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CARB Newsclips for June 6, 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

Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., PDT (WEBCAST) Sierra
Hearing Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento, California

The 2010 emission standards for heavy-duty engines have
established a limit for oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions of
0.20 g/bhp-hr, a 90% reduction from the previous emission
standards. However, it is projected that even when the entire
on-road fleet of heavy-duty vehicles operating in California is
compliant with the 2010 NOX emission standards, the upcoming
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) requirements for
ambient particulate matter and ozone will not be achieved in
California without further significant reduction in NOX emissions
from the heavy-duty vehicles.
https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/sharp/sharp.htm  

______________________________

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 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             

CAP AND TRADE

China CO2 market launch set for November at earliest: government
researcher. China will launch its nationwide carbon emissions
trading system by November at the "very earliest", a government
researcher said on Tuesday. As part of pledges made to help
secure a global climate change pact in Paris in 2015, China said
it would complete the launch of the nationwide emissions trading
platform this year.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-energy-carbon-idUKKBN18X0N7


Ontario holds second cap-and-trade auction. Ontario’s second
auction in its cap and trade program aimed at lowering greenhouse
gas emissions is taking place today, after the first auction sold
out. The March auction brought in $472 million, which the
government says it will put toward programs that reduce emissions
and help businesses and consumers adapt to a low-carbon economy.
http://globalnews.ca/news/3506012/ontario-holds-second-cap-and-trade-auction/


California Looks to Set a 100% Renewable Standard and to Tie its
Carbon Market with China. In the wake of President Trump’s
decision to withdraw from the Paris accords, California is more
determined than ever to reduce CO2 emissions. It has said that it
would increase its use of renewables to 100% by 2045 while also
trying to tie its cap-and-trade system to that of China’s
emerging trading plan.
https://www.environmentalleader.com/2017/06/california-looks-set-100-renewable-standard-tie-carbon-market-china/


AIR POLLUTION

A plan to build homes at the 91-to-110 freeway interchange is
back on the table, but it has some people worried. Businessman
Ali Awad went to Los Angeles City Hall five years ago with a
simple plan: Build 24 new homes on a vacant lot, next to the
interchange of the 91 and 110 freeways. The Planning Commission
shot down that idea, worrying that nearby car and truck
emissions…
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-ln-freeway-interchange-housing-20170606-htmlstory.html


Big trucks may pollute way more than previously thought. June is
off to a smoggy start in Southern California – four of the first
five days have exceeded federal Clean Air standards. Emissions
from heavy duty diesel trucks are the largest contributor to smog
here, and a new study has found that those emissions could be
much higher than previously thought.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/06/05/72578/big-trucks-may-pollute-way-more-than-previously-th/


Dumping coal could save 52K lives per year — study. Fully
replacing coal-fired electricity generation with solar power in
the United States could save some 52,000 lives annually,
researchers concluded in a newly released study. While the
long-term price tag for that undertaking would be almost $1.5
trillion, the conversion would ultimately be profitable, with "a
substantial health and environmental benefit,"…
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055616 

CLIMATE CHANGE

A climate chain reaction: Major Greenland melting could devastate
crops in Africa. As melting Greenland glaciers continue to pour
ice into the Arctic Ocean, we have more than the rising seas to
worry about, scientists say. A new study suggests that if it gets
large enough, the influx of freshwater from the melting ice
sheet…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/06/a-climate-chain-reaction-major-greenland-melting-could-devastate-crops-in-africa/?utm_term=.ab3f7750dfaa

Paris Climate Deal Needs New Rules and Clarity, Scientists Say.
The Paris climate accord needs to be strengthened through new
negotiations and national commitments to transparency, a study
showed. Uncertainty about the pledges made by almost 200
countries in the landmark climate deal means the world could fail
to mitigate runaway global warming…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-06/paris-climate-deal-needs-new-rules-and-clarity-scientists-say


Google, Facebook Join Cities in Challenging Trump on Climate.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc. are
among dozens of companies that pledged their support for policies
combating climate change following President Donald Trump’s
decision to withdraw from the Paris accord.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-05/google-and-facebook-join-cities-in-challenging-trump-on-climate


Xi Jinping and Jerry Brown of California Meet to Discuss Climate
Change. President Xi Jinping of China met on Tuesday with Gov.
Jerry Brown of California, embracing one of President Trump’s
most prominent critics on the environment as China prepares to
take a more commanding role in fighting climate change. The
meeting, coming five days after Mr. Trump announced that the
United States would abandon…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/asia/xi-jinping-china-jerry-brown-california-climate.html?_r=0

http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/06/06/dispatches-from-china-brown-meets-with-chinese-pres-xi-jin-ping/


Liberals have a responsibility too: make climate change a top
issue. For too long, liberals have been treating climate change
as a third or fourth tier issue. As the US exits the Paris
Climate Accord, it’s time for liberals to re-evaluate an issue
that subsumes all others. On Thursday when the announcement hit
that Trump was taking America out of the Paris Climate Accord, my
social media feed predictably blew up.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/radical-conservation/2017/jun/06/liberals-climate-change-trump-paris-accord


