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newsclips -- CARB Newsclips for September 15, 2017
Posted: 15 Sep 2017 17:22:05
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 Attention stakeholders. Staff of the California Air Resources Board will hold a joint workshop with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 in Bakersfield to discuss strategies for meeting PM2.5 air quality standards in the San Joaquin Valley. This will be the third in a series of workshops conducted by CARB staff to assess opportunities for reductions from stationary and mobile sources as part of a comprehensive PM2.5 attainment strategy. For more information, please refer to the following webpage: https://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/sjvpm25/annualsjvpm25.htm _____________________________________________ The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) will conduct a public meeting at the time and place noted below to consider updates to CARB’s Enforcement Policy. DATE: September 28, 2017 TIME: 9:00 a.m. LOCATION: California Environmental Protection Agency California Air Resources Board Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd Floor 1001 I Street Sacramento, California 95814 The draft Enforcement Policy may also be obtained from CARB’s website at: https://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/policy2017.htm ____________________________________ The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) will conduct a public hearing at the time and place noted below to consider approving for adoption the proposed amendments to California Evaluation Procedures for New Aftermarket Catalytic Converters. DATE: September 28, 2017 TIME: 9:00 A.M. LOCATION: California Environmental Protection Agency California Air Resources Board Byron Sher Auditorium 1001 I Street Sacramento, California 95814 Electronic submittal: http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bclist.php ________________________________________________________ AIR POLLUTION CLIMATE CHANGE Some good news about global warming for once — plants are speeding up their use of carbon. As carbon dioxide continues to build in the atmosphere — thanks to the burning of fossil fuels — scientists are busy figuring out how life on earth is adapting to its effects. And now, new research reinforces the idea that the world’s plant life is adjusting in a subtle, but deeply significant, way. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/09/14/some-good-news-about-global-warming-for-once-plants-are-speeding-up-their-use-of-carbon/?utm_term=.326e0b603e4c Scripps: 5% Chance of ‘Catastrophic’ Global Warming by Century’s End. A new study by Scripps Institution of Oceanography finds a 5 percent chance that rapid global warming will be “catastrophic” or worse for the human race. The study led by Veerabhadran “Ram” Ramanathan, a distinguished professor of climate and atmospheric sciences… https://timesofsandiego.com/tech/2017/09/15/scripps-5-chance-of-catastrophic-global-warming-by-centurys-end/ There's a 5% chance warming is 'existential' risk — report. Deadly climate change could threaten most of the world's human population by the end of this century without efforts well beyond those captured in the Paris Agreement. That's the finding of a pair of related reports released yesterday by an international group of climate science and policy luminaries who warned that the window… https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/09/15/stories/1060060777 Driving force: are electric cars crowding out traditional engines? As Frankfurt motor show puts battery vehicles centre stage, the tide could be turning against combustion engines. When Angela Merkel addressed the Frankfurt motor show, it was not to a backdrop of revving engines but an exhibition of noiseless electric Golfs, South Korean hybrids and Japanese fuel-cell cars. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/15/electric-cars-frankfurt-motor-show-bmw-mercedes-benz-renault Can resilience planning be disentangled from climate politics? After hurricane Harvey hit Texas ‒ and in the lead-up to hurricane Irma ‒ Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, made clear his feelings about discussing climate change in the context of the storms. Such discussions about the role climate change might have played were “insensitive”… https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2017/0915/Can-resilience-planning-be-disentangled-from-climate-politics Trump officials eying replacement for key Obama climate rule. The Trump administration is planning to pursue a less ambitious, more industry-friendly climate change rule for coal-fired power plants as it works to scrap the one written under former President Obama. Multiple sources familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plans say that as soon as next month… http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/350759-trump-officials-eying-replacement-for-key-obama-climate-rule California Leads The Way In Growth Of Climate Change Lawsuits. Lawsuits will help drive how climate change policy evolves in the years to come. More of those lawsuits are originating in California than any other state, according to a new study out of George Washington University. Not only is there a growing number of climate-change related lawsuits, but roughly 25 percent of those cases nationally are filed in California. http://www.capradio.org/102242 When planning for disasters, don't mention climate. Many emergency managers try not to talk about climate change as they plan for disasters to avoid getting entangled in a political storm. In the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, there's been sharp debate about the role of rising temperatures on flooding, surge and the storm intensity. https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/09/15/stories/1060060779 Glaciers due for massive melt by 2100. Even if the world keeps global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, one-third of the ice in Asia's glaciers will vanish by the end of the century, according to a new paper. And if the world makes no effort to curb global warming, nearly two-thirds of that ice could disappear… https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/09/15/stories/1060060775 FUELS Canada Gas Set to Strike Back Against U.S. Shale as Glut Eases. Canadian natural gas, locked in a fierce battle for market share with U.S. shale, may stage a modest recovery as output from some longtime producers wanes and pipeline maintenance ends. While Canadian gas will almost always trade for less than U.S. gas -- due mostly to the cost of moving the fuel to markets in Texas and the American Midwest… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-14/canada-gas-set-to-strike-back-against-u-s-shale-as-glut-eases EPA demands Valero records on Houston refinery emissions release. The enforcement division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is demanding Valero Energy's records and maintenance history related to a storage tank roof failure after Hurricane Harvey that released cancer-causing benzene and other volatile compounds into the air. