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ARB Newsclips for January 21, 2015. 

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.

AIR POLLUTION

Hong Kong Warns Public to Avoid Outdoors as Pollution Soars. Hong
Kong’s government said air pollution reached the highest level on
its gauge at more than half of its monitoring stations, as light
winds in the city failed to disperse pollutants. The pollution
index reached 10+ at monitors in Central, Mong Kok and Causeway
Bay, the city’s main business and entertainment districts, at
5:00 p.m. local time…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/hong-kong-tells-public-to-avoid-going-outside-as-pollution-soars.html


Century Later, the ‘Chinatown’ Water Feud Ebbs. For 24 years,
traveling across the stark and dusty moonscape of what once was a
glimmering 110-square-mile lake framed by snow-covered mountains,
Ted Schade was a general in the Owens Valley water wars with Los
Angeles. This was where Los Angeles began taking water for its
own use nearly a century ago, leaving behind a dry lake bed that
choked the valley with dust, turning it into one of the most
polluted parts of the nation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/us/a-century-on-the-chinatown-water-feud-ebbs.html


EPA: 3 companies agree to a $900,000 civil penalty. Three
companies affiliated with Shell Oil Company, including the
Convent and Norco Motiva Enterprises facilities, have agreed to a
$900,000 civil penalty settlement with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The EPA says the civil penalty is in response
to a number of alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/EPA-3-companies-agree-to-a-900-000-civil-penalty-6029680.php

http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060011949/print 

Another Spare the Air alert called for Friday in the Bay Area. A
Spare the Air alert is called for Friday in the Bay Area,
resulting in a ban on wood fires for the second day in a row.
Friday is the 19th alert of this cold season called by the Bay
Area Air Quality Management District. The district issues alerts
when it expects weather conditions will trap smoke and other fine
air particulates near the ground, creating unhealthy air.
http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150120/another-spare-the-air-alert-called-for-friday-in-the-bay-area


CLIMATE CHANGE

Amundi Says Investors Should De-Carbonize to Boost Return. Amundi
Asset Management, the fund manager owned by Societe Generale SA
(GLE) and Credit Agricole SA (ACA), said investors should switch
funds to less carbon-heavy stocks to boost returns. “Investors
are increasingly seeing climate change as a risk to their
assets,”…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/amundi-says-investors-should-de-carbonize-to-boost-return.html


Senate to Vote on Climate Amendments Seeking to Put Republicans
on Record. The Senate is slated to vote as soon as Jan. 21 on a
pair of amendments that seeks to put Republicans on the record
about climate change. Both climate amendments by Sens. Brian
Schatz (D- Hawaii) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) call on
Congress to recognize the scientific link between climate change…
http://www.bna.com/senate-vote-climate-n17179922277/ 

For States, $48 Million to Help Cut Emissions. Two charitable
groups will spend $48 million over the next three years to help
states figure out how to reduce emissions from electricity
production, an effort to seize the possibilities that are opening
up as the cost of clean power falls.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/business/energy-environment/for-states-48-million-to-help-cut-emissions.html


Nutrition becomes a new arena for climate change politics. The
political clash over climate change has entered new territory
that does not involve a massive oil pipeline or a subsidy for
renewable energy, but a quaint federal chart that tries to nudge
Americans toward a healthy diet. The food pyramid, that
3-decade-old backbone of grade-school nutrition lessons, has
become a test case of how far the Obama administration is willing
to push in pursuit of its global warming agenda.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article7852626.html#storylink=cpy


Obama: No greater threat to future than climate change. What
President Barack Obama described as the greatest threat to future
generations was neither terrorism nor ISIS. It wasn't nuclear
weapons in rogue states either. "No challenge  poses a
greater threat to future generations than climate change," said
Obama in his State of the Union speech Tuesday.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/21/us/climate-change-us-obama/index.html


DROUGHT

Lingering drought suspends X-country skiing near Tahoe.  A
popular cross-country ski area near Lake Tahoe has temporarily
closed due to a lack of snow, and forecasters say the lingering
drought should persist or get worse in the months ahead across
most of California and Nevada. Tahoe Donner Cross Country
spokeswoman Sally Jones says they've done their best to try to
keep the trails open for skiing..
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_27362312/lingering-drought-suspends-x-country-skiing-near-tahoe


