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ARB Newsclips for January 13, 2016. 

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

Calif. energy producers split on cap and trade's appropriateness.
Some California energy companies are pushing back on the state's
plan to use its cap-and-trade program as the main tool for
compliance with U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan. In public comments
filed in response to the state's plan to demonstrate that its
power plant emissions will meet EPA's emissions targets…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/01/13/stories/1060030521 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Researchers: Small Colorado glacier could melt in 20 years. A
small glacier in the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado, could
disappear in about 20 years because of regional climate warming
and drought, and similar thawing could be underway elsewhere in
Colorado's high country, researchers said Tuesday. A severe
drought and high temperatures in the early 2000s caused a rapid
loss of ice…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MELTING_COLORADO_GLACIER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


In pitiful animal die-offs across the globe — from antelopes to
bees to seabirds — climate change may be culprit. On the chilly
shores of Alaska’s Prince William Sound, tens of thousands of
battered bird carcasses are washing up. The birds, all members of
a species known as the common murre, appear to have starved to
death, wildlife officials said Tuesday.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/13/how-climate-change-could-be-contributing-to-animal-die-offs/


Drivers may pay for next step in fight against climate change.
U.S. drivers may soon see a new expense at some gas pumps: the
cost of taking the global-warming fight on the road. New York and
four other states are exploring ways to put a price on the air
pollution spewing from cars, trucks, trains and other vehicles --
the source of more than a third of greenhouse- gas emissions in
the northeastern U.S.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-autos-climate-ab051cf8-b93f-11e5-85cd-5ad59bc19432-20160112-story.html


Cutting diesel pollution puts climate change target at risk, says
VW UK chief. Boss of carmaker that cheated on tests of toxic NOx
emissions downplays impact of scandal and says diesel vehicles
needed to reduce CO2 levels. Taking too many diesel cars off the
road because they have been blamed for Europe’s air pollution
problems would risk the industry missing its climate change
targets, the boss of Volkswagen UK has warned.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/13/cutting-diesel-pollution-puts-climate-change-target-at-risk-says-vw-uk-chief


2015 was hottest year on record. Last year was the hottest year
on record for the planet, according to a new report from the
organization Berkeley Earth. For the first time in recorded
history, the Earth's temperature is clearly more than 1.8 degrees
Fahrenheit above the 1850-1900 average. 2015 was approximately
0.2 degrees F hotter than 2014, which had tied with 2005 and 2010
as the previous hottest years, the report says.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=29776 

Amber Rudd promises new climate plan by the end of 2016. Plan
will give full details of government's new policy approach, Rudd
tells business leaders. The UK's new emissions reduction plan is
expected to arrive at "the end of the year", energy and climate
change secretary Amber Rudd told business leaders yesterday.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2441681/amber-rudd-promises-new-climate-plan-by-the-end-of-2016


IMF calls for carbon levy on ships and planes. The International
Monetary Fund is calling for a carbon tax on aviation and
shipping2 to help deliver global climate goals.
A charge of US$30 a tonne on carbon dioxide embedded in
international transport fuels could have raised US$25 billion in
2014, the influential Washington DC-based body estimates.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/01/12/imf-carbon-tax-on-aviation-and-shipping/


Obama leans forward on climate, calls to revamp coal. President
Obama tied climate change to soaring economic hope rather than
damaging catastrophes in his final State of the Union address,
delivered to a nation that remains gripped with partisan rancor
over the basis for climbing temperatures. He only indirectly
mentioned the global agreement…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/13/stories/1060030535 

IMF calls for pricing carbon in wake of global climate deal. The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants the world to respond to a
landmark new climate change agreement by pricing carbon
emissions. In a report released this week, the global finance
organization argued that the most efficient way for countries to
make good on the carbon reductions…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/13/stories/1060030516 

New research sees CO2 savings in next-generation biofuels.
Cellulosic biofuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- but
not as much as ecologists have predicted.
For the first time, researchers have combined economic and
ecological modeling to estimate the emissions savings from
increasing production of second-generation biofuels…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/13/stories/1060030513 

