What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for November 10, 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

Local carbon pricing may help states comply with Clean Power
Plan, analysts say.  Though the United States has failed to
launch a national cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide,
individual states and regions provide useful precedents for
pricing carbon, experts say. Now that the final rule for U.S.
EPA's Clean Power Plan is in the open, states are now going over
their compliance options.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/11/10/stories/1060027761

AIR POLLUTION

China Alone Now Burns Half The World's Coal, New Data Reveals.
China now burns half of the world's coal, according to
newly-released data that appears to correct previous government
estimates. This latest data shows that China has been burning up
to 17 percent more coal annually than its government previously
reported. That means China may have also released almost a
billion more tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year
for the past few years.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100848_china-alone-now-burns-half-the-worlds-coal-new-data-reveals


CLIMATE CHANGE

Poland's anti-climate rhetoric seen as more hot air than reality.
Poland's bid to block global efforts to slow climate change is
likely to struggle to gain traction as it risks alienating
European partners and as top emitters China and the United States
dominate the international debate. Ahead of U.N. talks in Paris
on a new climate pact, Poland's president vetoed an amendment to
the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/09/us-climatechange-poland-idUSKCN0SY1SJ20151109#Pkt6OIxmAh4IcqB4.99


Carbon emissions fall in 11 of G20 members, in turning point.
Greenhouse gas emissions per capita are falling in 11 of the
Group of 20 major economies, a turning point for tackling climate
change, a study showed on Tuesday. The report, by a new
organization of scientists and other experts called Climate
Transparency, also said 15 of the G20 members…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/10/us-climatechange-g-idUSKCN0SZ1G720151110#rZgvWhuviEHTaAho.99


Saudi Arabia says will diversify oil economy to slow climate
change. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter,
plans to diversify its economy to help combat climate change in a
move that could reduce expected carbon emissions by up to 130
million tonnes a year by 2030, the government said on Tuesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/10/us-climatechange-saudi-idUSKCN0SZ1TM20151110#BvGAQDzWqzW8khrW.99


Clinton Vows to Make Climate Change ‘Huge' Priority. Democratic
presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton said Nov. 9 she would
continue and expand on President Barack Obama's climate change
initiatives as some of her first acts in office. Clinton,
speaking in Nashua, N.H., said she would look at renewing
executive actions on climate change…
http://www.bna.com/clinton-vows-climate-n57982063357/ 

Saudi Arabia submits climate pledge to UN deal. Petropower offers
conditional emissions cuts of up to 130Mt CO2e by 2030, becoming
last G20 member to submit plan before Paris summit. Saudi Arabia
made its contribution to a climate rescue pact on Tuesday,
calling it a “significant deviation” for the emissions of the
oil-reliant economy. The world’s largest crude oil producer
pledged to achieve “mitigation co-benefits”…
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2015/11/10/saudi-arabia-submits-climate-pledge-to-un-deal/


DROUGHT

To save water, an underground movement to bank El Niño's
rainfall. Gary Serrato watched as a tractor worked its way across
a field of dried-up weeds, slicing the sandy dirt into orderly
furrows. The field was being readied not for a crop but for what
he hopes will be a bountiful harvest of floodwater this El Niño
winter. "We're going to capture as much as we can," said Serrato,
general manager of the Fresno Irrigation District.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-water-storage-20151109-story.html


FUELS

RPT-INSIGHT-Keystone's death bolsters "keep carbon in the ground"
camp. For environmentalists dedicated to killing it, President
Barack Obama's rejection of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline
unleashed a moment of euphoria. Activists celebrated with tequila
shots at Sierra Club headquarters in San Francisco and in
Lafayette Square across from the White House, site of the first
anti-Keystone protests in 2011…
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/10/climatechange-keystone-strategy-insight-idUSL1N13504M20151110#u6gHQ1IOPhu1SfeC.99


VEHICLES

New Government, New Hope For More Electric Cars In Canada?
Canadian electric vehicle advocates can look at the election of
Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party with cautious optimism, and not
just for the party's promise to install charging stations at
government buildings.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100831_new-government-new-hope-for-more-electric-cars-in-canada


VW RECALL

VW only carmaker found cheating by U.S. regulator –magazine.
Volkswagen is the only carmaker whose diesel engines have been
found so far by a U.S. regulator to be using illicit
emissions-control software, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche
reported. "Up until now we have found no fraudulent defeat device
in vehicles of other brands," the magazine quoted Mary Nichols,
chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB)…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1353A320151110
 

