What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 21-22, 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

Carbon pricing schemes double since 2012 in climate fight: World
Bank. The number of carbon pricing schemes worldwide has almost
doubled since 2012 but most taxes or markets have prices too low
to prevent damaging global warming, the World Bank said on
Sunday. Carbon pricing, including emissions trading schemes from
California to China…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/20/us-climatechange-carbon-idUSKCN0RK12V20150920?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews
 

RGGI CARBON PRICES CONTINUE UPWARD TREND. Carbon allowances sold
by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) have set a new
high, continuing an upward trend that began a year ago.  The key
takeaways from the latest auction are that the Clean Power Plan
is helping to drive prices up and that demand for the allowances
continues to be strong.
http://www.bna.com/rggi-carbon-prices-b57982058492/  

State and trends of carbon pricing 2015 (English). With the
countdown on to the Paris climate change conference, there is
clear evidence of growing momentum to put a price on carbon. The
growth of carbon pricing around the world has been substantial.
Since January 2012, the number of carbon pricing instruments
already implemented or scheduled for implementation has almost
doubled, jumping from 20 to 38.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/09/25053834/state-trends-carbon-pricing-2015


AIR POLLUTION

How strict California rules on emissions led to lower cancer
risk. California has made tremendous progress cleaning its
once-notorious air pollution over the last generation, with Los
Angeles smog easing in response to the state's ever-stricter
emissions standards. On Monday, there was more good news.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0922-pollution-risk-20150922-story.html


The rise of diesel in Europe: the impact on health and pollution.
In a bid to reduce CO2 emissions in the 90s, Europe backed a
major switch from petrol to diesel cars but the result was a rise
in deadly air pollution. Volkswagen’s rigging of emissions tests
for diesel cars comes after nearly 20 years of the technology
being incentivized in Europe in the knowledge that its adoption
would reduce global warming emissions…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/22/the-rise-diesel-in-europe-impact-on-health-pollution


CLIMATE CHANGE

Washington State Announces Plan to Cap Carbon Emissions.
Washington businesses annually emitting more than 100,000 metric
tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent—foundries like Alcoa Inc. and
refineries like BP Plc, Shell, Phillips 66 Co. and Tesoro
Corp.—will face a new regulation capping their carbon emissions,
the state's ecology director said Sept. 21.
http://www.bna.com/washington-state-announces-n57982058550/ 

Pope Heads to Climate Talks as Rare Word -- Optimism – Surfaces.
Optimism’s not a mood usually associated with global warming. Yet
when President Barack Obama, Pope Francis and other world leaders
start gathering in New York next week, they’ll be in sight of a
goal that seemed unattainable just a few years ago: an agreement
that may actually slow the pace of rising temperatures.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-18/pope-heads-to-climate-talks-as-rare-word-optimism-surfaces
  

EU Ministers Call for Global Greenhouse Gas Peak by 2020.
Delegates from around the world meeting at the United Nations
climate summit in Paris late this year should agree that global
greenhouse gas emissions will peak no later than 2020 and will
then decline to half their 1990 level by 2050, environment
ministers from the European Union's 28 member states said Sept.
18. http://www.bna.com/eu-ministers-call-n57982058487/   

The top five things Pope Francis gets totally right about climate
change. Pope Francis’s six-day trip to the U.S., which begins on
Tuesday, is highly anticipated — and not just among American
Catholics. The pope’s progressive stances have earned him nearly
unprecedented favor with liberal-leaning Americans, and his
aggressive position on climate change has been one of his most
applauded moves.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/22/the-top-five-things-pope-francis-gets-totally-right-about-climate-change/
 

Scientists calculate the dramatic economic cost of a warming
Arctic. The Arctic is one of the most vulnerable parts of the
world when it comes to climate change, and has the potential to
contribute some costly climate-related effects, such as sea-level
rise from melting glaciers. But one of the biggest emerging
talking points in conversations about climate change in the
Arctic involves something else — permafrost.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/21/scientists-calculate-the-dramatic-economic-cost-of-a-warming-arctic/
  
