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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 7, 2015.
Posted: 07 Oct 2015 15:56:45
ARB Newsclips for October 7, 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 Guardian to cut air pollution at plants in seven states. Guardian Industries Corp. will take steps to better control emissions from its plants, pay a penalty and fund a project that will reduce particulate matter pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. This action comes after a settlement that was announced between the glass manufacturer, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency Sept. 29. http://hanfordsentinel.com/kingsburg_recorder/news/guardian-to-cut-air-pollution-at-plants-in-seven-states/article_915cd172-9173-50fb-891d-223fa0bd3017.html Utility group bows to the inevitable, gets wish on ozone rule. In late September, the trade group representing investor-owned utilities attended two meetings with top White House and U.S. EPA officials. Its request: Set a new ozone standard at 70 parts per billion. Six days later, the Obama administration unveiled its final new national ambient air quality standard at that level. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/10/07/stories/1060026013 CLIMATE CHANGE Korean energy economist to head UN climate science panel. A South Korean professor of climate change economics will lead the Nobel Prize-winning group of climate scientists who keep track of global warming. Hoesung Lee, elected chairman Tuesday of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told The Associated Press that the United Nations-affiliated science group will do more to examine the effects of man-made global warming… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_CLIMATE_PANEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Rich countries two-thirds of way to $100 bln climate finance goal: report. The world's richest countries spurred $61.8 billion in public and private funds in 2014 to help poor countries combat and adapt to climate change, nearly two-thirds of a key international goal to raise $100 billion a year starting in 2020, according to a report released on Wednesday. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/un-climatechange-finance-idUSL1N12708520151007 UPDATE 2-Oil bosses to meet in latest climate change offensive. The leaders of eight of the world's top oil companies will meet in Paris next week to explain how they will help combat climate change, as part of an offensive ahead of a U.N. summit later this year. The Oct. 16 meeting will be followed by a press conference, where the company heads are also expected to renew… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/total-climate-idUSL8N1271TN20151007?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews Report Reveals Gap in Climate-Change Financing. OECD study finds developed world must ramp up spending to meet commitments to help poorer nations deal with climate change. Rich countries face a gap of nearly $40 billion in annual financing to help developing countries combat global warming, according to a report that puts a price tag on efforts to reach an international accord at climate talks due to start in Paris in December. http://www.wsj.com/articles/report-reveals-gap-in-climate-financing-1444239865 California governor signs aggressive climate change bill. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed an ambitious bill on Wednesday to combat climate change by increasing the state's renewable electricity use to 50 percent and doubling energy efficiency in existing buildings by 2030. Brown approved the measure after losing a political battle against oil interests as he also tried to cut petroleum use by half in the state. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-climate-change-renewable-energy-20151007-story.html http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article38089830.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/science/ci_28931393/californias-landmark-renewable-energy-law-be-signed-wednesday http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/10/07/54886/california-governor-to-sign-aggressive-climate-cha/ http://www.kcra.com/news/ca-climate-change-bill-aims-to-reduce-greenhouse-gases/35701582 http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-686428-bill-california.html Almost two-thirds of climate fund for developing nations already pledged. OECD report showing extent of existing pledges towards $100bn target to help poorer countries tackle climate change, gives further hope for success in Paris. Rich countries and businesses have provided close to two-thirds of the financial assistance pledged to poorer nations… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/07/almost-two-thirds-of-climate-fund-for-developing-nations-already-pledged Cruz, Sierra Club chief get hot over climate change at hearing. A Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing yesterday on the topic of federal regulations and their impact on minority communities devolved into a standoff over the existence of climate change -- with neither Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) nor Sierra Club President Aaron Mair willing to budge from their respective positions. