What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 6, 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.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Will There Be Indiana-Style Boycotts If States Reject EPA Carbon
Pollution Laws?	...admitted publicly that his goal is to stop a
global deal to avert catastrophic climate change. McConnell
announced to the world last week that “our...	
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/06/3643006/indiana-epa-carbon-pollution-laws/

Washington Governor Puts Focus on Climate Goals, and Less on
Debate. In his office, Gov. Jay Inslee keeps a framed image of a
stand of magenta paintbrush, an alpine meadow flower and a
signature species in Washington, that he photographed while
hiking with his wife in Olympic National Park. The magenta
paintbrush is threatened by global warming, and the photograph is
a reminder, Mr. Inslee said, of all the things that are at risk.
But then he paused and said, no, a beautiful blossom was not the
point: The deeper reason he is pushing for tough new air-quality
policies is to combat worsening health problems, like asthma in
children, that are caused by pollution.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/us/politics/washington-governor-puts-focus-on-climate-goals-and-less-on-debate.html?_r=0

Jerry Brown: California Drought Shows 'Climate Change Is Not a
Hoax.' The debate has not yet dried up, even if California has. 
Two months after members of the U.S. Senate took jabs at one
another on the subject of whether man made global warming was
actually occurring, California Governor Jerry Brown said that the
unprecedented drought and newly enacted water restrictions in his
state show that "climate change is not a hoax."  The implications
for the rest of the country, which relies on California for a
substantial portion of its food, could be profound, Brown said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-05/jerry-brown-california-drought-shows-climate-change-not-a-hoax

Modi Says India to Strike Own Path in Climate Battle. Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi signaled on Monday he would not bow
to foreign pressure to commit to cuts in carbon emissions,
instead pledging to use more clean energy and traditional methods
to lead the fight against climate change. India, the world's No.3
emitter of greenhouse gases, has come under pressure to tackle
its rapidly rising emissions since the United States and China
committed last November to start cutting their own emissions
after a "peak year".
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/04/06/world/asia/06reuters-india-climatechange.html
	
Obama's Climate Change Blind Spot: Emissions From Public
Lands.	...potential to be a major step forward. But sadly, his
latest pledge to reduce greenhouse gases seems poised to keep our
nation moving backward....	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20949231172&p=19f&v=1&x=A4O1KbREzAbRoMa5xZVMmg

Fishing in the Age of Climate Change. "We don't know what
happened to the whitefish," says Cindi John, a Native American.
"Their numbers aren't there like they used to be." Cindi and her
husband, Ed, run a small fishing business near Lake Michigan. The
Native American tribes in the region hold the right to fish and
hunt in the area—thanks to an 1836 treaty between the U.S.
government and the Ottawa and Chippewa nations—but face threats
from pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/389144/80-to-90-ft/
	
Yale study maps U.S. climate opinion in unprecedented geographic
detail.  A team of Yale researchers has developed a new
statistical model that accurately estimates public climate change
opinion and public policy support in all 50 states, 435 United
State Congressional districts, more than 3,000 counties, and
cities across the nation. The model allows users to explore
public opinion in unprecedented geographic detail.
The model, which is described in the journal Nature Climate
Change, was developed in partnership with Utah State University.
http://news.yale.edu/2015/04/06/yale-study-maps-us-climate-opinion-unprecedented-geographic-detail

Conservative group is tired of being accused of climate denial.
Facing a loss of high-profile corporate sponsors, a conservative
state-level policy group — the American Legislative Exchange
Council — threatened action in recent weeks against activist
groups that accuse it of denying climate change. Attorneys for
ALEC sent letters to Common Cause and the League of Conservation
Voters asking them to immediately “cease making false statements”
and “remove all false or misleading material” suggesting that
ALEC does not believe in global warming.
http://www.standard.net/Environment/2015/04/05/Conservative-group-is-tired-of-being-accused-of-climate-denial-and-is-fighting-back.html

