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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 18, 2015.
Posted: 18 Sep 2015 15:49:56
ARB Newsclips for September 18, 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 EPA says VW intentionally violates clean air standards. The Environmental Protection Agency says nearly 500,000 Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars built in the past seven year are intentionally violating clean air standards by using software that evades EPA emissions standards. The EPA says the cars include a device programmed to detect when the car is undergoing official emissions testing. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT EPA Says Volkswagen Software Cheated Car Emissions Tests. Volkswagen AG sold diesel cars with software that circumvented U.S. emissions standards for air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency said. The company sold Volkswagen and Audi brand cars from model years 2009-2015 that contained a “sophisticated software algorithm” that detects when the car is undergoing official emissions testing… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-18/epa-says-volkswagon-software-circumvented-car-emissions-testing Volkswagen Is Told to Recall Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Emissions Software. The Obama administration on Friday directed Volkswagen to recall nearly a half million cars from the road, saying the German automaker used software intentionally designed to circumvent environmental standards for reducing smog. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/business/volkswagen-is-ordered-to-recall-nearly-500000-vehicles-over-emissions-software.html?_r=0 EPA: 482K VW diesel vehicles violated emissions rules. The Environmental Protection Agency and the state of California said Volkswagen AG violated federal law by using sophisticated software in 482,000 diesel VW and Audi cars sold since 2009 to purposely evade emissions requirements for dangerous pollutants. VW could face up to $18 billion -- or $37,500 per vehicle — as well as criminal prosecution… http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2015/09/18/epa-vw-diesel-vehicles-violated-emissions-rules/72401296/ OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/18/us-usa-volkswagen-idUSKCN0RI1VK20150918 http://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-accuses-volkswagen-of-dodging-emissions-rules-1442595129 http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/18/epa-volkswagen-used-defeat-device-to-circumvent-air-pollution-controls/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/09/18/epa-accuses-volkswagen-audi-evading-emission-laws/72400018/ http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-volkswagen-probe-20150918-story.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/EPA-says-VW-intentionally-violates-clean-air-6513932.php http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article35699754.html http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/18/441467960/volkswagen-used-defeat-device-to-skirt-emissions-rules-epa-says?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=environment Oil field operator settles air-quality violations, moves closer to reopening. An oil field linked to chronic respiratory illnesses in South Los Angeles has moved a step closer to resuming operations by paying $144,250 to settle air quality violations. Announcement of the settlement with AllenCo Energy Inc. earlier this week was unwelcome news for University Park residents who had filed hundreds of complaints in 2010… http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0918-allenco-20150918-story.html Scientists link millions of deaths to air pollution: What can be done? A new study published in the journal Nature found that air particles from traffic, agriculture, even cooking are causing premature deaths, especially in Asia. A new study linking millions of deaths around the world to air pollution offers some dire predictions for global health if pollution continues to rise at the current rate… http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0917/Scientists-link-millions-of-deaths-to-air-pollution-What-can-be-done CLIMATE CHANGE Actors join campaign to draw attention to Arctic issue. Critics of Arctic offshore petroleum drilling have used climbing gear, kayaks and polar bear costumes to protest industrial activity in the Arctic. They're now trying humor. Actors Alexander Skarsgard of "True Blood" and Jack McBrayer of "30 Rock," along with Andy Bichlbaum of "The Yes Men" activists, are on a Greenpeace ship in the Greenland Sea with a team… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ARCTIC_AWARENESS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Climate-smart development crystallizes on Senegal's salt flats. In Senegal's central Kaffrine region, stretches of the national highway cut through vast salt ponds. Yet the salt industry - which could help local people earn more and cope with worsening climate pressures - is little developed, experts say. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/18/us-development-goals-senegal-climatechan-idUSKCN0RI00I20150918 Polish elections complicate EU quest for Paris climate stance. Looming parliamentary elections in coal-dependent Poland will bedevil European Union efforts on Friday to agree a strong position for a global deal to tackle climate change. EU environment ministers meet in Brussels on Friday to finalize the bloc's negotiating position for a U.N. climate summit in Paris starting at the end of November. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N11N2L920150917 `West Polluted World' for 150 Years, and India Says It Won't Pay. “You made the mess -- you clean it up” may well be India’s attitude at the coming international climate-change talks in Paris. “It’s the West which has polluted the world for the last 150 years with cheap energy,” Indian Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in an interview. “I can’t tell the people of India that we’ll burden you with high costs because the West has polluted the world, now India will pay for it. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/-west-polluted-world-for-150-years-and-india-says-it-won-t-pay 11 Republicans vow to fight climate change. Eleven House Republicans signed on to a resolution Thursday that recognizes humans have a role in causing climate change. The resolution also endorses steps to combat global warming, though it stops well short of calling for specific solutions. Led by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.), the lawmakers want the House to go on record to generally agree… http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/254021-11-republicans-seek-to-fight-climate-change Earth's record streak of record heat keeps on sizzling. Earth's record-breaking heat is sounding an awful lot like a broken record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that August, this past summer and the first eight months of 2015 all smashed global records for heat. That's the fifth straight record-hot season and the fourth consecutive record-hot month. http://www.latimes.com/nation/ct-earth-record-heat-20150917-story.html DROUGHT Drought is taming wild horses in Southern Nevada. The beige mare's skin stretched tightly over her ribs as she grazed at Oliver Ranch. It's the temporary holding area for the wild horses the Bureau of Land Management rounded up at the end of August to save from the drought that's parching the American West. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Drought-is-taming-wild-horses-in-Southern-Nevada-6513211.php ‘Lake West Covina’ is drying up but not completely due to drought. Here’s why. For 13 years, whenever David Miyahira gazed over the edge of his backyard he’d see a blue-green pond full of fish and encircling waterbirds. “My wife, Vivian, who is Chinese, believes in feng shui. She says if that pond goes away we will have to leave. It brings balance and a sense of energy,” he said. The 1.3-acre pond, sometimes referred to as Lake West Covina, is indeed going away. One might call it a victim of the state’s four-year drought. http://www.sgvtribune.com/environment-and-nature/20150918/lake-west-covina-is-drying-up-but-not-completely-due-to-drought-heres-why From Oregon to Johannesburg, micro-hydro offers solution to drought hit cities. Cities worldwide are harnessing the power of gravity to generate electricity from public drinking water pipes. To see how closely water and energy are linked, you only have to look at the west coast of the US, where four years of severe drought have led to historically low levels in water reservoirs… http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/sep/18/portland-oregon-drought-microhydro-electricity-from-water-pipes-lucid-energy-california Nevada ranch uses waste water to survive the drought. At Douglas County’s Bently Ranch, these days the backup is squarely up front. Reclaimed wastewater is used to water crops late every irrigation season, but this year, during a protracted drought, it’s largely what’s keeping the place in the business of agriculture. http://www.capitalpress.com/Water/20150918/nevada-ranch-uses-waste-water-to-survive-the-drought DIESEL ACTIVITIES Judge will consider CARB DPF lawsuit Friday. A legal action seeking to halt California’s enforcement of its diesel particulate filter regulation could come to a head as soon as Friday, Sept. 18. Glenn County, Calif., Superior Court Judge Peter Twede is scheduled to hear a motion by the California Air Resources Board to dismiss a legal action brought by a trucking industry veteran and his organization. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=29801#.Vfw5-E2IOUk http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150917/carb-back-in-glenn-county-court-friday-over-diesel-filters VEHICLES DOE awards nearly $55M to advance fuel efficient vehicle technologies in support of EV Everywhere and SuperTruck. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding nearly $55 million for 24 projects to develop and deploy advanced vehicle technologies, supporting the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to make plug-in electric vehicles as affordable to own and operate as today’s gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150918-doevto.html 1917 Detroit Electric Vs 2014 BMW i3: A Century Of Electric Cars. What a difference a century makes, more or less. The 1917 Detroit Electric Model 68 in these photos was painstakingly restored over a period of years by owner Donald Davidson, who is only the car's third owner in 98 years. