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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 23, 2015.

Posted: 23 Oct 2015 15:39:53
ARB Newsclips for October 23, 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

Firms question how carbon levy will fund California rail project.
Private firms looking to build California's $68 billion
high-speed train system have concerns about the state's ability
to finance some of the project's cost through an untested
'cap-and-trade' carbon trading levy. The doubts, mentioned in
correspondence to the state and reviewed by Reuters through a
public records request…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/us-california-rail-captrade-idUSKCN0SF36520151021
 

AIR POLLUTION

States reliant on fossil fuels sue over new clean air rules.
States and industry groups dependent on fossil fuels are lining
up to file court challenges to President Obama's Clean Power
Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A flurry of
lawsuits was expected Friday at U.S. Court of Appeals as the
Environmental Protection Agency published the final version of
the new regulations.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLEAN_AIR_LAWSUITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


New UN health agency report cites measures to reduce risks from
climate pollutants. The World Health Organization (WHO) today
spotlighted the need to reduce short-lived climate pollutants
like black carbon, ozone, methane and carbon dioxide that
contribute to climate change and lead to more than 7 million
deaths linked to air pollution each year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201510230611M2______EUPR_____01f9000002d057ff_3600-1


RPT-Indonesia prepares warships to evacuate "haze" refugees.
Indonesia is preparing warships as a last resort to evacuate
children and others suffering from smoke inhalation from
slash-and-burn fires, a minister said on Friday, as the country
struggles to contain fires expected to continue for weeks.
Southeast Asia has suffered for years from annual "haze" caused
by forest…
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N12N2R20151023


UPDATE 1-GM's Opel denies violating EU emissions standards.
General Motors' Opel division has denied violating European
environmental standards after researchers said tests on one of
its latest models had shown excessive emissions of nitrous oxide.
German environmental lobby group DUH said on Friday that the
emissions…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N12N2Z820151023


Major road in heavily polluted New Delhi briefly car-free. One of
the world's most polluted capitals, New Delhi, closed a stretch
of a major road to private cars for a few hours Thursday, hoping
to give its citizens a brief breath of fresh air by observing a
car-free day. Only public transport was allowed on the road from
Old Delhi to the doorstep of Parliament.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-bc-as--india-car-free-20151022-story.html


No wood burning devices in new homes: Property owners escape
having to change out heaters, fireplaces at point of sale.
Starting next fall, wood-burning devices will be forbidden in
newly constructed homes built in the Bay Area under new rules
adopted by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2015-10-23/no-wood-burning-devices-in-new-homes-property-owners-escape-having-to-change-out-heaters-fireplaces-at-point-of-sale/1776425152358.html


Artificial lung to help study air pollution effects. Air
pollution is one of the leading causes of lung cancer and
respiratory diseases, responsible for one in eight global deaths,
according to the World Health Organisation. However, researchers
will soon be able to develop new treatments for such diseases
with a life-sized, artificial human lung created at the
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/49101 

Pollution Could Buy an Extra Decade of Arctic Sea Ice. Arctic sea
ice continues to dwindle at an exceptional pace. Summer sea ice
has declined at a rate of 13 percent per decade, and the rate has
sped up in the last 10 years. The main driver for Arctic sea
ice’s disappearing act is the rising ocean and air temperatures
driven by human greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pollution-could-buy-an-extra-decade-of-arctic-sea-ice/


CLIMATE CHANGE

Talks on UN climate deal heat up over bill to fix problems. The
trillion-dollar question of who should pay for global warming is
coming to a head in talks on an international climate pact, as
developing countries worry they won't get enough money to tackle
the problem. With just five weeks left before a U.N. climate
summit in Paris, developing countries closed ranks at weeklong
talks ending Friday in Bonn, calling on wealthy nations… 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_UN_TALKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article41173464.html#storylink=cpy
 
http://www.enterprisenews.com/article/ZZ/20151023/NEWS/310239945/16909/NEWS?rssfeed=true


Americans Have Never Been So Sure About Climate Change—Even
Republicans. Look at the massive shift among Republicans on the
issue this year. Maybe it's the pope. Or the freakish year in
extreme climate records. It might even be explained by the United
Nations climate talks and the bright lights of the presidential
election cycle. Whatever the cause, U.S. views on climate change
are shifting—fast.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-23/americans-have-never-been-so-sure-about-climate-change-even-republicans


