What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for July 28, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Beijing Bid Faces Same Old Questions Ahead of 2022 IOC Vote. Two
of China's most storied winter Olympic athletes faced tough
questions about Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Games — namely
about air pollution and a lack of snow. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OLY_IOC_MEETINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES 
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/28/sports/olympics/ap-oly-ioc-meetings.html


Walker Says EPA Should Be Limited 'Umbrella Organization'. 
Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker said Monday he
would shift most of the responsibilities of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to state-based regulators,
leaving the EPA to serve as an "umbrella organization" that would
resolve disputes between them.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOP_2016_WALKER_EPA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 
OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/27/us/politics/ap-us-gop-2016-walker-epa.html

U.S. appeals court upholds bulk of Obama air pollution rule.  A
U.S. appeals court on Tuesday mostly upheld a major federal
environmental regulation requiring some states to limit pollution
that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states. The U.S.
Court of appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected
several broad challenges to the regulation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/28/us-usa-court-airpollution-idUSKCN0Q21P020150728

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/07/28/us/28reuters-usa-court-airpollution.html

http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/07/28/court-orders-epa-to-redo-air-pollution-limits-in-13-states

http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/07/28/stories/1060022546 

An 'F' in air quality: California national parks top the list for
worst pollution. Millions of vacationers escape to national parks
each summer to take in the fresh air and scenic vistas.  But a
report released Tuesday by a conservation group finds that some
of the nation’s most treasured landscapes are plagued with
polluted air and hazy skies — and remain decades behind schedule
in restoring visibility.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-parks-air-quality-20150727-story.html


Hot weather triggers summer’s first “Spare the Air Day”. A
high-pressure weather system building over Northern California
will catapult temperatures into triple digits for much of the
coming week, prompting officials to call a “Spare the Air” day
for Tuesday. Things are going to get very hot, said Steve
Anderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service,
especially for those living inland.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hot-weather-triggers-summer-s-first-Spare-6408571.php

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4262939-181/spare-the-air-day-declared

http://kron4.com/2015/07/27/1st-spare-the-air-day-of-the-season-called-amid-heat/


CLIMATE CHANGE

Worldwide strengthening El Nino giveth and taketh away. In
California, they're counting on it to end an historic drought; in
Peru, they've already declared a pre-emptive emergency to prepare
for devastating flooding. It's both an economic stimulus and a
recession-maker. And it's likely to increase the price of coffee,
chocolate and sugar. It's El Nino - most likely, the largest in
well over a decade, forecasters say.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_EL_NINO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


NASA launches mission to Greenland. Ship and planes will probe
water–ice interface in fjords. When the retired fishing trawler
MV Cape Race sets off along Greenland’s west coast this week, it
will start hauling in a scientific catch that promises to improve
projections of how the ice-covered island will fare in a warming
world. The ship’s cruise is the initial phase of a six-year air
and sea campaign to probe interactions…
http://www.nature.com/news/nasa-launches-mission-to-greenland-1.18085

Largest US Companies Pledge $140bn to Cut Carbon Footprint.
Apple, Coca-Cola, Walmart and PepsiCo are among the 13 of the
largest companies in the US that have signed the American
Business Act on Climate Pledge. The companies have announced a
combined total of $140 billion in new low-carbon investments, in
addition to ambitious, company-specific goals to cut emissions as
much as 50 percent…
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2015/07/28/largest-us-companies-pledge-140bn-to-cut-carbon-footprint/#ixzz3hCsucj6r
 http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-apple-microsoft-google-among-us-companies-pledge-140b-cut-carbon-2025224


U.S. Private Sector Vows To Ante Up On Climate Finance. Some of
the biggest U.S. corporate names have offered their support - and
billions of dollars in green financing pledges - to buttress the
Obama administration's quest for a global agreement on combating
climate change.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/private-sector-climate-finance-19286