 
Senate Democrats to Unveil Climate Change Bill. Senate Democratic
leaders on Tuesday plan to unveil a measure intended to signal
their support of President Obama’s aggressive climate change
agenda to 2016 voters and to the rest of the world. The Democrats
hope that the bill, sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell, of
Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/us/politics/senate-democrats-to-unveil-aggressive-climate-change-bill.html
 

Jerry Brown, governors, Chinese officials talk climate. After
seeing a core piece of climate change legislation gutted, Gov.
Jerry Brown doubled down on his determination to curb carbon
emissions, perhaps through his executive authority and with a
maximally enhanced zeal.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article36063648.html#storylink=cpy


Despite setbacks, state’s climate push accelerates. The
Legislature may have scuttled the centerpiece of Gov. Jerry
Brown’s climate change plans, but it still approved ambitious new
environmental policies that will impact the economy and life of
Californians. In coming years, the new legislation means
California’s homes and buildings are expected to use dramatically
less electricity…
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article35959722.html#storylink=cpy

Warming Arctic is trouble for Caribou in unexpected way. Global
warming in the Arctic means earlier and more plentiful mosquitoes
in Greenland, and that's bad news for the country's already
shrinking caribou population, Alaska Dispatch Newsreports. A new
study found that for every degree Celsius the temperature rises
in Greenland, mosquitoes take 10% less time to reach full, biting
adulthood.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/09/20/arctic-warming-caribou/72515298/
 

U.N.: Paris Climate Summit Pledges Won’t Avoid Warming. The
greenhouse gas emission cuts being pledged by the world’s nations
will fall short of restricting global warming to 2°C, the U.N.’s
climate chief and UK government sources have warned.
A rise beyond 2°C, the internationally agreed safety limit, may
push the climate beyond tipping points and into dangerous
instability.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/paris-pledges-wont-avoid-warming-19470?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
  

Arctic Mosquitoes Will Increase With Climate Change. Mosquitoes
will appear in much greater numbers in the Arctic as it warms
because of climate change, with negative consequences for caribou
and the indigenous people who live off them, researchers warn.
The survival rates for Arctic mosquitoes will increase by more
than 50 percent with a 2°C temperature rise in the region…
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-mosquitoes-increase-climate-change-19468?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed
 

Ranks of companies setting an internal price on CO2 emissions
almost triple in a year. The number of large companies placing an
internal price on carbon emissions nearly tripled over the last
year, from 150 to 437 firms globally, according to new data
released this morning by CDP, the U.K.-based nonprofit that
tracks corporate-sector greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060025003 

Exxon Confirmed Global Warming Consensus in 1982 with In-House
Climate Models. The company chairman would later mock climate
models as unreliable while he campaigned to stop global action to
reduce fossil fuel emissions. Steve Knisely was an intern at
Exxon Research and Engineering in the summer of 1979 when a
senior vice president asked him to analyze how global warming
might affect fuel use.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/18092015/exxon-confirmed-global-warming-consensus-in-1982-with-in-house-climate-models


UN: Paris climate pledges won't stop dangerous warming. But what
will? In December 190 nations are set to convene in Paris to
discuss reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, but the UN
warns plans are already coming up short. If climate policy were
Sesame Street, it would be sponsored by the number 2. A broad
scientific consensus sets 2 degrees Celsius – about 3.6
Fahrenheit…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2015/0920/UN-Paris-climate-pledges-won-t-stop-dangerous-warming.-But-what-will


BP tops the list of firms obstructing climate action in Europe.
Company emerges as Europe’s worst climate policy wrecker,
according to a new table ranking firms by their records on
lobbying and opposition. BP is Europe’s fiercest corporate
opponent of action on climate change, according to a ranking of
companies by their efforts to obstruct carbon-cutting
initiatives.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/21/bp-tops-the-list-of-firms-obstructing-climate-action-in-europe