Melting icebergs may be helping to trap carbon. In a surprising
discovery, researchers have found that nutrient-rich waters shed
by large melting icebergs give rise to phytoplankton blooms that
help to store millions of metric tons of carbon every year.
Phytoplankton blooms are green in color because they are made of
algae that contain chlorophyll and are able to photosynthesize.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/13/stories/1060030518 

Soil on stones reveals climate change secrets. Deposits of soil
gathered by stones and rocks over thousands of years may reveal
more about past climate than scientists have been able to extract
until now, new research finds. A study published this week in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences yielded 120,000
years of climate history…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/13/stories/1060030536 

FUELS

Crude Falls Below $30 a Barrel for the First Time in 12 Years.
Oil dropped below $30 a barrel in New York for the first time in
12 years on concern that turmoil in China’s markets will curb
fuel demand. West Texas Intermediate crude tumbled to the lowest
since December 2003. Concerns that China’s economic growth may
slow has soured investors on the prospects for a quick recovery,
turning hedge funds the least bullish in five years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-12/wti-oil-falls-below-30-for-first-time-since-dec-2003


Methane leak from broken Porter Ranch gas well slows. The amount
of methane leaking from the broken Southern California Gas Co.
well above Porter Ranch has been steadily decreasing, a new state
air sampling shows. The levels are now 60 percent below a peak
level in late November, according to a posting on the California
Air Resources Board website.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201601122118KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_61581_39819-1


State senator aims to prevent another Porter Ranch gas leak. 
State Sen. Fran Pavley announced Monday that she plans to
introduce bills that would put on hold using old gas wells for
production at the Aliso Canyon storage facility and streamline
state agencies' efforts to remedy natural gas leaks. The
proposals are part of a package of bills Pavley, D-Agoura Hills,
intends to introduce…
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201601122118KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_21412_38671-1

L.A. County supervisors want report on proposed legislation in
response to Porter Ranch gas leak. Angered by state agencies that
have "gone to sleep" and "turned a blind eye" in response to a
massive natural gas leak above Porter Ranch, the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday requested a report from
the county's CEO on proposed state legislation to ramp up
reaction.
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201601130917KRTRIB__BUSNEWS_53946_46088-1


Oil dips below $30 a barrel, lowest level in 12 years. The
relentless slide in oil prices, which hit 12-year lows Tuesday,
is having only mixed results in helping California drivers save
at the gas pump, analysts said. Gasoline prices in the state have
fallen from peaks reached last July. But because of California’s
unique gasoline market…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil-prices-20160112-story.html
 

Report on 2015 Torrance ExxonMobil refinery blast to be unveiled.
A blast at a California refinery could have been much worse if
debris from the explosion had pierced a nearby tank holding tens
of thousands of pounds of a toxic acid, according to an
independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial
chemical accidents.
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20160113/report-on-2015-torrance-exxonmobil-refinery-blast-to-be-unveiled

VEHICLE

BAIC Predicts 35-Fold Surge in Electric Car Sales on State Push.
BAIC Group, the automaker owned by the Beijing municipal
government, may boost its electric-vehicle sales by as much as
35-fold by 2020, helped by government incentives and investments
in charging infrastructure, according to a senior executive. The
automaker’s EV sales may more than double to 55,000 units this
year from 20,000 last year…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O0VE686TTDST01-3707CLJK70N7RTGQHFT1COQMLT

VW RECALL

VW Meeting With EPA on Diesel Emissions Ends After an Hour.
Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Matthias Mueller met with EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy for about an hour Wednesday, as the
German carmaker discussed revamped proposals to overcome a diesel
emissions-cheating scandal. Mueller pulled out from the EPA
courtyard in a black Audi sedan without commenting on the
meeting.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/vw-meeting-with-epa-on-diesel-emissions-scandal-lasts-an-hour


VW CEO Faces Crucial Meeting After California Board Rejects Fix.
Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Matthias Muellerfaces a
crucial meeting Wednesday with U.S. regulators to discuss ways
out of the emissions-cheating crisis, a day after the California
Air Resources Board rejected its initial proposed engine fix.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O0UR7BSYF02701-2IOM6LKJCDJ3D8J6HDS2VSDOUP


