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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 14, 2015.
Posted: 14 Jul 2015 12:40:36
ARB Newsclips for July 14, 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 EU Carbon Market Reserve Seen Absorbing 85% of Glut by 2021. An unprecedented overhaul of the European Union’s carbon market will probably remove 85 percent of a glut of permits that sent prices tumbling and eroded incentives to reduce emissions. A proposed reserve to control the number of allowances in circulation will probably hold 1.7 billion metric tons of the contracts by 2021… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-14/eu-carbon-market-reserve-seen-absorbing-85-of-glut-by-2021 AIR POLLUTION States Take Aim at Power-Plant Rules. Last-minute requests will be made Tuesday in Washington; new rules will guide direction of utility investments. State regulators are descending on Washington Tuesday to make last-minute pleas for changes in the Obama administration’s sweeping new rules for power-plant emissions, which will determine the direction of utility investments for decades to come and could affect the price of electricity. http://www.wsj.com/articles/states-take-aim-at-power-plant-rules-1436830808 Tesoro Fined $1M for Violating Gasoline Rules. Tesoro has paid $1,014,000 in penalties for violating California’s reformulated gasoline regulations, according to the state’s Air Resources Board. Tesoro, the second-largest independent refining and marketing company in the Western US, supplied gasoline in violation of state regulations from two Tesoro refineries and one terminal for a period of 52 violation days. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/07/14/tesoro-fined-1m-for-violating-gasoline-rules/#ixzz3fsZmPdGE Focus on farm emissions to reduce crop loss, say UN experts. UN report argues farmers can derive economic benefits from reusing nitrogen and tackling ammonia emissions. Policies for cutting a range of emissions from agriculture could prove one of the most cost-effective ways of tackling threats to food productivity and human health, say experts from the UN's Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2417510/focus-on-farm-emissions-to-reduce-crop-loss-say-un-experts CLIMATE CHANGE The Pope Calls on Jerry Brown to Preach Climate Change Gospel. California Governor Jerry Brown says that when he was 18 years old and studying to become a Jesuit priest, he couldn’t have fathomed that one day he would share a stage with the pontiff to discuss an issue of global importance. http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-14/the-pope-calls-on-jerry-brown-to-preach-climate-change-gospel Alberta Says It Must Do More on Climate for Quebec Pipeline Nod. Quebec will only support TransCanada Corp.’s Energy East pipeline if it generates jobs for the province and if Alberta does more to protect the environment, Premier Rachel Notley said. Alberta’s premier spoke with reporters Tuesday by telephone after meeting in Quebec… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-14/alberta-says-it-must-do-more-on-climate-for-quebec-pipeline-nod Energy Mix to Shift Because of Climate Pledges, IEA’s Birol Says. Pledges to curb climate-warming gases by China, the U.S. and European Union will have a “material impact” on the global energy sector, International Energy Agency Chief Economist Fatih Birol said. Political momentum in the three biggest emitters makes Birol optimistic for a successful outcome at a United Nations climate summit… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-14/energy-mix-to-shift-because-of-climate-pledges-iea-s-birol-says To sustain its forests, Asia needs to invest in local people: experts. Asia has a unique opportunity to fight climate change and lift many more people out of poverty if it invests more in the communities living in its forests, experts said. More than 450 million people in the region rely on forests for income and food, but forest dwellers often struggle to make a living as rural poverty, deforestation and climate change threaten their livelihoods. " http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/14/us-environment-asia-forests-idUSKCN0PO1NX20150714?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews Study shows Northeast states benefit from carbon cap program. Amid complaints that planned federal rules to cut carbon emissions will hurt the economy, a new study says the northeastern states that already have moved in that direction are seeing economic benefits. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-shows-northeast-states-benefit-from-carbon-cap-program/2015/07/13/328454ea-299a-11e5-960f-22c4ba982ed4_story.html No, Earth is not heading toward a ‘mini ice age’. This week, warnings of an impending “mini ice age,” set to hit in the 2030s, have been circulating in the media. It’s a story that has caused shivers among the public, but there’s one problem: Climate scientists aren’t buying it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/14/no-earth-is-not-heading-toward-a-mini-ice-age/ Human impact on the oceans is growing — and climate change is the biggest culprit. The world’s oceans have suffered a lot at the hands of humans — ask any marine conservationist. Unsustainable fishing, pollution and the effects of climate change are just a few of the issues that worry scientists and environmentalists. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/14/human-impacts-on-the-oceans-are-growing-and-climate-change-is-the-worst-of-all/ Unraveling the Relationship Between Climate Change and Health. Is climate change a serious threat to human health? Simple logic would suggest the answer is yes, a point that the Obama administration is using to build support for the president’s effort to make climate change a centerpiece of his final months in office. A White House report listed deepening risks. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/health/unraveling-the-relationship-between-climate-change-and-health.html?