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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 17, 2015
Posted: 17 Dec 2015 12:31:24
****My apologies, Today's ARB Newsclips that were sent out are for December 17, 2015, not December 16, 2015.**** Thank you 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 Janice Hahn calls for independent oversight of Port of L.A.'s anti-pollution efforts. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-San Pedro) is throwing her support behind the demands of harbor-area residents calling for independent oversight of the Port of Los Angeles after its failure to impose air quality improvements at one of its busiest shipping terminals. "It is incredibly troubling that the Port of Los Angeles has failed to carry out court-mandated pollution reduction measures… http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-1217-hahn-20151217-story.html Stricter pollution controls approved for Bay Area oil refineries. The Bay Area's clean air board adopted three new rules Wednesday designed to cut air pollution from the region's oil refineries by 14 percent in the first part of a new push to make the plants run cleaner. Much to the disappointment of environmentalists, however… http://www.insidebayarea.com/business-headlines/ci_29264306/stricter-pollution-controls-approved-bay-area-oil-refineries Smog alert: Will Chinese buy clean Canadian air for $14 a bottle? Highlighting the country's foul air crisis, a Canadian company is peddling bottled fresh air in China. In China, a nation plagued by air pollution, Canadian entrepreneurs have begun selling bottled clean air. "Essentially we're selling air," Troy Paquette, one of the co-founders of Vitality Air, told CBC News. "Clean, beautiful, fresh Banff mountain air." http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2015/1216/Smog-alert-Will-Chinese-buy-clean-Canadian-air-for-14-a-bottle Lawmakers seek 2-year 'pause' on EPA ozone standard. U.S. EPA would have to freeze implementation of its new ozone standard for up to two years until completion of a study on how air pollution from other countries affects the United States under a bipartisan bill introduced yesterday by Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) and three other House members. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2015/12/17/stories/1060029640 EPA is urged at hearing to toughen cross-state rule. U.S. EPA must go beyond its currently proposed changes to its Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), a handful of speakers urged at a brief public hearing this morning. The proposal unveiled last month is designed to reduce power plant emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) that waft across state lines and contribute to the creation of ozone. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029692 CLIMATE CHANGE New York’s Tropical December Days: Climate Change or El Nino? After a year that has seen a record number of powerful typhoons and hurricanes, unprecedented snow in Boston and what will probably be a new high for global warmth, the terms weather, climate and climate change are being thrown around freely. So what’s actually the difference? http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NZGN5Q6K50Y001-0FL7BE77GDQTHE45KBHDIRAMS8 Climate change: Greenland Ice Sheet is shrinking at high rate. The Greenland Ice Sheet has lost about 9,013 gigatonnes of water ice from 1900 to 2010 – and it’s dropping mass today at an increasing rate, an international team of scientists say. From 2003 to 2010, the ice sheet lost mass at a rate more than twice the rate during the entire 20th century, a new study shows. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-greenland-ice-sheet-20151216-story.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029655 Climate change activists are just warming up. Even as it became clear that a historic climate agreement could be reached in France, activists were organizing protests deep into next year, some liberal political leaders were pledging to go beyond whatever goals the agreement might yield and diplomats, scientists and consultants were planning the next global summit. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sej-climate-after-paris-20151215-story.html November was record-warm month for globe, extending streak. Last month was the globe's warmest November on record, the seventh consecutive month to reach a new high. A climate update Thursday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also noted a record-warm average temperature for January… http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/17/november-was-record-warm-month-for-globe/#sthash.KG15VZGN.dpuf Republican trio offers bill to prevent EPA carbon limits. A trio of Wisconsin Republicans this week introduced legislation aimed at limiting U.S. EPA's ability to issue further regulations over greenhouse gas emissions. The bill, H.R. 4259, would prohibit EPA from putting in place or enforcing any limits on aggregate carbon dioxide emissions from a state. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2015/12/17/stories/1060029646 DROUGHT Drought Improves In California, Pacific Northwest. The U.S. Drought Monitor released December 17 shows that recent storms have brought improvement in drought conditions in California and other parts of the western U.S. Although the precipitation is not building up snowpack as much as expected for this time of year. "Another stormy week was experienced across most of the region… http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/12/17/drought-improves-in-california,-pacific-northwest/ New study casts doubt on climate link to El Niño. A new study is challenging conventional predictions of El Niño weather patterns. The study, published Dec. 14 in Nature Geoscience, finds that the El Niño pattern -- a warming in the equatorial Pacific Ocean associated with wet weather on the West Coast -- may be less influenced by large-scale climate trends than currently assumed. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029652 FUELS Expected Repeal of Oil Export Ban Unlikely to Have Immediate Impact. Ever since the 1970s, when international oil boycotts threatened the American economy and produced around-the-block waiting lines at gasoline stations, a ban on oil exports has been at the heart of national energy policy. Now, if a congressional deal holds up and President Obama agrees as is expected, that policy is about to be reversed. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/business/energy-environment/expected-repeal-of-oil-export-ban-unlikely-to-have-immediate-impact.html?ref=energy-environment Iowa voters have given up on ethanol; presidential candidates are following suit. fortunes of the wonder fuel that promised to help clean the environment, secure America and save small family farms have steadily dwindled as environmentalists, food advocates and auto enthusiasts sour on its promise. Now that fuel, corn-based ethanol, finds itself threatened with a defection that was once unthinkable: Iowa voters. http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-ethanol-iowa-campaign-20151217-story.html Sea-Tac, Boeing, Alaska Air partnership hopes to take biofuels into mainstream. The use of aviation biofuels could go more mainstream as the result of a joint effort by Boeing, Alaska Airlines and the Port of Seattle. On Wednesday the three organizations signed an agreement to study how biofuels could be incorporated into the nation's 13th busiest airport's fuel system in five to six years. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2015/12/17/sea-tac-boeing-alaska-air-partnership-hopes-take-biofuels-into-mainstream/77472600/ Pickup, SUV revival stalls U.S. automakers' progress on mileage. Americans have flocked back to pickups and SUVs as gasoline prices have fallen, and that's slowing U.S. automakers' progress on fuel economy targets, according to new data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. fleet of passenger cars and light… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/automakers-355364-ocprint-fuel-epa.html MISO says gas prices will have big impact on Clean Power Plan costs. The cost impact of U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan within the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's 15-state footprint ranges from a few billion dollars to more than $100 billion over the next two decades, according to an initial analysis by the grid operator. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029637 ConocoPhillips CEO sees lower prices, climate action as industry's new normal. If oil prices get too high, they'll fall right back down again, the head of ConocoPhillips Co. said yesterday. That's why Ryan Lance, CEO of the U.S. onshore giant, sees prices stabilizing well beneath the $100-plus-per-barrel levels of yore. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029651 VEHICLES Saab successor Nevs signs $12 billion China electric car deal. National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs), which bought the assets of bankrupt Saab Automobile, announced a 78-billion-yuan ($12 billion) deal on Thursday to supply 150,000 electric cars to Chinese leasing firm Panda New Energy. The agreement marks a big breakthrough for Nevs, which bought Saab's assets in 2012… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nevs-panda-electric-vehicles-idUSKBN0U01QB20151217?feedType=RSS&feedName=innovationNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fdeals+%28Reuters+Deals+News%29 http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/technology/article50227670.html#storylink=cpy Trucks Hit Record 20.4 MPG, EPA Says; Carmakers Are Ahead Of Emissions Standards. Fuel economy is at record highs and carmakers have surpassed strict greenhouse gas emissions standards for the third straight year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which released a pair of annual reports about the U.S. fleet of cars and trucks Wednesday. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/16/459996497/trucks-hit-record-20-4-mpg-epa-says-carmakers-are-ahead-of-emissions-standards Speeding up the hydrogen highway. Drivers are seeing more hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on the road, but refueling stations for those vehicles are still few and far between. This is about to change, and one reason is a new testing device being validated at California refueling stations that will greatly accelerate station commissioning. https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/news_releases/hystep_hydrogen/#.VnH08E3luUl Most Fuel-Efficient Maker Does It Without Plugs Or Hybrids. The most fuel-efficient automaker in the U.S. doesn't sell a single hybrid car, let alone battery-electric cars or plug-in hybrids. In fact, it currently doesn't have any vehicles with electrified powertrains in its whole U.S. lineup. That's because the company in question is Mazda, which is notably improving efficiency across its lineup through refinements to internal-combustion engines alone. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101461_most-fuel-efficient-maker-does-it-without-plugs-or-hybrids More 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Sketches Before Hybrid, Electric Cars Debut. Last week, the Hyundai Ioniq name was confirmed for the Korean carmaker's upcoming Prius-fighting five-door hatchback. The Ioniq lineup will include hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric variants of the compact car built on the underpinnings of the new Elantra sedan. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101452_more-2017-hyundai-ioniq-sketches-before-hybrid-electric-cars-debut Formula E Electric-Car Racing Series Gains Jaguar As Contender. Jaguar Land Rover is the latest carmaker to enter the Formula E electric-car racing series. The British luxury manufacturer says its Jaguar brand will join the series for its third season, which begins next fall. In discussing its entry, Jaguar said it hoped to gain technical experience with electric powertrains that could be applied to future production cars. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101431_formula-e-electric-car-racing-series-gains-jaguar-as-contender VW RECALL Volkswagen chief appoints new top management team. Volkswagen's chief executive Matthias Mueller named his new management team on Thursday, including the replacement for the group's research and development chief who left earlier this month as a result of the diesel emissions scandal. Under the overhaul the number of top managers reporting to the CEO almost halves. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-managers-idUSKBN0U01BD20151217 GREEN ENERGY Britain follows Paris deal with cuts to green subsidies. Britain cut more renewable energy subsidies on Thursday, putting jobs at risk and drawing criticism for losing credibility in tackling climate change, a week after the landmark deal in Paris. Britain's Conservative government has been reining in spending on all renewables subsidies… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-solar-idUSKBN0U01SV20151217?