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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.

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