_r=0 Study: Warming Leads to Longer Flights, More Emissions. Climate change is causing wind patterns to change over the Pacific Ocean, leading to longer commercial airline flight times and causing airplanes to burn more fuel and emit more greenhouse gases. Those are the conclusions of a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change… http://www.climatecentral.org/news/warming-longer-flights-more-emissions-19234 How Climate Change Could Affect Your Finances. If the temperature continues to climb, our net wealth will continue to drop. Whether you believe in climate change or not, there's no denying that it's in the news a lot these days. Climate change has been blamed for the California drought, and as an aside… http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2015/07/14/how-climate-change-could-affect-your-finances Regulators study a 'trade-ready' CO2 emissions trading system that would not require state legislative approval. As the final rollout of U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan gets closer, a growing number of analysts and state officials are rallying around the idea of "trade-ready" multi-state compliance plans as the best way to meet the rule's ambitious carbon-reduction goals. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/14/stories/1060021738 DROUGHT California Drought Leaves Few Farmers Unscathed. Even those with high-priority access to water are at risk of having their spigots turned off. As holders of some of the oldest water rights in California, many farmers and ranchers here in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have never had their spigots turned off, a fate many of their counterparts in the parched state have endured. http://www.wsj.com/articles/california-drought-leaves-few-farmers-unscathed-1436809802 Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill barring fines for dead lawns during drought. Cities and counties will no longer be able to impose fines on residents for unsightly brown lawns while the state is in a drought, under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday afternoon. Brown has said she's aware of a number of cities, including Glendora, Upland and San Bernardino that have levied fines… http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-brown-lawn-bill-20150713-story.html http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/13/brown-approves-legislation-preventing-fines-for-br/ http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28481628/gov-brown-approves-legislation-preventing-fines-brown-lawns Riverside Pushes Back Against State Water Restrictions. Earlier this year, Gov. Jerry Brown made good on a threat that had been hanging in the air for months. He ordered the state’s first-ever mandatory cuts in water use. Executive Order B-29-15 gave the State Water Resources Control Board authority to establish… http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/07/13/riverside-pushes-back-against-state-water-restrictions DIESEL ACTIVITIES London Assembly Urges Faster Cuts to Diesel Emissions. London must cut diesel emissions faster than planned to reduce pollution levels that breach legal limits, the London Assembly’s Environment Committee said. Previously announced measures, such as an “Ultra Low Emission Zone” to come into effect in 2020 with a ban on the most polluting diesel cars in parts of the city… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-13/london-assembly-urges-faster-cuts-to-diesel-emissions Federal Regulators Formally Publish Phase 2 GHG Emissions-Reduction Proposal. Federal regulators on July 13 formally published their proposal in the Federal Register that would tighten greenhouse-gas emissions for trucks, improve their fuel economy and regulate trailer efficiency for the first time. http://ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=38830 FUELS Suncor oil sands project aims to replace steam with radio waves. Suncor Energy Inc has launched a pilot project to replace the high-pressure steam used to extract bitumen from oil sands with radio frequency technology developed by U.S. defence contractor Harris Corporation. Canada's largest oil and gas company, which produces 440,000 barrels per day from Alberta's oil sands… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/14/suncor-energy-harris-oil-idUSL2N0ZT2JT20150714 Energy Companies to Merge in $15.8 Billion Deal. Marathon’s pipeline operator MPLX to buy natural-gas processor MarkWest Energy. A partnership controlled by Marathon Petroleum Corp., a refinery and pipeline company, will buy MarkWest Energy Partners LP for $15.8 billion in one of the biggest oil-patch deals since crude prices began to slump last summer. http://www.wsj.com/articles/mplx-to-buy-markwest-energy-creating-4th-largest-mlp-1436785264?mod=rss_Business State grants $11 million to 5 Valley dairy methane projects. Five projects from Kings, Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kern counties have been awarded $11.1 million in state grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing dairy manure with digester technology. “These projects demonstrate a commitment by California to support efforts by dairy farmers to fight climate change… http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/agriculture/article27180202.html#storylink=cpy Average L.A., Orange County gas prices top $4 for first time since May. The fourth consecutive sharp daily increase pushed the average prices of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles and Orange counties above $4 Monday for the first time since May. The Los Angeles County average price rose 12.6 cents to $4.053, the highest in the state… http://www.dailynews.com/business/20150713/average-la-orange-county-gas-prices-top-4-for-first-time-since-may Rotork CMAs Enable Shale Gas Well Emissions Compliance. Rotork CMA electric control valve actuators eliminate venting and greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with new environmental protection legislation at remotely sited shale gas installations in the US, the company says. Rotork CMA electric control valve actuators eliminate venting and greenhouse gas emissions in compliance… http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/07/13/rotork-cmas-enable-shale-gas-well-emissions-compliance/#ixzz3fsduWM81 Bio-bean to bring coffee-to-biofuel service to UK stations. Commuters travelling through London's busiest stations will be able to order their morning coffee safe in the knowledge it is not just their train journey that is helping to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Network Rail announced this week that following a successful trial at Victoria and Waterloo stations it has signed a deal with biofuel… http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2417593/bio-bean-to-bring-coffee-to-biofuel-service-to-uk-stations Belgian Steel Plant: We'll Make 50,000 Tons Of Ethanol From Byproduct. Even as world governments continue to encourage the production of biofuels, ethanol remains subject to particular criticism. The highest-volume feedstocks for ethanol are still plants like corn or sugar cane, which take up farmland that in some cases could otherwise be used for food. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099098_belgian-steel-plant-well-make-50000-tons-of-ethanol-from-byproduct United Airlines invests $30 million in Pleasanton-based bioenergy firm. Fulcrum BioEnergy transforms municipal solid waste into transportation fuels. United Airlines has invested $30 million in Pleasanton-based Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. with the option to directly participate in Fulcrum's waste-to-jet fuel plants across North America. http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2015/07/14/united-airlines-invests-30-million-in-pleasanton-based-bioenergy-firm VEHICLES Could electric vehicles provide reliable backup power to the electric grid? Last November, the Air Force rolled out the federal government's first fleet of plug-in and hybrid electric vehicles. Parked at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LA AFB) in El Segundo, Calif., about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, the 42-vehicle fleet features 13 Nissan Leafs as well as Ford F-Series pickup trucks and a 12-passenger van among other electrified vehicles. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/14/stories/1060021714 GREEN ENERGY Woodford Hits Out at Osborne’s Cut in Renewal Energy Tax Break. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has lost the support of at least one large U.K. investor after his decision last week to eliminate a tax break for renewal energy sent shares of Drax Group Plc tumbling. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-14/woodford-hits-out-at-osborne-s-cut-in-renewal-energy-tax-break Financing India’s Renewable Energy Goals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have embarked on an ambitious mission to increase India’s renewable energy capacities by over five times by 2022. Taking it from the current 30GW (solar and wind combined) to a target of 175 GW. To achieve its goals, India needs to find, among other important things, a way to source these significant capital needs… http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/14/financing-indias-renewable-energy-goals/ OPINIONS The Right Price on Emissions. An executive order from President Barack Obama requires that the Environmental Protection Agency analyze the costs and benefits of its regulations. But how exactly can it measure the economic benefits of the coming restrictions on greenhouse gases? For both policy and law (including the inevitable court challenges), it's a crucial question. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-07-14/the-right-price-on-emissions Don't Blame Fish for California's Water Shortage. Since the late 1980s, new law after regulation after court ruling after endangered species designation has cut into the amount of water that farmers in California’s Central Valley are allowed to take out of its rivers and aqueducts. Here, for example, is how the flows from the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds… http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-07-13/don-t-blame-the-fish-for-california-s-water-shortage Global warming requires action. Re “Beetles preying on dried-up forests” (Insight, July 11): Global warming is crippling California’s forests with a one-two punch. Higher temperatures are intensifying the drought, leaving insufficient water for trees. Without cold winters, more beetles survive to burrow into the already-weakened trees. Hotter temperatures combined with more dead trees create conditions for bigger wildfires, which have been happening more frequently. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article27165709.html#storylink=cpy Additional hydropower could cut carbon emissions (OPINION). With each passing day, Americans are becoming more mindful about the ways in which energy is being generated. Our nation's reliance on fossil fuels, coupled with the looming challenges of climate change, is giving rise to the movement to reduce our collective carbon footprint. And while many areas of the country find themselves behind the curve… http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/07/additional_hydropower_could_cu.html BLOGS How the Future of Biofuels Is Taking Shape. IVAN MARTEN: Global production of biofuels has surged over the past decade or so, with annual production climbing from approximately 10 billion liters in 2000 to nearly 80 billion liters in 2012. Much of this growth is being driven by governments’ increasing focus on alternate fuel sources in an effort to reduce the countries’ reliance on foreign oil. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/07/14/how-the-future-of-biofuels-is-taking-shape/ There Is A Smart, Sustainable Way To Solve The Energy Crisis -- So Why Is It Essentially Illegal? On a recent Thursday in April, NRG’s Station A group, a product development team working toward renewable energy solutions in San Francisco, turned on its prototype microgrid for the very first time. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/10/the-state-of-microgrids_n_7706348.html Putting a Price on Carbon Can Spur Economy and Lower Energy Costs, New Study Says. Last year at this time, I wrote on why lowering CO2 emissions will drive electricity bills down, not up. Now, a new study from Boston consultancy Analysis Group shows that controlling and lowering CO2 emissions translates into a major economic development and jobs program with continued system reliability. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkrancer/2015/07/14/putting-a-price-on-carbon-can-spur-economy-and-lower-energy-costs-new-study-says/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.