The key to a politically appropriate climate policy is not cost.
MIT study finds it's lobbying.  An economic analysis of how much
counties would gain or lose financially under different climate
policies helps explain why the renewable fuel standard was
ultimately favored in Congress, even though economists say it is
a less cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/22/stories/1060025050 

Farming to improve crops and store more CO2 gains traction in
Calif. Fourth-generation rancher Loren Poncia calls himself a
soil geek, and California wants to pay him for it. "If the soil
is healthier, everything is better: the grass, the cows and the
pocketbook," said the rancher, gesturing toward the yellow
perennial grasses streaked with green that cover Stemple Creek
Ranch in the hills of Petaluma in Northern California.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/22/stories/1060025053 

Researchers, climate models collide over how to measure melting
permafrost. $43 trillion: That may be the price tag of a warming
Arctic. Scientists have found that permafrost thaw would increase
the cost of global warming to $369 trillion by 2200. Without
permafrost thaw, the world would lose $326 trillion. The
additional costs would result from agricultural losses, the
increased use of air conditioning…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/09/22/stories/1060025056 

DROUGHT

Drought exposes cracks in Australia's acclaimed water market. A
pioneering Australian scheme to improve the management of water
in the world's driest inhabited continent is facing its first
real test as an intensifying El Nino threatens crops and builds
tensions between farmers and environmentalists.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N10T2CZ20150920
 

Some growers can divert water again amid drought, regulators say.
 State regulators have lifted water-use restrictions that they
had previously imposed on a handful of California’s most senior
rights holders during the drought. The move Friday marks the
first time the state Water Resources Control Board has eased up
on those growers since ordering them to stop diverting water in
June.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-rights-20150918-story.html


MWD: Residents may have to pay taxes on their turf rebate money.
Thousands of Southern Californians who received checks to tear
out their lawns and replace them with more drought-friendly
landscapes may have to pay taxes on the rebate money they
received.  To prepare for that possibility, officials from the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California -- which
funded a $340-million incentive program…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-turf-rebate-tax-20150921-story.html


Drought Test California's Water Rights System. California’s water
rights system was established in 1913. Those with the longest
rights get top priority; they’re called senior rights holders.
But they were not immune to the ongoing drought. In June the
state took the unusual step of ordering even senior rights
holders to stop drawing water. It recently announced about 240 of
those holders can begin taking water again.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/09/22/drought-test-californias-water-rights-system/


Drought supply spurs water taste complaints from some Bay Area
customers. Some East Bay Municipal Utility District customers are
complaining their water has tasted and smelled worse recently.
They're not imagining it. The district relies on high quality
Sierra water from the Mokelumne River for its regular supplies…
http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_28853861/drought-supply-spurs-water-taste-complaints-from-some


How much rain will it take to end state’s drought. Despite the
high heat of recent days, the California rainy season is rapidly
approaching. But to nudge California out of drought territory, it
will take almost double the amount of rain that falls in a normal
year during the upcoming rainy season that starts in less than
two weeks, according to a recent analysis prepared by National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists.
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/20150921/how-much-rain-will-it-take-to-end-states-drought


VMWD receives $115,000 for proactive drought planning. To further
foster water supply planning efforts and engage community
stakeholders in preparation for drought emergencies in the
future, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District received
$115,000 to expand its drought contingency plan. The funding,
which was made available through the U.S. Department of the
Interior Bureau of Reclamation…
http://myvalleynews.com/homeandgarden/evmwd-receives-115000-for-proactive-drought-planning/

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Truckers case against CARB continues after ‘exemption’ surfaces.
A Glenn County Superior Court judge has given a California
trucking and business group another month in its case against the
California Air Resources Board and diesel particulate filters.
Judge Peter Twede on Friday gave the Alliance for California
Business 30 days to file a brief in regards to an exemption CARB
says truckers have in regards to the filter.
http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150918/truckers-case-against-carb-continues-after-exemption-surfaces