By Adding One Word, UN Climate Deal Moves in New Direction.
Eliminating fossil fuels from the world’s energy supply is back
on the United Nations agenda as envoys from around the world wrap
up a week of discussions about a deal on global warming they
intend to adopt by the end of the year. The delegates drawn from
energy and environment ministries in more than 190 nations…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-22/by-adding-just-one-word-un-climate-deal-moves-in-new-direction


VW Downgrade Underlines Climate Change Role on Ratings, S&P Says.
Environmental and climate risks are increasingly impacting
corporate credit ratings as the example of Volkswagen AG’s
downgrade this month demonstrates, rating agency Standard &
Poor’s said in a report. The rating company identified 299 cases
where environmental and climate developments were a significant
factor in influencing a revision or rating analysis…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-23/vw-downgrade-underlines-climate-change-role-on-ratings-s-p-says


CORRECTED-Migration needs a home in global climate deal - UN
experts. One person is displaced by disasters every second,
migration experts emphasised at U.N. climate talks in Bonn, as
they called for climate-related migration to be more prominent in
a new U.N. agreement to curb global warming. Very few mentions of
displacement linked to climate change now exist in a draft deal…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N12N2L820151023


Why record-breaking hurricanes like Patricia are expected on a
warmer planet. First there was Supertyphoon Haiyan — which peaked
out at 170-knot or 196 mile-per-hour winds in 2013 as it slammed
the Philippines. And now there is Patricia, forecast to soon hit
Mexico, with currently estimated maximum sustained wind speeds of
175 knots or, that’s right, over 200 miles per hour.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/10/23/why-hurricanes-like-patricia-are-expected-on-a-warmer-planet/


Numerous States Prepare Lawsuits Against Obama’s Climate Policy.
As many as 25 states will join some of the nation’s most
influential business groups in legal action to block President
Obama’s climate change regulations when they are formally
published Friday, trying to stop his signature environmental
policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/23/us/politics/numerous-states-prepare-lawsuits-against-obamas-climate-policy.html?_r=0


States and industry groups reliant on fossil fuels challenge
Obama's Clean Power Plan in court. States and industry groups
dependent on fossil fuels are lining up to file court challenges
to President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. A flurry of lawsuits was expected
Friday at U.S. Court of Appeals as the Environmental Protection
Agency published the final version of the new regulations.
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/10/23/states-reliant-on-fossil-fuels-sue-over-new-clean-air-rules


Snow leopards at risk as Himalayas face climate change 'crisis'.
Warming temperatures could cause over a third of the endangered
big cats’ habitat to become uninhabitable, conservationists have
warned. More than a third of the snow leopard’s mountain habitat
could become uninhabitable for the endangered big cat because of
climate change, conservationists have warned. Warming
temperatures could cause the tree line to shift up the mountains…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/23/snow-leopards-at-risk-himalayas-face-climate-change-crisis
 

California Faces a Future of Droughts Alternating with Floods. A
warming climate coupled with more intense El Niño and La Niña
events could cause twice as many droughts and three times as many
floods in California.  A warming climate coupled with more
intense El Niño and La Niña events could cause twice as many
droughts and three times as many floods in California by 2080…
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/22102015/california-faces-future-drought-alternating-floods-el-nino


Can a phrase change the world? Some diplomats here hope so. As
countries skirmish here over money and carbon emission cuts, a
seemingly abstract debate is shaping up with real-world
implications for investors and governments alike. Dubbed the
"long-term goal," it is wording in a burgeoning international
climate change accord that defines how 194 countries want the
world to look by the century's end.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/23/stories/1060026824 

DROUGHT

Congressional Republicans demand plan for collecting El Niño
water. The Republican members of California's delegation are
demanding a government plan to store the deluge of water that
could come with El Niño this winter. Fourteen GOP lawmakers will
send a letter to President Obama and Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday
asking for specifics about how federal and state agencies expect
to capture, save and transport water.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gop-el-nino-drought-letter-story.html


High And Dry: A Deep Dive Into The Water Crisis. From the parched
California coast to soaring water bills in New York, this episode
of Reveal takes an in-depth look at water issues around the
country. Reporters track down water guzzlers in the Golden State,
where some people are using millions of gallons of water in a
year in the middle of a historic drought. But their identities
are kept secret.
http://www.capradio.org/news/special/reveal/2015/10/23/high-and-dry-a-deep-dive-into-the-water-crisis/


