What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 8, 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

Research group says joining RGGI would give Va. a low-cost way to
comply with EPA's power plant rule.  A new study from a clean
energy advocate is urging Virginia to join the Regional
Greenhouse Gas Initiative. That's despite the fact that a bill
doing just that stalled in the Commonwealth's
Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this year, and never
saw a vote.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016407 

AIR POLLUTION

Push for cleaner stoves in poor countries to cut pollution. Every
evening, hundreds of millions of Indian women hover over crude
stoves making dinner for their families. They feed the flames
with polluting fuels like kerosene or cow dung, and breathe the
acrid smoke wafting from the fires. The smoke, containing high
concentrations of tiny particles known as black carbon, is
responsible for premature deaths from cancer and other diseases
and is causing…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDIA_BLACK_CARBON?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


EPA updates list of areas in compliance with fine particle
standard. U.S. EPA this week updated the list of areas in the
country that are in compliance with the 2012 fine particulate
matter standard. In a Federal Register notice yesterday, EPA
named five counties in Georgia and neighboring counties in
Alabama and South Carolina in attainment with the standard. EPA
also changed original "nonattainment"…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016432 

Georgia Tech study projects potential mixed impacts of climate
change policies on air quality. Results of a study by a team from
Georgia Tech and their colleagues at NASA Goddard Institute for
Space Studies and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use
Management show that national CO2emissions reductions strategies
will play an important role in impacting air quality over the US.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150408-gatech.html 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama: Malia's asthma brings home climate change debate.
President Barack Obama says his memory of the fear over his
daughter's preschool asthma attacks brings home the debate over
climate change. Obama says he knows firsthand how scary it can be
to have a child who struggles to breathe. He is arguing that
preventing climate change could improve public health by reducing
illnesses such as asthma.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_ASTHMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


If We Dig Out All Our Fossil Fuels, Here’s How Hot We Can Expect
It to Get. World leaders are once again racing to avert
disastrous levels of global warming through limits on greenhouse
gas emissions. An agreement may be in reach, but because of the
vast supplies of inexpensive fossil fuels, protecting the world
from climate change requires the even more difficult task of
disrupting today’s energy markets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/upshot/if-we-dig-out-all-our-fossil-fuels-heres-how-hot-we-can-expect-it-to-get.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=0


California Considers Stricter Carbon Standards. California is
already working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But a
bill approved by a state Senate committee today would set some
new goals to be met by 2030. The measure would cut in half the
amount of petroleum used in cars. It would double the energy
efficiency of existing buildings. And it would require 50 percent
of electricity to come from renewable sources.
http://www.capradio.org/45762

Judge hears historic climate case. A lawsuit that seeks to force
state lawmakers to work harder to address climate change also
draws a protest outside court. A Lane County judge on Tuesday
heard arguments in a potentially precedent-setting case brought
by two Eugene teenagers seeking a court ruling that would force
state lawmakers to work harder on a plan to reduce carbon
emissions and help stave off climate change.
http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32947906-75/eugene-teens-get-their-day-in-court-in-climate-case.html.csp


How Flood Insurance Could Drive Americans From Coasts. As salty
waters ride the fossil fueled escalator of sea level rise into
American streets and homes, rising flood risks may force coastal
neighborhoods — if not entire cities — to be abandoned in the
decades ahead. “You can’t build a seawall along the entire
Eastern Seaboard,” Jessica Grannis, a climate adaptation
specialist at Georgetown Climate Center, said.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/flood-insurance-americans-on-coasts-18863


Power Plant Rules Could Unite States On Climate Action. Proposed
greenhouse gas rules affecting America’s electricity industry are
inflaming entrenched schisms between some governors and the
president — but they could eventually lead to an unprecedented
level of unity among states on climate action.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/epa-rules-could-unite-states-on-climate-18812


Thawing Permafrost Will ‘Seep, Not Explode’ CO2. The Arctic holds
more than a trillion tons of carbon, locked in the frozen soil
known as permafrost. That’s more than twice as much carbon as
there is in the atmosphere itself, according to a 2013 report
from the National Academy of Sciences. And as the climate warms
under its growing blanket of human-generated greenhouse gases…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/thawing-permafrost-climate-danger-18869