Climate change progress at Trump's EPA is grinding to a halt,
workers reveal. Current and former staff say projects that
mention climate change have been ‘de-emphasized and halted’ as
EPA tears up key planks of emissions-lowering agenda. Current and
former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees have
described how work on climate change is grinding to a halt at the
agency, with programs being scrapped and fears that staff may be
reassigned away from climate-related tasks.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/06/climate-change-work-trump-epa


California signs deal with China to combat climate change.
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed an agreement to work with
China to lower greenhouse gas emissions Tuesday, just days after
President Trump pulled the United States out of an international
climate change agreement. The agreement, though nonbinding, aims
to expand cooperation between China and California on renewable
energy…
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/336537-california-signs-deal-with-china-to-combat-climate-change


Climate change and the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season.  As the
world's oceans warm, what affect might this have on the power of
hurricanes?. June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic
Hurricane season, which covers the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf
of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and it runs until November 30,
2017. That doesn't mean to say we cannot see a tropical storm or
hurricane develop outside of these dates.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/climate-change-2017-atlantic-hurricane-season-170605112745578.html

Trump ignites climate pledges with Paris order. Governors, mayors
and CEOs are clamoring to sign onto a slate of new climate pacts
organized over the weekend after President Trump announced he
would leave the Paris Agreement. Twelve states, including two
with Republican governors, are joining the U.S. Climate Alliance,
launched by California, New York and Washington.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055590


Former EPA boss: 'Clean break' from U.N. talks needed. The United
States should make a "clean break" from international climate
talks if the country no longer plans to be part of the Paris
Agreement, said former U.S. EPA Administrator William Reilly.
Speaking with the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast, Reilly, who
served under President George H.W. Bush, noted he has spoken out
against…
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055592


FUELS

Analyst warns of 'false prophet' predicting higher prices. The
oil and gas industry continues to enjoy its revival, even as
there is growing unease over the future direction of oil prices.
Though the per-barrel price of oil has dipped below $50 recently,
companies are still managing to capitalize on new technology,
enhanced drilling efficiencies and easy credit access to expand
production.
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055567 

VEHICLES

China Helps Big Auto Get Bigger. China's plan to halt new
electric-vehicle permits may prevent the market from overheating.
But it's also likely to crowd out new energy startups and pave
the way for the nation's incumbent manufacturers to gain an even
greater share of the world's largest car market. Make no mistake;
China is still committed to its goals of increasing annual sales
of electric vehicles…
https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2017-06-06/big-auto-wins-as-china-pulls-the-plug-on-electric-car-permits


Brown Looks To Lure Chinese Electric Car Companies. California
Governor Jerry Brown is in China this week looking to strengthen
ties in the fight against climate change. In reality that’s meant
meetings heavy on formality and light on substance, which could
open the way for more concrete agreements down the road.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/06/06/brown-looks-to-lure-chinese-electric-car-companies/


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Judge Rules High-Speed Rail Project Can Use Greenhouse Gas
Funding. California regulators did not abuse their discretion
when they decided to pay for the state’s high-speed rail project
with money from a greenhouse gas emissions program, a Sacramento
County judge said in a ruling made final on Monday. The
Transportation Solutions Defense and Education Fund…
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/06/05/judge-rules-high-speed-rail-project-can-use-greenhouse-gas-funding/


GREEN ENERGY

Prince Was a Secret Patron of Solar Power. The musician's
anonymous investment ultimately helped dozens of clean-tech
entrepreneurs in Oakland. Before his abrupt death a year ago, the
pop musician Prince made an investment in green energy that’s now
helping solar start-ups weather an assault from President Donald
Trump. It started with a conversation in 2011 between Prince and
his friend Van Jones, a CNN commentator…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-06/prince-was-a-secret-patron-of-solar-power

Perry Challenges China Ahead of Clean Energy Summit. The man who
now leads the energy department he once promised to abolish is
headed to China to make the case for why the Paris climate accord
doesn’t work and how technology -- and natural gas -- can be just
as effective in heading off global warming. U.S. Energy Secretary
Rick Perry is due in Beijing on Tuesday for a gathering of energy
ministers…
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-05/trump-energy-chief-goads-china-as-it-hosts-forum-on-clean-fuels
 

Sandoval says he will sign bill to bring rooftop solar back to
Nevada. Gov. Brian Sandoval said Monday he intends to sign a bill
that supporters expect will bring the rooftop solar industry back
to Nevada. During a ceremony to sign the major bills implementing
the two-year, $8.2 billion general fund budget, Sandoval said he
will be signing Assembly Bill 405…
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/2017-legislature/sandoval-says-he-will-sign-bill-to-bring-rooftop-solar-back-to-nevada/