Giant air-sucking machines could be the solution to Earth's scary
carbon dioxide problem. This company wants to solve global
warming using giant fans. Canadian company Carbon Engineering is
building machines that suck carbon dioxide out of the air by
pulling it through a fluid, where it can either be discarded or
recycled to be used as fuel.
http://www.businessinsider.com/giant-fans-could-trap-carbon-dioxide-2015-7#ixzz3hCs5YPm8


Lack Of Innovation Could Doom Battle To Trim Carbon Emissions.
Representatives of world governments will meet in Paris this
December to discuss a global strategy for combating climate
change. But the outlook doesn't appear promising, according to a
recent assessment by the International Energy Agency.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099300_lack-of-innovation-could-doom-battle-to-trim-carbon-emissions


Calif. power producers warned that actions must quickly follow
ambitious climate plans. Call it "adaptation," "resilience" or
"readiness," but California's utilities must move past planning
for the future impacts of climate change and work more
collaboratively to start taking action, utility commissioners and
other energy-sector stakeholders said yesterday at a climate
adaptation workshop.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/28/stories/1060022511 

DROUGHT

Squeezed By Drought, California Farmers Switch To Less Thirsty
Crops. Water scarcity is driving California farmers to plant
different crops. Growers are switching to more profitable,
less-thirsty fruits, vegetables and nuts. Nowhere is this truer
than San Diego County, where water prices are some of the highest
in the state. Grapefruit trees shade the entrance to Triple B
Ranches winery in northern San Diego County.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/28/426886645/squeezed-by-drought-california-farmers-switch-to-less-thirsty-crops


Drought cutbacks challenge SoCal water officials at home. Two
summers ago, Beverly Hills City Council member Nancy Krasne's
household was consuming more than 1,800 gallons of water a day —
far higher than the average single-family home in her city. In
preparation for California's mandatory water cutbacks, Krasne
went straight to the source of her water consumption, her thirsty
landscaping.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/07/28/53143/drought-cutbacks-challenge-socal-water-officials-a/


Emergency drought funding gives Calif.'s Conservation Corps a
chance to cut forest fire risks. The whine of chain saws fills
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, located just a few miles north
of Santa Cruz, Calif., a beach town best known for its surfing.
From atop the wooden observation deck, perched on the rare and
unique Santa Cruz sandhills -- an area of the park that 10
million years ago was part of the Pacific Ocean…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/07/28/stories/1060022488 

FUELS

China accepts group's case against ConocoPhillips, CNOOC.  A
Chinese court says it has accepted a case brought by a social
organization against oil giants ConocoPhillips China and China
National Offshore Oil Corp. over oil spills in northern China in
2011. It is the first case brought by a social organization over
maritime pollution since China changed its law to allow
registered non-government organizations who have been dealing
with environmental issues…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_ENVIRONMENTAL_CASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Cnooc Oil-Sands Spill Worsens Outlook for Canada Pipeline Plans.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to get oil-sands pipeline
projects off the ground, and Alberta’s worst spill since 1980
will probably make it tougher. A rupture in a line operated by
Nexen, a unit of China’s Cnooc Ltd., spewed 31,500 barrels of
bitumen, waste water and sand into the bog-like muskeg of the
province’s north this month.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-28/cnooc-oil-sands-spill-worsens-outlook-for-canada-pipeline-plans


Big Oil and Big Corn blitz EPA on biofuels plan. U.S. farmers,
biofuel makers, and oil companies have mounted last-ditch efforts
to push regulators to overhaul a controversial plan for biofuel
use, homing in on the price Americans pay for gasoline mixed with
such fuels as ethanol. In thousands of filings ahead of a
midnight deadline for comment on the plan…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/28/us-usa-biofuels-idUSKCN0Q21W720150728
 

BP Reports Second-Quarter Loss as Oil Spill Settlement Takes
Toll. The British oil giant BP said on Tuesday that it had lost
$5.8 billion in the second quarter, reflecting a huge settlement
over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The roughly 40 percent
fall in oil prices since last year is also sharply cutting into
profits at BP and at other oil companies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/29/business/international/bp-earnings-q2.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=1