FUELS

Exclusive: In clash with pope's climate call, U.S. Church leases
drilling rights.  Casting the fight against climate change as an
urgent moral duty, Pope Francis in June urged the world to phase
out highly-polluting fossil fuels. Yet in the heart of U.S. oil
country several dioceses and other Catholic institutions are
leasing out drilling rights to oil and gas companies to bolster
their finances…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/22/us-pope-usa-drilling-idUSKCN0RM0AY20150922?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews


The 800 Ways Taxpayer Money Supports Fossil Fuel Industries. The
measures were worth $167 billion last year for the oil, natural
gas and coal industries, according to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based institution
that advises 34 industrial nations. While that number has fallen
from almost $200 billion in 2012, it easily exceeds the value of
subsidies for renewables such as wind and solar.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NUVROFSYF01Y01-7UI871A6RJIOJT01B4URQ3VNL2


VEHICLES

Fiat Chrysler US says its cars do not use any defeat devices. The
U.S. unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Tuesday its
vehicles do not use any defeat devices like those at the centre
of an emissions scandal plaguing rival Volkswagen. Shares in
Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, plunged on Monday and
Tuesday after it admitted using software that deceived U.S.
regulators measuring toxic emissions in some of its diesel cars.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N11S36U20150922
 

Mazda Tests Hybrid Vs Electric To See Which Japanese Drivers
Prefer. In large part, Mazda hasn't strayed far from the
internal-combustion path while looking for ways to improve the
efficiency of its vehicles. The Japanese carmaker has delivered
notable fuel-economy gains using its SkyActiv line of
efficiency-focused powertrains and new vehicles developed around
them.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100133_mazda-tests-hybrid-vs-electric-to-see-which-japanese-drivers-prefer
  

Electric Cars Aren't Selling Because Makers Can't, Don't Market
Them: Report. Electric-car sales have grown more or less steadily
over the past years, but the segment still represents a tiny
fraction of total new-car sales. Factors like range, charging
infrastructure, and low production volumes all contribute to
caution on the part of the car-buying public.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100135_electric-cars-arent-selling-because-makers-cant-dont-market-them-report
 

Volkswagen of America debuts 2016 Passat; 38 mpg highway from the
1.8 TSI. Although the timing arguably could have been better,
Volkswagen of America proceeded with the planned debut of the
restyled 2016 Volkswagen Passat in New York on Monday. The
midsize sedan, built in Volkswagen’s LEED Platinum-certified
factory in Chattanooga, will offer three engine options—1.8-liter
TSI gasoline; 2.0-liter diesel TDI…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150922-passat.html 

AAA: Mich. gas prices rise 7 cents in past week. AAA Michigan
says gas prices 
Tesla Model X: The Electric SUV Women Say They Want. First
deliveries of the Tesla Model X electric crossover are expected
to take place just over a week from now. With production set to
ramp up gradually after that, speculation will likely shift to
whether the Model X will be as much of a success as the Model S.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100118_tesla-model-x-the-electric-suv-women-say-they-want
  

EPRI-NRDC report finds widespread vehicle electrification and a
cleaner grid could lead to substantial cuts in GHG by 2050.
Widespread adoption of electric transportation, including
electrification in the off-road sector, could lead to substantial
reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and could modestly
improve air quality, according to a new analysis released by the
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150921-eprinrdc.html  

Episode Of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' Features Electric Cars.
Fred Rogers covered many topics on his eponymous children's
television show, and it turns out one of them was electric cars.
"Mister Rogers" test drove an electric car during an episode that
originally aired in 1981. That was a long time before the rise of
modern electric cars and substantial public charging networks…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100104_episode-of-mister-rogers-neighborhood-features-electric-cars


VW RECALL

VW CEO says he's 'endlessly sorry' for tarnishing brand.
Volkswagen AG's smog-test scandal escalated Tuesday as the
company issued a profit warning, set aside billions to cover the
fallout and lost billions more in market value. VW's CEO said he
is "endlessly sorry" that the world's top-selling carmaker has
squandered worldwide trust in its brand.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.modbee.com/news/nation-world/article36083301.html#storylink=cpy
 
