humanity
from global warming, say economists
A global carbon tax that would raise trillions of dollars if
applied across the world should be introduced if the world is to
avoid dangerous climate change, 13 leading economists have said
in a new report.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-carbon-tax-4-trillion-save-humanity-global-warming-economists-nicholas-stern-joseph-a7763376.html


G-7 commits to climate change deal — except for Trump
Seven wealthy democracies ended their summit Saturday in Italy
without unanimous agreement on climate change, as the Trump
administration plans to take more time to say whether the U.S. is
going to remain in the Paris accord on limiting greenhouse gas
emissions.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/27/g-7-source-us-gets-more-time-on-in-out-climate-pact-answer/

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/27/530362729/g7-summit-ends-without-u-s-joining-consensus-on-climate-change
Related Articles
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/05/30/stories/1060055250

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335436-mattis-trump-wide-open-on-climate-change

http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-mattis-says-trump-still-wide-open-on-1495984000-htmlstory.html
http://www.france24.com/en/20170530-paris-climate-change-agreement-world-united-trump-isolated-environment


VEHICLES

Mexico's Richest Man Developing Electric Taxis to Help Fight Air
Pollution 
An automotive startup belonging to Mexican billionaire Carlos
Slim is working to develop a new electric taxi in order to help
battle the lung-clogging pollution that plagues Mexico City,
according to an executive at the company.
http://www.thedrive.com/news/10703/mexicos-richest-man-developing-electric-taxis-to-help-fight-air-pollution

 
EMISSIONS ISSUES

 EU moves to crack down on carmakers in wake of VW emissions
scandal
The European Union has moved towards cracking down on carmakers
who cheat emissions tests by giving the EU executive more powers
to monitor testing and impose fines.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/29/eu-moves-to-crack-down-on-carmakers-after-vw-emissions-scandal-monitor-testing-fines


VW to cut environmental impact of carmaking by 45 percent
In the wake of its diesel emission scandal, Volkswagen has done
its best to portray itself as a cleaner, more thoughtful
automaker. Part of the damage control plot includes a slew of new
electric vehicles to round out the German automaker's portfolio
in the coming years.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110709_vw-to-cut-environmental-impact-of-carmaking-by-45-percent


A year of digging through code yields “smoking gun” on VW, Fiat
diesel cheats
Researchers from Bochum, Germany, and San Diego, California, say
they’ve found the precise mechanisms that allowed diesel
Volkswagens and Audis to engage or disengage emissions controls
depending on whether the cars were being driven in a lab or
driven under real-world conditions.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/05/volkswagen-bosch-fiat-diesel-emissions-cheats-cracked-open-in-new-research/

VW's clean vehicle push has shortcomings, Calif. says
California regulators said Volkswagen AG's spending plan on clean
vehicle infrastructure had shortcomings and that it lacked
details on how it would help disadvantaged communities as well as
promote hydrogen fuel cell technology.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20170526/OEM/170529884/vws-clean-vehicle-push-has-shortcomings-calif-says
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Pressure-mounts-for-VW-to-invest-in-low-income-11176810.php


Daimler Said to Seek U.S. Lawyers for Executives in Diesel Probe
Daimler AG is conducting a search for U.S. criminal defense
lawyers to represent company executives who may be swept up in
the Justice Department’s investigation of possible
diesel-emissions cheating, according to people familiar with the
matter.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-30/daimler-said-to-seek-u-s-lawyers-for-executives-in-diesel-probe


GREEN ENERGY

U.S. Renewable Energy Jobs Employ 800,000+ People and Rising: in
Charts
Renewable energy jobs are growing around the globe as prices fall
and interest in clean power rises. Worldwide, 9.8 million people
are now employed in the renewable energy industry, including 3
million in the booming photovoltaic solar sector, up 12 percent
from just a year ago, a new study shows.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26052017/infographic-renewable-energy-jobs-worldwide-solar-wind-trump


California’s push for a 100 percent renewable energy future may
hit roadblocks
The path to a greener future in California might not be all fair
winds and sunshine through Sacramento. A state senate proposal,
Senate Bill 100, doubles down on existing goals and would make
California the second state, after Hawaii, to commit to 100
percent renewable energy and zero-carbon sources for
electricity.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20170529/NEWS/170529409 

Unilever UK Now Powered 100% By Renewable Energy
European consumer goods company Unilever has announced that its
UK manufacturing sites are now powered 100% by renewable energy,
thanks to several Power Purchase Agreements it has signed over
the past six months.
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/30/unilever-uk-now-powered-100-renewable-energy/


Russia Starts Largest Renewable Energy Auction in Bid for Jobs
Russia is pressing ahead with its biggest-ever auction for
renewable energy, seeking to award contracts to purchase 1.9
gigawatts of clean electricity as well as attracting foreign
investment to support jobs at home.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-29/russia-starts-largest-renewable-energy-auction-in-bid-for-jobs


Coal Country’s Power Plants Are Turning Away From Coal
Coal is on the defensive in the nation’s power industry. Even in
coal country.
The pressure to shift more of the country’s electric supply to
renewable sources is not just a rallying cry for
environmentalists. Some of the power industry’s biggest customers
…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/business/energy-environment/coal-power-renewable-energy.html


Sempra Energy Executive: 100 Percent Renewable Energy Can Be Done
Today
San Diego Gas and Electric has said it is committed to delivering
more than 40 percent of its energy from clean, renewable sources
by 2018. Traditional energy companies maintain that more
renewable energy sources like wind and solar cause problems for
the electrical grid.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/may/26/100-percent-renewable-energy-can-be-done-today-sem/


WILD FIRES

Why fighting wildfires often fails -- and what to do about it
Fighting wildfires in America cost federal agencies almost $2
billion last year including more than half the budget of the U.S.
Forest Service. Wildland fires are growing worse in a time of
drought and climate change, and the biggest and most destructive
fires can't be stopped.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-fighting-wildfires-often-fails-and-what-to-do-about-it/


MISCELLANEOUS

Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Shut Down In 2019
The company that owns the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, site
of the worst nuclear disaster in U.S. history, announced that it
plans to shutter the facility in 2019 unless the state of
Pennsylvania steps in to keep it open.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/30/530708793/three-mile-island-nuclear-power-plant-to-shut-down-in-2019


Car Wars-- Are bikes lanes bad for business?
To bike lane or not to bike lane? In the San Diego region,
residents and small-business owners pile into public meetings
whenever government officials propose striping their streets with
bike lanes and — most controversial of all — removing parking
spots to do so.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-carwars-bike-lanes-201705230-story.html


OPINIONS

The Cap & Trade Debate Isn’t Just about Climate
In less than three weeks, the latest political debate over
California climate policy may be effectively over—taking with it
one of the best opportunities in the foreseeable future for
members of both parties to influence how the state responds to
the threat of a warming climate.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2017/05/cap-trade-debate-isnt-just-climate/


Editorial Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra needs to get moving on an
Exxon Mobil probe
Xavier Becerra has been quite outspoken about much of the work
he’s done as California’s attorney general since replacing Kamala
Harris, newly elected to the U.S. Senate, in late January.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-becerra-exxonmobil-climate-change-schneiderman-20170530-story.html