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/epa-demands-valero-records-on-houston-refinery-emissions-release/ar-AArZdtQ Mayor's plan pushes major emissions cuts for buildings. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) yesterday announced a plan to cap fossil fuel use in large buildings, saying the city needs to crack down on energy efficiency laggards. Under the plan, large buildings have until 2030 to get under fossil fuel caps mandated by the city. https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/09/15/stories/1060060759 Natural gas, oil loom large in fuel mix for decades — EIA. Fossil fuels will continue to dominate the world energy mix as far as the eye can see, according to federal energy analysts, making up 77 percent of energy use in 2040, while renewables, despite growing faster than any other fuel source during the coming years, will represent just 17… https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/09/15/stories/1060060763 GREEN ENERGY Advocates want Md. utilities to use renewable sources for half their energy by 2030. Environmental advocates are pushing for Maryland to require state utilities to buy half of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar, a target four other states and the District already have signed into law. Del. C. William Frick (D-Montgomery), who sits on the House Economic Matters Committee… https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-groups-launch-campaign-for-50-percent-renewable-energy/2017/09/13/a5a80fb6-987e-11e7-87fc-c3f7ee4035c9_story.html?utm_term=.05bdfca8e1c0 Assemblyman Chris Holden refuses to advance clean energy legislation despite push from environmentalists. Environmentalists are stepping up the pressure on Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), urging him to advance Senate Bill 100 on clean energy. The legislation, which would put the state on a path to phasing out fossil fuels for generating electricity by 2045, has been held in Holden's committee. http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-despite-push-from-environmentalists-1505425541-htmlstory.html http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/14/legislative-logjam-californias-clean-energy-bill-stuck-in-committee/ California Lawmakers Debate 100 Percent Clean Energy Mandate. California lawmakers must decide by the end of the day Friday whether to approve the most ambitious clean energy goal in the country: 100 percent clean energy by 2045. The state wouldn't be the first. Hawaii already has its own 100 percent goal. http://www.npr.org/2017/09/14/551046066/california-lawmakers-to-vote-on-100-percent-clean-energy-mandate Solar industry mum as trade groups praise grid study. Energy trade groups praised the Department of Energy yesterday for its staff report on grid reliability, but one industry group was conspicuously absent. A letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which praised the grid study's focus on fuel diversity, was signed by the trade groups for nuclear, oil, mining, gas, hydropower and wind. Missing: solar. https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/09/15/stories/1060060837 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE People of color still exposed to more air pollution. Although people of color were more consistently exposed to air pollution, the study did uncover that average exposure to nitrogen dioxide decreased across all races and income levels. The study estimates that up to 5,000 heart disease related deaths could have been prevented if people of color experienced the same nitrogen dioxide levels as whites in 2010. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/52537 http://www.opb.org/news/article/people-of-color-air-pollution/ OPINIONS Congress and Climate Change. Re “It’s Not Too Late to Learn From Our Mistakes,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Sept. 3): The answer to why Congress doesn’t act on climate change is simple political hydraulics. The Supreme Court let unlimited money into politics. The fossil fuel industry has unlimited money and, according to the International Monetary Fund, a multi-hundred-billion-dollar subsidy to protect. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/opinion/congress-climate-change.html Editorial: SB 49 passage vital to defend environmental protections. California has the opportunity to continue to lead the way on protecting the environment, no matter what comes out of Washington D.C. Many of the laws established to protect the air, land and water have been adopted by other states and even become national policy. This state has worked in tandem with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as the federal http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20170914/LOCAL1/170919874 Harvey and Irma sent a clear message about climate change | Editorial. If the devastation to Texas and Florida by two historic hurricanes won’t get President Trump’s pollution-enabling head of the Environmental Protection Agency to acknowledge climate change, perhaps nothing will. But the rest of the nation can’t wait for him to grasp reality. It’s time to act because hurricanes Harvey and Irma took… http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/editorials/harvey-and-irma-to-u-s-fight-climate-change-trump-pruitt-global-warming-epa-congress-20170915.html Yes, climate change made Harvey and Irma worse. The right time to talk climate change is now. It might seem premature when people in the Caribbean, Florida and Texas are still mucking out their flooded homes. And no, changes in our planet's atmosphere did not cause Hurricanes Harvey or Irma. http://www.nbc-2.com/story/36376684/yes-climate-change-made-harvey-and-irma-worse Leske: Climate change must be addressed. Editor: Somehow, we in Wyoming, due to our economic dependence upon the fossil fuel industry, feel compelled to totally dismiss the 97 percent of scientists who say that global climate change exists -- and that it is human caused. (Going back prior to