 
UPDATE 2-EU Commission in contact with VW on emissions tests. EU
regulators said on Tuesday they are in contact with Volkswagen AG
and U.S. authorities following the car-makers' admission it had
rigged emissions tests, and called on member states to rigorously
enforce the relevant law. In calling on national governments to
be "particularly vigilant ... on national manufacturers"…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/22/usa-volkswagen-eu-commission-idUSL5N11S24Q20150922?feedType=RSS&feedName=governmentFilingsNews
 

UPDATE 1-VW cuts guidance, sets aside 6.5 bln eur for emission
costs. Volkswagen will cut its earnings guidance as it sets aside
about 6.5 billion euros ($7.27 billion) in the third quarter to
cover costs related to the diesel emissions scandal in the United
States and other markets. The amount of provisions it needs could
still change as the investigation continues, it said on Tuesday.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5N11S1TE20150922


Volkswagen to halt U.S. sales of some 2015 diesel cars.
Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) told U.S. dealers to halt sales of some
2015 diesel cars after regulators found software it designed for
the affected vehicles gave false emissions data, the company said
Sunday, announcing it had launched an investigation.  In a
statement published by the carmaker on Sunday…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/20/us-usa-volkswagen-ceo-idUSKCN0RK0IK20150920
 

EPA, California to test other diesel vehicles after VW. The
Environmental Protection Agency and California officials will
test other diesel vehicles for use of software that deceives
regulators measuring toxic emissions following news Friday that
Volkswagen could face $18 billion in penalties for using that
technology, an agency official said Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/21/usa-volkswagen-idUSL1N11R0XQ20150921
 

VW's Emissions Cheating Found by Curious Clean-Air Group. It
didn’t add up.
The Volkswagens were spewing harmful exhaust when testers drove
them on the road. In the lab, they were fine. Discrepancies in
the European tests on the diesel models of the VW Passat, the VW
Jetta and the BMW X5 last year gave Peter Mock an idea.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-19/volkswagen-emissions-cheating-found-by-curious-clean-air-group
 

Volkswagen Shares Tumble Following Emissions Allegations. Crisis
facing German auto maker over alleged cheating on U.S. emissions
tests deepens. Volkswagen AG’s share price tumbled Monday as a
crisis over alleged cheating on U.S. emissions tests deepened,
with the German auto maker halting American sales of popular
diesel-powered cars…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-shares-driven-lower-1442826436
 

Volkswagen Stock Plummets As CEO Apologizes For Emissions Cheat.
"I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of
our customers and the public," says Volkswagen CEO Martin
Winterkorn, days after the EPA said the German carmaker had
purposefully rigged its diesel cars to pass emissions tests.
http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=442174444  

VW to U.S. dealers: Halt sales of some '15 diesel cars.
Volkswagen of America told its dealers Saturday to halt sales of
remaining 2015 diesel cars with 2.0 liter engines after federal
officials said the automaker had intentionally evaded emissions
requirements.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2015/09/19/vw-us-dealers-halt-sales-diesel-cars/72488232/
  

Volkswagen CEO Vows to Get to Bottom of Scandal as Probe Widens.
Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn vowed to
get to the bottom of the scandal shaking the German carmaker and
promised to do everything possible to prevent such an incident
from happening again as the probe into VW’s diesel manipulations
expanded around the globe.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NV2OQ46TTDSA01-47QQQB99USO1210N8A9MTJABH1


VW’s U.S. Chief Apologizes for Diesel Dupe: ‘We Screwed Up’  “Our
company was dishonest with the EPA, and the California Air
Resources Board and with all of you,” Michael Horn, the head of
the VW brand in the U.S., said Monday night in Brooklyn, New
York, where he was revealing a redesigned version of the
slow-selling Passat sedan at an event featuring rock star Lenny
Kravitz.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NV1NHTSYF01X01-0GKHVG9OSQTQPBO7O2IHN95AVJ