Los Angeles County gas prices streak continues with 12 days of
declines. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular
gasoline in Los Angeles County dropped today for the 12th
consecutive day, decreasing 1.2 cents to $4.15. The average price
has dropped 15.2 cents over the past 12 days, including a
half-cent on Monday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil
Price Information Service.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/business/20150728/los-angeles-county-gas-prices-streak-continues-with-12-days-of-declines


Sandia Labs partnering with Red and White Fleet to develop
high-speed H2 fuel cell passenger ferry and world’s largest H2
refueling station. Sandia National Laboratories and San
Francisco’s Red and White Fleet are partnering in a
project—SF-BREEZE (San Francisco Bay Renewable Energy Electric
vessel with Zero Emissions)—to develop a high-speed,
hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered passenger ferry and refueling station.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/07/20150728-sandia.html
http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2015/07/developing-hydrogen-fuel-cell-ferry-worlds-largest-refueling-station


Can U.S. Canadian Oil Sands Imports be Nearly Carbon Neutral? The
U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory recently
published a study that determined the production and consumption
or ‘Well-to-Wheel’ (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of
Canadian Oil Sand crude imports are 20% greater than
‘conventional’ U.S. domestic crudes. 
http://www.theenergycollective.com/jemillerep/2253576/can-us-canadian-oil-sands-imports-be-nearly-carbon-neutral


Export premiums for US ethanol to Asia to remain under pressure:
sources. Premiums built into replacement costs for US ethanol
exports out to Asia are expected to remain under downward
pressure for the rest of the year as a burgeoning surplus forces
sellers to be more competitive, market sources said this week.
Exporters of US ethanol out to Asia typically bundle a series of
conversion costs for exports…
http://www.platts.com/latest-news/agriculture/singapore/export-premiums-for-us-ethanol-to-asia-to-remain-26160619


$1 million fund to develop algae biofuels. A research team from
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a multi-program US
security laboratory, has received an additional $1 million (appr.
€907,000) to protect algal crops by developing ‘probiotic’
bacteria to combat pond infestation and increase ecosystem
function and resilience. Algal biomass can be converted to
advanced biofuels that offer promising alternatives to petroleum…
http://biofuels-news.com/display_news/9437/1_million_fund_to_develop_algae_biofuels/


VEHICLES

New electric car quick-charging station opens in Portland. The
largest lineup of electric car quick-charging stations in
downtown Portland is open for business. The project by Portland
General Electric features six charging stations, including four
universal quick chargers that can recharge a typical electric
vehicle in 30 minutes.
Dubbed Electric Avenue, the charging facility is outside PGE's
headquarters in the World Trade Center building…
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/New-electric-car-quick-charging-station-opens-in-6410154.php


Why Do Fuel-Cell Vehicles Make Electric-Car Advocates So Crazy?
Last Thursday, Green Car Reports published a story noting that
the several dozen drivers of Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles
had expressed deep frustration with the unreliability of Southern
California's current hydrogen fueling stations.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099288_who-do-fuel-cell-vehicles-make-electric-car-advocates-so-crazy

Fiat Chrysler CTO: Fuel Cells Are The Future, Batteries Are Not.
Several companies have expressed enthusiasm about
battery-electric cars, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) isn't
one of them. Six years after killing its pre-bankruptcy ENVI
project that showed a variety of plug-in concept cars, FCA still
doesn't offer any mainstream plug-in models. 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099303_fiat-chrysler-cto-fuel-cells-are-the-future-batteries-are-not


Volkswagen's Lineup Of Electric, Plug-In Hybrid Models To Expand.
Volkswagen will soon expand its lineup of electric cars and
plug-in hybrids, according to reports in German media, with new
entries on both the high and low ends of its range. But the
rumored new models likely won’t be sold in the U.S. They will,
however, help VW meet tighter European emissions standards, as
well as electric-car adoption…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099306_volkswagens-lineup-of-electric-plug-in-hybrid-models-to-expand