Western Canada May Lose 70 Percent Of Its Glaciers By The End Of
This Century. If the rugged wilderness of Canada’s western
provinces seems synonymous with mountain glaciers, that
relationship might come with an expiration date: according to a
study published this week in the journal Nature Geosciences, 70
percent of glaciers in Alberta and British Columbia could
disappear by the end of the 21st century.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/08/3643791/canada-glacier-loss-2100/


Why This New Study On Arctic Permafrost Is So Scary. Scientists
might have to change their projected timelines for when
Greenland’s permafrost will completely melt due to man-made
climate change, now that new research from Denmark has shown it
could be thawing faster than expected. Published Monday in the
journal Nature Climate Change, the research shows that tiny
microbes trapped in Greenland’s permafrost are becoming active as
the climate warms and the permafrost begins to thaw.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/08/3643953/greenland-permafrost-thaw-microbes/

 
Oil-rich Canada should meet emission cuts through provincial
action, economic report says. Carbon-cutting programs implemented
by Canadian provinces, rather than by the federal government, are
the most effective way to help the country meet its greenhouse
gas emission reduction targets, according to a report released
yesterday.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016398 

Obama heads to Americas summit, but will he emphasize climate
change? Energy, and to a lesser extent climate change, will make
up a key part of President Obama's policy package this week as he
travels to Jamaica and Panama for a series of high-level meetings
with Caribbean and Latin American leaders. While the spotlight at
the seventh Summit of the Americas on Friday will be on the
theatrical…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016410

DROUGHT

Desperate from Drought, California Turns to Desalination. As
California battled its last severe drought in the early 1990s,
Santa Barbara spent $34 million on a desalination plant that
proved too costly to keep running when rain returned. Now, the
city can’t afford to keep it idle.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-08/california-sees-salvation-in-seawater-as-drought-drags-on


In drought, Californians lacking water meters let it flow. Broad
rivers fed by Sierra Nevada snowmelt brought plentiful water to
California's agricultural heartland and a certain sense of
entitlement. So strong was the belief that water was an
inalienable right that several communities and cities promised
never to install meters to measure water
use…http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/08/us-usa-california-drought-idUSKBN0MZ14V20150408


Southern California lags behind in water conservation. Water use
in California dropped only 2.8% in February compared with the
same period in 2013, in what officials said was an alarming
trend. The decline is significantly less than what the state
posted in January and December. In January, water use dropped 8%
and in December it dropped 22%.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83236798/ 

Despite the drought, produce prices are staying stable -- why?
California's drought has driven the prices of some fruits and
vegetables up substantially, but others are actually cheaper than
they were a year ago. In fact, the U.S. Agriculture Department’s
forecast for produce prices predicts modest increases of 2% to
3%. Why aren’t fruit and vegetable prices skyrocketing in these
dry times? There are several reasons, farm experts say.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83241935/ 

$10,000 per day fines proposed for water wasters. The State Water
Resources Control Board is planning fines of up to $10,000 per
day for continued noncompliance with its water use curtailment
demands. Enforcement would start with warning letters but could
escalate to formal actions that would include cease and desist
orders to stop non-compliant activity.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28103 

Calif. Continues to Shatter Temperature Records. The dubious
records keep piling up for California, a state wracked by four
years of drought brought on by a pernicious weather pattern that
has kept rains at bay and exacerbated by human-induced warming.
Just one week after the state measured its lowest-ever snowpack,
U.S. scientists have announced that the year so far has been the
warmest on record, setting expectations for a long, hot, dry year
ahead.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-shattering-temperature-records-18871

 
For some Californians, 35% water cutback is on tap. Many
California cities will need to shrink their water consumption 35
percent, not just the 25 percent that Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has
ordered, under a proposal released yesterday. The state Water
Resources Control Board unveiled its framework for a four-tiered
"sliding scale" of reductions, intended to account for the fact
that some locations already have conserved more than others.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016434 