VW says software in larger diesel models not seen as
'problematic' by Germany. Germany's KBA motor authority does not
regard the use of software in Volkswagen's 3.0-litre V6 diesel
engines, which U.S. officials have said was used to cheat air
pollution tests, as "problematic", VW's boss in Britain said on
Tuesday.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N13536Z20151110


VW Looks at Cost Cuts and Offers Money to Diesel Car Owners.
Volkswagen said on Monday that it would begin talks with worker
representatives about how to cut costs, in the latest sign that
the company’s crisis over cheating on emissions tests is taking a
heavy toll. Separately, the German automaker said it would offer
up to $1,000 to owners of diesel cars in the United States
affected by the scandal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/business/international/volkswagen-offers-1000-to-diesel-owners.html?_r=2


(The next two items are translation from Wirstchafts Woche,
German Newspaper)

VW of currently the only manufacturer with fraud software.  Good
news for car managers around the globe: tests of the California
Environmental Protection Agency CARB could reveal so far no
exhaust doctoring other car brands. The authority has increased
since flying up the fraud by Volkswagen about two months ago
several diesel models of other brands under the magnifying glass.
"Our testing of diesel vehicles go on," said authority Director
Mary Nichols of the WirtschaftsWoche. "So far we have found no
fraudulent defeat devices on cars of other brands. That doesn't
mean that all emission values are how we would want it. But there
is nothing that comes close to the extent of exceedance for VW
vehicles." Raised extremely high nitrogen oxide emissions by VW
diesel vehicles had the scandal. The manipulation experienced
recently by VW at CO2 values play a minor role for CARB so far.
Nichols believes that, due to other admission tests in the United
States, the most CO2 information are correct. "About the
misstatement of the CO2 VW I learned only from the press", said
Nichols. In the previous tests, CO2 had played no role. "We look
at certainly also this data manipulation", so Nichols. "But there
will be other than throw the nitrogen oxides, probably no whole
new round of testing, as far as I can currently see that."
http://www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/auto/kalifornische-umweltbehoerde-carb-vw-bislang-einziger-hersteller-mit-betrugssoftware/12566090.html


Chairwoman of the California Environmental Protection Agency
sharply criticized VW. Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California
Environmental Protection Agency, "California Air Resources Board"
(CARB), harshly criticized the handling of Volkswagen exhaust
amid the scandal. The group have since become aware of the
scandal from the perspective of the authority do not adequately
responding, she said in an interview with the WirtschaftsWoche.
"Volkswagen has not properly dealing with the scandal from my
point of view", Nichols said. "They have made provisions for the
financial damage and have launched an investigation. It thereby
comes them across well to represent the shareholders. "But I
don't think that they have recognized the true extent of the
damage which has already been set." Volkswagen to realize that
with the emissions-related environmental and health damage and
present now real solutions to the problems of emissions is
crucial from the point of view of authority,: "California
nitrogen oxides from cars are a main cause for the particulate
matter and ozone pollution", says Nichols. "Every additional gram
nitrogen oxides increased the health burden of our citizens.
Volkswagen has acknowledged that in any way or made efforts to
solve the problem."
http://www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/auto/vw-skandal-chefin-der-kalifornischen-umweltbehoerde-kritisiert-vw-scharf/12553464.html


 LUMBER LIQUIDATORS

From Trees to Tigers, Case Shows Cost of Illegal Logging.
Historic fine against U.S. retailer Lumber Liquidators is a
strike against an illicit industry that’s devastating forests—and
rare tigers—in eastern Russia. Lumber Liquidators’ ads are hard
to miss. They’re bright yellow and boast of the hardwood floor
retailer’s low prices in loud black letters.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151110-timber-russian-far-east-illegal-logging-siberia/


BLOGS

ExxonMobil's war against climate scientists. It is time for
ExxonMobil to come clean about the war it waged against climate
scientists and their work during the George W. Bush presidency,
part of its efforts to stop the regulation of greenhouse gas
emissions that affect its products. The company is currently
under investigation following accusations that its senior
management has known for several decades that burning fossil
fuels is the main driver of climate change…
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/259628-exxonmobils-war-against-climate-scientists


Don’t weaken the RFS. For over a century, we have seen fossil
fuels pollute our environment, damage our climate, and spew toxic
chemicals into the air we breathe. Unfortunately, our most
vulnerable communities are hit the hardest from this pollution.
Poor air quality affects urban areas and communities of color
disproportionately. 
To combat the problem, Congress created America’s Renewable Fuel
Standard (RFS) in 2005.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/259614-dont-weaken-the-rfs




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