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Our sincere apologies. Earlier ARB newsclips were sent out with
the date of August 28, 2015 instead of October 28, 2015. Please
discard. 

Here are the ARB Newsclips for October 28, 2015. Have a good day!


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

Correction: Clean Air Lawsuits story. In a story Oct. 23 about
states and industry groups filing challenges to President Barack
Obama's Clean Power Plan, The Associated Press, relying on
information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
erroneously reported that New Mexico was among the states
opposing the rules. New Mexico is not among the more than two
dozen states appealing the plan in court.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLEAN_AIR_LAWSUITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


The Air in There: Offices, and Issues, That Seem to Make Us
Stupid. CO2 in office air slows our thinking, a study finds. But
the air is bad partly because we're getting thriftier in our use
of energy. It's tempting to conclude from the climate change
debate that all that carbon dioxide in the air is making
everybody dumber. In fact, all that carbon dioxide in the air is
making everybody dumber.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-28/the-air-in-there-offices-and-issues-that-seem-to-make-us-stupid


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change deal will not include global carbon price: UN
climate chief.  A climate change deal to be agreed in Paris in
December will not be able to come up with a global carbon price,
the United Nations' climate chief, Christiana Figueres, said on
Tuesday. Big multinational companies and investors, and most
recently oil majors, have called for a global carbon price to
help spur investments in low-carbon energy.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/28/us-climatechange-summit-figueres-idUSKCN0SL1J220151028


Climate envoys should try harder after Paris, poorer nations say.
The global push to fight climate change must intensify after a
major meeting in Paris, said poorer nations on Tuesday, who are
reconciled to disappointment in any upcoming deal. Climate
negotiators should not abandon hope of limiting global
temperatures rises to below 1.5…
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/27/us-climatechange-summit-targets-idUKKCN0SL2E820151027


INTERVIEW-Winemakers will survive, international body says of
climate change. Good news for wine drinkers: a leading
international body says grape vines are a hardy little number and
can survive climate change, at least over the medium term.
Earlier harvesting, changes in grape varieties and new
wine-making processes have already helped counter the impact of
the harsher weather hitting vineyards across the globe…
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL8N12S33K20151028
 

Gov. Jerry Brown vows legal action to defend Washington's
clean-power plan. Gov. Jerry Brown is planning legal action to
defend Washington's clean-power plan, a key part of President
Obama’s effort to combat climate change despite tenacious
opposition from Republicans in Congress.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-sac-brown-climate-story.html


Why is NOAA withholding climate documents from Congress? The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is refusing to
answer a subpoena from a congressional committee. Some scientists
say that the motive behind the subpoena is a congressman's
unhappiness with the conclusion of a study on climate change.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2015/1028/Why-is-NOAA-withholding-climate-documents-from-Congress


Global warming is unlocking carbon stores long-locked in
permafrost. Scientists find that when an ancient Alaskan
permafrost thaws, half of the dissolved organic carbon trapped
can decompose within a week. For thousands of years, a large
percentage of the world’s carbon stores have been safely locked
in permafrost, the frozen layer of soil and organic matter that
covers much of the planet’s northernmost latitudes.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1027/Global-warming-is-unlocking-carbon-stores-long-locked-in-permafrost


Too hot to work: climate change 'puts south-east Asia economies
at risk'. Report says rising heat stress could threaten labour
capacity across region, with Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia
worst hit. Rising temperatures and humidity due to climate change
are likely to increase the number of days with unsafe “heat
stress”…
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/28/too-hot-to-work-climate-change-south-east-asia-economies-at-risk


Exxon's conflicting concerns about climate change: A tale of 2
investigations. Many environmentalists believe that the oil and
gas major Exxon, now known as Exxon Mobil Corp., is on the wrong
side of history when it comes to climate change. Two new
investigations into the company's early history of climate
research have deepened the antagonism toward the company.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060027024 

DROUGHT

Winter salmon run nearly extinguished in drought, feds say. For
the second straight year, huge numbers of juvenile winter-run
Chinook salmon appear to have baked to death in the Sacramento
River because of California’s drought, federal officials said
Wednesday, bringing the endangered species a step closer to
extinction. The news raises the specter of more agricultural
water cuts next summer…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article41684160.html#storylink=cpy