DOE review author called renewable energy policies 'greatest
emerging threat' to reliability. Dive Brief: •The U.S. Department
of Energy's controversial baseload power review will be authored
by an individual previously critical of clean energy policies,
according to recent media reports. •Travis Fischer, author of a
2015 study critical of green policies, is writing the review,
according to the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group.
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-review-author-called-renewable-energy-policies-greatest-emerging-threa/443961/
 

Japan ramps up clean energy as U.S. recedes. The rumbling brown
turbine on the bank of the gurgling Arakawa River is one of many
different engines powering the recovery of the Fukushima region.
Here, in the idyllic hills in southwest Fukushima city is
Tsuchiyu Onsen, a traditional hot spring resort nestled in a
wooded national park.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055566

U.S. storage market surges to record. The U.S. energy storage
market experienced its best quarter in history. Pictured is an
energy storage research and demonstration site in Harrodsburg,
Ky. Louisville Gas & Electric Co. and Kentucky Utilities Co.
The U.S. energy storage market just surged to its best quarter in
history, deploying 234 megawatt-hours of power. The spike
represents a 944 percent increase from the same quarter last
year…
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055615 

VEHICLES

BlueLA Car Sharing Program Prepares to Launch 100 EVs, 200
Charging Stations. On Friday, June 9, City of Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti will launch a demonstration station that will
kick-start the “BlueLA Electric Car Sharing Program,” a pilot
project that will deploy 100 electric cars and 200 EV charging
stations starting this year. According to the California Air
Resources Board (CARB), the electric car sharing…
https://ngtnews.com/bluela-car-sharing-program-prepares-launch-100-evs-200-charging-stations

MISCELLANEOUS

California Governor Says China ‘On the Move,’ U.S. Role Reduced.
California Governor Jerry Brown said “America can’t rest on its
laurels” as competitive pressures from China become more intense.
“The role of America in the world has been reduced because of
Trump’s pullout from the Paris accord,” Brown said in a Bloomberg
Television interview with Tom Mackenzie on Tuesday in Beijing.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-06/california-governor-says-china-on-the-move-u-s-role-reduced


Brown: State won't reach its clean car goal without China.
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) wants Chinese companies to fill
the state's demand for electric vehicles. Brown signed agreements
Sunday and yesterday with two Chinese provinces to work on clean
energy and climate change policies and called for Chinese
companies to begin selling more electric vehicles in California
to help it meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/06/06/stories/1060055573


OPINIONS

Withdrawing from the Paris deal takes four years. Our next
president could join again in 30 days. While President Trump has
vowed to formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement,
sparking international outrage, it doesn’t necessarily mean the
end of U.S. involvement forever. A future president could have us
back in the agreement in as little as 30 days, legal experts say.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/05/withdrawing-from-the-paris-deal-takes-four-years-our-next-president-could-join-again-in-30-days/?utm_term=.9820bb08ba2f


Climate change is real. So why won’t the right admit it? Around
97% of climate scientists confirm the existence of manmade global
warming, and public opinion is steadily catching up. In the UK, a
recent poll suggested 84% of British people want Theresa May to
“convince Trump not to quit” the Paris climate agreement.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/06/climate-change-right-brexiters-donald-trump


Let's scrap regulations in favor of a carbon tax. Tax reform is
hot this year, and rightly so. Mending an outdated tax system is
an important political and policy objective. I am optimistic that
Republican lawmakers will be successful, but no matter the scale
or scope of this effort, it will not be the last big tax bill.
Because tax reform is a perpetual effort, it is not too early to
start considering post-tax-reform tax reform ideas.
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/06/lets-scrap-regulations-in-favor-of-a-carbon-tax-commentary.html


BLOGS

El Nino and global warming combine to cause record-breaking heat
in Southeast Asia. Scientists at The University of Texas
Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) have found that a devastating
combination of global warming and El Niño is responsible for
causing extreme temperatures in April 2016 in Southeast Asia. The
research, published on June 6 in the journal Nature
Communications, shows that El Niño triggered the heat…
https://phys.org/news/2017-06-el-nino-global-combine-record-breaking.html#jCp


Quantifying the effects of climate change. Last year was the
hottest on record, Arctic sea ice is on the decline and sea
levels continue to rise. In this context, satellites are
providing us with an unbiased view of how our climate is changing
and the effects it is having on our planet.  Estimates show that
the global sea level is rising by about 3 mm a year. This is one
of the major threats of global warming, especially for low-lying
coastal areas.
https://phys.org/news/2017-06-quantifying-effects-climate.html#jCp


Global warming. A concrete and terrible case: Florida. Enough
abstraction. Below is a concrete and measurable example of the
environmental danger that each of the Florida people is facing.
Sorry, that each of us is facing. Joe Romm, founder of climate
progress, provides us with a terrible article on what Florida
might be like in the near future. America’s trillion-dollar
coastal property bubble could burst “before the sea consumes a
single house.” Here’s why.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/6/6/1669235/-Global-warming-A-concrete-and-terrible-case-Florida