Level the Playing Field for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. 
Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) are likely to be a major market
sector of future automobiles, due to international efforts to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality, and
reduce reliance on oil.  Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and
battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are the only two commercialized
ZEVs available to consumers today.
http://www.theenergycollective.com/mmarkowitz/2253524/level-playing-field-fuel-cell-electric-vehicles


GREEN ENERGY

SolarCity launches plan to bring solar power to small and midsize
firms. SolarCity Corp. wants to deck the rooftops of small and
midsize businesses with solar panels by offering a new financing
strategy to a market that the company says has largely gone
untapped. Companies that lease the solar panels from SolarCity
would be able to save 5% to 25% compared with their current
electric bills…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solarcity-20150728-story.html


Sacramento’s Greenleaf Power finalizes Connecticut plant
purchase. Sacramento-based Greenleaf Power, an owner and operator
of renewable energy power plants, said Monday it has finalized
its purchase of the Connecticut-based Plainfield Renewable Energy
plant. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article29084128.html#storylink=cpy


Habitat For Humanity Builds Solar Powered Homes. Habitat for
Humanity is installing solar panels on the rooftops of homes it's
building from Chico to Fresno. Almost 80 homes will have the
solar installations because of a million dollar donation from
Pacific Gas and Electric. Frank Meyer is Director of Habitat for
Humanity in Calaveras County.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/07/28/habitat-for-humanity-builds-solar-powered-homes/s
 

Report presents case for Wyoming wind power to California. A new
study presents a case for California regulators to turn to
Wyoming wind power to help offset the natural ups and downs of
wind and solar power generated in their state. The report
released Monday by the University of Wyoming Wind Energy Research
Center says Wyoming wind could help California save water - over
a billion gallons a year.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/national/report-presents-case-for-wyoming-wind-power-to-california_17088085


Clinton aims high in energy plan she likens to moonshot, still no
position on Keystone XL. Calling climate change one of the "most
urgent threats of our time," Hillary Rodham Clinton laid out
elements of a sweeping plan Monday that would see every U.S. home
powered by renewable energy by 2027, even as she declined to take
a position on the Keystone XL oil pipeline opposed by
environmental activists.
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/07/26/in-iowa-clinton-says-climate-plan-will-promote-renewables


For those without electricity solar is shining brighter. Some 1.3
billion people worldwide live without electricity, affecting
health, lowering incomes, and making education difficult.
Low-cost solar energy programs are beginning to meet the need. In
rural Uganda, light streams from the Ssenyonjo family’s windows
through the night. The children inside sleep soundly, free from
worry of snakes and thieves.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2015/0728/For-those-without-electricity-solar-is-shining-brighter


LA’s Solar Energy Initiative Delays Are Unnecessary, Threaten
Long-Term Growth. The growth of the Los Angeles solar energy
sector is being hampered by unnecessary delays in the application
and installation stages, potentially interfering with the
achievement of its goal to be coal-free by 2025, according to new
research commissioned by the Los Angeles Business Council
Institute.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/27/las-solar-energy-initiative-delays-unnecessary-threaten-long-term-growth/


OPINIONS

Can China Stand on Its Own? China’s economy is, by one measure,
bigger than that of the United States. As the ”China Factor”
series in The Times makes clear, its global ambitions and power
are enormous. But by per capita income it isn’t in the top 100
countries, as many as 200 million Chinese may live below
international standards of poverty, and the sickening plunge in
its stock market indicates that its gains may be fragile.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/07/27/can-china-stand-on-its-own


Drought weary? 5 things you need to understand about El Niño.
There are two words on most every tongue in drought-plagued
California these days: El Niño. Media reports over the past two
weeks have informed us all that El Niño is here. And that it’s a
strong one. And that it will end the drought, or it could, or it
may. Depending on how optimistic or flamboyant the journalist is
feeling that day. Don’t bet on it.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Drought-weary-5-things-you-need-to-understand-6400440.php