Toxic oceans drove mass extinction 200 million years ago.  More
than 200 million years ago, the continents began splitting apart,
massive volcanoes erupted and more than 80 percent of living
things went extinct. Scientists believe a sharp rise on
greenhouse gases and a spike in temperatures from the volcanoes
decimated species on land at the end of the Triassic. 
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/toxic-oceans-contributed-to-mass-extinction/

Claim blaming utility for devastating glacier melt in Peru may
set landmark legal precedent. A Peruvian farmer who has watched
glaciers melt "literally under his feet" is demanding that a
German energy company compensate him for its role in causing
climate change and putting his mountain village at risk of
obliteration. The figure at stake is admittedly paltry: €20,000,
or about $21,800. But attorneys championing the claim say it
could prove legally and politically groundbreaking by tying the
actions of a carbon polluter directly to the risks of glacier
lake flooding faced by the city of Huaraz.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060016270

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS

Analysts commissioned tests on Lumber Liquidators flooring and
the results came back just fine. Raymond James analysts
commissioned tests on Lumber Liquidators’ floors to see for
themselves and what they found seems ok. In early March, CBS’ “60
Minutes” aired the results of tests on Lumber Liquidators’
China-sourced flooring sold in the US. The tests found levels of
formaldehyde that exceeded regulations set by the California Air
Resources Board.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/raymond-james-upgrades-lumber-liquidators-to-outperform-2015-4

DROUGHT

As water runs dry, Californians brace for a new way of life. His
lawn was thick, healthy and gorgeous, and Mike Duran was in love.
"It was so green. It was so lush," he said. But the relationship
had financial issues. Watering the grass cost about $1,200 every
other month in this drought-stricken state. "The money I was
spending for water, I had to make a change," Duran said. The yard
has been an arrangement of sand and cactus for three months now.
"Emotionally, it took me a little time to adjust, to say the
least," he said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-california-drought-20150405-story.html#page=1

The Hidden Effects of Cheap Oil.	...prices in the second half of
2014 to reduce and ultimately remove remaining gasoline and
diesel subsidies. … [Subsidy reform should] help broaden
the...	http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/the-hidden-consequences-of-low-oil-prices/389156/?utm_source=nl__link2_040615

Fracking Study on Water Contamination Under Ethics
Review.	...ignites the tap water in her kitchen. A new study now
under question says that methane contamination of drinking water
is unrelated to fracking, contradicting...	
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/06042015/fracking-study-water-contamination-under-ethics-review

Rundown of California drought stories.	...Jerry Brown of a 25
percent reduction in water use due to the state's longterm
drought, news agencies around the country began to look at all
aspects...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20938253213&p=19f&v=1&x=Y0XC8tRPL-JSPwxi6yRyDQ

Parts of California expected to get some rain, lower
temperatures.	Drought-stricken California is expected to get at
least a trickle...	
http://www.latimes.com/about/la-me-ln-rain-expected-20150404-story.html?track=rss
	
Key provisions of parched California's new water cuts.	SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the first
mandatory, statewide water...	
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_27857201/key-provisions-parched-californias-new-water-cuts

Jerry Brown defends agriculture's water use amid drought.	...but
he said historic water rights are “probably going to be examined”
if the drought persists. “Some people have a right to more water
than others,”...	
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article17454854.html
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/04/05/50803/gov-brown-defends-drought-order-that-doesn-t-limit/
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27854243/california-drought-gov-jerry-brown-defends-historic-drought

Interest In Water Wise Plants Growing.	Despite the drought, or
maybe because of it, California nurseries and garden...	
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/04/03/interest-in-water-wise-plants-growing/

In California, Farmers Rely on Oil Wastewater to Weather Drought
U.S.       U.S.       Overlooking Chevron's Kern River oil field
with the Sierra...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20948716772&p=19f&v=1&x=VlPNGsnRg621sa4rDwNLvA	


