What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 20, 2015.
Posted: 20 May 2015 13:47:37
ARB Newsclips for May 20, 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 Low carbon price shows market does not believe in ETS reform-RWE's Terium. The low price of carbon is an indication that the market does not believe European Union politicians will take the necessary measures to fix the carbon market, the chief executive of German utility RWE said on Wednesday. EU diplomats last week approved a proposal to begin reforming the world's biggest carbon market in 2019… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/climatechange-business-rwe-idUSL5N0YB51Y20150520 AIR POLLUTION Air alerts still in effect from Tracy fire. Health cautions remain in place today because of a large biomass fire in Tracy that is sending smoke beyond San Joaquin County into Stanislaus and Merced counties. Piles of wood are burning at the Tracy Storage Facility for Agra Marketing of Chico, the Tracy Press reports. The fire began Monday. http://www.modbee.com/news/local/article21478890.html#storylink=cpy Solvay, Enirgi Chemicals Join Forces on Emissions Treatment. Solvay and Enirgi Chemicals have created a 50-50 joint venture to speed up the development and offering of sodium-bicarbonate based products and solutions to reduce airborne emissions from industries in North America. The new entity, SOLVAir Natural Solutions, was formed in response to growing demand for air pollution control applications, including flue gas treatments. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/05/20/solvay-enirgi-chemicals-join-forces-on-emissions-treatment/#ixzz3ahrcyAC3 Dearborn steel plant to pay $1.35M fine to settle alleged violations. AK Steel will pay $1.35 million to settle alleged air pollution violations at a Dearborn plant previously owned by the American subsidiary of Russia-based Severstal. The Justice Department announced the agreement between the steelmaker, the federal government and the state of Michigan today, saying it settles 42 violations alleged… http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/05/20/steel-plant-penalty/27646815/ Weakened coal pollution rules will cost UK millions, green groups claim. Greenpeace and EEB aim to show financial impact of planned industrial emissions rules, which they say have been weakened by industry lobbying. European Commission plans to water down pollution laws for coal power plants could cost the UK more than £500m each year in healthcare and sick days, new analysis by environmental groups has found. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2409255/weakened-coal-pollution-rules-will-costs-uk-millions-green-groups-claim Air emissions of BPA may affect aquatic exposures – study. Industrial emissions of bisphenol-A, or BPA, through the air can increase BPA levels in nearby aquatic environments, according to a new study. The study, which was published this week in the journal Science of the Total Environment by researchers at the University of Missouri and the U.S. Geological Survey, tracked water levels of BPA, a common plasticizer… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018883 CLIMATE CHANGE Obama calls climate change an `indisputable' security threat. President Barack Obama has argued for action on climate change as a matter of health, environmental protection and international obligation. On Wednesday, he added national security. Those who deny global warming are putting at risk the United States and the military sworn to defend it, he told cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Failure to act would be "dereliction of duty," their commander in chief said. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-20/obama-says-climate-change-threatens-military-readiness-security http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/us-usa-climate-obama-idUSKBN0O513H20150520?virtualBrandChannel=11563 http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-to-cast-climate-change-as-a-national-security-threat-1432126767 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/prez-coast-guard-grads-global-warming-national-threat-article-1.2229358 http://www.modbee.com/living/health-fitness/article21453351.html#storylink=cpy http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/20/obama-climate-change-national-security-coast-guard/27628313/ http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242622-obama-climate-change-serious-threat-to-global-security http://news.yahoo.com/obama-frames-global-warming-national-security-threat-100248226--politics.html http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/05/obama-climate-national-security Pope's No. 2 offers new insights into climate encyclical. A new development model is needed to combat global warming, one that marries economic growth to combat poverty with a sustainable use of resources, Pope Francis' deputy said Wednesday. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said both political and economic commitment will be required to ensure the Earth's health for future generations. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_VATICAN_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/05/20/world/europe/ap-eu-rel-vatican-climate.html France wants business world to help curb climate change. French President Francois Hollande is calling on business leaders to get more involved in fighting global warming by financing climate-friendly projects and investing in green technologies. France is to host the U.N. Climate Change Conference in December. Hollande stressed Wednesday that an agreement between 196 countries in Paris would have "extremely positive consequences on economic actors… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/us-climatechange-business-hollande-idUSKBN0O51ZQ20150520 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/05/20/world/europe/ap-eu-france-climate.html Merkel, Hollande commit to global climate protection. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande confirmed their commitment to fighting global warning Tuesday, gathering with others in Berlin to prepare for this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference. Merkel and Hollande said in a joint statement that both countries "are firmly decided to take all efforts to reach an ambitious… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_FRANCE_CLIMATE_PROTECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Investors With $25 Trillion Detail Opportunity in Climate Change. As more than 1,000 executives gather in Paris to discuss their response to climate change, a group of investors managing $25 trillion opened a web portal detailing the action being taken to cut pollution. Four investor groups representing 265 institutions worldwide joined the United Nations Environment Program in opening a web portal that will show which projects gained finance to rein in global warming. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-19/investors-with-25-trillion-detail-opportunity-in-climate-change Obama Recasts Climate Change as a More Far-Reaching Peril. President Obama used a commencement address on Wednesday at the Coast Guard Academy to cast his push for urgent action to combat climate change as a national security imperative, saying that the warming of the planet poses an “immediate risk” to the United States. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/us/obama-recasts-climate-change-as-a-more-far-reaching-peril.html?_r=0 Exclusive: Rising carbon emissions from oilsands a 'unique' challenge, federal cabinet told. Canada may need international emissions credits to offset increasing emissions from oilsands. Greenhouse gas emissions from increasing oilsands production will rise faster than Canada's ability to curb them, the federal government was warned before new emissions reduction targets were announced last week. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rising-carbon-emissions-from-oilsands-a-unique-challenge-federal-cabinet-told-1.3079444 Gov. Brown signs global pact to fight climate change. Gov. Jerry Brown sought to reaffirm California’s status as a global leader in the fight against climate change Tuesday by signing an agreement with representatives in six foreign nations, including Germany and Brazil, and three U.S. states aiming to keep the world’s average temperature from rising another 2 degrees Celsius. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Brown-signs-climate-change-deal-with-other-state-6273853.php http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018857 http://www.trust.org/item/20150519205153-44lpz/?source=jtOtherNews3 What Global Warming Means For Old, Tall Trees. As climate change drives up global temperature and increases the frequency of intense droughts, the world’s oldest, biggest trees might be the most vulnerable, according to a recent study published in Nature Climate Change. Using Darcy’s law — an equation that describes the flow of water through a porous medium — researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory… http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/20/3660666/climate-change-tree-death-study/ Obama to tell Coast Guard graduates climate change is a 'serious threat to global security'. President Obama today will warn the newest members of America's armed forces that climate change poses an immediate national security risk and will profoundly affect the U.S. military. In a commencement address to the graduating class of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Obama will point to sea-level rise worsening floods at the… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018859 As region melts, experts grapple with how to simultaneously develop and protect it. Bouncing his knees like a drummer pounding on a bass pedal, adjusting his tie and shifting his weight in front of the multinational crowd, James Stotts was the most visibly anxious speaker. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018856 DROUGHT California decision on farmer water cuts to apply broadly. As drought deepens in California, the state's water board director says he'll decide by Friday whether to accept an offer from a group of farmers to give up a fourth of their available water. The concession by farmers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river delta could be one of the most important yet forced by California's record four-year drought. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_WATER_CUTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/05/20/us/ap-us-california-drought-water-cuts.html California drought: New poll finds residents think it’s serious, but aren’t sure they can conserve more. An overwhelming majority of Californians believe the state’s drought is extremely serious and support Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandatory new water conservation rules, according to a new statewide poll released Tuesday. But in a potentially troubling finding for cities and water districts preparing to launch summer conservation rules… http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20150519/california-drought-new-poll-finds-residents-think-its-serious-but-arent-sure-they-can-conserve-more FUELS Saudi Arabia, partners turn down Chinese requests for extra oil. Saudi Arabia and its main Middle East OPEC partners are turning down Chinese requests for extra oil as they hold back fuel for their own refineries just as demand from the world's biggest crude importer hits new records. While the Saudi and other refusals for additional crude supplies may not be part of a new pricing strategy… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/us-saudi-china-oil-idUSKBN0O512I20150520 Gasoline demand helping refiners soar through the downturn. Business remains good for the nation's main refineries and stands to get much better, even as the collapse of oil prices continues to roil their suppliers. Refining companies are reporting robust earnings and a profitable outlook, benefiting as they are from lower input costs and expanding export opportunities. Industry insiders are also very optimistic about the near future… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018819 Initiative promotes corn-based fuel as boon to public health. Ethanol backers have launched a campaign to steer attention away from the corn-based fuel's potential impact on food prices and toward air quality and public health. Calling itself the Urban Air Initiative, the ethanol coalition aims to tie its foes in the petroleum industry to air pollution from automobile tailpipes. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018888 GREEN ENERGY Wind Power Is Poised to Spread to All States. All 50 states could become wind energy producers, according to an Energy Department report released Tuesday, once the next generation of larger, taller turbines in development hits the market. The bigger machines — reaching as high as 460 feet — could eventually make faster winds at higher altitudes an economical source of electricity… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/business/energy-environment/wind-power-is-poised-to-spread-to-all-states.html China to Spend $182 Billion to Boost Internet by End of 2017. China will spend more than $182 billion to boost Internet speeds by the end of 2017, a top government body said, as Beijing moves towards a more service-driven economy to boost growth. The State Council said the government will invest more than 430 billion yuan ($69.3 billion) this year on network construction… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/05/20/technology/20reuters-china-internet.html Hanergy Under Investigation After Shares Plunge Nearly 50 Percent-Source. China's Hanergy Thin Film Power Group is under investigation by Hong Kong's market watchdog, a source told Reuters just hours after the company lost half its market value of nearly $40 billion in 24 minutes on Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/05/20/business/20reuters-hanergy-tfp-stocks.html Moniz predicts broader wind power growth for U.S. Technological advances from taller turbine towers to the integration of digital infrastructure into wind farms are defining the next growth phase within the U.S. wind energy sector, experts attending the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference said yesterday. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018833 Hawaii plots road map to lead the world in renewable energy by 2045. The goal passed by Hawaii's Legislature this month to some sounds like a blueprint for a future utopian world: 100 percent renewable power. But lawmakers in the Aloha State want it to happen in 30 years. The mandate put on utilities under H.B. 623, if accomplished, would make Hawaii the nation's first state with all green power. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/05/20/stories/1060018835 MISCELLANEOUS Fresno’s dilemma: Save water or pollute the air? Clean air or drinking water — the Fresno City Council must choose one. Both, to the despair of Fresno’s politicians, isn’t an option. The council on Thursday will consider an emergency water-conservation law that, among other things, would give City Hall authority to suspend its hydrant-meter program. In a nutshell, city officials don’t want companies using fire-hydrant water for dust control. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article21411678.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS In Alberta, Oil, Cowboys … and Liberalism? WHEN I moved from Houston to Edmonton, Alberta, in 2008, I was told to prepare for a soft landing, politically speaking. Alberta was supposed to be just like the Lone Star State: a place full of backslapping good ol’ boys in cowboy hats, riding high on the hog of oil money. The province’s politics were even more predictable than Texas’. The Progressive Conservative Party had been in power longer than I’d been alive. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/opinion/in-alberta-oil-cowboys-and-liberalism.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&module=inside-nyt-region®ion=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region BLOGS California Expands Its ‘Subnational’ Climate Club. California is adding to its roster of allies in the climate change counteroffensive. Environmental groups are hailing an agreement signed Tuesday by Governor Jerry Brown and an assortment of states, provinces and other “subnational” governments to ratchet up their own climate strategies. Billed as the “Under 2 MOU,” the memorandum of understanding is a pledge… http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2015/05/19/california-expands-its-subnational-climate-club/ Divest From the Carbon Bubble. If it seems that we have more big problems than we can solve these days, take heart. A small group of people can create a worldwide movement. It has happened before and it is happening again. Take the case of Ellen Dorsey, the executive director of the Wallace Global Fund. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-s-becker/divest-from-the-carbon-bu_b_7314654.html China's Climate Pledge Will Include New Commitment To Forests. Look for China to make new investments in forestry and deeper cuts in carbon intensity when it delivers its tardy climate pledge to the United Nations “soon,” a Chinese official said in Chicago Tuesday. When Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Obama signed a climate agreement last November… http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2015/05/20/chinas-climate-pledge-will-include-new-commitment-to-forests/ Groups File Lawsuit Calling for Federal Government Action on Soot Pollution. Environmental Protection Agency is nine months behind on plans reducing soot in the nation’s dirtiest air basin. Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles and Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to act… http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2015/groups-file-lawsuit-calling-for-federal-government-action-on-soot-pollution California Initiates Organic, Sustainable Carbon Farming. A new agricultural initiative in California is putting carbon sequestration into practice to reverse climate change. The program, called carbon farming, encourages farmers to embrace organic, sustainable practices that have been proven to keep carbon dioxide in the ground instead of in the air. http://www.livetradingnews.com/california-initiates-organic-sustainable-carbon-farming-105318.htm#.VVza6JOE7Sg Governor Abbott, Senators Cornyn and Cruz Look Out for the Success of a State – it’s Just Not Ours. Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz recently met in a meeting with Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell to discuss how they could sabotage the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed (CPP). The CPP would place the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants… http://blogs.edf.org/texascleanairmatters/2015/05/20/governor-abbott-senators-cornyn-and-cruz-look-out-for-the-success-of-a-state-its-just-not-ours/ 7 reasons why America needs to get tough on smog. The 2015 State of the Air report from the American Lung Association recently confirmed that four in 10 Americans are living in areas with harmful levels of ozone pollution. But the big oil companies have just launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign telling us our country doesn’t need and can’t afford stronger limits on ozone. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s why: http://grist.org/climate-energy/7-reasons-why-america-needs-to-get-tough-on-smog/ UK must reduce air pollution levels. Vehicle-related tax changes, low emission zones, congestion charging and a diesel vehicle scrappage scheme could be on the agenda after the Government was ordered to improve air quality. The Supreme Court labelled Government plans to cut illegal levels of air pollution ineffective and ordered the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to submit new air quality… http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/environment/2015/05/20/uk-must-reduce-air-pollution-levels Good Soil Can Offset Impacts of Global Warming. Maintaining a healthy and diverse soil community can buffer natural ecosystems against the damaging impacts of global warming, according to a new Yale-led study. In a long-term study, researchers showed that small soil animals can limit the effects of climate change, which would otherwise stimulate the loss of carbon from the soil into the atmosphere. http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2015/05/good-soil-can-offset-impacts-global-warming Cold-blooded animals find it hard to adjust to global warming. Cold-blooded and other animals that are unable to regulate their internal temperature may have a hard time tolerating global warming, according to an analysis by biologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and San Francisco State University. http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/05/19/cold-blooded-animals-find-it-hard-to-adjust-to-global-warming/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.