Editorial: Will El Niño be the excuse that derails water saving?
It’ll be interesting to see what the state’s water conservation
numbers look like for July, because this is the month that we
think a lot of people figured the drought is over. This is the
month when the possibility of a strong El Niño this winter became
a pretty safe bet, and most people know just enough about that to
be dangerous.
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20150728/editorial-will-el-nixf1o-be-the-excuse-that-derails-water-saving


Keep your front yard pretty and drought resistant. Hundreds of
hardy succulents morph into Seuss-ian shapes like the leggy
“Irish rose,” the appetizing “blue curls” and the bulbous “living
rock.” Mark Anthony Ramirez’s yard is arguably the best looking
in his Oakland, California neighborhood, and he’s not growing a
single blade of grass, according to the blog at earthjustice.org.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20150727/letters-july-28-2015-keep-your-front-yard-pretty-and-drought-resistant


Viewpoint: LCFS market gains more certainty. California
Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) market participants will gain
some regulatory certainty in the coming months as the state
finalizes rules that will govern the program for the next several
years. How the market will respond to those rules, and ultimately
how the state will reduce the carbon intensity of its
transportation fuels a further nine percentage points by 2020,
remains to be seen.
http://www.argusmedia.com/News/Article?id=1077380 

BLOGS

Why a ‘super El Niño’ could still be a bust for California
drought relief. A powerhouse El Niño has been brewing in the
tropical Pacific, already showing signs of influencing global
weather patterns. A forecast for a strong El Niño — which has the
chance to spread copious tropical moisture up the West Coast — is
exactly what California needs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/07/27/why-a-super-el-nino-could-still-be-a-bust-for-california-drought-relief/
 

Bad News for Climate-Change Deniers. Republican presidential
candidates have generally refused to acknowledge the reality of
climate change. New polls and a report issued last week show they
aren’t helping themselves with business or voters. First, a
report by the Economist Intelligence Unit puts climate change in
terms of cold, hard cash…
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/bad-news-for-climate-change-deniers/


Why Hillary Clinton could be the solar industry's new best
friend. The presidential candidate is calling for huge growth in
the solar sector, and that would require some big federal help.
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton released an ambitious plan
to boost U.S. clean energy and fight climate change. The vision,
which also lacked details, called for more than a half billion
solar panels…
http://fortune.com/2015/07/27/hillary-clinton-solar-industry/ 

Clinton aide: Campaign will offset carbon emissions. Hillary
Clinton’s campaign will offset all of its carbon emissions after
facing criticism from Republicans for flying a private jet back
from a climate change event, a campaign aide told CNN. While the
aide said that the entire campaign, including its travel, will
become carbon neutral… 
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/249466-clinton-aide-campaign-will-offset-carbon-emissions


Wiggling Wind Power. You've heard all the gripes about wind
turbines: they're ugly, they're expensive to build and maintain,
they make weird noises, and they kill birds. Might there be
another way to capture the power of the wind without relying on
traditional windmill designs that have their roots in the ninth
century?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/x-prize-foundation/wiggling-wind-power_b_7888602.html


Melting Mummies Are on Thin Ice, Thanks to Climate Change.
Glacial archaeologists scramble to save long-preserved specimens
thawing out of vanishing ice before they are lost forever. The
world’s greatest archeologist may not be human, but it is
human-made. Global warming, the explorer in question, has melted
glaciers that have preserved and hidden many past lives.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/melting-mummies-are-on-thin-ice-thanks-to-climate-change/


Zero Emission Vehicles Pollute. A recent study from the National
Bureau of Economic Research, "Environmental Benefits from Driving
Electric Vehicles?" shows the moniker ‘zero emission vehicle,’
attached to electric cars is misplaced. In a finding that may
surprise some, Stephen Holland, of the University of North
Carolina-Greensboro, and his coauthors discovered, depending upon
one’s location, purchasing a zero emission car can reduce
pollution
locally…http://spectator.org/blog/63603/zero-emission-vehicles-pollute




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