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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 11, 2015.
Posted: 12 Feb 2015 13:03:32
ARB Newsclips for February 11, 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. CAP AND TRADE ‘Cap and Trade’ Could Bring Millions for Environmental Projects. With the busy City College trolley station as a backdrop, local government leaders on Tuesday called attention to $2 billion in new funding for environmental projects under California’s innovative “cap and trade” law. http://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2015/02/10/cap-trade-bring-millions-environmental-projects/ AIR POLLUTION Survey of Foreign Companies in China Finds Pollution a Growing Problem. Foreign companies in China are struggling with growing issues, including a perception that their businesses are less welcome than before. Such problems have been building in the past year, and they were underscored in survey results released on Wednesday by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, which also found for the first time in the survey’s 17-year history that most companies were having greater troubles recruiting executives because of air pollution. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/business/survey-of-foreign-companies-in-china-finds-pollution-a-growing-problem.html New mobile air pollution monitor being tested in Los Angeles. The ability to identify pollutants in the air is made difficult by changing conditions and the fact that harmful substances are usually invisible to the naked eye. A new vehicle being tested in Los Angeles may change how air monitoring occurs by providing real time data of toxic substances in the air. http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/02/10/49759/new-mobile-air-pollution-monitor-being-tested-in-l/ Andean ice cap yields signs of 16th-century pollution. Traces of pollution carried from a colonial silver mine hundreds of miles away wound up trapped in the ice, suggesting that the Industrial Era's impacts on the planet began earlier than previously thought in some parts of the world. Traces of air pollution from 16th-century Spanish silver mines were discovered deep inside an ice cap in the Peruvian Andes… http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0210/Andean-ice-cap-yields-signs-of-16th-century-pollution CLIMATE CHANGE Opponents Say Talk of Offsetting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Could Jeopardize Global Pact. Opposition to language proposing worldwide “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century surfaced Feb. 10, immediately after the language was added to the draft negotiating text that will be the basis for this year's Paris global climate agreement. The net-zero 2050 proposal, offered by Switzerland at the United Nations climate talks in Geneva, would allow countries and companies to offset greenhouse gas emissions… http://www.bna.com/opponents-say-talk-n17179922980/ UN deal to combat global warming complicated as length of draft text balloons. Almost 200 nations complicated a drive for a U.N. deal to combat climate change in 2015 on Wednesday by more than doubling the length of a draft negotiating text to about 100 pages of radically varying solutions. Government delegates said the additions at the Geneva talks, set for Feb. 8-13, were to let all countries air their views… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/11/us-climatechange-talks-idUSKBN0LF1YZ20150211 Supply chain policies need work to save forests-think tank. Governments, companies and investors still have significant work to do if they are to stop global supply chains causing deforestation and worsening climate change, a tropical forest think tank said on Wednesday. A new ranking of 250 companies, 150 investors and lenders, 50 countries and regions… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/11/us-deforestation-policy-commodities-idUSKBN0LF15320150211 Obama looks to raise $2 billion in climate change investments. The Obama administration on Tuesday set a goal of raising $2 billion in philanthropic investments to fight climate change, including technologies to slash carbon emissions. The Clean Energy Investment Initiative is seeking investments to try to bridge the "valley of death"… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/10/us-usa-climate-whitehouse-idUSKBN0LE2JZ20150210?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews What the massive snowfall in Boston tells us about global warming. The snowfall in Boston lately is simply insane. The local bureau of the National Weather Service has tallied up the data and here’s how it looks — with all-time records for snow within a 14-, 20-, and 30-day period: You could treat this as ordinary weather, or, you could think about it in a climate context. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/02/10/what-the-massive-snowfall-in-boston-tells-us-about-global-warming/ Panel Urges Research on Geoengineering as a Tool Against Climate Change. With the planet facing potentially severe impacts from global warming in coming decades, a government-sponsored scientific panel on Tuesday called for more research on geoengineering — technologies to deliberately intervene in nature to counter climate change. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/science/panel-urges-more-research-on-geoengineering-as-a-tool-against-climate-change.html?rref=science&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0 Man-made climate change may need man-made remedies, science panel says Refinery. Alarmed by the rapid pace of climate change, a key federal science panel is urging a major research effort into high-tech schemes that could cool the planet if prevention fails, potentially including giant machines to suck greenhouse gases from the air, aerosol sprays shot into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight back into space… http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-climate-technology-20150210-story.html#page=1 Sides square off over climate change proposals by California Democrats. The release of climate change proposals by Senate Democrats on Tuesday quickly spawned a heated debate over the direction of California's economy and the potential effect of new environmental regulations. Some unions and companies welcome the legislation, saying it will lead to new jobs and foster a growing market in clean energy technologies. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82780012/ Senate Democrats embrace governor's climate change strategy. Senate Democrats embraced new climate change goals Tuesday by adopting Gov. Jerry Brown's call to increase the use of renewable energy to 50 percent in 15 years and adding their own initiatives. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and fellow Democrats said they want to increase statewide renewable electricity use to 50 percent… http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article9694646.html#storylink=cpy Here’s how California lawmakers plan to cut greenhouse gases. The Chevron oil refinery in Richmond would take a backseat to renewable energy sources as the new slew of state bills to combat climate change would slash oil use in California in half by 2050 to meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s ambitious goals. In a move that could shape California’s climate policies for decades to come, legislators on Tuesday introduced a series of bills that would slash oil use in half by 2050… http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Here-s-how-California-lawmakers-plan-to-cut-6073418.php Can 'climate intervention' help fend off global warming? (+video). The National Academy of Sciences outlines a research agenda for two broad approaches that may be needed as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. A panel of scientists from the United States is calling for more research into tools for intentionally altering components of Earth's climate system as a way to forestall or blunt the worst effects of global warming. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0210/Can-climate-intervention-help-fend-off-global-warming-video Paris Talks Won’t Achieve 2°C Goal: Does That Matter? Officials involved with United Nations climate talks have been warning that the next pact, which will be negotiated in December in Paris, won’t alone hold global warming to less than 2°C, or 3.6°F. Those warnings have triggered renewed concern for the future of the planet as negotiators meet this week in Geneva, Switzerland, for a round of lower-profile talks. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/paris-talks-wont-achieve-2-degree-goal-does-that-matter-18648 White House doubles down: Climate change more dangerous than terrorism. The White House insisted Tuesday that the dangers posed by climate change are greater for average Americans than the threat of terrorism. Speaking to reporters, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Americans no longer face the same threat of attack that they did prior to Sept. 11, 2001, crediting the administration’s efforts to degrade organizations such as al Qaeda. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/10/wh-climate-change-more-dangerous-than-terrorism/#ixzz3RT0N65jL http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/232310-wh-more-americans-directly-affected-by-climate-change-than Top lawmakers launch a clean energy 'gold rush' with sweeping new climate change proposals. State legislative leaders for California yesterday pitched an ambitious climate change agenda as a job-creating vehicle. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D) unveiled an ambitious package of bills that would extend the state's greenhouse gas targets to midcentury, expand the state's renewable electricity target to 50 percent… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013256/print Coal-heavy utility offers support for EPA's Clean Power Plan in exchange for revisions. A coal-reliant electric utility, Ameren Corp., is laying out changes U.S. EPA could make to its proposed Clean Power Plan to earn the company's support for the proposed rule. In a white paper released today, the utility -- which produces 70 percent of its power from coal-fired plants… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013253/print Website lets users buy international carbon offsets with credit card. Want to buy a metric ton of forest carbon? As of yesterday, all you need is an Internet connection and a credit card. Code REDD, a California-based nonprofit, yesterday launched a website where anyone can purchase forest carbon offsets for as little as $5. Called "Stand for Trees," the crowdsourcing effort aims to raise over $1 million for the projects described on the website… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013230/print Shipping boom will increase warming, air pollution – report. As Arctic ice melts, increased shipping through the region is expected to exacerbate the impacts of global warming and adversely affect human health, according to a new report by the International Council on Clean Transportation. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013219/print DROUGHT Ranchers Bouncing Back, But Still Feel Effects Of Drought. Jim Gates owns Nevada County Free Range Beef and was hit hard by the drought last year. On this day, he hops out of his truck to open the gate to his livestock pastures near Grass Valley. About 100 cows graze among the green rolling hills. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/02/11/ranchers-bouncing-back,-but-still-feel-affects-of-drought/ Southern California may face water cuts. Southern Californians may face water cutbacks this summer, the Metropolitan Water District warned Monday after outlining options for rationing amid the state’s fourth straight year of drought. Water restrictions could trim the amount available to consumers by 5 percent to 10 percent, or perhaps more, according to the agency that serves as the wholesale water supplier to the region. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/feb/09/environment-water-cutbacks-metropolitan/ NorCal getting more rain than SoCal. Now, after this past weekend's soaking storms, there's a new difference emerging: the drought. As the state faces a possible fourth year of drought, Northern California is enjoying a healthy wet winter so far, with rainfall levels at 100 percent of their historic average or above in nearly every city, and reservoirs, while still not back to normal, steadily filling. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_27503100/norcal-getting-more-rain-than-socal FUELS EU Shutters Most Coal, Natural Gas Power in Six Years. European utilities shut more coal and natural gas power plants in 2014 than in any year since at least 2009 amid falling demand for electricity and tougher pollution curbs, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. European Union power companies turned off 63 percent more coal- and gas-fed generation than they started… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-11/eu-shutters-most-coal-natural-gas-power-in-six-years House Expected to Pass Keystone Bill Despite Obama’s Opposition. The House on Wednesday is expected to pass a bill forcing the administration to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, sending the measure to President Obama, who has vowed to veto it. The Senate passed an identical measure in January. While most congressional Republicans and some Democrats support the pipeline… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/politics/house-expected-to-pass-keystone-bill-despite-obamas-opposition.html High levels of benzene found in fracking waste water. Hoping to better understand the health effects of oil fracking, the state in 2013 ordered oil companies to test the chemical-laden waste water extracted from wells. Data culled from the first year of those tests found significant concentrations of the human carcinogen benzene in this so-called "flowback fluid." In some cases, the fracking waste liquid… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-fracking-20150211-story.html#page=1 Committee advances alternative fuel tax bill. A Senate committee has advanced a bill that would add a new state tax on electric and other vehicles that use nontraditional fuels. The Senate Revenue Committee voted 5-0 Tuesday to recommend House Bill 9 and send it to the Senate floor for debate. The House has already approved the bill. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that the proposal sets tax rates for a range of alternative fuels. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article9715811.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES Lurching Start for Tesla in China. For $104,000, Yu Hangmei expected a car that could, at the very least, be driven. What Ms. Yu said she got instead was a new electric Tesla Model S sedan and a malfunctioning charging station. While driving through her town in coastal Zhejiang Province recently, Ms. Yu, 45, realized that even though she had plugged in the vehicle, the battery was almost dead. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/business/international/tesla-seeks-a-stronger-foothold-in-china.html PG&E aims to install 25,000 electric car charging station across California. The state's biggest utility wants to install 25,000 electric car charging stations across Northern and Central California and have customers foot the bill. More than 60,000 plug-in electric vehicles are currently registered in PG&E's service area in Central and Northern California. But there are only 1,991 charging stations statewide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/3512779-181/pge-aims-to-install-25000 Automakers outline EV strategies as Democrats push new vehicle incentives. A single comment yesterday afternoon exposed the different approaches automakers have used to crack into the electric vehicle market and the challenges the sector faces. "They have really pushed the industry into