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100087_1917-detroit-electric-vs-2014-bmw-i3-a-century-of-electric-cars Electric cars will be the quickest way to decarbonize the U.S., says industry-enviro group report. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) issued an executive order in April that set a goal to cut the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and eventually 80 percent by 2050 compared with 1990 levels. "I don't know how you're getting anywhere close to that without electrification," Ted Craver, CEO of Edison International, the parent company… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/18/stories/1060024917 HIGH-SPEED RAIL A high-speed rail from L.A. to Las Vegas? China says it's partnering with U.S. to build. or decades private developers and entrepreneurs have periodically announced bold plans to run high-speed trains between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. None have gotten anywhere because they lacked money or suffered other setbacks. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-vegas-la-chinese-high-speed-rail-20150917-story.html GREEN ENERGY Renewable energy to power Sacramento state buildings. Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration and Sacramento’s not-for-profit electric utility have reached an agreement that will power nearly two dozen state office buildings with electricity from renewable sources within the next month. The three-year pact between SMUD and the Department of General Services will kick in with the state’s next billing cycle… http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article35643843.html#storylink=cpy State’s renewable energy bill is costly for Covanta waste-to-energy plant. The Covanta energy plant, which serves as the municipal waste burner for Stanislaus County and Modesto, can continue for another year selling higher-cost electricity to buyers that want renewable energy credits. But a major state Senate bill to increase renewable energy sources in California will remove its special status in 2017. http://www.modbee.com/news/article35653536.html#storylink=cpy California entering uncharted territory on clean energy. The Coachella Valley’s state Senator, Republican Jeff Stone, wrote a bill this year urging Congress to extend a 30 percent tax credit for solar energy. The bill sailed unanimously through the Senate, then passed the Assembly with just one dissenting vote. Stone’s resolution was largely symbolic. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/water-energy-summit/2015/09/17/california-entering-uncharted-territory-clean-energy/72361426/ Mt. SAC approves mega solar power plant after adding concessions. After agreeing to move solar panels farther away from homes, the Mount San Antonio College board approved the construction of a massive solar-power project on a residential hillside across the street from the community college. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/environment-and-nature/20150917/mt-sac-approves-mega-solar-power-plant-after-adding-concessions Latin American, European cities lead world on renewables. Tokyo gets more than 80 percent of its energy from coal and gas. Hydroelectricity alone powers more than a dozen Brazilian cities. Geothermal power provides nearly a third of Reykjavik's energy in Iceland. A new data set released yesterday by the Carbon Disclosure Project, a U.K.-based greenhouse gas emissions tracking and disclosure organization… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/18/stories/1060024909 MISCELLANEOUS Which bills will Jerry Brown sign? Governor has more than 600 measures to act on in the coming weeks. Among the major issues in California are assisted death, medical marijuana, alternative energy. After a flurry of action by California lawmakers in the final weeks of the legislative session, the attention now shifts to Gov. Jerry Brown, who will act on an estimated 640 bills over the next month. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article35665722.html#storylink=cpy David Letterman to appear in climate change series in first TV gig post-'Late Show'. David Letterman has lined up his first television gig since retiring from "Late Show" in May. The comedian will appear as a correspondent in the second season of the climate change documentary series, "Years of Living Dangerously," which will premiere on National Geographic in October 2016… http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-david-letterman-climate-change-series-first-post-late-show-20150917-story.html http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/09/david-letterman-just-got-new-gig OPINIONS There's no need for Californians' trees and lawns to dry up amid the drought. Have you watered your yard lately? You probably should. Such a recommendation might seem irresponsible in the face of the California drought, but the recent rush to slash urban landscape water use, and in the process let trees, shrubs and lawns decline or die, is shortsighted, foolish, expensive and, most tragic of all, unnecessary. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hodel-pittenger-water-lawn-20150917-story.html California’s carbon emissions fight shows there’s another path. Say this for California’s landmark bill to reduce carbon emissions: It doesn’t lack for ambition. At the same time, it shows the pitfalls of relying too much on regulators instead of the market. The original bill would have set in law three extraordinary targets for 2030: Get half the state’s power from renewable sources… http://www.kearneyhub.com/opinions/hubopinion/california-s-carbon-emissions-fight-shows-there-s-another-path/article_f51007c0-6a39-57b7-86b8-90e2f6e82bd3.html BLOGS Let’s Bring Competition to the Fuel Pump. Why are we asking the question “What do we do when oil prices once again crush the global economy?” The answer is simple: It is as inevitable as the sun rise. The capital-spending reductions now in place around the world because of low oil prices, especially the draconian cuts in North America, coupled with inevitable natural reservoir declines everywhere… http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/09/18/lets-bring-competition-to-the-fuel-pump/ Lawmakers never agreed on cap-and-trade funding. Now what? Back in June, the Brown administration announced that it would carve out more than $1 billion in expected cap-and-trade revenue from the budget discussion because lawmakers couldn’t agree on how to spend the money. As lawmakers quarreled and attempted to direct funds into their individual districts… http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/blog/morning-roundup/2015/09/lawmakers-never-agreed-on-cap-and-trade-funding.html?ana=e_sac_rdup&s=newsletter&ed=2015-09-17&u=48zidwXI73mCj+vn7gp6vA0acf0b37&t=1442532365 "Water" flows through KPCC. OK we did get some grief — the biggest rain in recent memory, just as KPCC launched our Future of Water series on radio, digital and social media, telling us how much hotter, drier and more water-challenged California will be by 2040. That’s ok — the “Future” series isn’t about the current drought, but instead aims to go deeper and explore more profound changes. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/inside-kpcc/2015/09/17/18072/water-flows-through-kpcc/ Acting faster on climate. “We’re not acting fast enough.” President Obama said four times in a 24-minute speech recently in Alaska urging the world do more to combat climate change. Scientists agree. While the president has done everything he can using the limited executive branch tools at his disposal, we will fall far short of achieving his goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/253902-acting-faster-on-climate GOP Congressman Boycotting Pope's Speech Over Climate Change. "When the Pope chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician, then he can expect to be treated like one." Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is boycotting Pope Francis' address to Congress next week because of reports that His Holiness plans to focus on the "fool’s errand of climate change." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-gosar-pope-climate-change_55fc04f6e4b0fde8b0cdcffe Black Carbon and Methane and HFCs -- Oh My! Even if you don't track news from the "apocalypse beat" closely, the lexicon of climate science and policy is probably familiar: carbon footprint, carbon budget, two-degree scenario, CO2 equivalent, ocean acidification, sea-level rise. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-muncrief/black-carbon-and-methane-and-hfcs-oh-my_b_8149206.html The Global Imperative of the 'Clean Trillion' Climate change is the most significant threat to sustainable development. Left unchecked, it threatens to undermine progress on nearly all of the other Sustainable Development Goals -- from ending poverty and hunger to ensuring access to clean water and decent work. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mindy-lubber/the-global-imperative-of-the-clean-trillion_b_8152660.html The Green Thread. On September 25, at the UN General Assembly in New York, government leaders will agree to "take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts" as they sign on to the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -- setting the global-development agenda for the next 15 years. It is good to see that climate action and renewable energy… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-saleemul-huq/the-green-thread_b_8149614.html Climate Action Does Not Require Economic Sacrifice. More than two decades ago, the world agreed on the need to confront climate change. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) emerged in 1992, spawning a variety of negotiating forums with the goal of preventing catastrophic impacts from planetary warming caused mostly by polluting societies. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-kyte/climate-action-does-not-require-economic-sacrifice_b_8155246.html Critical Year for Climate Change. The sustainable development goals (SDGs) will help government leaders develop policies that address a series of major global economic challenges, as well as promote growth. Whilst all these goals are equally important in their own right, Goal 13, combating climate change, is arguably the only one that… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-kenber/critical-year-for-climate-change_b_8152682.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.