LA Aqueduct flows after dam built for drought is dismantled.
Water in the aqueduct that helped fuel Los Angeles' growth was
flowing toward the city Wednesday for the first time in six
months after workers removed an earthen and concrete dam that had
diverted runoff to the parched Owens Valley. With little mountain
runoff due to a historic drought…
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article41656908.html#storylink=cpy


FUELS

New investments signal turnaround in Brazil ethanol industry.
Improved returns from sales at home and abroad are unleashing the
first major flurry of investment in Brazil's struggling ethanol
industry in nearly a decade, with at least nine companies
expanding or building new capacity. Medium-sized private mill Rio
Verde said it would double ethanol output over the next two years
to capture resurgent biofuel demand.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/28/brazil-ethanol-investment-idUSL1N12N21520151028


Primus Green Energy and Jereh launch global collaboration on
gas-to-liquids. Primus Green Energy Inc., a gas-to-liquids (GTL)
technology and solutions company that transforms methane and
other hydrocarbon gases into gasoline, methanol and diluent
(earlier post), and Jereh, an international, integrated oil and
gas company specializing in Oil and Gas EPC services, oilfield
technology services…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/10/20151028-primus.html 

Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop MOFs for Storing Methane. With
new makes of all-electric and hybrid automobiles seeming to
emerge as fast as the colors of fall, it is easy to overlook
another alternative to gasoline engines that could prove to be a
major player in reduced-carbon transportation – cars powered by
natural gas. Space-filling models of cobalt-bdp MOF in the
collapsed state (left) and CH4-expanded state (right). 
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=22665 

Petroleum industry launches ads targeting the RFS. The American
Petroleum Institute today launched a new advertising campaign
targeting the renewable fuel standard as the Obama administration
works to finalize new standards for refiners. The ads highlight
criticism of corn ethanol by anti-hunger and environmental groups
and RFS opposition from newspaper editorials and lawmakers from
both parties.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/10/28/stories/1060027072 

REFINERY

Latest ExxonMobil Torrance refinery accident another close call,
oil industry analyst says. The latest accident at the ExxonMobil
refinery, which sent a 200-foot-high plume of vapor spiraling
over Torrance, was another close call for an already jittery
community,  an oil industry analyst claimed Tuesday based on an
inside source at the plant.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20151027/latest-exxonmobil-torrance-refinery-accident-another-close-call-oil-industry-analyst-says


VEHICLES

Green self-driving cars take center stage at Tokyo auto show.
Visions of cars that drive themselves without emitting a bit of
pollution while entertaining passengers with online movies and
social media are what's taking center stage at the Tokyo Motor
Show. Japan, home to the world's top-selling automaker, has a
younger generation disinterested in owning or driving cars.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_AUTO_SHOW?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


EU nations agree on stricter emissions testing for diesel.
European Union nations have agreed on tougher emissions tests for
diesel cars after the Volkswagen scandal showed previous methods
were ineffective. The new standards, though, give carmakers five
years to bring them close to what the real emissions standards
should be.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EUROPE_CAR_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Auto power play: Japan's hydrogen car vs China's battery drive.
Asia's two autos powerhouses, Japan and China, are jostling for
supremacy in how future electric cars should generate their power
– from batteries or hydrogen-powered fuel-cells. In a potentially
high-stakes clash reminiscent of Sony versus Panasonic in the
Beta-VHS video war in the 1980s…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/28/us-autoshow-japan-electric-insight-idUSKCN0SM04F20151028


Honda shows Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle at Tokyo show. Honda is
using the Tokyo auto show for the global premiere of the Clarity
fuel cell vehicle which it will start leasing to customers in
Japan in March before it becomes available in other parts of the
world.
A fuel cell vehicle uses electricity generated onboard to power
the motor.
http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2015/10/27/honda-shows-clarity-fuel-cell-vehicle-tokyo-show/74692632/


Lafayette mulls electric charging stations. Electric car drivers
may soon be able to juice up their vehicles at several new
city-owned charging stations planned for public use. City
officials are mulling installation of up to four new electric
vehicle charging stations around town, from the Lafayette
Community Center to an office park in the city's burgeoning west
end.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29033136/lafayette-mulls-electric-charging-stations