FUELS

Bloomberg adds $30 million to anti-coal campaign. Billionaire
Michael Bloomberg says he is donating an additional $30 million
to a Sierra Club initiative working to reduce the nation's use of
coal. The Sierra Club has a goal of replacing half the nation's
coal plants with renewable energy by 2017.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/67b660064eb94e6e81ec43193e0c74ed/bloomberg-adds-30-million-anti-coal-campaign


TransCanada applies Keystone's lessons to Energy East pipeline.
After six years battling bitter opposition to its Keystone XL
pipeline project in the United States, TransCanada Corp has
learned where and when to pick its fights, to consult early and
often - and to retreat when prudent. Canada's No. 2 pipeline
company scrapped plans last week to build a crude oil export
terminal in Quebec because it would endanger beluga whales in the
St. Lawrence River.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/07/us-transcanada-energyeast-idUSKBN0MY1SG20150407


Shell to Buy BG Group for About $70 Billion. Deal the latest sign
of how tumbling energy prices are shaking up the global
oil-and-gas industry. Petroleum giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC has
agreed to buy BG Group PLC for about $70 billion, in a deal that
would create the world’s largest independent producer of
liquefied natural gas amid a historic downturn in energy prices.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/shell-to-buy-bg-group-1428473660  

Driller drops suit over Calif. county fracking ban. Proponents of
local government control over hydraulic fracturing are
celebrating a win this week after a California oil company
withdrew a challenge to San Benito County's ban on fracking and
steam injection. Citadel Exploration Inc. filed a motion Friday
in California Superior Court asking the judge to dismiss a
lawsuit the company filed last month challenging San Benito's
fracking ban.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016399 

EDF Sparks Mistrust, and Admiration, With Its Methane Research.
Environmental Defense Fund fills a void in tackling critical
climate issue, but to some, its collaboration with fossil fuel
industry taints findings. The Environmental Defense Fund is one
of the nation's most venerable environmental organizations, and
many consider it one of the most effective.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/07042015/edf-sparks-mistrust-and-admiration-its-methane-leaks-research-natural-gas-fracking-climate-change

Who Funds EDF's $18 Million Methane Research Project? The
Environmental Defense Fund has launched an ambitious project to
study how much methane, the main component of natural gas, leaks
into the atmosphere at every stage of gas production,
development, transportation and consumption. To fund the $18
million, 16-study investigation, the EDF assembled a sprawling
network of private donors, foundations, utilities, fossil fuel
companies and others.
http://insideclimatenews.org/content/who-funds-edfs-18-million-methane-research-project


VEHICLES

Tesla boosts range, power and price of low-end Model S. Electric
car maker Tesla Motors is going after mainstream luxury car
buyers by adding all-wheel-drive and more range and power to the
base version of its only model. But the added features at the low
end of the Model S lineup will come with about a 7 percent price
increase, to $75,000 for those buying the cars. The base lease
price will rise to $838 per month from $796 for 12,000 miles per
year.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TESLA_MODEL_S_CHANGES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-04-08-08-16-09


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83245543/ 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/08/4467001_tesla-boosts-range-power-and-price.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Best Deals On Hybrid, Electric, Diesel Cars For April 2015.
Buying a green car leads to savings on fuel, but saving money on
the car itself is good too. Like any other models, manufacturers
sometimes offer discounts or special lease deals that can make
buying a hybrid, diesel, or plug-in electric vehicle more
attractive. So far, April is shaping up to be a good month for
those deals.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1097687_best-deals-on-hybrid-electric-diesel-cars-for-april-2015

 
GREEN ENERGY

White House: Obama 'greenest president' ever. President Obama's
environmental record will make him remembered as the “greenest”
president in history, the White House said Tuesday. “The
president is going to go down in history as the greenest
president we’ve ever had,” press secretary Josh Earnest told
reporters.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/238112-wh-calls-obama-the-greenest-president-weve-ever-had


Legislature ponders raising state's share of renewable energy to
50%, cutting oil use. A major legislative push to raise
California's share of renewable energy to 50 percent by 2030 had
its first hearing before a panel of largely receptive lawmakers
yesterday. The Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications
Committee took up Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León's (D)
S.B. 350, which would implement Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) inaugural
January pledge to boost renewables…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/04/08/stories/1060016408 