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews Solar power has lots of headroom to make it stronger, cheaper and global. On paper, the amount of sunlight hitting the Earth in one hour could fulfill humanity's energy needs for a year, an equation that's hard to ignore. However, harnessing more of this vast potential remains a major challenge, since the sun has to compete with coal, oil and natural gas… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029627 White House says climate pact will unleash private cash in clean energy. A top adviser to President Obama predicted yesterday that the global climate accord reached in Paris five days ago would have "a profound impact" on private investments in clean energy, resulting in cheaper technologies able to compete with fossil fuels. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029630 Renewable industry hails extensions of tax credits. Renewable energy industry leaders praised congressional budget writers' omnibus spending and tax extenders package yesterday, saying it gives new life to tax credits that have helped sustain a boom in U.S. wind and solar power over the past eight years. The two tax measures, known as the production tax credit (PTC) for onshore wind energy… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/12/17/stories/1060029634 MISCELLANEOUS California Supreme Court to decide environmental law's scope. The California Supreme Court is set to decide whether public agencies must evaluate the impact of air pollution and other existing environmental problems on future residents of a proposed development. Builders say a requirement to consider the environment's impact on a development could force them into expensive mitigation measures… http://www.fresnobee.com/news/state/california/article50256280.html#storylink=cpy Air Pollution Control District Names New Director. The county’s Air Pollution Control District board is expected to approve Aeron Arlin-Genet as its new director during Thursday’s meeting. Arlin-Genet worked for San Luis Obispo’s APCD for 15 years and for the Western States Petroleum Association for six, according to her LinkedIn page. She also heads the Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition and the area’s chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. http://www.independent.com/news/2015/dec/17/air-pollution-control-district-names-new-director/ OPINIONS Advice for Volkswagen: Being Green Is Profitable. To the Editor: While “Cleaning Up After Volkswagen” (editorial, nytimes.com, Dec. 7) focuses on why Volkswagen continues to try to deceive regulators and the public on the level of pollution emitted by its cars, I’m more baffled about why a company as sophisticated as Volkswagen didn’t understand in the first place that sustainability is a business imperative today. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/opinion/advice-for-volkswagen-being-green-is-profitable.html?_r=0 Climate change is indeed a cause of social conflict. First Bernie Sanders said “climate change was directly related to the growth of terrorism.” Then Prince Charles said drought was the root cause of the Syrian conflict and current refugee crisis. Pundits everywhere leaped at the opportunity to say both claims were wrong. Who is right? We have been studying the possible link between climate and violence for years… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1217-hsiang-burke-climate-change-violence-20151217-story.html Scrap, don't replicate, California's climate policy. Roughly 40 representatives from California joined leaders from around the world at the recently concluded U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Paris. Political elites from around the globe reached a universal agreement to fight global warming. The California delegation traveled to France to showcase the Golden State as a model of progressive climate policy… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-696363-energy-people.html Pollution on the rise. We all know that global warming and climate change are on the rise, but one other thing that we look past is pollution. In recent years, there have been many things that have led to the rise of air, soil and water pollution. According to CNN.com, in China, there have been thousands of deaths since 1997 because of industrial air pollution as China grows economically. http://highschool.latimes.com/verdugo-hills-high-school/pollution-on-the-rise/ Mailbag: Orange County needs desalinated water. As a diverse coalition of Orange County organizations supporting the development of all kinds of new local water for the county, we applaud San Diego for its foresight in establishing a seawater desalination plant in Carlsbad capable of providing the region with 50 million gallons a day of local drought-proof water. http://www.latimes.com/socal/hb-independent/opinion/tn-hbi-me-1217-mailbag-20151216-story.html Guest commentary: Environmental justice takes place in world leadership. Recently, members from Asian Pacific Environmental Network and other community-based organizations gathered in Paris at the U.N. climate conference to demand strong international agreements that protect and benefit the people most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_29265463/guest-commentary-environmental-justice-takes-place-world-leadership Are diesel SUVs the real cause of pollution... The recent ban imposed by the Supreme Court on the sale of diesel SUVs and passenger cars with an engine capacity of 2000cc and more in the NCR region, has evoked strong reactions. I am completely committed to reduction of pollution and improving the air quality in Delhi and other cities of India and something surely needs to be done to correct this. But what? http://overdrive.in/opinions/are-diesel-suvs-the-real-cause-of-pollution/ BLOGS Too Big to Succeed? The United Nations climate talks in Paris, also known as COP21, carried a distinct air of excitement along with a desperate quest for something big, monumental, epic, and transformative. We saw events with big names, big venues, big businesses, big rhetoric. This was in large part due to the enormity of the task at hand: Finalize a global accord that mobilizes international action against arguably the largest threat to humankind and the planet. http://greenlining.org/blog/2015/too-big-to-succeed/ 12 steps to climate sobriety. The nations of the world have unanimously agreed, 195 to zero, that climate change is a major problem, that human activities are a major cause and that it's high time to do something about it. Those debates are now over globally, although some American politicians have yet to notice. http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/263551-12-steps-to-climate-sobriety California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.