Lower Saxony Premier Warns Consequences May Follow From VW Probe.
The prime minister of Lower Saxony said Volkswagen AG must
swiftly clarify U.S. charges that it cheated on air pollution
tests for years and warned that “possible consequences” may
follow. Stephan Weil, whose state government holds a blocking 20
percent stake in Europe’s largest carmaker…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NV0ZFH6K50YO01-7F5LL0HEJFACTU1AS9EAGNHF3S


Volkswagen Says 11 Million Cars Worldwide Are Affected in Diesel
Deception.  A scandal that has undermined Volkswagen in the
United States spread to its core market of Europe on Tuesday,
after the company said that 11 million of its diesel cars
worldwide were equipped with software that was used to cheat on
emissions tests. Volkswagen did not provide information on where
the affected cars are…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/international/volkswagen-diesel-car-scandal.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0


How Volkswagen Got Away With Diesel Deception. Volkswagen said on
Monday that 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide were equipped
with software that was used to cheat on emissions tests. How Did
the System Work? The software sensed when the car was being
tested and then activated equipment that reduced emissions,
United States officials said. But the software turned the
equipment off during regular driving…
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/22/business/international/vw-volkswagen-emissions-explainer.html?_r=0


The Wrath of Volkswagen’s Drivers. Volkswagen’s stunning
admission that it sold diesel-powered cars that intentionally
faked emissions testing results has left many of their owners —
who thought they were buying fuel-efficient and environmentally
friendly vehicles — angry and feeling betrayed. The deception
could prove a major threat to Volkswagen’s reputation in the
United States…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/business/the-wrath-of-volkswagens-drivers.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news


U.S. taxpayers duped into shelling out $51 million in green
subsidies for 'clean' VW vehicles. The federal government paid
out as much as $51 million in green car subsidies for Volkswagen
diesel vehicles based on falsified pollution test results,
according to a Times analysis of the federal incentives. On
Friday, federal and state regulators said the German automaker
used software in 482,000 of its diesel vehicles…
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-vw-subsidies-20150922-story.html


VW focus of criminal probe on emissions. The U.S. Justice
Department is conducting a criminal investigation of Volkswagen's
admission to systemically cheating on federal air pollution
tests, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the inquiry.
Volkswagen said last week it's cooperating with regulators
probing gaps between emissions on the road and lab tests on some
diesel models…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/diesel-340632-ocprint-monday-volkswagen.html
 

Questions about Volkswagen's emissions crisis.  German automaker
Volkswagen AG admits that it rigged U.S. emissions tests so it
would appear that its diesel-powered cars were emitting fewer
nitrogen oxides, which can contribute to ozone buildup and
respiratory illness. Here are some questions and answers about
the ongoing crisis.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/20150922/questions-about-volkswagens-emissions-crisis

 
VW CEO's days appear numbered as emissions crisis deepens. Martin
Winterkorn's days as head of Volkswagen AG appeared numbered on
Tuesday after the German carmaker said a scandal over falsified
vehicle emission tests in the United States could affect 11
million of its cars worldwide.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/vw-to-dismiss-ceo-over-emissions-cheating-scandal/ar-AAeBzOE?li=AAa0dzB?ocid=ansmsnmoney11


Volkswagen says 11 million of its cars have emissions
test-beating software. Volkswagen says that an internal
investigation has revealed that 11 million of its vehicles sold
worldwide are fitted with the same software designed to trick
emissions-testing equipment as the 500,000 vehicles involved in
an emerging scandal in the United States.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/09/22/volkswagen-says-11-million-its-cars-are-equipped-with-emissions-test-beating/

http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=442457697 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100146_vw-11-million-diesels-had-cheating-software-7-3-billion-set-aside-criminal-probe-reported


Clean Diesel No More: Volkswagen Scandal Grows. The automaker now
says 11 million diesel vehicles were equipped with the software
that helped them cheat emissions tests worldwide. Volkswagen says
some 11 million diesel vehicles were equipped with the software
that helped them cheat emissions tests worldwide…
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/09/volkswagen-scandal-grows/406639/?single_page=true&print=