KEYSTONE

Hillary Clinton to speak in Canada amid debate over Keystone.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has so far avoided taking a position
on the Keystone XL pipeline, is sure to face the issue again on
Wednesday in a return to Canada as Congress considers approving
construction of the contentious project backed by the United
States' northern neighbor.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DEM_2016_CLINTON?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_KEYSTONE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorensteffy/2015/01/21/what-obama-should-have-said-about-the-keystone-pipeline/

http://books.insideclimatenews.org/keystone-browser-version 

Cheap gas may not lead to drop in transit ridership, experts say.
Since the start of the summer, gasoline prices in Los Angeles
County have tumbled 40%, from more than $4 to $2.52, sparking
gleeful social media posts and long lines at the cheapest gas
stations. But the enthusiasm is tempered with concern from local
transit officials, who say cheap gasoline takes away a key
incentive to ride the bus or train in a region where commuting is
still overwhelmingly done by car.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-commute-20150120-story.html


Why cheaper jet fuel won't mean lower airfares anytime soon. 
Airlines will save billions this year thanks to cheaper jet fuel,
but they aren't likely to share the bounty with passengers — not
while so many flights are already full. Instead, the airlines
will use their windfall to pay down debt and reward shareholders.
Airline CEOs worry that oil prices could just as easily go
higher.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/20/4339571_why-cheaper-jet-fuel-wont-mean.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Diesel Falls Below $3 a Gallon for First Time Since 2010. The
average price of U.S. diesel fell for the 10th week in a row,
with the 12-cent decline Jan. 19 taking trucking’s main fuel
below the $3-per-gallon level for the first time September 2010.
The retail average was $2.933, the Department of Energy said Jan.
20 after its weekly survey of fueling stations. The average is 94
cents a gallon lower than a year ago.
http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=37108 

Supreme Court's patent ruling seen boosting renewable-fuel
startup.  A Supreme Court ruling today in a
pharmaceutical-industry patent dispute could help a renewable
fuels startup embroiled in its own patent fight. In a 7-2 ruling,
the justices found that an appeals court used the wrong review
standard in Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Sandoz Inc. and
should have deferred to a federal district court judge's
findings. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060011950/print


GREEN ENERGY

U.S. Fund Buys Stake in Spanish Energy Company. Global
Infrastructure Partners Will Buy Up to 24.4% in a Renewable
Energy Unit Owned by ACS. U.S. private-equity fund Global
Infrastructure Partners has agreed to buy up to 24.4% of a
renewable energy unit that Spanish builder Actividades de
Construccion y Servicios plans to spin off, ACS said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-fund-buys-stake-in-spanish-energy-company-1421832037


Emissions Reporting Guidance for Low-Carbon Electricity
Purchases. The World Resources Institute has published new
guidance for companies to measure emissions from purchased
electricity. The first major update to the GHG Protocol Corporate
Accounting and Reporting Standard responds to the rapid growth of
renewable energy and other major shifts in the electricity
market, WRI says.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/01/21/emissions-reporting-guidance-for-low-carbon-electricity-purchases/#ixzz3PTiMZ3rs


GE Nat Gas Turbines to Cut TVA’s CO2 Emissions 65%. General
Electric will supply two high-efficiency 7HA.02 gas turbine
generators for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s  new
combined-cycle Allen plant, which will replace TVA’s three
coal-fired units. TVA is retiring the units to meet the EPA’s
December 2018 deadline to reduce coal emissions.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/01/21/ge-nat-gas-turbines-to-cut-tvas-co2-emissions-65/#ixzz3PTlyaWUW


How will the state get 50% of its energy from 'renewable
resources' by 2050? Gov. Jerry Brown (D) received plenty of early
support for his proposal, in his Jan. 5 inaugural speech, to get
half of California's electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
A lawyer who represents renewable energy developers said the
media coverage of Brown's goal has sparked interest from the
public as well as renewables advocates.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/01/21/stories/1060011965 

U.S. scientists jostle for solar-cell efficiency crown. At 45.7
percent efficiency, a new solar cell developed by researchers at
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory last month is one of the
latest American contenders for solar energy’s efficiency title.
The cell beat the record of 44.7 percent efficiency in a cell set
last summer in Germany but fell short of another German design
that reached 46 percent efficiency in December.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/01/21/stories/1060011990 

OPINIONS

Climate Reporting’s Hot Mess. AP takes the cake in the relentless
campaign by global-warming journalists to discredit their own
profession. News reporting of the latest climate alarm was not
uniformly bad. Among hundreds of publications in the Factiva
database, exactly one—the Mail on Sunday, one of those derided
London tabloids—injected the phrase “statistically significant”
into consideration of whether…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/holman-jenkins-climate-reportings-hot-mess-1421802468?mod=trending_now_4