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060025973 DROUGHT Key Calif. reservoirs only 24% full – report. California's Central Valley Project has significantly lower reservoirs than it did last fall because of the drought, the federal Bureau of Reclamation said yesterday. Six key reservoirs are holding less than half the water that they historically hold at the end of September, the agency said. The reservoirs are less than a quarter full. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/10/07/stories/1060026006 DIESEL ACTIVITIES UC Berkeley scientists measure diesel truck emissions in Caldecott Tunnel. A team of campus researchers is measuring the relative levels of diesel truck emissions passing through Berkeley’s Caldecott Tunnel in an effort to determine the effectiveness of California’s new emissions requirements. The researchers, a group of scientists from the campus’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have been using a set of cameras, monitors… http://www.dailycal.org/2015/10/06/uc-berkeley-scientists-measure-diesel-truck-emissions-in-caldecott-tuneel/ FUELS Methane emissions fall for 3rd consecutive year – EPA. Greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector are on the rise, but methane leakage continues to fall, according to new U.S. EPA data. Petroleum and natural gas systems emitted 236 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere in 2014, up from 228 million metric tons CO2e in 2013, yesterday's update to EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) shows. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/07/stories/1060025987 VW RECALL VW CEO: Emissions fixes could take until end of next year. Volkswagen said a recall of cars with software that can be used to evade emissions tests could start in Germany in January and last until the end of next year. The recall does not yet include cars in the U.S., where the scandal engulfing the world's largest carmaker erupted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VW, with limited DC lobbying footprint, braces for Congress. For the first time, Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn will appear before a congressional investigative committee this week. He, and the company, will bring little Washington political clout to the table. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_INFLUENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT APNewsBreak: Senate panel probing VW's use of tax credits. The Senate Finance Committee opened a probe Tuesday into Volkswagen's use of a federal tax credit intended for fuel-efficient cars as the company's emissions-rigging scandal widened. Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. said in a letter to Volkswagen that more than $50 million in tax subsidies may have gone to VW owners under false pretenses. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Resale values falling for Volkswagen diesels. Kelley Blue Book says the average resale value of Volkswagens with two-liter diesel engines is down 13 percent since mid-September, when VW admitted it cheated on U.S. emissions tests using software installed on 11 million diesels worldwide. Used car values often drop in the fall, since demand for them is stronger in the summer. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_RESALE_VALUES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Volkswagen, Audi say 90,000 Australia vehicles had emissions cheating software. The number of vehicles sold in Australia fitted with devices designed to mask the level of emissions has risen to more than 90,000 from 77,000, to include the Audi brand, widening a global scandal that engulfed German automaker Volkswagen. http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/volkswagen-emissions-australia-idINKCN0S10NO20151007 Volkswagen's India unit says investigating Polo cars. German carmaker Volkswagen AG's India unit is investigating the Polo hatchback cars it sells over "technical issues", a spokesman for the local unit told Reuters on Wednesday. The spokesman said the investigation is not related to the diesel emissions scandal over which the company is facing a probe in the United States and Europe. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/us-volkswagen-india-idUSKCN0S117Z20151007 Volkswagen faces first German lawsuit over rigged diesel tests. A female motorist from Cologne has filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen, accusing the company of deceiving car owners by rigging diesel emissions tests, law firm Jordan Fuhr Meyer said on Wednesday. The woman, who lodged her claim for damages with Braunschweig district court, is the first known German to sue Volkswagen… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/volkswagen-emissions-germany-lawsuit-idUSL8N1273S220151007 Volkswagen's UK managing director to appear before British lawmakers. Volkswagen's UK managing director will face questions from British lawmakers on Monday following the German car company's admission that it rigged U.S. diesel emissions tests. VW's Paul Willis, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Mike Hawes, who heads British car industry body the SMMT… http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1273BH20151007 New VW chairman says it will take time to clear up emissions scandal. New Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said