Environmental Agencies Reject VW's Plan For Recall Over
Emissions. The California Air Resources Board has rejected
Volkswagen's plan to recall cars with 2-liter diesel engines that
trick emissions tests, saying the company's plan is incomplete.
The Environmental Protection Agency says it concurs. The move
comes one week after the EPA filed a civil complaint against VW
in federal court over…
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/12/462805477/environmental-agencies-reject-vws-plan-for-recall-over-emissions?sc=tw


California Just Rejected VW's Plan to Fix Its 2-Liter Engines. 
Watchdog’s scathing language shows how big VW’s problem has
become. Matthias Müller’s trip to the U.S. just went from bad to
worse. The California Air Resources Board late Tuesday said it
had rejected Volkswagen’s proposed fix for bringing its 2-liter
diesel engines into line with emission limits.
http://fortune.com/2016/01/13/california-just-rejected-vws-plan-to-fix-its-2-liter-engines/


California Rejects VW Diesel Fix Plan: 'Gaps,' 'Lacks Detail'. It
seems owners of Volkswagen diesel cars equipped with illegal
"defeat device" software will have to wait longer for a recall to
update their cars. The plan submitted by VW in November to modify
its 2.0-liter four-cylinder TDI diesel models has been rejected
by the regulatory agencies that must approve those fixes.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101854_california-rejects-vw-diesel-fix-plan-gaps-lacks-detail


GREEN ENERGY

Wind Energy Companies Grab Solar Contracts in India’s Auctions.
Two wind energy companies in India have bagged solar projects
worth a more than a quarter of the total capacity on offer from
the country’s largest auction to date. Wind power producer Mytrah
Energy Ltd. won a contract for 327 megawatts of solar capacity in
the southern state of Telangana, which issued a tender in April
2015 for as much as 2,000 megawatts. 
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O0W05B6S972F01-7BLHO11AR2LACB1FN4KI5M8LDP

Development Bank of Japan to Create $423 Million Wind Power Fund.
The Development Bank of Japan and Japan Wind Development Co. will
create the nation’s first fund for wind power, the companies
announced on Wednesday. The companies aim to introduce the 50
billion yen ($423 million) joint fund in April, according to a
statement.
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O0VQEC6S972801-0AP76S541EJNKR7M6LOJVG6HNO


Enel Green Power enters German renewables market. Enel Green
Power has taken its first step into the German renewable energy
market by buying a 78.6 percent stake in Bavaria-based Erdwärme
Oberland GmbH, the Italian company said on Wednesday.  
"This acquisition is very significant because it opens the door
for Enel Green Power to a major, stable renewable energy market
such as Germany…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFI6N0WS00A20160113


MISCELLANEOUS

Democrats vs. Democrats: Assembly moderates face challenges. In a
sign of growing tension among California Democrats, at least two
Assembly incumbents face unusual intraparty election challenges
this year as liberal and moderate interests compete for leverage
over environmental policy in a Legislature the party firmly
controls.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article54362740.html#storylink=cpy


OPINIONS

LA county official: The disastrous gas leak in LA is a 'mini
Chernobyl'. It's been a staggering 81 days and counting since a
natural gas well in a quiet, hilly town in northern Los Angeles
began uncontrollably spewing hundreds of millions of pounds of
methane — a potent greenhouse gas — into the sky. California Gov.
Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency there on January 6,
2016.
http://www.businessinsider.com/methane-gas-leak-chernobyl-los-angeles-porter-ranch-2016-1


BLOGS

A Massive Solar Power Plant Is Taking Shape in the Sahara Desert.
Construction for the first phase of Morocco’s Noor 1 power plant
is nearing completion. Once complete in 2020, the solar farm will
be the largest of its kind in the world. But even now, the
plant’s half-million solar mirrors are already visible from
space. There’s no question that solar power is the future, an
energy trend that’s fueling the development of massive solar
farms in such places as California….
http://gizmodo.com/watch-a-massive-solar-power-plant-take-shape-in-the-sah-1752261396


Why grasslands can bring in the green for growers. Next week,
hundreds of ranchers, landowners, land trusts, and environmental
groups will gather in Stockton, California, for the California
Rangeland Conservation Coalition’s annual summit. The event isn’t
new, but the enthusiasm from attendees is unprecedented and
palpable.
http://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2016/01/13/why-grasslands-can-bring-in-the-green-for-growers/?utm_source=Robert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cm



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