Golf courses pledge to speed efforts to cut water use.	Golf
groups are pledging to speed up efforts to cut water use during
California's drought.    Golf groups are pledging to speed up
efforts...	
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2015/04/05/golf-courses-pledge-speed-efforts-cut-water-use/25346083/

Facing drought in an oasis of golf courses and lakes.	Facing
drought in an oasis of golf courses and lakes Subscribe today for
full...	
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/04/03/california-drought-restrictions-coachella-valley/25274611/	

Cutting water use: San Gabriel Valley cities feeling the
heat.	...myself watering more and more as we got drier and drier
in this fourth year of drought we were in,” Robertson said.   
So, he got rid of it. He
replaced...	http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20150404/cutting-water-use-san-gabriel-valley-cities-feeling-the-heat

California Drought Tests History Of Endless Growth. -
NYTimes.com	www.nytimes.com :     A punishing drought is forcing
a reconsideration of whether the aspiration of untrammeled...	
http://news.vocus.com/?a=20944215926&p=19f&v=1&x=dol1nSyJEgs7fjflxORorQ

Animal agriculture is drought intolerant.	...drinking and growing
food for feed than even the thirstiest vegetable crops.
California would realize gargantuan water savings if more crops
were
fed...	http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0405-sunday-drought-farming-20150405-story.html

Why do farmers get a free pass from Brown?	...Standing on bare
ground where there's normally snow, the governor unveiled his new
drought-survival plan. It includes tightening the spigot on
lawns,
golf...	http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-cap-drought-20150406-column.html

How will California enforce its new drought measures?	...out lush
and green across the Coachella Valley have helped make parts of
the California desert some of the biggest per-capita water users
in the state....	
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2015/04/04/california-desert-water-cutbacks-enforcement/25282187/	
	
California Slow To Spend Emergency Drought Money. ...veteran
state budget watcher. That's true for the $870 million in
“emergency drought relief” approved by the governor and lawmakers
last year. The Brown...	
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/04/06/california-slow-to-spend-emergency-drought-money/

Businesses take steps to reduce water use.	...trees alive.
Landscapers and nurseries are trying to educate customers about
drought-tolerant alternatives to vast stretches of lawn.
Homebuilders are...	
http://www.modbee.com/news/article17375429.html

California drought: Woodside, Fremont on opposite ends of
water-saving spectrum.	...like golden-hued Fremont. Fifteen
months after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency, water
remains a way of life in Woodside, where horses...	
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27850879/california-drought-woodside-and-fremont-opposite-ends-water?source=rss

Promising Investment Opportunities Gushing From California's Epic
Water Crisis.	...crisis there is opportunity. Being the
eighth-largest economy in the world, California's epic water
crisis is a promising opportunity to invest in...	
http://www.forbes.com/sites/trangho/2015/04/04/irresistible-investment-opportunities-gushing-from-californias-epic-water-crisis/

Almond Rush Raises Tough Questions During Dry Times.	...in a
giant processing plant in the western San Joaquin Valley near
Newman, California. Last year Stewart and Jasper Orchards hulled
and shelled more...
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/04/06/almond-rush-raises-tough-questions-during-dry-times/

Beneath California Crops, Groundwater Crisis Grows. Even as the
worst drought in decades ravages California, and its cities face
mandatory cuts in water use, millions of pounds of thirsty crops
like oranges, tomatoes and almonds continue to stream out of the
state and onto the nation’s grocery shelves. But the way that
California farmers have pulled off that feat is a case study in
the unwise use of natural resources, many experts say. Farmers
are drilling wells at a feverish pace and pumping billions of
gallons of water from the ground, depleting a resource that was
critically endangered even before the drought, now in its fourth
year, began.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/science/beneath-california-crops-groundwater-crisis-grows.html

FUELS

California Air Resources Board holds workshop on LCFS
re-adoption. In California, the California Air Resources Board
held a workshop on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard re-adoption
process. The CARB workshop presentation is now posted online,
Leticia Phillips North American Representative of the Brazilian
sugarcane ethanol industry’s organization, UNICA, made the
following statement: Today’s California Air Resources Board
(CARB) workshop on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) reinforces
sugarcane ethanol is the most environmentally friendly biofuel
supplying today’s market.
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2015/04/06/california-air-resources-board-holds-workshop-on-lcfs-re-adoption/

