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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 9, 2015.
Posted: 09 Jun 2015 16:38:55
ARB Newsclips for June 9, 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 Feldstein on Board With Calls for Carbon Tax. The New York Times is calling for a carbon tax and former Reagan Chief Economist Marty Feldstein is on board. He told FBN’s Stuart Varney both a carbon tax and income tax rate-cut would be a “great trade” and “real plus” for the economy. “A carbon tax would have some positive advantages in terms of the environment, congestion on the roads, price of oil … http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy-policy/2015/06/09/feldstein-on-board-with-calls-for-carbon-tax/ AIR POLLUTION Stricter Ozone Standards Could Pose Challenges for Scientific Measurements and Models. With the EPA proposing to lower the primary ozone standard from 75 ppb (parts per billion) to 70 or 65 ppb, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) have created a commentary on how the new standard could make research more difficult for air quality managers at both local and state levels. http://eponline.com/articles/2015/06/09/stricter-ozone-standards-could-pose-challenges-for-scientific-measurements-and-models.aspx Chairman says economy is 'still job one' as panel takes up ozone standard. A House Energy and Commerce Committee subpanel next week will take up U.S. EPA's proposal to tighten the national ozone standard. The Friday hearing in the Energy and Power Subcommittee will focus on the potential costs of EPA's proposal, subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) said Friday in a statement. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060019792/feed CLIMATE CHANGE Appeals court tosses suits challenging climate change plan. A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out a pair of high-profile lawsuits challenging the Obama administration's sweeping plan to address climate change, saying it's too early to challenge a proposed rule that isn't yet final. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is a temporary setback to opponents of the plan who… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLEAN_AIR_LAWSUITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.wsj.com/articles/appeals-court-dismisses-challenge-to-epas-climate-rule-1433861126?KEYWORDS=climate+change http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/09/us/politics/ap-us-clean-air-lawsuits.html http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-bc-us--clean-air-lawsuits-20150609-story.html http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060019879 http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/court-rejects-effort-to-block-epa-climate-change-rules-20150609 http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy/2015/0608/G7-pledges-to-end-greenhouse-emissions-this-century-video G7 climate vision requires gargantuan economic shift. When leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy countries pledge to "decarbonize" the global economy, they're talking about a shift so dramatic that one analyst described it as a new Apollo mission. Like putting a man on the moon, it would require overcoming major hurdles related to technology and money and the political will - so far in short supply - to make it happen. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_NO_FOSSIL_FUELS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT From fossil fuels to epidemics: What the G-7 decided. German Chancellor Angela Merkel went into the Group of Seven summit in the Bavarian Alps with a broad agenda, but combating climate change was a top priority. At the two-day meeting with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the U.S., the G-7's most eye-catching pledge was a commitment to move away from using fossil fuels by the end of this century. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_G7?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT G7 leaders bid 'Auf Wiedersehen' to carbon fuels. Leaders of the world's major industrial democracies resolved on Monday to wean their energy-hungry economies off carbon fuels, marking a major step in the battle against global warming that raises the chances of a U.N. climate deal later this year. The Group of Seven's energy pledge capped a successful summit for host Angela Merkel, who revived her credentials as a "climate chancellor"… http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/08/uk-g7-summit-idUKKBN0OM0HT20150608 China's greenhouse gases could peak early, easing climate fears. China's greenhouse gas emissions could peak by 2025, five years earlier than indicated by Beijing, a development that could help limit the mounting risks of global warming, a study by the London School of Economics (LSE) showed on Monday. The report, more optimistic about curbing the use of fossil fuels than a Chinese industry forecast on Monday… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/08/us-climatechange-china-idUSKBN0OO0TZ20150608 Scientists Are Coming Up With 'Last Ditch' Remedies for Climate Change. As talks aimed at slowing global warming drag on, researchers are pushing new ideas that some are calling last-ditch attempts to avert the worst effects of climate change. Some proposals are uncontroversial, such as using charcoal to lock carbon dioxide into soil or scattering carbon-absorbing gemstones. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-08/carbon-sucking-gems-among-last-ditch-climate-change-remedies Repsol Signs Up to European Oil Group’s Stance on Climate Change. Repsol SA joined its European peers in calling for governments to agree on carbon pricing at a United Nations climate summit later this year, expanding the group of energy companies seeking a voice at the meeting. Repsol on Tuesday signed the letter that BP Plc, Eni SpA, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Statoil ASA… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-09/repsol-signs-up-to-european-oil-group-s-stance-on-climate-change Republican pours money into U.S. climate, clean energy foundation. A Republican businessman said on Monday he is pouring millions of dollars into a foundation that sees opportunities where the majority of his fellow party members do not: easing climate change and speeding the country's transition to clean energy. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/usa-republican-climate-change-idUSL1N0YV02N20150609 Eco-groups: G-7 leaders should fund climate change solutions. Advocates of a United Nations climate change treaty said the goals laid out by world leaders missed an opportunity. They hoped the leaders would address concerns about securing funding to help developing nations adjust to a warming planet. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/eco-groups-g-7-leaders-should-fund-climate-change-solutions/article/2565849 G-7 set far-off goal to move away from fossil fuels. The world should move away from using fossil fuels by the end of this century, G-7 leaders said Monday, setting an ambitious but distant goal ahead of a global conference on climate change this year. The leaders of seven wealthy democracies also warned Russia that sanctions imposed for its actions against… http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-bc-eu--germany-g7-20150607-story.html Republican pledges $175 million to push party on climate. A North Carolina executive is pouring his own money into trying to sway people in the GOP to take global warming seriously. A Republican entrepreneur is putting a whopping $175 million behind a campaign whose message will have some party stalwarts seeing red: The GOP needs to deal with climate change. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/republican-climate-change-jay-faison-118755.html#ixzz3caAFzyFk Carbon Trust: Businesses Don’t Have a Clear Vision on How to Adapt to Climate Change. More than 75 percent of global business leaders see bottom line risks from the direct impact of climate change and yet most businesses don’t appear to have a clear vision on how to effectively manage the transition to an environmentally sustainable future… http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/06/09/carbon-trust-businesses-dont-have-a-clear-vision-on-how-to-adapt-to-climate-change/#ixzz3caDRvJXT Rainy May Sets Record for Soggy U.S. The numbers are in, and the month of May broke a number of records across the U.S. Alaska had its warmest May by a wide margin. California continued to see its warmest year-to-date. And thanks to staggering rains that swamped the Southern Plains, May was the wettest month on record for the contiguous U.S. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/may-record-for-soggy-us-19083 Climate scientists sent confused messages about the global warming 'pause' – study. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was in a bind. The world's premier scientific body on the climate had found, in a 2013 report, that it is extremely likely (95 percent confidence) that human activities are responsible for most of the observed warming of global temperatures since 1951. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/09/stories/1060019873 DROUGHT Drought, heat suggest West Nile virus danger in Sacramento region. Rising temperatures and a historic drought suggest that the Sacramento region and Central Valley will likely see high West Nile virus activity this summer, researchers say. The prediction comes after 31 people in California died last year from the virus, including two in Sacramento County. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/health-and-medicine/article23397396.html#storylink=cpy Wet spring reduces wildfire risk this month in most of US. An unusually wet May has reduced the likelihood of wildfires this month across much of the nation, but the danger will increase from July through September, a national outlook says. The risk is below normal in a vast area of the central and Southern U.S. in June, but above normal in drought-stricken California… http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Wet-spring-reduces-wildfire-risk-in-most-of-US-6315241.php Texas Cattle Ranchers Whipsawed Between Drought And Deluge. The drought finally broke for Texas ranchers late last year. The range and pasturelands on which cattle graze began to recover. Then came the spring. In Cameron, about 140 miles northwest of Houston, the rain began falling at the start of May — and didn't stop all month. http://www.npr.org/2015/06/09/412236562/texas-cattle-ranchers-whipsawed-between-drought-and-deluge?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=environment DIESEL ACTIVITIES China turns focus to smoky ships, boats in fight against pollution. China is considering regulating emissions from boats and ships, the environment ministry said on Monday, as it tries to clamp down on pollution. Facing mounting public pressure, leaders in Beijing have declared a war on pollution, vowing to abandon a decades-old growth-at-all-costs economic model that has spoiled much of China's water, skies and soil. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/08/china-environment-shipping-idUSL5N0YU1M320150608 FUELS Canadian Oil Sands Resume Output as Wildfire Threat Recedes. Fire had shut-in nearly 10% of Canada’s oil sands output, or about 233,000 barrels a day. Two major Canadian oil sands operators said Monday they have resumed output at sites that had been shut down by a more than two-week old wildfire in northern Alberta, which exports much of its crude oil production to the U.S. http://www.wsj.com/articles/canadian-oil-sands-resume-output-as-wildfire-threat-recedes-1433810960 Gas prices continue dropping in Southern California. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County dropped Monday for the 21st consecutive day and the 22nd time in 23 days, decreasing a half-cent to $3.756. The average price has dropped 26 cents over the past 23 days, including 1.2 cents on Sunday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/business/20150608/gas-prices-continue-dropping-in-southern-california Northwestern-led team develops hydrogenation catalyst selective for carcinogen benzene; cleaner gasoline. A team from Northwestern University, with colleagues from UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company; Universita’ degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”; Argonne National Laboratory; and Ames Laboratory has developed a new hydrogenation catalyst that is highly selective for benzene, an aromatic—and known carcinogen—that is part of conventional gasoline. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150609-benzene.html Bills To Kill Renewable Fuel Law, Ban E15 Ethanol Fuel Likely Doomed. The addition of ethanol to gasoline has now been a political hot potato in the U.S. for more than a decade. Joined by cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte [R-VA] introduced two bills in February that together would eliminate the Renewable Fuels Act passed in 2007 and ban E15 from the nation's gasoline pumps. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098604_bills-to-kill-renewable-fuel-law-ban-e15-ethanol-fuel-likely-doomed VEHICLES On the road to zero emissions, Bhutan hits a few electric car bumps. With abundant supplies of clean electricity from hydropower, this tiny Himalayan kingdom has set itself an ambitious goal: to become a world leader in the use of electric vehicles. Last year, Bhutan’s prime minister introduced the country’s first two electric car models – the Nissan LEAF and Mahindra Reva – and suspended import taxes in an effort to win buyers. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/us-bhutan-climate-change-autosales-idUSKBN0OP0W720150609 Green Mountain Power highlights fast car-charging station. Officials from Vermont's largest electric utility and a renewable energy technology company are highlighting what they're calling Vermont's first "Freedom Station," designed to help electric vehicles charge up faster. Green Mountain Power and NRG announced Tuesday that the first of 12 Vermont eVgo (ee-VEE'-go) fast-charging stations… http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Green-Mountain-Power-to-highlight-fast-6315352.php Incentive To Buy Used Electric Cars Added For Some California Buyers. Plug-in electric cars can cut the per-mile cost of driving significantly for most U.S. households. But their purchase prices as new cars are still higher than gasoline cars of the same size and segment. That's why Federal, state, and local governments offer an elaborate--and often bewildering… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098643_incentive-to-buy-used-electric-cars-added-for-some-california-buyers DOE, EEI to Boost Production, Use of Electric Vehicles. The Edison Electric Institute and the Department of Energy announced a partnership that aims to boost the production and use of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in the United States. DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz and EEI President Tom Kuhn signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to take several joint actions… http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/06/09/doe-eei-to-boost-production-use-of-electric-vehicles/#ixzz3caIYQE1z Electric Vehicle Sales Skyrocket & US Energy Dept Wants More, More, More. While the raw numbers are still a bit on the small side, electric vehicle sales in the US jumped 128% from 2012 to 2014, and the US Energy Department is determined to kick that momentum into high gear. In the latest development, the agency is calling on the nation’s electric utility industry for an assist. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/06/09/electric-vehicle-sales-skyrocket-us-energy-dept-wants/ Evolute Drives seeking investors for MSYS multi-speed transmission for hybrids and EVs. Evolute Drives, incorporated as a separate entity by its sister company Drive System Design (DSD) (earlier post), is seeking investors to help commercialize its high efficiency MSYS multi-speed transmission system for hybrids and electric vehicles. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150609-evolute.html A Test-Drive for the 'Prius Tax' Oregon is trying out a program to charge motorists based on the miles they travel rather than the gas they guzzle. Here’s why it may be a fairer way to pay for roads. Forget millionaires and billionaires: It’s Prius owners who aren’t paying their fair share. That’s the heart of the argument that Oregon transportation officials are making to residents as the state prepares to launch a new program that charges some drivers… http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/a-test-drive-for-the-prius-tax/394940/ Tesla's Musk asks utilities: How can we take battery storage 'to a whole new level'? The co-founders of Tesla Motors Inc. yesterday invited executives of the nation's dominant utilities to partner with the Silicon Valley electric carmaker to boost battery storage capacity across the U.S. power grid. Speaking before the year's largest gathering of power industry executives, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his chief technology officer… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/06/09/stories/1060019878 HIGH-SPEED RAIL L.A. County communities protest planned bullet train route. A diverse alliance of communities — including Los Angeles County's third-largest city — is fighting California's long-planned bullet train route into the heart of the San Fernando Valley, saying it would bring irreparable harm. The coordinated protest by residents and elected officials from suburban Santa Clarita, as well as blue-collar San Fernando, Pacoima and other communities… http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-bullet-backlash-20150609-story.html#navtype=outfit GREEN ENERGY INSIGHT-Private investors look but do not leap at Mexican energy projects. Almost a year after Mexico opened its energy market to private investors, North American firms are rushing south to decide which pipeline or power plant to invest in. Enthusiasm is so high that some executives from big asset managers, pension funds and private equity firms complain of overbooked hotels in certain parts of Mexico City and business-class airplane cabins crowded with pitchbook-reading competitors. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/mexico-energy-idUSL1N0YK0D820150609 SunEdison to Invest $15 Billion in India By 2022. SunEdison, known for solar energy, is also expanding into wind power. SunEdison Inc. plans to invest $15 billion in India by 2022, a top executive said, as the renewable-energy company seeks to deepen in its foothold in a country where power producers have struggled to meet demand. “We believe much of the growth in renewable energy in the next 15 years… http://www.wsj.com/articles/sunedison-to-invest-15-billion-in-india-by-2022-1433580501 EU Energy Sector Inquiry Should Be Welcomed. Capacity problems can best be tackled by letting prices fluctuate and making energy providers responsible for intermittent supply. To the extent that support schemes are used, they should be technology-neutral and driven by market forces to ensure efficiency, argues Diego Zuluaga… http://cleantechnica.com/2015/06/09/eu-energy-sector-inquiry-should-be-welcomed/ Sony, Hydro-Québec JV Esstalion to begin testing large scale stationary energy storage system. Esstalion Technologies, the joint venture formed in 2014 by Sony Corporation and Hydro-Québec, will soon begin testing the first prototype of a large-capacity energy storage system. The prototype has a capacity of 1.2 MW and can store 1.2 MWh, equivalent to the daily consumption of 23 Québec homes. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150609-esstalion.html Residential solar installations surge to U.S. record in 1st quarter of 2015. Residential solar installations surged 76 percent during the first quarter of 2015 over the same period in 2014, with 437 megawatts of new home-based solar systems coming online between January and March, according to data released this morning by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/09/stories/1060019865 Engineers develop state-by-state plan to convert US to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050. One potential way to combat ongoing climate change, eliminate air pollution mortality, create jobs and stabilize energy prices involves converting the world's entire energy infrastructure to run on clean, renewable energy. This is a daunting challenge. http://phys.org/news/2015-06-state-by-state-renewable-energy.html#jCp MISCELLANEOUS As mercury climbs, Californians urged to stay safe in extreme heat. As temperatures begin to warm up throughout the Central Valley and the rest of the state, California Department of Public Health Director Karen Smith advises California residents to prepare themselves for what could be a very hot, dry summer. “Because this hot spell has come on rather suddenly, many people may be caught off guard by the warm up,” says Ms. Smith. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=28478 OPINIONS Taking climate change seriously in school. I’m in a different country, but sometimes it feels like I’m on a different planet. I realize that’s a cliché, but in a way it’s true. The planet comes up in Germany a lot, and it doesn’t sound anything like the one I live on in the United States. At home, our planet is doing more or less okay. And if it’s not — if, instead, the climate is slowly changing — there’s not much we can do about it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/taking-climate-change-seriously-in-school-in-germany/2015/06/08/bb43fb4c-0e00-11e5-9726-49d6fa26a8c6_story.html G.O.P. Assault on Environmental Laws. President Obama has announced or will soon propose important protections for clean water, clean air, threatened species and threatened landscapes. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and other Republicans in Congress are trying hard not to let that happen — counterattacking with a legislative blitz not seen … http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/opinion/gop-assault-on-environmental-laws.html Norway Divests From Coal. The Norwegian Parliament voted on Friday to order the country’s huge oil fund — at $890 billion, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund — to pull billions of dollars of investments out of companies that derive 30 percent or more of their business from mining or burning coal. The move is a major boost to the three-year-old campaign to persuade large investors to divest their fossil fuel stocks. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/opinion/norway-divests-from-coal.html 'We're sorry' isn't enough after Santa Barbara oil spill. I would be willing to accept the apology if this were a rare incident by a company with a good track record. However, as The Times reported, this company has accidentally spilled nearly 2 million gallons of this hazardous liquid over the last 11 years in the U.S. and Canada. Armstrong's letter of apology might have been paid for by his company's $75-million… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0609-tuesday-oil-spill-20150609-story.html Restore balance to state water picture by backing Brown plan. Gov. Jerry Brown and state leaders recently announced an improved plan to upgrade the aging statewide water distribution system that carries water from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Central Valley and other parts of California, called the California Water Fix. http://www.bakersfield.com/News/Opinion/2015/06/08/Restore-balance-to-state-water-picture-by-backing-Brown-plan.html BLOGS Canadian Oil Sands Resume Output –Energy Journal. Two big Canadian oil sands operators have resumed production at sites shut by a more than two-week-old wildfire, boosting crude exports to the U.S., Chester Dawson reports. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. said it expects to resume full production this week at its 80,000-barrel-a-day Primrose site and its 30,000-barrel-a-day Kirby South site, in northern Alberta. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/06/09/canadian-oil-sands-resume-output-energy-journal/?KEYWORDS=climate+change Fracking Associated With Smaller Babies. A new study has found an association between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and smaller babies. The scientists used data on 15,451 live births in southwest Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2010. They categorized the mothers by how close they lived to gas wells and the concentration of wells in the area. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/fracking-associated-with-smaller-babies/ Fixing what ain't broke II: Clean Air Act requirements survive with limited damage. A few weeks back, I blogged in this space about Illinois industry efforts to dismantle a Clean Air Act permitting system in the name of "streamlining" it. Their expressed concern was that the program's system for citizen challenges to air pollution permits was "inefficient," which translated from industry-speak means way too efficient… http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aalexander/fixing_what_aint_broke_ii_clea.html With New Law, Hawaii Will Lead the Nation in Clean Energy. Move over, California. Tell New York the news, especially as it moves through its Reforming the Energy Vision proceedings. In the three-way race among states for the title of national clean-energy champion, as of yesterday, we have a new leader. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rsalter/with_new_law_hawaii_will_lead_.html California's Mega-Drought: Nuclear Power To The Rescue. The only power facility in California that does not use any of the state’s precious fresh water is the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant near San Luis Obispo. And it can even produce additional freshwater for the nearby community. The nuclear plant desalinates ocean water using reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/06/09/californias-megadrought-nuclear-power-to-the-rescue/?utm_source=allactivity&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20150609 AFC Energy -- Another Player In The Fuel Cell Arena. When most people think of fuel cells, companies like Bloom Energy, Ballard, or FuelCell Energy spring to mind. All three entities have been around for quite some time, have projects in the U.S. and abroad (Ballard and Fuel Cell also have stock listings), and have yet to make their investors rich. But there are other players out there as well. http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2015/06/09/afc-energy-another-player-in-the-fuel-cell-arena/?ss=business Think Detroit has it rough now? Just wait ‘til climate change gets ahold of it. You could be forgiven for thinking Detroit’s current situation couldn’t get much more grim: poverty, unemployment, abandonment and vacancy, civic bankruptcy, rampant crime and tax evasion, an inability to deliver basic services. What other plagues could possibly hit the city? Well, brace yourself, because things will be getting much worse. Climate change will mean more extreme weather for Detroit… http://grist.org/cities/think-detroit-has-it-rough-now-just-wait-til-climate-change-gets-ahold-of-it/ Artificial Grass May Save Water, But Does It Endanger People? When Michael and Barbara Fouch first considered replacing their grassy lawn with artificial turf, they researched the growing array of options for the green plastic blades and the infill that holds them in place. They wanted a product that looked nice, but they also wanted something that wouldn't make any people or pets sick. "Everyone here is pretty concerned about curb appeal," said Michael Fouch, 62, of Laguna Niguel, California. "Last summer, with the dry and sunny weather, the grass was getting brown and diseased." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/artificial-turf-drought-california_n_7523132.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy+Living California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.