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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 26, 2015.
Posted: 26 Oct 2015 12:38:22
ARB Newsclips for October 26, 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 States reliant on fossil fuels sue over new clean air rules. States and industry groups dependent on fossil fuels began filing court challenges Friday to President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Opponents of the plan were expected to file a flurry of lawsuits at the U.S. Court of Appeals as the… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AP_US_CLEAN_AIR_LAWSUITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Avalanche of Lawsuits to Be Triggered by Carbon Rule Publication. Lawyers are expected to unleash a flood of lawsuits Friday when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes regulations on power-plant pollution, challenging everything from the timing to the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s signature climate initiative. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-23/avalanche-of-lawsuits-to-be-triggered-by-carbon-rule-publication Vapor cloud from Exxon refinery in California triggers alarm. The unexplained release of a large vapor cloud on Friday from an Exxon Mobil Corp refinery near Los Angeles prompted authorities to sound public safety sirens, but no toxic fumes were detected and no one was hurt, a fire official said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/24/us-refinery-operations-exxon-torrance-idUSKCN0SI03O20151024 UPDATE 3-U.S. states, business groups challenge Obama's carbon rules in court. Twenty-five states and several business groups on Friday launched legal challenges seeking to block the Obama administration's proposal to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, the centerpiece of its high-profile climate change strategy. West Virginia, Texas, Florida and Ohio are among the states challenging… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/23/usa-climatechange-lawsuit-idUSL1N12N0ZQ20151023 Shell settles with Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Shell Oil has agreed to pay $208,000 in air pollution penalties to settle complaints of 12 violations in 2013 at the Shell Martinez Refinery, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced Monday. The refinery violations included discharging excessive quantities of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide… http://martinezgazette.com/archives/23395 California Approves New Mobile Scrubbing Technology. AMECS is said to use specialised barges to attach scrubbers to the exhaust ports of container ships. The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has approved the use of an Advanced Environmental Group, LLC (AEG) exhaust gas scrubber alternative to shore power, known as the Advanced Maritime Emissions Control System (AMECS)… http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/828834-california-approves-new-mobile-scrubbing-technology As legal onslaught begins, EPA tells states how to buy time on climate rule. As expected, the publication of the final Clean Power Plan in the Federal Register on Friday brought on a swarm of lawsuits from opponents of the U.S. EPA rule. On Friday morning, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton jointly announced a 24-state lawsuit challenging EPA's rule. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/26/stories/1060026874 As Obama meets with Indonesia's president, activists push for action on forests and climate change. With the backdrop of massive peat land fires sending carbon into the atmosphere and the fast-approaching U.N. climate talks, environmental advocates expect today's visit between Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and President Obama to touch on climate change and deforestation challenges. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/10/26/stories/1060026868 CLIMATE CHANGE Why did Hurricane Patricia become a monster so quickly? Hurricane Patricia zoomed from tropical storm to record-beater in 30 hours flat like a jet-fueled sports car. Why? The Pacific storm had just the right ingredients. Plenty of warm water provided the energy for what meteorologists call explosive intensification. The air was much moister than usual, adding yet more fuel. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_TROPICAL_WEATHER_STRENGTH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT One of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded is fueled by El Niño, scientists say. Hurricane Patricia, one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, is being fueled by El Niño, a weather phenomenon that continues to gain strength in the Pacific Ocean, scientists say. Scientists say the powerful hurricane offers… http://www.latimes.com/local/weather/la-me-ln-hurricane-patricia-an-el-nino-fueled-hurricane-scientist-says-20151023-story.html World's Catholic bishops issue appeal to Paris climate talks. Catholic patriarchs, cardinals and bishops representing five continents appealed to climate negotiators on Monday to approve a "transformative" and fair, legally binding agreement that sets global temperature limits and goals for eliminating fossil-fuel emissions. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_VATICAN_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/26/climatechange-summit-vatican-idUSL8N12Q2F620151026 Talks on climate deal heat up over bill for global warming. 