Mayor unveils 'ambitious' plan to make LA greener. On Wednesday,
Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled his office’s “Sustainable City
Plan,” a document that outlines sweeping goals for environmental
improvements that the city will aim to achieve during the next 20
years. A year in the works, the 108-page plan covers planned
improvements in 14 areas: water, solar, energy-efficient
buildings, carbon and climate…
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/04/08/50858/unpacking-the-mayor-s-new-sustainability-plan/


MISCELLANEOUS

Electric cars, clean air: Garcetti outlines vision for a
'sustainable' L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday released a
broad-ranging plan that outlines his vision for environmental
goals and programs in Los Angeles over the coming decades. The
105-page booklet -- titled, in a simple play on words, "the pLAn"
-- is a grab bag of previously announced and novel environmental
initiatives on subjects that include water use and electric cars.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83246310/ 

OPINIONS


Formula E racing opens a road to a world without oil. Remember
not so long ago when hybrid and electric cars were all stumpy
little vehicles with tiny wheels? Designers seemed to be saying,
“If you hate cars, hug trees and feel guilty about not being on a
city bus, this is the vehicle for you!” If those early attempts
to steer away from gasoline-powered automobiles had to be small
in size, why couldn’t they at least look as frisky as a Miata?
Why did they have to look like potatoes on wheels?
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83244435/ 

Opinion: Quebec's carbon-pricing system could be a model for
other provinces. In poll after poll, Quebecers rate the highest
in Canada in their understanding of climate change and their
support for action to address it. We take pride in this, and are
recognized for it in other parts of Canada. So why is one of
Quebec’s greatest acts of climate leadership — our carbon-pricing
system — such a well-kept secret both at home and across the
country?
http://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/opinion-quebecs-carbon-pricing-system-could-be-a-model-for-other-provinces


BLOGS

OIL REFINERS, PRODUCERS DUKING OUT CRUDE EXPORT BATTLE ONE TWEET.
The battle over allowing crude exports is playing out in 140
characters or less. Business coalitions on both sides of the
issue—the export of domestic crude oil has been effectively
banned since the oil embargo of the ‘70s—have set up dueling
twitter accounts, designed to sway policy makers, the press and
the general public that their position is correct.
http://www.bna.com/oil-refiners-producers-b17179925103/ 

How India’s New Air Quality Index Works. It’s no surprise to
residents of the country’s capital that Delhi’s air quality can
be terrible, but now they can know just how dangerous it is to go
outside. The air quality index from the Central Pollution Control
Board is the first national index to explain in layman’s terms
the effect that breathing the air in 10 cities could have on a
person’s health.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/04/08/how-indias-new-air-quality-index-works/


How unwanted CDs and DVDs could help cut carbon emissions. Now
that most consumers download and stream their movies and music,
more and more CDs and DVDs will end up in landfills or be
recycled. But soon these discarded discs could take on a
different role: curbing the release of greenhouse gases.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/acs-huc040815.php


Welcome to the Decentralized Energy Revolution: Cleanly
Electrifying the World. While the boons of electricity are
obvious to anyone who has watched a 49ers game on a 70-inch ultra
HDTV or whipped up a frozen margarita in a blender, it also has
its downsides—most of them environmental. Coal and natural gas
power plants belch planet-warming CO2 into the atmosphere, while
nuclear plants produce highly lethal radwaste.
http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2015-04-07/welcome-decentralized-energy-revolution-cleanly-electrifying


Obama Insists that Climate Change Hurts Health, Sharpening
Debate. Obama spoke of the hazards that emissions pose to the
human body, citing threats to people with asthma and spikes in
insect-borne diseases rarely found in North America. Climate
change consistently polls low among Americans' priorities…
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/obama-insists-that-climate-change-hurts-health-sharpening-debate/


The U.S. is still the world’s biggest hydrocarbon producer. The
U.S. was the world’s biggest producer of hydrocarbon fuels for
the third year in a row in 2014, according to new government
data. Record natural gas production and a historic crude oil
surge widened the gap between the U.S. and its two closest
rivals, Russia and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Energy Information
Administration said in a report Tuesday.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2015/04/08/the-u-s-is-still-the-worlds-biggest-hydrocarbon-producer/