it would take "some time" to clear up a diesel emissions scandal that has hammered the company's stock and reputation. "Nobody is served by speculation or vague, preliminary progress reports," Poetsch told a news conference after being confirmed as the carmaker's new chairman on Wednesday. http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFB4N0ZH00D20151007 UPDATE 3-VW plays down hopes of quick answers over emissions cheating. Volkswagen said on Wednesday it would take time to get to the bottom of its rigging of diesel emissions tests, hours before the carmaker is due to give updates on its findings to German regulators and U.S. lawmakers. More than two weeks after it admitted to cheating U.S. emissions tests, Europe's largest carmaker is… http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1272I420151007 VW Faces Long Road to Recovery as Diesel Fixes to Take a Year. Volkswagen AG’s efforts to fix diesel cars with rigged emissions systems are set to drag on through at least the end of 2016, signaling the long road ahead for the automaker to emerge from the scandal. VW said it has presented proposals to German authorities in the first stage of a global recall but cautioned that the mix of technology… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-07/vw-s-mueller-pledges-to-complete-diesel-recalls-by-end-of-2016 VW chief: Investigation will determine how many knew about emissions deception. Volkswagen said a recall of cars with software that can be used to evade emissions tests could start in Germany in January and last until the end of next year. The recall does not yet include cars in the U.S., where the scandal engulfing the world's largest carmaker erupted. http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/10/07/vw-ceo-recall-of-cars-hit-by-scandal-to-begin-in-january Volkswagen Chief Says Few Knew of Diesel Fraud. As car owners waited for Volkswagen to meet a Wednesday night deadline to explain how it would fix 11 million faulty diesel vehicles, the company’s new chief executive blamed a small number of employees for the scandal and said he believed the previous chief executive had been ignorant of the fraud. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/business/international/volkswagen-diesel-emissions-fix.html?_r=0 Volkswagen Sought a Green Seal for Its Diesel Cars. In July 2011, President Obama took the stage here to announce sweeping new fuel economy and carbon emissions targets for vehicles in the United States. Joining him were top executives from nearly every automaker, representing 90 percent of vehicles sold domestically. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/business/international/volkswagen-sought-a-green-seal-for-its-diesel-cars.html U.S. hearing into VW violations puts industry, EPA under scrutiny. Volkswagen's top U.S. executive on Thursday will field questions from U.S. lawmakers on how the automaker managed to evade pollution rules, kicking off a congressional probe into the scandal and whether other automakers might be implicated. http://www.autonews.com/article/20151007/OEM11/151009877/u.s.-hearing-into-vw-violations-puts-industry-epa-under-scrutiny Volkswagen slashing costs that aren't 'absolutely vital' amid emissions scandal. Volkswagen's new boss is warning that the company is planning comprehensive cuts to navigate the crisis resulting from its admission to rigging engines on diesel cars around the world to beat emissions tests. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/10/06/volkswagen-slashing-costs-arent-absolutely-vital-amid-emissions-scandal/73435322/ Six Possible VW TDI Diesel Fixes: From Software To New Car. "You have power, you have energy, you have emissions: You get to choose two of them." That's the conundrum facing diesel-engine engineers, as summarized by Don Hillebrand, the director of energy systems research at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. And the VW diesel emission cheating scandal shows just how tough those tradeoffs… http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100364_six-possible-vw-tdi-diesel-fixes-from-software-to-new-car GREEN ENERGY UPDATE 1-German households face rising green power surcharge. A green energy surcharge levied on German consumers to support renewable power generation is likely to rise next year, despite government efforts to rein in the costs of the planned transition to a low-carbon economy, green energy group BEE said on Wednesday. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/07/germany-energy-renewables-idUSL8N1270T320151007 Outside Forces Shape European Energy. The European Union is struggling to create what it calls its “energy union.” This is largely a refinement of existing policies aimed at improving energy security, accelerating the shift to a low-carbon economy and, on a political level, showing that the 28 European Union member states… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/business/energy-environment/outside-forces-shape-european-energy.html Wind costs fall to match coal, gas in key energy markets – report. In a finding that should resonate across global energy markets, Bloomberg New Energy Finance revealed this week that wind energy has achieved cost parity with fossil fuel power in two key European markets, while solar continues to close the energy price gap across many parts of the world. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/07/stories/1060025981 State on target for 50% renewable power by 2030 – report. California's leaders want the state to set an example for how to cut carbon emissions. Spurred on by progressive policies, a high-tech mindset and abundant sunshine, the state has been ramping up its production of clean electricity and hasn't seen major price increases yet. More than a quarter of the state's power this year will come from sources like the sun or wind… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/07/stories/1060025936 OPINIONS Much Alternate Energy Isn’t All That Green. Calling for extension of renewable-energy tax incentives is strange given the avian and bat carnage from windmills. Collin O’Mara’s “Exporting Oil and Protecting Wildlife” (op-ed, Sept. 30) continues the cognitive dissonance of the environmental movement on the energy front. His calling for extension of renewable-energy tax incentives is strange given the avian and bat carnage from windmills. http://www.wsj.com/articles/much-alternate-energy-isnt-all-that-green-1444158446 Why Can the E.P.A. Regulate Smog, but not Greenhouse Gases? LAST week the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled stringent new regulations on smog, and it’s crystal clear the agency has legal authority to impose these rules. The E.P.A. also recently announced an initiative to reduce greenhouse gases from power plants, though its legal authority to regulate emissions that cause global warming is murky. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/opinion/why-can-the-epa-regulate-smog-but-not-greenhouse-gases.html Stuff Happens to the Environment, Like Climate Change. With both China and India having just announced major plans to curb their carbon emissions, the sound you hear is a tipping point tipping. Heading into the United Nations climate summit meeting in Paris in December, all the world’s largest industrial economies are now taking climate change more seriously. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/opinion/thomas-friedman-stuff-happens-to-the-environment-like-climate-change.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0 Monterey pines aren't the only casualties of prolonged drought. Here in Cambria’s backcountry, we have a sprinkling of native maple trees that have always graced us with weeks of the warm colors of autumn. The beauty was something we anticipated with excitement and experienced with joy each year. Over the past few years, our maples seem to have lost the energy and strength… http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/10/07/3843743_maple-drought-cambria.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy Drought Leads To Smaller California Pumpkins, More Shipments From Oregon. You may not be able to find The Great Pumpkin this year from California — and you can blame it on the drought. If you look around, this season’s pumpkins seem smaller than in the past. John Moore owns the San Ramon and Castro Valley pumpkin farms and says he is anxiously awaiting truckloads of pumpkins driven down from Silverton, Oregon. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/10/07/drought-pumpkin-patch-farm-halloween-oregon/ Victoria's unused $4bn desalination plant may be dusted off to ease drought. Little rain since July 2014 prompts Labor government to consider turning it on to top up water storage areas, particularly in state’s north-west. Victoria’s $4bn seawater desalination plant, which has been standing idle since it was completed in 2012, may be switched on for the first time to help deal with the state’s water shortages. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/07/victorias-unused-4bn-desalination-plant-may-be-dusted-off-to-ease-drought BLOGS Anti-pollution cycling masks tested. With thousands dying a year from poor air quality, is a mask as good a safety precaution as a helmet? Many British urban bike commuters opt to wear a helmet. Some also go for a hi-vis jacket. But considerably fewer use an anti-pollution mask, despite evidence that smog might be the biggest single danger you face on two wheels. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2015/oct/07/avoiding-pollution-on-bike-we-test-cycling-anti-pollution-masks-respro-totobobo-biologic Why and how Brazil should do more to stop deforestation and climate change. Brazil’s climate pledges in advance of the Paris negotiations were significant because it is one of the world’s most important emerging economies, and it’s taking on an absolute, economy-wide emissions reduction target. But, its related goal of achieving zero illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by 2030… http://blogs.edf.org/climatetalks/2015/10/07/why-and-how-brazil-should-do-more-to-stop-deforestation-and-climate-change/ South Korean Economist to Lead Global Warming Science Panel. The new leader of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change replaces Rajendra Pachauri. South Korean economist Hoesung Lee, a professor at the Korea University in Seoul, was elected as the fourth chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/south-korean-economist-to-lead-global-warming-science-panel/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.