Volkswagen's appalling clean diesel scandal, explained. It sounds
like the sinister plot of some straight-to-DVD movie. Since 2009,
Volkswagen had been installing elaborate software in 482,000
"clean diesel" vehicles sold in the US, so that the cars'
pollution controls only worked when being tested for emissions.
The rest of the time, the vehicles could freely spew hazardous,
smog-forming compounds.
http://www.vox.com/2015/9/21/9365667/volkswagen-clean-diesel-recall-passenger-cars


GREEN ENERGY

Clean tech a priority issue as Chinese president lands in US.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington state Tuesday
for a visit to the U.S. that will include talks on how U.S. and
Chinese experts and businesses can collaborate on nuclear energy,
smarter electricity use and other clean technologies.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHINESE_PRESIDENT_US_VISIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Rooftop solar companies sound alarm. Rooftop solar providers in
San Diego are shifting into crisis mode as subscriptions fill up
for a generous solar tariff that may expire early next year if a
new system is not agreed upon sooner. Solar customers at
California's major investor-owned utilities, including San Diego
Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison…
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/sep/21/socal-solar-companies-sound-alarm/

A Lone Star leader in solar. Doyle Beneby is a leader among U.S.
utility executives when it comes to promoting solar energy, and
he has the bruises to show for it. As the chief executive of CPS
Energy in San Antonio since 2010, Beneby has made solar a
priority for generating electricity and new jobs in Texas' second
largest city.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/money/columnist/2015/09/20/bill-loveless-solar-energy-san-antonio-doyle-beneby/72408486/


OPINIONS

A Wet Winter Won’t Save California.  As wildfires rage, crops are
abandoned, wells run dry and cities work to meet mandatory water
cuts, drought-weary Californians are counting on a savior in the
tropical ocean: El Niño. This warming of the tropical Pacific
occurs about every five years, affecting climate around the globe
and bringing heavy winter precipitation to parts of California.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/opinion/a-wet-winter-wont-save-california.html?hpw&rref=opinion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=2&mtrref=undefined&assetType=opinion


The Pope's Tricky Argument on Climate. This week, Pope Francis is
expected to implore both the U.S. Congress and the UN General
Assembly to take aggressive steps to curb greenhouse-gas
emissions. His thinking on this issue is not simple alarm over
climate change. It involves an extraordinary combination of
passionate environmentalism…
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-09-21/the-pope-s-tricky-argument-on-climate

Did Volkswagen cheat? If the accusations against Volkswagen hold
up, Americans should be outraged at the company's cynical and
deliberate efforts to violate one of this country's most
important environmental laws.  On Friday, the federal
Environmental Protection Agency accused the German automaker of
outfitting nearly half a million VW and Audi diesel vehicles with
illegal "defeat devices"…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-vw-20150919-story.html
 

David Little: SoCal will share with us in drought.  They are
going to be Northern California’s salvation. We’re going to fill
it with Southern California water so we don’t dry away next
summer. We are going to show those San Joaquin Valley farmers and
those Angelenos what it’s like to be dependent. Perhaps the folks
south of the delta missed the news a little more than a week ago.
We certainly didn’t.
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20150919/david-little-socal-will-share-with-us-in-drought
 

Editorial: Yes, it rained; no, the drought is not over. Early
Wednesday morning, while Los Angeles County was getting a record
amount of rain, Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake were continuing to
dip lower and lower. When the rain finally got to the north
state, people were absolutely giddy about it ... and Lake
Oroville and Shasta Lake continued to dip lower and lower.
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20150920/editorial-yes-it-rained-no-the-drought-is-not-over
 

Water pricing called unfair. Battled over recycled water rates
pitting south communities vs. north.  Among the many consequences
of California’s severe drought is an escalating dispute involving
San Diego County’s northern and southern communities over the
price of recycled water, which is treated sewage used primarily
for irrigation.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/sep/18/drought-water-rate-otay-recycling-irrigation/
 