Behind Drop in Oil Prices, Washington’s Hand. Did the United
States kill OPEC? The plummeting price of oil since Saudi Arabia
decided last fall not to cut production to counter rising supply
elsewhere has fueled intense speculation about a downfall of the
infamous cartel, once feared for its power to bend oil prices to
its will. Was OPEC’s biggest oil producer unwilling or just
unable to stop an emerging glut?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/business/economy/washingtons-role-in-oil-prices-recent-fall.html


Protecting California’s natural lands is key to combating climate
change. As a kid, I loved camping. In the pines of the Sierra, I
learned the joy of nature and the cycle of life. As a biologist
in college, I learned how truly essential our forests, wetlands,
farmland and rangelands are to our very existence. These
landscapes produce oxygen, capture rain and snow…
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article7842339.html#storylink=cpy


Eugene Robinson: GOP remains stubborn about climate change. We
now know that 2014 was the hottest year in recorded history. We
also know that President Barack Obama can expect little help from
Republicans in Congress -- some of them cynical, others clueless
-- in facing the most daunting environmental challenge of our
time. Scientists from NASA and NOAA announced Friday…
http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_27357749/eugene-robinson-gop-remains-stubborn-about-climate-change


Outdoor cooking, common courtesy & air pollution. Got an outdoor
kitchen with a wood-burning smoker or a pizza oven? Count your
blessings you don’t live in the Bay Area. Currently, air quality
restrictions the Bay Area Quality Management District imposes on
Spare the Air Days exempt homes and business that burn wood for
all kinds of cooking whether it is inside or out as well as if
wood burning fireplaces are the only source of heating.
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/38/article/119819/ 

Why It’s Time to Raise the Federal Tax on Gasoline. Twenty-two
years ago, when the price of gas at the pump was $1 a gallon and
a movie ticket was $4, Congress saw fit to set the gasoline tax
at 18.4 cents a gallon. The idea was to ensure enough funds for
the Federal Highway Trust Fund to keep our roads and bridges in
good repair. Today, while almost all other prices have soared,
the gas tax hasn’t budged, and the trust fund is depleted.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/why-its-time-to-raise-the-federal-tax-on-gasoline-114380.html#ixzz3PTqpQFlO


BLOGS

On Energy and Climate, Obama Action Makes Up for Lack of
Rhetoric. President Barack Obama devoted fewer words to energy
and climate policies in this year’s State of the Union compared
with his previous speeches, but don’t mistake that for lack of
focus by his administration, which is moving on a host of fronts
to address climate change and follow through on regulations years
in the making.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/20/on-energy-and-climate-obama-action-makes-up-for-lack-of-rhetoric/


How far Obama’s message on climate change has come. In his State
of the Union address, President Obama made what are surely his
strongest statements yet about climate change -- at least for a
State of the Union speech. "No challenge  --  no
challenge  -- poses a greater threat to future generations
than climate change," he warned…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/21/how-far-obamas-message-on-climate-change-has-come/


Climate-change skeptics Cruz and Rubio now help oversee nation’s
climate science. With Republicans taking control of the Senate
this month, two climate-change skeptics became heads of the
subcommittees that oversee the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) chairs the Senate
subcommittee on oceans, atmosphere,
fisheries…http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/01/21/climate-change-skeptics-cruz-and-rubio-now-help-oversee-nations-climate-science/


How ‘Warmest Ever’ Headlines and Debates Can Obscure What Matters
About Climate Change. If you track developments related to
human-driven global warming, my guess is you’re aware that the
federal agencies that analyze climate conditions released the
final word on 2014’s climate on Friday. Both NASA and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration firmly concluded
that last year beat out 2010 and
2005…http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/how-warmest-ever-headlines-and-debates-can-obscure-what-matters-about-climate-change/?ref=earth&_r=0


Arguments For Higher Gas Taxes Run On Empty. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW
what fuels Americans’ ire with our political class, just look at
the hot new idea percolating in Washington and state capitals:
Raise taxes on gasoline! Thanks to a stronger dollar and
burgeoning oil inventories, gas prices have plummeted. The
typical family may save $550 or more this year, money they can
now spend on other necessities or things they enjoy.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2015/01/21/arguments-for-higher-gas-taxes-run-on-empty/


