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newsclips -- CARB Newsclips for July 27, 2017
Posted: 27 Jul 2017 16:51:05
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 (ARB or Board) staff has posted a report on ARB's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit transfer activity covering information on recent credit volumes transferred, credit prices and price trends through June 2017. Staff publishes monthly LCFS credit transfer activity reports on the second Tuesday of every month. The monthly credit transfer activity reports can be accessed here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/credit/lrtmonthlycreditreports.htm Staff also publishes weekly LCFS credit transfer activity reports on the Tuesday of every week. The weekly credit transfer activity reports can be accessed here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/credit/lrtweeklycreditreports.htm _______________________________ The Air Resources Board (ARB) announces the launch of its new California Dairy and Livestock GHG Reduction Working Group (Dairy Working Group) and Subgroup list serves that will provide interested stakeholders with up-to-date information about current activities and processes. Sign-up for the main Dairy Working Group process List Serve: https://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv_ind.php?listname=dairy AIR POLLUTION Air pollution exposure in early pregnancy may increase chance of premature birth, finds study. Exposure to air pollution in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy could increase the risk of premature birth and low birth weight, scientists have warned. Researchers examining the effect on pregnant mice of fine particle air pollution, emitted by car exhausts and coal-fired power plants, said their findings add to growing evidence that breathing polluted air in early pregnancy is “potentially dangerous”. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/air-pollution-early-pregnancy-premature-birth-effects-babies-new-york-university-study-a7863016.html Dems mobilize against bill to weaken Clean Air Act mandates. Key Senate Democrats are voicing reservations or outright opposition to a House-passed bill to loosen the Clean Air Act, underscoring doubts about the measure's chances of becoming law, despite President Trump's eagerness to roll back environmental regulations. H.R. 806 would delay implementation of U.S. EPA's 2015 ozone standard by eight years and permanently stretch the act's timetable for future pollutant reviews. It won House approval last week on a mostly party-line vote. https://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2017/07/27/stories/1060057989 CAP AND TRADE Questions remain as Gov. Brown signs legislation to address neighborhood-level air pollution. Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at improving air quality in disadvantaged communities, a key step in shifting the debate over how the state fights climate change and an issue that has tested the influence of environmental justice advocates. The law imposes new requirements to monitor and reduce pollution in neighborhoods where houses and schools are squeezed between oil refineries, industrial facilities and freight corridors. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-air-pollution-law-20170725-story.html Now California Needs to Cap Costs While it Caps Carbon. Now that California has extended its carbon dioxide trading program through 2030 businesses are waiting to see how state regulators plan to keep compliance costs down. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) claimed victory when he signed an extension of California’s landmark cap-and-trade program into law July 26, but several crucial components of the program still need to be worked out by the California Air Resources Board. Those include setting the annual emissions caps for the largest emitters of greenhouse gases from 2021 through 2030 and enacting new measures to control industry’s expenses while meeting the state’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030. https://www.bna.com/california-needs-cap-n73014462306/ For Latino communities living in areas with high air pollution, the cap-and-trade package may not do enough. On Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown signed the final bill in the cap-and-trade package. This measure would, among other things, empower the California Air Board to identify and monitor areas with high levels of air pollution. Fifteen miles south, just northwest of Long Beach, is the city of Wilmington, a community sandwiched between several oil refineries. As of 2015, the city is majority Latino, and it’s certainly a contender to be one of those critical areas that the assembly bill would monitor. https://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2017/07/27/58228/for-latino-communities-living-in-areas-with-high-a/ CLIMATE CHANGE EPA transition official dismisses climate science strategy as 'silliness'. A former transition official at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is dismissing the agency's plan to debate climate change science as "silliness." EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is planning to deploy a “red team, blue team” debate over the scientific consensus around climate change. But David Schnare, a 34-year EPA veteran and former transition official for the Trump administration, dismissed that approach in an op-ed for InsideEPA. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/343976-epa-transition-official-dismisses-pruitt-climate-science-strategy How Climate Change Is Making Wildfire Season Worse. This summer there have been dozens of fires burning in the West, which has been experiencing record-high temperatures. Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson talks with Gary Ferguson (@GaryAFerguson), author of the book "Land on Fire," about why wildfires have been getting hotter and burning longer in recent years. http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/07/27/land-on-fire-gary-ferguson Related articles: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-climate-wildfires-experts.html How climate change will affect the quality of our water. Last year, slimy green and foul-smelling algae took over Florida’s beaches, releasing toxins that killed fish and shellfish and sickened people. The algal bloom prompted the Florida governor to declare a state of emergency and likely caused widespread economic damage. If climate change goes unchecked, we could see more of these algal blooms along our coasts and in lakes, according to new research. That means that climate change won’t just affect the quantity of our water supply — causing drought, for instance — but it will also affect its quality. https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/27/16035776/climate-change-rain-nitrogen-algae-blooms-water-quality How Will Climate Change Hurt The American Economy? Depends On Where You Live. A new study estimates that southern areas of the US, many of which are already poor, could face a 20 percent decline in economic activity if carbon emissions continue unabated through the 21st century. The study was issued by economists with the Climate Impact Lab, a consortium of experts from the Universities of California, Chicago and Rutgers and the Rhodium Group. https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/articleshow-will-climate-change-hurt-the-american-economy-depends-on-where-you-live/ Poll: Californians support climate change policies, want state leaders to do more. Most Californians support the state’s policies fighting climate change — and they want state leaders to go further, a poll released Wednesday found. More than half of state residents say they found it very important for California to act as a leader on climate change around the world, and two-thirds supported the state making its own climate change policies beyond those implemented by the federal government, according to a poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/26/poll-californians-support-climate-change-policies-want-state-leaders-to-go-further/ Locals tapped for Vermont Climate Action Commission. Middlebury businessman Bill Laberge, of Laberge Insurance, and Bridport farmer Marie Audet, of Blue Spruce Farm, are two Addison County residents named to the newly formed Vermont Climate Action Commission. The commission was formed by an executive order from Gov. Phil Scott this past Thursday, July 20. Among the commission’s responsibilities will be the task of unifying Vermont’s ambitious climate and economic goals. http://www.addisonindependent.com/201707locals-tapped-vermont-climate-action-commission VOLKSWAGEN U.S. Regulators Approve Fix for 326,000 VW Diesels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board on Thursday approved a fix for 326,000 Volkswagen AG diesel cars, the agencies and the automaker said Thursday. The fix will include hardware and software upgrades, including replacing an emissions catalyst but will reduce vehicle fuel economy ratings by as much as 2 miles per gallon. https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/07/27/business/27reuters-volkswagen-emissions-regulator.html Related articles: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-regulator-idUSKBN1AC2F3 http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-volkswagen-diesel-20170727-story.html https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/07/27/epa-volkswagen-diesel-fix/516686001/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/vw-and-regulators-agree-on-fix-for-cars-in-cheating-scandal/2017/07/27/28fedf14-72fc-11e7-8c17-533c52b2f014_story.html Germans find illegal emissions device in Porsche model. German authorities have found what they consider an illegal "defeat device" in a Porsche diesel model that manipulates emissions levels, leading to the recall of some 22,000 cars. The model affected is a Cayenne 3-liter TDI that is still in production, Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Thursday. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_PORSCHE_DIESEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Smog and mirrors: On world’s climate stage, Sacramento chases electric vehicle market and a new economic identity. An array of touch-screen lights flicker to life. The seat belt clicks and the driver’s seat drifts into place. As the pedal eases down, a wave of invisible electric torque floats the car forward without a sound. After rounding the block, Jerry Kaplan glided his hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai to a stop. Along with a dozen other alternative-fuel cars, the one with a Japanese name meaning “the future” was brought to the Capitol that April 19 to offer test drives and convince the public they were worth buying. https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/smog-mirrors-on-worlds/content?oid=24711789 VEHICLES Tesla’s Model 3 is Making Electric Vehicles Successful Even Before its Launch. THE MODEL 3, Tesla's long-awaited mass-market electric vehicle, launches Friday to what will no doubt be significant fanfare. The unveiling isn't only a coming-of-age party for the nascent car manufacturer; it feels like a significant moment in EV history, too. “It is the car that has been promised to us since the inception of this industry,” says Terry O’Day, who heads up marketing at the electric charging company EVgo. “It’s the moment that we demonstrate a mass-produced vehicle that is affordably priced and has features that don’t require consumers to compromise in any way.” https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-model-3-electric-market/ Electric bus maker Proterra opens California factory. Proterra, the Burlingame builder of electric buses, opened a factory in the Los Angeles area Wednesday, in an effort to move some of its manufacturing closer to its West Coast customers. The company’s new plant, in the City of Industry, will build buses for public transit agencies throughout California and other Western states. Until now, all of its battery-powered buses have been built in South Carolina and shipped to customers — a sometimes expensive proposition. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Electric-bus-maker-Proterra-opens-California-11438401.php GREEN ENERGY U.S. House Hacks Away at Renewable Energy, Efficiency Programs. The U.S. House brushed aside Democrats' efforts to preserve federal funding for clean energy and energy efficiency on Thursday as it moved toward passage of a large spending bill that would slash those programs by 45 percent while maintaining federal support for fossil energy research and development. The GOP-led House tucked its $9 billion federal energy spending plan into its so-called "minibus" budget bill, a catch-all package to fund one-quarter of the federal government when the new fiscal year begins in October. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27072017/congress-budget-house-vote-renewable-energy-efficiency-programs-fossil-fuel-spending AEP to spend $4.5 billion on biggest single wind farm in U.S. AEP plans to spend $4.5 billion on new power – and in a sign of recent times, it’s in renewable energy, not coal. The electric utility plans to spend the money on what will be the biggest single wind farm in the United States, as the Columbus company continues its fast churn away from coal toward a more diverse mix of power generation. https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/07/26/aep-to-spend-4-5-billion-on-biggest-single-wind.html The future of renewable energy is in Texas. Renewable energy isn't at a crossroads in the U.S. so much as on a two-lane highway: While the federal government hits the gas on fossil fuels, states are speeding ahead to develop renewable energy -- and reaching new milestones. For example, enough solar energy is being collected every year to power all the single-family homes in Florida. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-is-leading-the-way-in-renewable-energy/ South Miami makes solar PV panels mandatory for new houses. A new law requiring all new homes built in the city to have solar panels, making South Miami the first city outside California to support such an initiative. Under the new law passed on 18 July 2017 from South Miami City Commission, new residential construction would require 175 square feet of solar panels to be installed per 1,000 square feet of sunlit roof area, or 2.75 kW per 1,000 square feet of living space, whichever is less. http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/south-miami-makes-solar-pv-panels-mandatory-for-new-houses VIDEO: Palo Alto city officials showing commitment to renewable energy. Palo Alto city officials are showing their commitment to renewable energy. They unveiled new solar panels installed at two public garages on Webster and Bryant Streets on Tuesday. The solar panels will power the garages and electric vehicle charging stations. Officials plan to add more charging stations around the city. They say the city wants to make driving electric convenient and economical. http://abc7news.com/news/video-palo-alto-city-officials-showing-commitment-to-renewable-energy/2250070/ MISCELLANEOUS Californians put high priority on environment, poll shows. As California emerges as a force on climate change and a counterweight to President Donald Trump, residents of the green-minded state widely support environmental actions taken by leaders in Sacramento, according to a survey released Wednesday. Fifty-one percent of California adults approve of the way Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature are handling environmental issues, the Public Policy Institute of California survey shows, even as state climate policies threaten to raise gasoline and electricity prices. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Survey-Californians-support-state-s-emergence-11438714.php Has the Moment for Environmental Justice Been Lost? Given how President Donald Trump has taken aim at the Environmental Protection Agency with regulatory rollbacks and deep proposed budget cuts, it may come as no surprise that the Office of Environmental Justice is on the chopping block. This tiny corner of the EPA was established 24 years ago to advocate for minorities and the poor, populations most likely to face the consequences of pollution and least able to advocate for themselves. https://www.propublica.org/article/has-the-moment-for-environmental-justice-been-lost OPINIONS Could complex cap-and-trade deal derail Jerry Brown’s bullet train? The political deal that led to reauthorization of California’s cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon emissions has many pieces, but one of the strangest is Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1. To win support from Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes and presumably several other Republicans, Gov. Jerry Brown and his fellow Democrats agreed to place the measure, authored by Mayes, on next year’s statewide ballot. https://calmatters.org/articles/complex-cap-trade-deal-derail-jerry-browns-bullet-train/ AB 398 is Most Cost Effective Way to Reduce Emissions for Business & the Economy. When SB 32 passed in 2016, California businesses and consumers were confronted with huge costs due to the Air Resources Board command-and-control regulations created to achieve mandated and unprecedented emission reductions, even though California represents only one percent of total global emissions. As a result, we aggressively sought reforms to create a market-based cap-and-trade program that protects the economy and lowers future cost increases for all Californians, which is the only realistic policy approach for success. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2017/07/ab-398-cost-effective-way-reduce-emissions-business-economy/