Urban Drivers Are Emitting Way More Carbon Dioxide Than We
Thought. More cars, more problems. Cities, with their dense
populations and public transit systems are often seen as hotbeds
of green innovation--places where bicycles, subways, and light
rail are transforming how we get around. But new research shows
that fast-growing cities are some of the worst culprits when it
comes to CO2 emissions from cars.
http://www.popsci.com/city-drivers-are-emitting-way-more-carbon-dioxide-we-thought?dom=tw&src=SOC


Life After Keystone: The Future of the Climate Movement When the
Pipeline Battle Ends. Green groups are working to keep momentum
alive in the climate fight. President Obama could reject or
approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline any day, week or
month now. And as a decision looms, environmentalists face a
daunting question: Can they recreate the kind of mass appeal that
Keystone inspires when the pipeline battle ends?
http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/life-after-keystone-the-future-of-the-climate-movement-when-the-pipeline-battle-ends-20150406


Why Teenagers Are Suing States Over Climate Change. Oral
arguments were heard on Tuesday in a long-running lawsuit brought
by two teenagers against the state of Oregon. The teens are
seeking to force the state to take more aggressive action on
climate change and thereby better protect the planet for future
generations. The suit is one of dozens of legal actions and
petitions filed in virtually every state…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzeller/2015/04/08/why-teenagers-are-suing-states-over-climate-change/


China's Other Electric Vehicle Industry. While the global
automotive giants struggle to find a winning formula for electric
vehicles (“EVs”), approximately 100 manufacturers in China have
already identified a large potential market undiscovered by the
traditional players. The common problems faced by EV automakers —
high cost, driving range, and the availability of charging
stations…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackperkowski/2015/04/08/chinas-other-electric-vehicle-industry/



It Turns Out That You Can't Divide Americans Over Renewable
Energy. In our second annual survey on American homeowners'
attitudes toward clean energy, one thing is resoundingly clear.
In a nation divided on climate change, immigration policy and so
many other issues, Americans are overwhelmingly united in their
support of renewable energy. The poll, commissioned by our firm
Clean Edge with SolarCity, and conducted by national polling firm
Zogby Analytics…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-pernick/it-turns-out-that-you-cant-divide-americans-over-renewable-energy_b_7018932.html


Bridging the Clean Energy Divide. When you live on a fixed
income, reducing monthly electricity bills can make a big
difference in your daily life. Lower energy costs mean more money
for food, health care and other important parts of raising a
family. A new study, Bridging the Clean Energy Divide, released
by NRDC found that clean energy solutions like efficient
appliances and wind and solar power…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-caseylefkowitz/bridging-the-clean-energy_b_7026142.html?utm_hp_ref=green


Water Wars in California: Factory Farms Draining the State Dry.
California Governor Jerry Brown has been talking tough about
California's growing drought crisis. In January he declared a
state of emergency saying, "I'm calling on all Californians to
conserve water in every way possible," and just last week he
announced that we are "in a new era" of drought severity.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-wells/water-wars-in-california-factory-farms-draining-the-state-dry_b_7021414.html?utm_hp_ref=green


Could Coca Cola save the PLANET? Carbon dioxide made by burning
fossil fuels could be used to make fizzy drinks, claims report.
We may be told that fizzy drinks aren’t good for our health, but
there's a chance that they could be beneficial to the planet. An
Australian government report suggests that carbon dioxide
produced by burning fossil fuels could be captured and used to
produce the fizz in Cola.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3030308/Could-drinking-Coca-Cola-save-PLANET-Carbon-dioxide-burning-fossil-fuels-used-make-fizzy-drinks-claims-report.html#ixzz3WjetKcyz


Ordinary clay can be used for carbon capture. Carbon capture will
play a central role in helping the nations of the world manage
and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Many materials are
being tested for the purpose of capturing CO2. New results show
that ordinary clay can work just as effectively as more advanced
materials.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150408090319.htm



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