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… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_COUNTDOWN_UN_TALKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Turkey's plan to help farmers adapt to climate change? Ask a tablet. Ahmed Kinavkates has a problem. The farmer in the Kazan district of the Turkish capital usually starts ploughing his fields now, to prepare them for his winter crops of potato and cabbage. But he needs rain and the erratic weather in the region makes it impossible for him to predict when it will come. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/26/turkey-climatechange-technology-idUSL8N12P08R20151026 Plankton poo clue could aid climate predictions. Scientists from the UK's National Oceanography Center (NOC) have set their sights on unmasking the ocean's 'twilight zone' - the area between 100 and 1000 meters deep where a small amount of the sun's light can still penetrate. This area has proved particularly troublesome for researchers to study, as scientific instruments are typically designed to either sink to the ocean floor or… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/26/us-planktonpoo-climate-idUSKCN0SK1NJ20151026 Developing Nations Push for Tougher Target in Climate Change Talks. African countries, low-lying nations fear bearing brunt of global warming. Developing nations facing some of the biggest threats from climate change are pressing rich countries to make a goal that has underpinned years of negotiations even tougher, highlighting the difficulty of reaching a new global agreement this year. http://www.wsj.com/articles/developing-nations-push-for-tougher-target-in-climate-change-talks-1445625743 New York lawmakers to discuss climate change. Members of New York's state Assembly will meet to discuss the state's response to climate change. The Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation and the chamber's Climate Change Work Group will hold a joint gathering Monday in Albany. The Work Group was created earlier this year by Speaker Carl Heastie to discuss ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions… http://www.wsj.com/articles/APfab83fb7472e4d13b5fbd2a481559446 How Exxon went from leader to skeptic on climate change research. Throughout much of the 1980s, Exxon earned a public reputation as a pioneer in climate change research. It sponsored workshops, funded academic research and conducted its own high-tech experiments exploring the science behind global warming. But by 1990, the company, in public, took a different posture. http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-research/ http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article41314959.html Coal mine expansion stalls in lawsuit citing climate change. The U.S. Interior Department should not have approved the expansion of a southeastern Montana coal mine before taking a closer look at its effect on the environment, a federal judge said about a lawsuit arguing the government ignored coal's contributions to climate change. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article41440002.html#storylink=cpy UN’s Bonn Climate Talks End Up Better Than They Started. Friday marked the end of the week-long October international climate meeting (11th part of the second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action) in Bonn, a runup to the first global climate change agreement in 18 years this December. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/10/26/uns-bonn-climate-talks-end-better-started/ DROUGHT California’s Growers Bear Brunt of Drought Woes. Even as water costs mount, farmers find it difficult to raise prices for fruits, vegetables. California’s historic drought is forcing farmers in the dominant produce-growing state to fallow hundreds of thousands of acres and spend millions of dollars to access water. Yet U.S. grocery shoppers are barely feeling an impact. http://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-growers-bear-brunt-of-drought-woes-1445765403 In Drought-Ridden California, the Classic Lawn Loses Ground. With help from public rebates, yards are being redefined as grass gives way to less thirsty materials, including decomposed granite. Just a year ago, the Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club — which bills itself as having an “exquisitely manicured, visually breathtaking” golf course — featured the same traditional rolling hills of grass found at golf clubs around the country. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/us/in-drought-ridden-california-the-classic-lawn-loses-ground.html?_r=0 Big water users, take note: DWP is considering outing you. Decades before someone coined the Twitter hashtag #droughtshaming and people began posting YouTube videos of their neighbors' drowning lawns, California water suppliers encouraged conservation by releasing the names of their biggest water hogs. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-water-bill-secrecy-20151025-story.html Essential Politics: Learning tough lessons from Australia's drought. California lawmakers who visited the driest inhabited continent on the planet are bringing home lessons learned from crippling drought. The 10-day fact-finding mission to Australia included a meeting with the Victoria Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water… http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-essential-politics-html-20151026-htmlstory.html South state storms show no easy remedies for California drought. An epic rainstorm brought mudslides, flooding and road closures to Southern California recently, but it did little to ease the state’s four-year drought. The fierce squalls that struck north of Los Angeles on Oct. 15 and 16 delivered a likely preview of what’s shaping up as a very wet winter in much of California. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article41406858.html#storylink=cpy DIESEL ACTIVITIES DIESEL EMISSIONS: State cites air-quality violators. Air quality officials and CHP officers team up for spot diesel truck inspections. A truck driver from Merced didn't expect to be handed a $300 citation from state air-quality officials after dropping off load of cheese in Ontario. “This an older truck, but it’s alright. http://www.pe.com/articles/air-784150-state-truck.html TruStar builds CNG station for Advanced Disposal. TruStar Energy opened a new time-fill fueling station designed and built for Advanced Disposal in Hartland, WI. TruStar Energy and Advanced Disposal have partnered on 11 stations nationwide. “We are on track to meet our goal to increase our CNG fleet to 15% by the end of 2015,” said Advanced Disposal CEO Richard Burke. http://fleetowner.com/fuel/trustar-builds-cng-station-advanced-disposal FUELS Green Plains Inc buys idled ethanol plant in Virginia. Green Plains Inc has paid $18.25 million for the sole ethanol plant in Virginia, it said on Monday, the latest in a string of consolidations as vast supplies and low crude oil prices squeeze industry profits. Green Plains said it planned to spend another $6 million to $7 million for a corn oil extractor… http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/26/green-plains-inc-plant-idUSL1N12Q16W20151026?type=companyNews Winter is coming – expect to pay less at the gas pump as refineries switch to cheaper blend. Winter-blend gasoline, the historically less-costly sibling of the summer blend, officially arrives Nov. 1 – and drivers in the Inland Empire and Orange County can look forward to paying a little less at the gas pump. “The transition from summer to winter gas is always good news for consumers because refiners are able to process more gas for every barrel of crude… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-688987-gas-gasoline.html Alaska gets sales guarantees for LNG project. The long road to commercializing Alaska's North Slope natural gas became a little smoother last week when Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) and the state's three industry partners reached a tentative agreement guaranteeing that the companies' gas would be available for a state-industry liquefied natural gas export project. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/10/26/stories/1060026890 VEHICLES Toyota at top in global vehicle sales for first 9 months. Toyota was the world's top-selling automaker for the first nine months of this year, selling nearly 7.5 million vehicles, and overtaking Volkswagen which was in the No. 1 spot for the half year. Toyota Motor Corp.'s global sales for the first three quarters totaled 7.498 million vehicles… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_TOYOTA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-toyota-tops-volkswagen-sales-20151026-story.html http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2015/1026/Toyota-regains-top-spot-as-world-s-largest-automaker-from-Volkswagen http://www.autoevolution.com/news/volkswagen-loses-sales-crown-to-toyota-and-it-s-not-really-down-to-dieselgate-101344.html Tech companies face rocky road on the way to making cars. Silicon Valley may think it can build a better car. But should it? As tech giants like Google and Apple look to automobiles as the next frontier for innovation, they face a looming reality: Cars are a lot harder to manufacture and sell than smartphones. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TECH_INDUSTRY_AUTOMAKERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Tesla Aims to Build Its Electric Cars in China. CEO Elon Musk says local production could cut price of its cars by a third in that country. Luxury electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc. is in discussions with state and national government officials about producing its $76,000 and up vehicles in China… http://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-plans-to-produce-electric-vehicles-in-china-within-two-years-1445602222 Tesla's most absurd-sounding feature will actually help it sell a ton of cars in China. Tesla Motors' $100,000 cars are hitting a sweet spot in China, offering the country's elite exclusivity and luxury. But Tesla's newest feature is going to give those wealthy Chinese customers an entirely different reason to own a Tesla. Sales in China are ramping up fast. http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-bio-weapon-mode-china-2015-10 Diesel scandal opens door for other technologies. The Volkswagen diesel scandal has drawn fresh attention to automakers’ drive toward alternate fuels and clean engine technology. It won’t be the end of diesel engines, but it could sharpen the focus on other technologies. “Automakers have made great progress” improving fuel efficiency… http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/mark-phelan/2015/10/24/auto-energy-emissions-vw-toyota-gm-diesel-fuel-cell-electric-vehicle-hybrid/74239880/ Honda's Tokyo Fuel-Cell Vehicle May Be Its Electric Car And Plug-In Hybrid Too. In less than two days, Honda will officially reveal the production version of its hydrogen fuel-cell sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show. The company released two photos late last month that show the car and its interior, following its FCEV and FCV Concepts over the past two years. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100634_hondas-tokyo-fuel-cell-vehicle-may-be-its-electric-car-and-plug-in-hybrid-too Both Electric And Gas Cars Lose Range In The Cold; Electrics Just Lose More. When it comes to electric cars, one of the biggest fears for potential customers is range anxiety in general--but for many, it's specifically their cold-weather range. Batteries lose efficiency in colder temperatures, something that only heightens the range anxiety many potential buyers feel acutely. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100629_both-electric-and-gas-cars-lose-range-in-the-cold-electrics-just-lose-more 2016 Green Car of the Year Finalists Announced. The Los Angeles Auto Show is coming up next month and, as activity starts ramping up, news is starting to break on the new models that will be announced and other juicy tidbits. This past week, the five finalists for the Green Car Journal’s 2016 Green Car of the Year award were shared. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/10/26/2016-green-car-year-finalists-announced/ Cars To Vanish From Downtown Oslo Before 2020. Norway has firmly established itself as the most friendly country in the world for electric cars. Cars with plugs account for a higher percentage of sales there than anywhere else. But the Scandinavian country may soon take even more aggressive steps to reduce its transportation-related carbon emissions. Norway's capital, Oslo, may ban most people from driving their cars--electric or otherwise--into the city center by 2020, according to The Independent. VW RECALL Scandal-hit Volkswagen hires Opel exec as strategy chief. Volkswagen is hiring a top strategy executive from competitor Opel as it seeks to recover from a scandal over its cheating on U.S. diesel emissions tests. Taking on Thomas Sedran as Volkswagen's new chief of corporate strategy brings another outside voice to the company as it… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOLKSWAGEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Scandal-hit-Volkswagen-hires-Opel-exec-as-6590531.php German business optimism resilient after VW scandal. Germany's Ifo index of business optimism fell by less than expected in October, as executives' outlooks for Europe's largest economy remained relatively strong despite worries about a scandal at Volkswagen and troubles in emerging markets. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_ECONOMY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Is Volkswagen so complicated only insiders can fix it? Volkswagen's effort to fix its emissions scandal will be largely led by company insiders. Some experts say it's the only way, given the German carmaker's unusually complicated structure and power groups. Others, however, argue the company is just compounding its risks if it does not bring an outsider to change its ways. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOLKSWAGEN_CULTURE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT EU Set for Fight Over New Car-Emission Tests After VW Deception. The European Union’s industrial-policy chief faces a clash with EU governments over car pollution this week as the political stakes from Volkswagen AG’s cheating rise. Elzbieta Bienkowska, the European commissioner for industrial policy, wants to give automakers less leeway than do many EU nations in a move to a tougher system of emission tests… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-26/eu-set-for-fight-over-new-car-emission-tests-after-vw-deception Volkswagen Suspends More Employees. Law firm Jones Day urges the action to prevent tampering with emissions probe. Volkswagen AG has suspended a larger number of engineers than previously acknowledged, following a recommendation from the law firm conducting an internal investigation into the auto maker’s emissions cheating scandal, according to a person familiar with the matter. http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-widens-suspensions-in-emissions-scandal-1445791586 Volkswagen Inquiry’s Focus to Include Managers Who Turned a Blind Eye. A widening internal investigation at Volkswagen is focusing not only on who was responsible for installing illegal software designed to fool emissions testers, but also on which managers may have learned of the deception and failed to take appropriate action… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/business/international/volkswagen-investigation-focus-to-include-managers-who-turned-a-blind-eye.html?_r=2 Volkswagen loses sales top spot to Toyota after emissions scandal. Toyota is back as world’s bestselling carmaker just three months after surrendering its long-held status to Volkswagen. Volkswagen has been knocked off the top spot for global car sales by Toyota after taking it from its rival earlier this year… http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/26/volkswagen-top-spot-toyota-vw-emissions-scandal Volkswagen May Offer Discounts To German Owners Of Cars With Illicit Software: DPA. Volkswagen AG may offer VW owners in Germany discounts on new cars if they turn in certain old models affected by the emissions scandal that has rocked Europe's biggest carmaker, the German news agency DPA reported Sunday. Volkswagen is battling the biggest business crisis in its 78-year history after admitting last month it installed software… http://www.ibtimes.com/volkswagen-may-offer-discounts-german-owners-cars-illicit-software-dpa-2155404 Peugeot Says It Never Cheated on Emissions as Car Sales Rise PSA Peugeot Citroen said it has never duped consumers about its diesel vehicles, taking a swipe at Volkswagen AG as the German rival reels in the aftermath of a cheating scandal. Peugeot promised new measures to make its vehicles cleaner and said it will also soon publish real-world fuel economy figures vetted by an independent body. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-26/peugeot-says-it-never-cheated-on-emissions-as-its-car-sales-rise HIGH-SPEED RAIL Special Report $68-billion California bullet train project likely to overshoot budget and deadline targets. The monumental task of building California's bullet train will require punching 36 miles of tunnels through the geologically complex mountains north of Los Angeles. Crews will have to cross the tectonic boundary that separates the North American and Pacific plates… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-train-cost-final-20151025-story.html GREEN ENERGY Duke Energy buying Piedmont Natural Gas $4.9B. Multimedia a. Duke Energy will spend about $4.9 billion in cash to acquire Piedmont Natural Gas, adding about a million new customers in the Carolinas and Tennessee. The Charlotte, North Carolina, companies are key partners in the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DUKE_ENERGY_ACQUISITION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.wsj.com/articles/duke-energy-to-buy-piedmont-natural-gas-for-4-9-billion-1445858176 Solar panels empower indigenous people in Canada's north. Daniel T'seleie, an indigenous activist in Canada's far north, is campaigning to help his people wean themselves from a worrying dependence on imported fuel and food, recover old traditions and win greater autonomy from the government. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/26/us-climatechange-canada-solar-idUSKCN0SK0G120151026 MISCELLANEOUS This Is Your Office, If Ex-Goldman Twins Get Their Way. 'Healthy buildings' make happy workers, they say. The pitch could make them a fortune, if their bet on wellness in real estate pans out. Last October a New York startup called Delos, founded by twin brothers who were once partners at Goldman Sachs, published what may be the most marketable proposition in real estate… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-23/your-office-building-might-save-your-life PlugShare.com steers electric car owners to charging stations. Take charge — here's a website and app that make life easier for owners of electric vehicles. Name: PlugShare.com and app What it does: A searchable website and app that shows more than 26,000 charging stations, shared residential chargers and high-power stations in the United States and Canada. It also includes more than 60,000 stations across the globe. http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-webbuzz-20151025-story.html OPINIONS Diesel prices pressured by poor demand, high stocks: Kemp. Reported stocks of crude and refined fuels continue to climb in the United States, pressuring on oil prices, but the stock build is concentrated in specific parts of the complex. Most of the stock build has occurred in crude petroleum and the middle distillates used for road diesel and home heating oil, while gasoline stocks have remained relatively normal. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/26/us-usa-oil-kemp-idUSKCN0SK15120151026 Where's the urgency in cleaning up the Exide battery plant mess? State environmental regulators knew for decades that the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon was spewing deadly substances into its surroundings, but revelations about the extent of the damage have continued even after the company agreed to shutter the plant. Six months ago, state officials discovered dangerously high levels of toxic lead dust… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-adv-exide-20151026-story.html Don't dismiss the link between wildfires and climate change, scientists say. Was Gov. Jerry Brown wrong to blame this year's epic California wildfires on climate change? An Oct. 18 Times article said he was; scientists and activists responding to that article say it's a lot more complicated. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1024-saturday-wildfires-climate-change-20151024-story.html Don’t give PG&E a monopoly on electric vehicle charging stations. Buried deep within a highly technical filing with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E put forward an audacious proposal – giving itself monopoly power to deploy thousands of electric vehicle charging stations and getting ratepayers to foot the bill at triple the cost of private vendors. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article41395416.html#storylink=cpy Drought-stressed California forests face a radical shift. Biologist Greg Asner first heard the numbers in April, but they did little to prepare him for what he saw. The Forest Service had estimated that nearly 12.5 million trees in California’s southern and central forests were dead. But as Asner peered down upon the same forests from his airplane at 6,000 feet, he saw something far worse. California’s drought-parched landscape was poised for a radical transformation. http://azdailysun.com/news/opinion/columnists/drought-stressed-california-forests-face-a-radical-shift/article_cef81d84-2ccd-5eb2-aa5e-efa44dd82265.html CHRIS HILGER: Republican climate heroes in Congress unlock gridlock. The Onion recently ran the satirical headline, “Congress gets in a solid 12 hours of gridlocking before calling it a day.” Stories from the press come out daily bemoaning the gridlock afflicting Congress. The stories almost write themselves. Mention a serious problem. Then mention gridlock. End of story. One such serious problem is climate change. http://www.pe.com/articles/climate-784313-congress-gibson.html Editorial: Air quality rules. Anyone living or spending much time in western Pinal County knows the air often is dusty, especially during summer storms. Federal, state and county authorities have been grappling with the issue, although it is nothing new and generally has been taken for granted. http://www.trivalleycentral.com/opinion/our_view/editorial-air-quality-rules/article_e2a08640-7bfd-11e5-a7f4-bbb0aefe68fc.html Will hacking nature protect us from climate change? To avoid a global warming catastrophe by the end of the century, humans may need to actually hack the climate. Whether you call it hacking, or "fiddling with the knobs in the climate system," or the less-imaginative "geoengineering," it revolves around this question: Can humans game the system by using science to reverse global warming? http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/26/tech/pioneers-carbon-sink-geoengineering-climate-hack/index.html Body Blows to the High-Speed Rail. Like a punch-drunk fighter, the High Speed Rail Authority must be reeling from the blows landed by Ralph Vartabedian’s Special Report in the Los Angeles Times asserting with expert testimony that the project is likely over cost and behind schedule. And, an even bigger blow could come from the courts removing the rail’s one steady income stream. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2015/10/body-blows-to-the-high-speed-rail/ BLOGS How diesel-mad EU laid seeds of VW scandal. The fierce response of U.S. regulators to Volkswagen’s emissions manipulation shows how lax European peers have been on a core public health issue. Legal limits for harmful diesel emissions are too high, test procedures are weak, and early evidence of non-compliance in real life was ignored. Clean diesel is possible, but this will dent automakers’ profits. http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2015/10/26/how-diesel-mad-eu-laid-seeds-of-vw-scandal/ Place some limits on new pumping till drought ends. As he manages the terrible drought, Gov. Jerry Brown has persuaded Californians to reduce their water use by more than 25 percent and led the campaign to persuade voters to approve a $7.5 billion water bond, which will help us get through future droughts with less economic and environmental damage. http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article41234982.html#storylink=cpy Smoky September clouds San Joaquin Valley clean-air record. San Joaquin Valley folks breathed the healthiest air on record most of the 2015 summer, but a smoky September made this year a brutally memorable tale of two seasons. For the record, the 25,000-square-mile Valley has had only 80 exceedances of the federal eight-hour ozone standard – easily the lowest total ever. http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/earth-log/article41252997.html#storylink=cpy Businesses that owe the most in pollution fines are revealed. Jefferson County's manufacturing base and coal-fired electricity led it to be ranked fourth in the country for industrial toxic air pollution in 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, and the American Lung Association ranks Louisville as the 28th most polluted city for ozone. http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/blog/morning_call/2015/10/businesses-that-owe-the-most-in-pollution-fines.html The White House Pushes Clean Energy While Coal States Push the Past. In an article appearing in The Hill last week, Timothy Cama reported that: A coalition of 24 states and a coal mining company filed lawsuits Friday to challenge the most significant piece of President Obama's environmental agenda, his signature climate change rule for power plants. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/the-white-house-pushes-cl_b_8389004.html World Bank-IMF Pushes “Carbon Pricing” Global Tax-&-Spend Scheme. Carbon budget. Carbon regime. Carbon pricing. Carbon trading. These are code words for the colossal UN grab for money and power at the upcoming global Climate Summit in December in Paris. With the United Nations’ world summit on global warming now only weeks away, the propaganda war is ratcheting up — at a furious pace. http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/environment/item/21822-world-bank-imf-pushes-carbon-pricing-global-tax-spend-scheme Is The Future of Transport All-Electric? The future of transportation was a hot topic at last week’s Future of Energy Summit in London hosted by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). In particular, discussions were built around the question of what transportation will look like as the sector tries to balance 1) meeting demand and 2) compliance with air pollution standards. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/transportation-cities-and-air-quality-is-the-future-of-transport-all-electric/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.