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

San Joaquin Valley air district gets $1 million in fed funds to
replace diesel tractors. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District received $1 million to replace 75 off-road
agricultural diesel tractors, part of a federal pot of more than
$3 million awarded Thursday to California clean-air agencies. The
new tractors coming to the Valley will have Tier 4 or cleaner
engines.
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/agriculture/article41133222.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/19905-epa-awards-1m-to-reduce-diesel-emissions-in-valley


VEHICLES

Tesla Take Two, Nissan Electric Goals, No VW Reprieve In U.S.:
Today's Car News. Tesla electric cars are always a big topic
here, and today we've got some more thoughts on their
reliability. And Nissan set some ambitious goals for its own
electric cars. But while VW says there's no defeat software in
its latest diesels, that won't help the company in the U.S.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100616_tesla-take-two-nissan-electric-goals-no-vw-reprieve-in-u-s-todays-car-news


Europe's automakers and cities rush to accommodate more electric
cars. Still breathing the fumes from its diesel-emissions
scandal, Volkswagen AG has made a strategic decision to make the
next version of its flagship sedan, the Phaeton, an electric car.
The decision, viewed by some as a diversionary tactic, is more
likely an indication of where the industry is heading -- toward
pure electrics and plug-in hybrids.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060026701 

Battle grows over utilities' role in EV charging station market.
California wants 1.5 million clean cars on state roads by 2025, a
tenfold jump from the current number. The push has unlocked an
opening for utilities seeking to join the charging station
business. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) needs
to ensure there are enough places to plug in electric vehicles.
It's agreed to let the biggest utilities get involved in
deploying stations.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/23/stories/1060026783 

VW RECALL

German Minister Heads to U.S. for Talks on Volkswagen Scandal. 
Meetings with U.S. counterpart and EPA officials as worries over
fallout to economy rise. Germany’s transport minister heads to
Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss the Volkswagen AG
emissions scandal with top U.S. officials amid mounting pressures
by regulators to more accurately and realistically test
automotive pollution.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/german-minister-heads-to-washington-for-talks-on-volkswagen-scandal-1445614488?alg=y


VW dealers reassure customers, wait for emissions-software fix.
PR experts suggest incentives, truth will help retain loyalty.
Volkswagen dealers find themselves on the front lines of a
scandal not of their making, expecting to be tasked with
repairing diesel vehicles containing software designed to cheat
on emissions testing.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/10/23/dealers-on-front-lines-of-vw-scandal.html


GREEN ENERGY

Apple cleaning up act in China with more renewable energy.  Apple
is cleaning up its manufacturing operations in China to reduce
the air pollution caused by the factories that have assembled
hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads during the past eight
years. The world's most valuable company is working with its
Chinese suppliers to produce 2.2 gigawatts of solar power and
other renewable energy by 2020.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_APPLE_CLEANER_CHINA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/23/stories/1060026821 

UK and China sign the Clean Energy Partnership. The Clean Energy
Partnership establishes co-operation in research and industry
while transitioning to a low carbon global economy. This will
strengthen the UK's position as the partner of choice for China
in low carbon energy and will help to pave the way for effective
energy relations between the two countries.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201510231115M2______EUPR_____297400000113a670_3600-1


Aggressive rooftop solar proposal clears key legal hurdle. One of
the nation's most aggressive rooftop solar initiatives has
cleared a critical hurdle. The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday
approved a ballot initiative that would deregulate a growing
sector of the electricity industry in that state. The proposed
ballot initiative by Floridians for Solar Choice – an unusual
grass-roots coalition of Tea Party and Christian Coalition
conservatives…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rooftop-solar-proposal-clears-court-20151022-story.html


Graphene Could Lower The Cost Of Renewable Hydrogen For FCEVs.
We’ve been calling graphene the nanomaterial of the new
millennium, and among its many superpowers it looks like this
ultra thin material with unique electronic properties could help
lower the cost of renewable hydrogen fuel. That’s great news for
fans of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/10/23/graphene-lower-cost-renewable-hydrogen-fcevs/


U.S., Asia lead world in solar PV manufacturing – report. Asia
dominates the global solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing
sector, accounting for seven of the 10 strongest markets, but the
United States and Canada are gaining ground in key areas,
according to new findings published by GTM Research. Among the
strongest factors promoting solar manufacturing in the United
States are a positive business environment, strong regional
demand for solar generation…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/23/stories/1060026787 

Wind power industry catches another breeze. The U.S. wind power
industry added 1,602 megawatts of new generation during the third
quarter of 2015, nearly four times the amount of capacity added
in the same quarter of 2014 and the second-highest third quarter
since 2012. For the first nine months of 2015, U.S. wind energy
capacity expanded by 3,596 MW…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/23/stories/1060026805 