Coal Loses Nearly 50,000 Jobs, Wind and Solar Add 79,000. As coal
plants are shuttered due to increasing regulation and competition
from cheap natural gas and renewables, coal industry jobs are
being shed by the thousands, according to new research from Duke
University.  From 2008 to 2012, the U.S. coal industry, from
mining to power plants, lost nearly 50,000 jobs, about 12 percent
of the total during the five-year period. The research did not
include coal jobs that weren’t associated with electricity
production.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/coal-loses-nearly-50000-jobs-wind-and-solar-add-79000

VEHICLES

Plug-in Electric Car Sales In Canada, March 2015: Tesla On Top
Again. (Most Likely)	As expected, the Tesla Model S was a
“three-peat” plug-in electric vehicle sales champion in Canada
back...	
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097639_plug-in-electric-car-sales-in-canada-march-2015-tesla-on-top-again-most-likely

Patent Fight Erupts Over Next-Generation Electric-Car Battery
Chemistry.	Electric cars may still make up just a tiny percentage
of the vehicles...	
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097643_patent-fight-erupts-over-next-generation-electric-car-battery-chemistry

State adds $2M for electric vehicle rebates. The state will spend
an additional $2 million in rebates to residents who buy or lease
electric vehicles, the Baker administration announced last week.
The rebate -$2,500 for full battery electric vehicles and $1,500
for plug-in hybrids- on top of the up to $7,500 existing federal
tax credit for EVs, has helped more than 700 Massachusetts
drivers make the switch from petroleum-powered vehicles to
vehicles powered by cleaner-burning electricity, according to a
separate statement from the Massachusetts Sierra Club, which
praised the move. 
http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20150406/NEWS01/150409970

GREEN ENERGY

White House combining push for solar energy with veteran
training.  The White House wants to put more returning servicemen
and women to work manufacturing and installing solar panels, an
effort President Barack Obama will add to his growing list of
climate actions meant to combat global warming.  He visited an
Air Force base outside Salt Lake City on Friday to highlight a
new program that trains veterans to size and install solar panels
on their military compounds, in the hopes of imparting skills
applicable to a rapidly growing sector of the economy.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/03/politics/white-house-solar-energy-veteran-training/

Forest Green Rovers Tackle Sustainability Feet First.  Everything
about Forest Green Rovers says green, from its name to its
jerseys to the rolling hills of the Cotswolds that surround the
club’s home base in the Gloucestershire town of Nailsworth. But
for the last five years, the club’s mission has been to become
the self-proclaimed greenest soccer team in the world, at least
off the field. It is a vision pushed by the alternative energy
entrepreneur who saved the club from financial ruin in 2010, and
it is obvious in everything from the solar panels that power the
stadium to the robot that mows its chemical-free grass.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/sports/soccer/forest-green-rovers-tackles-sustainability-feet-first.html

Toshiba opens Hydrogen Energy Research & Development Center. 
...Toshiba Group says it will develop a practical energy supply
system that uses renewable energy to power hydrogen-generating
water electrolysis...	
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150406-toshiba.html

How Washington State Convinced Big Companies to Dramatically
Reduce Drive-Alone Commutes. Brian Lagerberg, the director of
public transportation at the Washington State DOT, recalls a
conversation he had with a large employer in the mid-1990s. The
state had recently adopted a law directing big companies to
encourage alternative, non-car commutes among workers. In the
process of complaining to Lagerberg that he didn't know anything
about transportation, the employer mentioned that his company had
just bought enough land to create a parking lot for 1,400
vehicles.
http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2015/04/how-washington-state-convinced-big-companies-to-dramatically-reduce-drive-alone-commutes/389658/