Hundreds of Millions in Drought Relief Failing to Reach Many
Californians. The next time you bring home a case of those little
16-ounce bottles of water, imagine living out of them: pouring a
little out every time you wash a dish and dumping them into
buckets to shower or flush the toilet. That’s what Maria Medina’s
family has done since their well went dry 18 months ago.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/09/19/hundreds-of-millions-in-drought-relief-failing-to-reach-many-californians


BLOGS

The Number Of Companies Weaning Off Carbon Is Surging. Internal
carbon pricing has tripled since last year. Corporations are
finally starting to quit carbon. The number of companies putting
a price on their own carbon emissions has tripled since last
year, according to a report released Sunday by the environmental
data nonprofit CDP. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carbon-pricing-report_55fc8026e4b08820d918b6f9?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green§ion=green
 

Shifting Gears on Climate Change.  As world leaders gather this
week in New York, the pressure is mounting to produce a new
climate change agreement in Paris in December. The outcome of
that meeting will set the stage for the global response to rising
temperatures and ongoing environmental disruption. Rather than
relying solely on national level leadership to foster change…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-c-esty/shifting-gears-on-climate-change_b_8167428.html
 

VW orders external probe into diesel emission scandal. There are
well over 480,000 Volkswagen-made, diesel-powered vehicles
currently traveling roads in the United States that do not meet
the Environmental Protection Agency's emissions requirements.
This, as you can probably imagine, is a very big deal, and has
led…
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/20/vw-external-probe-diesel-emission-scandal/
 

Particulate Matters. New research suggests even small amounts of
air pollution can make you sick. Airborne particulate matter—from
car exhaust, wildfires, coal-burning power plants, and many other
sources—is terrible for your health. Studies have proven beyond
doubt that inhaling these tiny particles increases the risk of
heart attacks…
http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/new-research-suggests-even-small-amounts-of-air-pollution-can-make-you-sick


How to Defeat Big Agriculture. For small farmers -- and those who
pay attention to things like climate change, food systems and
water -- the answers to ecological sustainability are right under
our feet: Dirt. Soil. Ground. Land.  Community control of these
precious resources (terrestrial ecosystems, forests and
biodiversity) is critical to achieving "Life on Land," as Goal 15
is known.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chungwha-hong/how-to-defeat-big-agriculture_b_8171622.html


Pope’s visit reveals flaws in U.S. climate policy. This week Pope
Francis will arrive in the U.S. with climate change and global
poverty high on his agenda. The Catholic Church is not known for
taking many progressive social or political positions, so Pope
Francis’ commitment to speak the truth to global powers on behalf
of people and the planet comes as a surprise to many.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/254406-popes-visit-reveals-flaws-in-us-climate-policy


Why Bill Gates is wrong about clean energy. Bill Gates recently
announced a $1 billion increase in his investments to address
climate change. He intends to focus on long-shot solutions—i.e.,
safer nuclear reactors and carbon-capture technologies—he
believes can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In
doing so, Gates joins a number of billionaires investing in new
technologies to save the planet.
http://fortune.com/2015/09/22/bill-gates-microsoft-clean-energy/


Pope Francis and climate change you can believe in. There has
never been a week quite like this when it comes to global
warming. The historic U.S. visit of Pope Francis, which begins
Tuesday afternoon, could accomplish what some climate activists
have long sought to do: transform global warming from a
scientific and environmental issue to a moral and ethical
imperative.
http://mashable.com/2015/09/22/pope-francis-global-warming-opinion/#2Ig8uapKQGk8


Senate Democrats Stage Major Climate Change Push. "Compared to
what Republicans are doing, it's pretty damn good." Leading
Senate Democrats unveiled climate change legislation on Tuesday
that is expected to go nowhere. The point: Present a united party
front on the energy and climate debate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-climate-change-bill_56017397e4b00310edf895c8


BLM moves forward with plan to crack down on venting and flaring.
 An Obama administration plan to clamp down on oil companies
burning or venting natural gas at wells on public land has
advanced in the nation’s capital. The measure, developed by the
Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, was submitted to
the Office of Management and Budget for review on Friday.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2015/09/21/blm-moves-forward-with-plan-to-crack-down-on-venting-and-flaring/
 



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