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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 26, 2015.
Posted: 26 Jun 2015 12:51:27
ARB Newsclips for June 26, 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 Calif. regulators OK carbon-offset protocol for rice farming. The California Air Resources Board has approved a method for letting rice growers generate carbon offsets for the state's cap-and-trade system, the first of its kind. The agency approved the protocol last night, finalizing an eight-year process to create standards that quantify methane emissions avoided from changing rice-cultivation practices and translate those savings into tradeable carbon credits. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060020978/search?keyword=california Alberta puts pressure on oil sands with plan to double carbon fee. The top environmental official in Alberta -- home to the Canadian oil patch that would be the point of origin for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline -- announced yesterday that the province will raise its carbon price next year. Shannon Phillips, Alberta's minister of environment and parks, said the exiting fee of $15 per metric ton will climb to $20 per metric ton in 2016 and $30 per ton in 2017. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/26/stories/1060020959 Benefits of $1.6T carbon tax outweigh challenges, report says. A nationwide carbon tax -- though difficult to implement for practical and political reasons -- could significantly reduce greenhouse emissions while funding priorities on both sides of the aisle, according to a new report from the Tax Policy Center. The paper seeks to lay out options for policymakers considering a carbon tax… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/26/stories/1060020953 AIR POLLUTION Valero to pay $122,500 for Benicia air pollution violations. The Valero Refining. Co. has agreed to pay a $122,500 fine to settle air pollution violations at its plant in Benicia, officials in charge of regulating the Bay Area’s air quality said Thursday. The settlement covers 25 violations that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued to Valero for various incidents in 2011, including one for causing odors at the refinery’s… http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Valero-to-pay-122-500-for-Benicia-air-pollution-6350400.php http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28382161/valero-refinery-benicia-pay-122-500-air-pollution http://www.timesheraldonline.com/general-news/20150625/valero-refinery-in-benicia-to-pay-for-air-quality-violations LAKE FIRE: Despite growing acreage, air quality holding up. Although more than 23,000 acres have been scorched in the Lake fire and the smoke plume can be seen from space, officials said the region’s air quality hasn’t been deemed unhealthy. The air quality map from the South Coast Air Quality Management District did not show any unhealthy quality areas in the Inland region… http://www.pe.com/articles/air-771627-quality-fire.html Canada oil sands have more emissions than those in US. Gasoline and diesel fuel extracted and refined from Canadian oil sands will release about 20 percent more carbon into the atmosphere over its lifetime than fuel from conventional domestic crude sources, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, UC Davis and Stanford University. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/environment-and-nature/20150625/canada-oil-sands-have-more-emissions-than-those-in-us Neighbors air asphalt plant fears to Planning Commission. Neighbors of a proposed asphalt plant near Valley Springs today told the Calaveras County Planning Commission they fear the odor from the plant will disrupt their lives and depress property values. “I was planning to sell my house,” said Jan Hamaker, a resident of Huckleberry Lane not far from the Hogan Quarry below New Hogan Dam. http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_e5f10e4e-1b7e-11e5-9d2e-13f28ed9ff72.html China Drafting Maritime Emissions Regulations. Ships would be required to use shore-based power while berthed at ports, with all ports required to install shore land-based power services. China's government is moving forward with plans to bring in legislation to control emissions from ships as the country looks to reduce air pollution, state media reports. http://shipandbunker.com/news/apac/723269-china-drafting-maritime-emissions-regulations Which oil and gas companies are leaking the most methane? Over the years, ConocoPhillips -- an energy company so rich that it earns as much in a year as Croatia -- has positioned itself as a good guy among its peers when it comes to greenhouse gas pollution. It is a member of a U.N.-led initiative to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is the primary component of natural gas. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/06/26/stories/1060020954 CLIMATE CHANGE USAID backs how-to course to help Asia cope with climate change. The U.S. government is setting up a course to train officials in the Asia-Pacific region in the basics of preparing and financing projects to help communities weather climate change, experts from the USAID development agency said on Friday. Financing needs for climate change adaptation - efforts to adjust to extreme weather and rising seas… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/26/us-climatechange-funds-aid-idUSKBN0P61WA20150626 EU ministers seek ambitious, binding deal at Paris climate talks –draft. European Union ministers are seeking an ambitious, durable and legally binding deal to curb global warming, enforced through five-yearly reviews, a draft of their position statement for U.N. climate talks shows. EU environment ministers meet on Sept. 18 in Brussels to iron out their joint position ahead of the U.N. talks in Paris in December. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/25/eu-climatechange-paris-idUSL8N0ZB38Q20150625 Obama and Brazilian President Rousseff to talk climate change next week. When the president of the western hemisphere’s most populous country meets with the president of its second most populous — Dilma Rousseff of Brazil — next week, climate change will be a focal point of discussion, a White House spokesman said Thursday. “I would fully expect that climate and the environment would be an important part of the agenda… http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/06/25/obama-and-brazilian-president-rousseff-to-talk-climate-change-next-week/ UN Climate Chief to Big Oil: Talk Isn’t Enough. The official trying to shepherd a new global climate pact tells six companies that the world ‘wants to be proud of your actions.’ The United Nations official who is convening international climate change talks has a message for big oil-and-gas companies that claim to support tougher carbon-pollution policies: prove it. http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/climate-change-bp-shell-big-oil-paris-19691231 DROUGHT Downpours and Drought Send Wheat to Biggest Gain in Three Years. Too much rain in the U.S. and not enough in Europe and Canada sparked the biggest weekly rally in wheat and corn prices in three years. Wheat futures jumped 14 percent in Chicago this week, and are poised to enter a bull market. Corn climbed 8.3 percent and milling wheat added 8.2 percent in Paris. The advances are the largest since 2012. Soybeans heading for the biggest gain since October. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-26/downpours-and-drought-send-wheat-to-biggest-gain-in-three-years In California, Water Restrictions Above Ground and Leaks Below. Californians have been ordered to save water because of the drought. But one of the best ways to save it is to not lose it in the first place. That is why many cities in this thirsty state have declared a war on leaks. Here on Whitsett Avenue in the San Fernando Valley — or rather about 20 feet below it… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/science/california-turns-to-stopping-water-leaks.html?hpw&rref=science&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=1 World’s Aquifers Losing Replenishment Race, Researchers Say. From the Arabian Peninsula to northern India to California’s Central Valley, nearly a third of the world’s 37 largest aquifers are being drained faster than they are being replenished, according to a recent study led by scientists at the University of California, Irvine. The aquifers are concentrated in food-producing regions that support up to two billion people. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/science/worlds-aquifers-losing-replenishment-race-researchers-say.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=1 GOP introduces drought relief bill, key step in reopening water debate in Congress. California House Republicans introduced a drought-relief bill Thursday afternoon that they said would pump more water to struggling farmers in the Central Valley without compromising protections for endangered fish. The 170-page bill, though unlikely to reach President Obama's desk in its current form, is a significant step in laying out the GOP position… http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-gop-drought-relief-bill-20150625-story.html Another DWP bill? No: 'You are in the top 1% of all residential water users'. Warren Dern thought he was doing his part to conserve water amid California's unflagging drought. He was following the city's rules and only watering his 7,000-square-foot lawn in Sherman Oaks twice per week. Then, last month, he got a letter from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and it dawned on him: That simply wasn't enough. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0624-water-letters-20150626-story.html Infographic 183 drought maps reveal just how thirsty California has become. It doesn't take much to understand why California is so worried about drought. Reservoirs are ever-dwindling. Rainfall is sporadic at best. It's so bad, Governor Jerry Brown imposed mandatory water restrictions throughout the state. The majority of California is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought… http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-g-california-drought-map-htmlstory.html Los Angeles' transportation agency is cutting its water use by 20 percent because of California's historic drought. The Los Angeles County transportation agency, facing a catastrophic drought that has led the state to issue its first ever mandatory cutbacks in urban water use, has decided to reduce its water consumption by 20 percent by 2017. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-los-angeles-transportation-agency-to-cut-water-use-by-20-percent-2015-6#ixzz3eC5ImdsK Republicans Introduce Bill Based On The Idea That Environmentalists Caused California’s Drought. A new bill introduced in the House of Representatives is pushing for new ways to combat California’s epic drought. But it’s doing so based on the premise that environmental policy — not climate change — is making the drought so bad in the state. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/06/26/3674326/house-bill-california-drought-environmentalists/ House Republicans unveil new drought relief legislation. A group of House Republicans today introduced new legislation to address the drought in California and other parts of the West, the latest move in a yearslong effort to find a legislative fix for the region's ongoing water crisis. The California-specific provisions in H.R. 2898, the "Western Water and American Food Security Act," focus on boosting water transfers… http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060020923/search?keyword=california DIESEL ACTIVITIES McGuire secures $5 million for rural district school bus replacement. Earlier this year, Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) introduced The Rural Safety and Clean Air Act (SB 523), which would invest $5 million per year to replace aging school buses in rural school districts. Working collaboratively with the California Air Resources Board, the $5 million was approved on Thursday and will be allocated to rural school districts to replace old and polluting school buses through a grant process starting in mid-2016. http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42341:mcguire-secures-5-million-for-rural-district-school-bus-replacement&catid=43:education&Itemid=324 ‘No Idling’ Regs Coming to Commerce. Diesel burning trucks idling for long periods is a problem in the City of Commerce. On Tuesday, city officials, residents and local environmental groups unveiled the city’s latest effort to try to curtail the practice: 20 new “No Idling” signs to be installed in areas where truck drivers tend to stop off for a while but keep their engines running. http://egpnews.com/2015/06/no-idling-regs-coming-to-commerce/ FUELS Here’s Which States Are Leaking The Most Natural Gas At The Expense Of Their Taxpayers. Oil and gas operations located on federal and tribal lands leaked $360 million worth of fuel in 2013, money which would have gone in part to taxpayers and tribes in the form of royalties, according to a new report. Tuesday’s report was commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to track fugitive methane emissions… http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/06/25/3674036/methane-leaks-report-edf/ VEHICLES California gives low-income drivers a break on electric cars. Electric cars aren’t cheap — one of the main reasons Americans have been slow to try them. But a vote Thursday by California regulators will make plug-in cars slightly more affordable to low-income drivers. Ever since the current wave of electric cars hit the market in 2010, the state has been handing out rebates to buyers, more than 110,000 so far. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-gives-low-income-drivers-a-break-on-6350231.php CARB OKs Beefed-Up Budget Plan for Clean Vehicle Programs. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved a $373 million funding plan that covers all investments in advanced technologies for fiscal-year 2015-16, from zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and buses to rebates for low- and zero-emission passenger vehicles. CARB says the budget for the annual Funding Plan for Low Carbon Transportation Investments… http://ngtnews.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.10885#.VY2lzk2D6Um European automakers call for CO2 emissions delay. European automakers are seeking a five-year delay on tougher CO2 emissions targets for new cars sold in the EU. The automakers’ lobby group, ACEA, has asked the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, to postpone a 2025 target that is currently being worked on by officials, according to a position paper drawn up by the group and seen by Automotive News Europe. http://europe.autonews.com/article/20150626/ANE/150629984/european-automakers-call-for-co2-emissions-delay Volkswagen AG coordinating new €6M EU research project on drop-in biocatalytic solar fuels. Volkswagen AG is coordinating a new €6-million (US$6.7-million) research project, selected for funding under the Horizon 2020 Programme, to advance the biocatalytic production of drop-in liquid hydrocarbon transportation fuels, requiring only sunlight, CO2 and water. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150626-photofuel.html Is Next Battery Advance Not In Chemistry But Fabrication? Electric cars today are hampered by relatively short ranges, long charging times, and higher costs than comparable internal-combustion models--all problems that stem from their battery packs. Legions of researchers are trying to improve on the currently-dominant lithium-ion chemistry, hoping to increase energy density and lower cost. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1098867_is-next-battery-advance-not-in-chemistry-but-fabrication GREEN ENERGY GE invests in $348 million windfarm after Australian subsidy deadlock ends. General Electric Co (GE.N) said it will help fund a $348 million Australian windfarm, the country's third largest, after political leaders ended a deadlock over state subsidies that had stalled the $13 billion industry for over a year. GE, Swiss private equity firm Partners Group Holding AG (PGHN.S), Canadian pension fund… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/26/us-australia-renewables-windfarms-idUSKBN0P60LZ20150626 MISCELLANEOUS Cummins CTO John Wall receives California’s premier air quality award. Dr. John Wall, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc., is one of the three recipients of the 2014 Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards, California’s premier award recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving air quality. Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards are given annually to individuals who have made significant lifetime contributions toward improving air quality… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150626-wall.html Legacy Trail project wins clean-air grant. The Apple Valley Legacy Trail project has landed a clean-air grant in its bid to establish a cultural icon and destination point that includes an educational component. The multi-faceted project was awarded $155,850 from the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District for trail signs and educational aspects that promote healthy and non-polluting alternatives to motor vehicles. http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150625/NEWS/150629816 Barack Obama Interviews David Attenborough In Unique White House Interaction. Not many people can claim to have been interviewed by a sitting United States president. But not many people are like Sir David Attenborough, the celebrated British naturalist, environmentalist, and the creator and host of a plethora of widely watched nature documentaries for the BBC for over half a century. http://www.ibtimes.com/barack-obama-interviews-david-attenborough-unique-white-house-interaction-1985029 OPINIONS COLUMN-Fuel demand stabilises in the United States: Kemp. The initial consumption stimulus from lower oil prices may be fading, at least in the United States, according to the latest round of official data on traffic volumes and fuel sales. Traffic on California's highway network was 2.6 percent higher in May than a year earlier, the state transportation department said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/26/usa-fuel-kemp-idUSL8N0ZC1KJ20150626 It’s time for conservatives to end the denial on climate change. Reducing Pope Francis’s encyclical “Laudato Si” to a white paper on global warming is, in George Weigel’s fitting analogy, “akin to reading ‘Moby Dick’ as if it were a treatise on the 19th-century New England whaling industry.” The whole spirit and story of the thing are missed. The pope’s sprawling, ambitious statement… http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/deniers-must-face-reality-on-climate-change/2015/06/25/f56ae6c2-1b5d-11e5-93b7-5eddc056ad8a_story.html Drought flushes out old toilet rules. Low-flow toilets and faucets are a high priority. Let’s talk toilets, shall we? You know you want to. Or maybe you don’t know. In the deluge of water-saving rules that followed Gov. Jerry Brown’s historic statewide mandatory water reduction measures in April, perhaps you missed this one. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jun/26/california-drought-new-toilet-rules/ Drought fee takes effect for Glendale water users. New charge is aimed at recouping money needed to maintain utility as people continue to save water. Glendale residents are seeing a new drought charge when they open their water bills, a fee aimed at recouping money needed to maintain the utility as people continue to conserve. Last year, the City Council enacted the second phase of a water-saving strategy in the face of one of the state’s worst droughts. http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-drought-fee-takes-effect-for-glendale-water-users-20150625,0,4978121.story EDITORIAL: Anti-idling doesn't make sense. Air quality and global warming are motherhood issues and obviously anything that helps minimize those situations is welcome. However, at the same time that carbon emissions are being targeted, reality also has to be considered. http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/309902871.html BLOGS It’s official! Rice farmers now eligible for carbon offset payments. The door is officially open for crop-based farmers to participate in carbon markets and earn new sources of revenue. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) just approved a new protocol for rice growers, representing the first ever carbon offset protocol for crop-base agriculture in a compliance market. http://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2015/06/24/its-official-rice-farmers-now-eligible-for-carbon-offset-payments/?utm_source=RobertEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cm Urgency and Opportunity for Latino Leadership on Climate. When I landed in Las Vegas last week, the weather was a broiling 108 degrees. Ouch. I braved the Las Vegas heat for one of the most inspiring convenings of Latino leaders in the country, the Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO). http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2015/06/26/urgency-and-opportunity-for-latino-leadership-on-climate/ California's Drought Is Part of a Much Bigger Water Crisis. The problems are as much structural and systemic as they are natural. Why do I keep hearing about the California drought, if it's the Colorado River that we're "killing"? Pretty much every state west of the Rockies has been facing a water shortage of one kind or another in recent years. California's is a severe, but relatively short-term, drought. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/california-s-drought-is-part-of-a-much-bigger-water-crisis/ Texas Leading Challenge to New Smog Standards. Intent on wringing more smog from the nation's skies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is just months away from imposing new ozone standards meant to lessen pollution from the nation's cars, factories and power plants widely believed to worsen asthma, lung and heart disease. http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/texas-leading-fight-against-new-smog-standards/ Senator Kirk, If You Are Not Addressing Climate Change, You Are Not Addressing the Health of the Great Lakes. That is what makes a vote last week from Senator Mark Kirk so disappointing. Throughout his time in Congress, he has cast himself as a defender of the Great Lakes. But a decisive vote to prevent the EPA from enforcing efforts to cut carbon pollution puts Senator Kirk in the camp of folks trying to kill the most essential tool to safeguard the Lakes over the long-term. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/henry-henderson/senator-kirk-if-you-are-n_b_7672694.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.