Lexus Fuel Cell Car Likely To Be Based on New LS Luxury Sedan.
The next-generation Lexus LS luxury sedan could be offered with a
hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain option. After multiple reports that
Toyota was considering this for its luxury brand, Lexus unveiled
a fuel-cell concept car at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. The Lexus
LF-FC is a large fuel-cell sedan that the carmaker says previews
its next flagship model.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100669_lexus-fuel-cell-car-likely-to-be-based-on-new-ls-luxury-sedan


VW RECALL

Volkswagen suffers loss due to scandal but sales hold up.
Volkswagen lost 1.67 billion euros ($1.83 billion) in the third
quarter as it set aside 6.7 billion euros to pay for recalling
and fixing cars that were rigged to evade U.S. diesel emissions
tests. While the German carmaker warned Wednesday that operating
profit this year would be "down significantly," it indicated that
sales would prove resilient.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN_EARNS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-posts-loss-as-emissions-scandal-bites-1446021802?alg=y
 
http://uk.reuters.com/video/2015/10/28/emissions-scandal-drives-vw-into-loss?videoId=366104783

http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=452497981
Spain court begins proceedings against Volkswagen over rigged
engines. Spain's high court has opened initial proceedings
against German car maker Volkswagen after the scandal surrounding
its rigging of diesel emissions tests, according to a court
ruling released on Wednesday. The company must present a
representative before the Spanish judge by Nov. 10, 0930 GMT, to
face the accusations, the document showed.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/28/volkswagen-emissions-spain-idUSE8N11T03H20151028?feedType=RSS&feedName=marketsNews


VW’s U.S. Reputation Won’t Suffer Long, German Official Says.
Volkswagen AG’s reputation in the U.S. shouldn’t suffer lasting
damage from an emissions-cheating scandal that has reduced sales
and added billions of dollars of recall-related costs, Germany’s
transport minister said during a visit to Washington.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NWUNUB6K50Y701-5NCI038K5HLP3SGNGC471NPG4O


VW Keeps Lid on Diesel Scandal Fallout as Car Margin Rises. The
VW brand, which faces the biggest impact from years of rigging
diesel engines to pass emissions tests, widened its return to 3
percent of sales in the third quarter from 2.8 percent a year ago
as operating profit jumped 17 percent. Some 6.7 billion euros
($7.4 billion) in special costs linked to the cheating scandal…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NWVNCV6TTDSD01-4EMU4V44NLEI6DK1SDEQ7VUURU


Volkswagen on Its Own on Electric Cars as Merkel Plan Lags.
Executives at VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters say they plan a shift
in focus to more plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles in
response to the emission controversy. While Merkel aims to see 1
million electric cars on German roads by 2020, she’s offering
none of the help to carmakers that the French government
provides.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NWW3716JIJVC01-6INMUD7NPO4QV0E6141AIDQEEN


Volkswagen chief executive apologizes for emissions scandal at
Tokyo auto show, promises fix. A top Volkswagen executive Herbert
Diess apologized at the Tokyo auto show Wednesday for the
automaker's emissions-cheating scandal, promising to win back
customer trust, and said it will delay the launch of a diesel
vehicle in Japan.
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/10/27/volkswagen-ceo-apologizes-for-emissions-scandal-at-auto-show


OPINIONS

Indonesian Fires Spread an Ill Wind.  I just returned home after
a three-week trip to America to learn that the supermarket chains
here no longer sell my favorite brand of four-ply toilet paper.
The reason? Its producer — Asia Pulp and Paper — is one of five
companies being investigated by Singaporean authorities in
connection with forest fires in Indonesia that have left parts of
Southeast Asia blanketed in a choking..
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/opinion/indonesian-fires-spread-an-ill-wind.html?_r=0


Rainfall in Indonesia Starts Taming Forest Fires That Spread
Toxic Haze. Thanks to heavy rainfall, Indonesia may have turned
the corner in battling mass forest fires that have blanketed much
of Southeast Asia in toxic haze, but more rain will be needed in
the coming days to get the blazes under control, a senior
government minister said on Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/world/asia/indonesia-forest-fire-toxic-haze.html


Exxon's climate-killing pursuit of profit reflects American
thinking. To the editor: The Times has shown us that Exxon Mobil,
as powerful as it is (and with resources to hire the best
advisors), is still subject to whimsical fantasies about the
future. The corporation understood the consequences of climate
change back when Jimmy Carter was president…
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-1027-tuesday-exxon-climate-change-20151027-story.html





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