MISCELLANEOUS

Edison reaches $400-million settlement with nuclear insurer.
Southern California Edison has reached a $400-million settlement
with its insurer over the shuttered San Onofre nuclear plant that
the utility says will help cut customers' costs. Edison said 95%
of the money from Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, or NEIL,
"will benefit customers," though it will not come in the form of
a refund.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-edison-settlement-nuclear-20151022-story.html


OPINIONS

To protect their homes, Nipomo retirees are taking on an oil
refinery. It's a well-trod path for many urban Californians: You
hit retirement age, you start dreaming about living in the
country, away from the noise, the traffic, the high cost of
living. You decamp from, say, your job as a real estate agent in
Irvine, and settle into a new life on the Central Coast, in a
house near the eucalyptus groves of the Nipomo Mesa.
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-oil-train-20151023-column.html


Essential Politics: GOP asks Brown for drought plan. I’m
Christina Bellantoni, the Essential Politics host today. Let’s
get started. The 14 Republicans in California’s congressional
delegation are demanding a government plan to capture, store and
transport the water expected from this winter’s El Niño.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-essential-politics-html-20151022-htmlstory.html


Piece of Mind: Tapping the universe to dampen the drought. The
wind gusts that arrived here Wednesday, dropping our paltry
humidity levels farther south, reminded me of a column I’ve been
sitting on for three months. I’ve previously considered the topic
of the drought and of our community’s overuse of landscape
watering, but have never before brought any metaphysical thoughts
into the equation. But this is my new proposal: 
http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/opinion/tn-vsl-piece-of-mind-tapping-the-universe-to-dampen-the-drought-20151022-story.html


Hawaii faces winter drought despite wettest summer in years. The
strong El Nino has flipped Hawaii's seasons, making the normally
dry summer months extremely wet while the traditionally wet
winter months will be dry, forecasters said Wednesday. The summer
rains were the heaviest the state had seen in 30 years and ended
drought conditions that have persisted since 2008…
http://www.latimes.com/travel/cruises/sns-bc-us--hawaii-drought-20151021-story.html


Parts of Montrose Gardens need replanting after being trampled
during Oktoberfest. Parts of the newly planted Montrose Gardens
won’t be blooming anytime soon because nearly a quarter of the
drought-tolerant plants were trampled by pedestrians during this
year’s Oktoberfest. The city recently removed 18 plots of grass
along the sidewalks…
http://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-parts-of-montrose-gardens-need-replanting-after-being-trampled-during-oktoberfest-20151022-story.html


PRO: New ozone regulations are easily met and will protect
millions. On Oct. 1, the Environmental Protection Agency revised
the national standards for ground-level ozone, one of the primary
components of photochemical smog. This was a modest action but
one that will help protect the health of many Americans.
http://heralddemocrat.com/opinion/national-commentary/pro-new-ozone-regulations-are-easily-met-and-will-protect-millions#sthash.fr2qItWx.dpuf


El Niño is coming. Are we ready? The anticipation is building.
Stories and news reports are popping up everywhere. Predictions
and expectations fill coffee shops and social media. No, I’m not
talking about the 2024 Olympics in Los Angeles. I am talking
about El Niño. And, chances are that it will arrive this winter
along with plenty of precipitation.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2015/10/el-nino-is-coming-are-we-ready/

BLOGS

No Turning Back on Clean Power.  AS THE GAME-CHANGING CLEAN POWER
PLAN BECOMES OFFICIAL, WE MUST STAND TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD AND
ENSURE A HEALTHIER FUTURE. The official publication of President
Obama's Clean Power Plan in the Federal Register gives our states
and our people exactly what we need to fight climate change our
way -- by cutting carbon pollution from the power
plants in our own backyard.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rsuh/no_turning_back_on_clean_power.html
 

VW does not want to fight diesel class action suit in California.
Volkswagen knows it has a long legal battle ahead of it over the
diesel emissions contretemps. History is a good enough guide for
that knowledge, even better are the 350 lawsuits filed in 41
states and the District of Columbia so far, with more coming
daily. Come what may, the company does not want to fight that
battle in California, which is where some of the plaintiff's
attorneys who are aiming to combine cases have requested they be
transferred.
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/23/vw-does-not-want-to-fight-diesel-class-action-suit-in-california/



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

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