Hyundai Plans Hybrids, Electric Cars & More: 5 Questions With
Green R&D Head Ki-Sang Lee. The Hyundai Motor Group, encompassing
both the Hyundai and Kia brands, is known as one of the most
aggressive competitors in the global auto business. And the
company has big plans for expanding its lineup of green vehicles…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096366_hyundai-plans-hybrids-electric-cars-more-5-questions-with-green-rd-head-ki-san-lee


Diesel Engines Selling Well In Large Luxury SUVs & Crossovers. In
the U.S., diesel engines have long been established in pickup
trucks. In passenger cars, however, they've remained a small part
of the overall market. But diesels seem to be doing well in
another segment: larger SUVs, particularly those from luxury
makers, like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096412_diesel-engines-selling-well-in-large-luxury-suvs-crossovers


Hydrogen Fuel Now Available For Sale In California. The small
number of drivers with hydrogen fuel-cell cars in California are
now able to purchase their fuel. The Cal State L.A. Hydrogen
Research and Fueling Facility is now the first fueling station to
sell hydrogen, rather than giving it away for free. It recently
passed a state performance evaluation for certifying new hydrogen
fueling stations…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096416_hydrogen-fuel-now-available-for-sale-in-california


Gas Mileage Remains First Priority For Buyers, JD Power Says.
U.S. gas prices have now hit six-year lows, and many analysts
believe that cheap gasoline will hurt sales of fuel-efficient
cars. Paying less for gas removes much of the financial incentive
of switching to a more-efficient car, encouraging consumers to
turn back to gas guzzlers--or so goes the narrative.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096407_gas-mileage-remains-first-priority-for-buyers-jd-power-says


Investors Back Biofuels Start-Up Company, Again. The decline in
oil prices may be hurting companies in the biofuels business, but
it hasn’t killed them. Edeniq, a cellulosic and biorefining
technology start-up company based in Visalia, Calif., raised an
additional $16 million in equity today. Founded in 2008, Edeniq
has now raised a total of $84 million from investors.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2015/01/20/investors-back-biofuels-start-up-company-again/


Future forests to be smaller, less majestic. To the list of ways
climate change is slowly but surely rewriting the world as we
know it, add “making forests less awesome.” A new study suggests
that since the 1930s California has lost half of its biggest
trees — those with a trunk over two feet in diameter — even in
forests protected from logging and development.
http://grist.org/news/future-forests-to-be-smaller-less-majestic/


Why Obama should crack down on gassy cows. In the latest climate
change executive action, the White House unveiled a plan on
Wednesday to regulate methane for the first time, aiming to
reduce emissions from the oil and gas industry by 40 to 45
percent on 2012 levels by 2025. On its face, that sounds like a
big deal. And it will certainly get a mention in the State of the
Union address on Tuesday.
http://grist.org/politics/why-obama-should-crack-down-on-gassy-cows/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed


Climate Action Protects the Middle Class. Last night in the State
of the Union Address, President Obama laid out an agenda to
protect and grow America's middle class. From spurring innovation
and creating high-skilled jobs here in the U.S. to protecting our
homes and businesses, acting on climate change is crucial to
achieving this vision. Fueled by carbon pollution, climate change
poses a serious threat to our economy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-mccarthy/climate-action-protects-t_b_6515892.html


You Need to Know: About That Drought. So maybe you've heard that
Californians are going through a dry spell. In fact, things are
really rough, with dry, gravely ground; wilting, exhausted lawns;
and residents who would just like to take a long, carefree shower
(even as they are encouraged to report water wasters).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-turow/you-need-to-know-about-th_2_b_6492904.html?utm_hp_ref=green


The Tragedy of Climate Change Reports. In a return to global
climate change coverage not seen since Al Gore's Nobel Peace
Prize, both the New York Times and the Washington Post carried
front-page stories on January 17 that showed a full-color NOAA
graph of global land and ocean temperatures from 1880 until the
end of 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-musil/the-tragedy-of-climate-ch_b_6502804.html?utm_hp_ref=green



You'll Never Meet the Goals That You Don't Set. There is a cliché
in business: "What you don't measure, you won't accomplish." In
sports, hockey great Wayne Gretzky expressed this as, "You miss
100% of the shots you don't take." In sports, business and in
life, goals that you never set are the ones you are certain never
to meet. In November, NRG announced long-term sustainability
goals aimed at dramatically reducing the company's carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-crane/meet-your-goals_b_6249718.html





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