places it doesn't make sense,"… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013252/print GREEN ENERGY Solar farm capable of powering 160,000 homes opens in California. One of the largest solar energy farms in the world has opened in Southern California's desert, with 160,000 homes now able to power lights and appliances through sunlight converted into electricity, federal officials said on Tuesday. The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, located in Riverside County about 170 miles (273 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, was operating at full capacity and providing 550 megawatts of electricity… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/10/us-usa-california-solar-idUSKBN0LE2UF20150210 White House Seeks $2B in Private Funds for Investment in Clean Energy Projects. The Obama administration announced Feb. 10 a goal of raising $2 billion from the private sector to fund clean energy projects, saying more funding is needed to fight climate change through “innovative technologies.” The Clean Energy Investment Initiative, to be run by the Energy Department… http://www.bna.com/white-house-seeks-n17179922979/ Europe Wind Power Booms on German Demand as 2015 Set for Record. Developers installed 11.8 gigawatts of wind turbines in Europe last year, accounting for almost half the power-generation capacity added, as the region continues to shift away from fossil fuels, according to the European Wind Energy Association. Germany was the top wind market with about 45 percent of the total, the Brussels-based trade group said Tuesday in a statement. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-11/eu-shutters-most-coal-natural-gas-power-in-six-years Apple plans $850M solar plant in Monterey County to power all California operations. Apple has committed nearly $850 million to help build a solar energy farm in Monterey County that will generate power for its California facilities, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Tuesday. Speaking at a technology conference hosted by Goldman Sachs, Cook revealed that Apple is partnering with First Solar to construct the 1,300-acre plant… http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_27499134/apple-plans-850m-solar-plant-monterey-county-power Is Germany the Bellwether for Renewable Power Usage Increases? One aspect of modern Germany that the world can count on is that their stated economic objectives have almost always been met. This is true, even though observers and analysts tend to raise their eyebrows at the extremity of some of these predictions. http://www.desertsun.com/story/morrisbeschlosseconomics/2015/02/11/morris-beschloss-economics-germany-green-renewable-energy-power/23224461/ While expanding its coal use, China leads world in efforts to make it cleaner -- study China is projected to add 170 gigawatts of coal-fired electric power capacity over the next decade and by 2025 will solidify its standing as the world's largest coal consumer, with more than 1,367 GW of installed coal-fired electricity capacity. This will be a 62 percent increase over current levels, according to new findings from the research and consulting firm GlobalData. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060013236/print BLOGS Climate Change Claims Are All Hot Air. Voters aren't concerned about fighting climate change and definitely don't want to pay to do so. "Changing Attitudes on a Changing Climate," [Feb. 2, 2015] sheds more heat than light on the issue of the public's understanding of and attitude towards climate change and what can be done about it. After more than two decades of hearing nothing but radical environmental activists hype… http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/letters-to-the-editor/2015/02/11/polls-show-voters-dont-want-to-pay-to-fight-climate-change Branson's Carbon War Room Partners With Rocky Mountain Institute To Build Low Carbon Future. Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room recently partnered with Rocky Mountain Institute to accelerate a global shift to a low carbon future. Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute noted, “The energy revolution is accelerating; the implications for businesses around the world are enormous. http://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2015/02/11/bransons-carbon-war-room-partners-with-rocky-mountain-institute-to-build-low-carbon-future/ EROI -- A Tool To Predict The Best Energy Mix. Modern society was born a hundred and fifty years ago when coal began providing sufficient energy to make lots and lots of steel and steam, lifting ordinary citizens out of poverty and into the newly-developing middle class. Soon after, we added oil. The energy obtained from these sources was obvious and immediate. It took little energy input to get a lot of energy out. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/02/11/eroi-a-tool-to-predict-the-best-energy-mix/ Tom Steyer Takes a Side in Environmentalists' Ethanol Fight. Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer is in an unfamiliar spot: at odds with many environmentalists on a global-warming policy. Steyer's NextGen Climate group is embracing the federal biofuels mandate, called the renewable-fuel standard (RFS)… http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/tom-steyer-takes-a-side-in-environmentalists-ethanol-fight-20140819 Blocking Out The Sun Not The Best Way To Fight Climate Change …Yet. Drastic measures like geoengineering are seen as a last resort for heading off the impacts of climate change, but scientists are beginning to look seriously at the possibility that the time for such techniques will inevitably come. For a few decades now, we’ve been hearing from scientists and others, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change… http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2015/02/11/hide-the-co2-not-the-sunshine-to-fight-climate-change-says-science/ Rebellion Photonics: Thriving On Fumes. By creating a better tool for spotting gas leaks from oilfields and pipelines, tiny Rebellion Photonics got the jump on a global market no one else could see. You’d think she’d be happy. When the Environmental Protection Agency announced in January its intention to clamp down on emissions of methane…http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2015/02/11/rebellion-photonics-thriving-on-fumes/?ss=reinventing-america%2f GOP lawmaker denies global warming as Inslee climate bill advances. Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposal to cap state carbon emissions and impose $1 billion a year in new charges on oil refineries, aluminum smelters and other top polluters passed its first legislative hurdle Tuesday, clearing the state House Environment Committee on a party-line vote. Much of the debate centered on GOP amendments that sought to soften the costs on industries of the cap-and-trade proposal… http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2015/02/11/gop-lawmaker-denies-global-warming-as-inslee-climate-bill-advances/ Vaccines Are One of Our Best Weapons Against Global Warming. Climate change could make deadly diseases like rotavirus even worse. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has suggested that vaccines cause "profound mental disorders." Paul has also said he's "not sure anybody exactly knows why" the climate changes. So the likely presidential contender would probably find this fact pretty confusing:… http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/02/vaccines-measles-rotavirus-climate-change Laying Pipe in The Lower 48. No one was surprised when the U.S. Senate recently passed a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and though a new video featuring Julie Louis-Dreyfus urges all to sign the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) petition advising Obama to veto the pipeline, which he will likely do… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-slovick/laying-pipe-in-the-lower-48_b_6648164.html?ir=Los+Angeles&utm_hp_ref=los-angeles Reaction: Geoengineering is no substitute for cutting carbon emissions, conclude US researchers. On Tuesday, the US National Research Council published two new reports on 'climate interventions', or what's more commonly known as 'geoengineering'. Geoengineering is the deliberate large-scale intervention into the Earth's climate system to try and limit the effects of human-caused global warming… http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/02/reaction-geoengineering-is-no-substitute-for-cutting-carbon-emissions-conclude-us-researchers/ How To Test Hydrogen Vs Electric Cars: A Challenge To Automakers (In Our Dreams). The amount of animus between some proponents of plug-in electric cars and those who support hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is remarkable, and sometimes disturbing. Each side marshals studies of everything from wells-to-wheels carbon footprint (electric cars win) to "refueling time" to full range (hydrogen vehicles win). http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096735_how-to-test-hydrogen-vs-electric-cars-a-challenge-to-automakers-in-our-dreams Engineered yeast produces ethanol from three important cellulosic biomass components simultaneously; higher yields, lower cost. A team led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign has, for the first time, integrated the fermentation pathways of both hexose and pentose sugars from biomass as well as an acetic acid reduction pathway into one strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering approaches. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150211-ej4.html Volkswagen Group acquires Ballard automotive fuel cell patent portfolio, extends engineering services contract in US$80+ million deal. Ballard Power Systems has entered into a Technology Solutions transaction with Volkswagen Group for an aggregate amount of approximately US$80 million for the transfer of certain automotive-related fuel cell intellectual property (IP)… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150211-volkswagen.html Audi Buys Patents For Fuel-Cell Technology From Ballard Systems. Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota have made most of the headlines in hydrogen fuel-cell development lately, but the Volkswagen Group may soon increase its presence. Audi announced today that it will acquire a package of patents from fuel-cell company Ballard Power Systems, which it says will be applied across all VW Group brands. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096736_audi-buys-patents-for-fuel-cell-technology-from-ballard-systems California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.