SOLAR FLARES: Consumer tips for home solar panel
systems.	...project might also include extra jobs such as a new
or repaired roof.    With solar power growing as an option for
homeowners, here's some things...	
http://www.pe.com/articles/solar-763759-panel-system.html


OPINIONS

Biofuels, Hunger, and Climate: Fixing California's LCFS Analysis.
 The politics surrounding biofuels and biomass-based power
generation are so fraught with controversy that the Washington
Post recently labeled bioenergy “a familiar obstacle to good
policymaking.” Who could disagree, then, that decisions about
which types of bioenergy to encourage should be based on
dispassionate scientific analysis rather than the parochial
interests of lawmakers? Instead of “picking winners,” shouldn’t
we let lifecycle analyses (LCAs) sort out which fuels make
environmental sense?
http://theenergycollective.com/jonathan-lewis/2212336/biofuels-hunger-and-climate-fixing-californias-lcfs-analysis

Memo To California: If You've A Shortage Of Something Then Change
The Price.	People over in California are rather scratching their
heads over what to do about the...	
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/04/05/memo-to-california-if-youve-a-shortage-of-something-then-change-the-price/

ALEC is threatening to sue the groups calling it out on its
climate denial. You can call the American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC) many things — “duplicitous,” “Koch-backed” and
“the environment’s worst nightmare” all come to mind — but don’t
accuse it of peddling in climate denial. The free-market lobbying
group is threatening to sue progressive groups that accuse of
denying the science of climate change. Letters sent to Common
Cause and the League of Conservation Voters, the Washington Post
reports, demand the organizations “cease making false statements”
and “remove all false or misleading material” suggesting as
much.
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/alec_is_threatening_to_sue_the_groups_calling_it_out_on_its_climate_denial/

Jerry Brown now owns California's big drought. 	...George W. Bush
and 9/11. History books are full of such crises. Among recent
California governors, Pete Wilson was easily the most
crisis-challenged,...	
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article17352962.html


Editorial: Carbon Rule Approaching.	...rumor mill was correct:
The federal government did not publish its Phase 2 greenhouse-gas
rule on truck emissions by March 31. The urge to say...	
http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=37874&t=Editorial-Carbon-Rule-Approaching

Where the water flows like money. There are few signs of
California's epic drought along a stretch of Maple Drive in
Beverly...		Drought
What water restrictions?	...water restrictions?” Quite naturally
a thought crossed my mind that northern California is conserving
the water so that southern California can...	
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article17344310.html	

EDITORIAL: California paying for its neglect of water
infrastructure.	Better get used to straw-like lawns and dirty
cars. Decades of neglecting California's water infrastructure
finally parched the state. On Wednesday,...
http://www.pe.com/articles/water-763865-california-build.html

Swimming upstream to save a victim of state's water
crisis.	...river diversions for agriculture and urban use.” Other
suspects included a drought, invasive species, a reduction of its
favorite food, plankton,...	
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article17351492.html

CASSIE MACDUFF: Slow the flow, California ...don't run when it
rains? Check.    We've done our part to conserve water during
California's drought crisis. But we're going to have to do
more....	
http://www.pe.com/articles/water-763926-check-california.html

BLOGS

Electric Flash: Green Cars Are Getting Stylish.	...plant that
makes our batteries is at full capacity. We still are offering
all electric cars, but our growth opportunity is in the plug-in
space....	http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-witherspoon/electric-flash-green-cars-are-getting-stylish_b_7001326.html

Study: D.C. residents worry about global warming more than anyone
else in U.S. A new study that maps public opinion about global
warming in the United States finds that Washingtonians are more
concerned about rising temperatures than people in any other
place. Seventy-four percent of residents of the District worry
about global warming compared with a national average of 52
percent, study data indicate. In Pickett County, Tenn., by
contrast, just 38 percent of the public is worried about warming,
the lowest level in the nation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/04/06/study-d-c-residents-worry-about-global-warming-more-than-anyone-else-in-u-s/





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