the industrial revolution, there were not the climactic changes that we see now -- with exceptions for volcanic activity, etc.). http://trib.com/opinion/letters/leske-climate-change-must-be-addressed/article_19c56ddd-5458-5b12-84ca-2b56b972a8da.html Nicolas Loris: Harvey and Irma can't be blamed on climate change. In the era of fake news, misinformation tends to spread quickly - especially during a time of crisis. The deceptions that have sprung up in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma show that it's high time to separate fact from fiction. When Harvey hit landfall, a picture of a shark allegedly on a highway in Houston went viral, fooling at least one reporter. http://santamariatimes.com/opinion/columnists/nicolas-loris-harvey-and-irma-can-t-be-blamed-on/article_db7bce21-2ce7-50e9-8760-2dc8b91410d9.html Global warming alarmists shouldn't exploit hurricanes. The outcry over global warming crowds out and obscures the real issues with hurricanes that should be considered by elected officials at all levels. The notion that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma should cause President Trump to reconsider withdrawing from the Paris climate treaty… https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/09/13/dont-exploit-hurricanes-editorials-debates/105583844/ Is climate change causing more severe weather? Right now, mentioning the very words “climate change” could get you fired in Washington. EPA Director Scott Pruitt argued, “Now is not the time to talk about climate change,” while liberal comedian Bill Maher noted how many climate change deniers were fleeing the storm. http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article173403001.html#storylink=cpy Climate change prevention efforts will save money and more. Editor, Regarding Samantha Weigel’s article “San Mateo seeks new protections from floods” in the Sept. 5 edition of the Daily Journal, I’m glad that the San Mateo City Council is being proactive in planning for future sea level rise. The three hottest years ever recorded were the last three years, and 2017 is on track to beat those. http://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/climate-change-prevention-efforts-will-save-money-and-more/article_f7767a14-99b7-11e7-8ec0-035336694e41.html Veggies and grains are becoming more like junk food, thanks to rising carbon emissions. There’s been a long decline in the nutrition of our crops, often attributed to people breeding plants for higher yields rather than health benefits. But, as is often the case, climate change is making it worse. An altered atmosphere means altered food, because plants suck up CO2 from the air and turn it into sugars… http://www.businessinsider.com/vegetables-grains-crops-climate-change-effects-carbon-emissions-2017-9 BLOGS Failing to adapt to climate change likely to cost at least five times more. Cost of not adapting to climate change would be at least five times higher. Coastal cities deal with the constant fear that sea levels will continue to rise in coming years due to climate change. In the case of Santos, home of Latin American's biggest harbor… https://phys.org/news/2017-09-climate.html#jCp Truck and Bus Legislation to Watch in California. Today’s the last day of the California legislative session. It gets hectic in Sacramento this time of year, but here are two bills I’m paying attention to that could help reduce air pollution and global warming emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. As a reminder, heavy-duty vehicles make up just 7 percent of vehicles in California but disproportionately contribute to global warming emissions… http://blog.ucsusa.org/jimmy-odea/truck-and-bus-legislation-to-watch-in-california The great nutrient collapse. The atmosphere is literally changing the food we eat, for the worse. And almost nobody is paying attention. Irakli Loladze is a mathematician by training, but he was in a biology lab when he encountered the puzzle that would change his life. It was in 1998, and Loladze was studying for his Ph.D. at Arizona State University. http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/13/food-nutrients-carbon-dioxide-000511 California May Direct $1.5B to Expand Alternative Transport Fuel, Including NatGas. A legislative agreement has been reached to direct up to $1.5 billion of revenue from California's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions allowance to expand the use of alternative transportation fuels, including natural gas, according to reports. http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/111750-california-may-direct-15b-to-expand-alternative-transport-fuel-including-natgas Invest cap-and-trade funds in Gold Line light-rail extension: Guest commentary. California lawmakers should support the recent request made by state Senators Anthony Portantino and Connie Leyva and Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez to utilize cap-and-trade program funds to complete the Foothill Gold Line light-rail project from Glendora to Montclair. http://m.topix.com/county/san-bernardino-ca/2017/09/invest-cap-and-trade-funds-in-gold-line-light-rail-extension-guest-commentary U.S. real estate lobbyists turn blind eye to rising sea level threats to waterfront properties. Some are teaming up with climate-change skeptics and small government advocates to block public release of sea-level rise predictions and ensure that coastal planning is not based on them. All along the coast of the southeast United States, the real estate industry confronts a hurricane. https://www.thestar.com/business/real_estate/2017/09/15/us-real-estate-lobbyists-turn-blind-eye-to-rising-sea-level-threats-to-waterfront-properties.html GRACE mission making plans for final science data collection. With one of its twin satellites almost out of fuel after more than 15 years of chasing each other around our planet to measure Earth's ever-changing gravity field, the operations team for the U.S./German Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission is making plans for an anticipated final science collection. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-grace-mission-science.html#jCp Barrasso touts carbon capture. Carbon capture technology has the possibility of changing the future of America’s energy production. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, held a hearing to discuss the power of this technology and to propose the federal government’s support. http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/legislature/barrasso-touts-carbon-capture/article_14ab1b29-15bf-51fa-9cb0-e47d28fd5b56.html