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ARB Newsclips for January 14, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

EU Parliament delays vote on car pollution limits. European
Parliament delayed on Thursday a vote on whether new car
pollution testing rules are too lax, as the biggest political
group argued rejecting a draft law could further postpone the
introduction of stricter rules.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-eu-idUSKCN0US1DN20160114

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/car-pollution-rules-hang-in-balance-as-eu-lawmakers-delay-vote


Southeast Asia Burns Up the Ranks of Global Polluters. Carbon
dioxide emissions from fossil fuels rose 227% from 1990 to 2010.
As Southeast Asian economies boomed last decade, so did their
pollution. The region's emissions of carbon dioxide grew more
rapidly between 1990 and 2010 than any other part of the world,
with the Asian Development Bank warning the associated global
warming could trigger floods…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/southeast-asia-burns-up-the-ranks-of-global-polluters


Global mercury emissions down 30 percent as coal use drops: USGS.
Global emissions of mercury from manmade sources fell 30 percent
from 1990 to 2010, in part from decreasing use of coal, the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) reported on Wednesday. The greatest
decline of the toxic pollutant was in Europe and North America,
offsetting increases in Asia…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mercury-idUSKCN0UR2T320160113


Shanghai Smog Prompts Warnings for Kids, Elderly to Stay Indoors.
Shanghai warned children and the elderly to remain indoors today
as pollution levels in China’s commercial hub rose. The city’s
air was “heavily polluted,” the second worst on a 6-grade scale,
the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center said on its website.
The concentration of PM2.5 particles -- considered the most
hazardous to people’s health…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/shanghai-warns-children-elderly-to-stay-indoors-on-heavy-smog


Wood-burning ban in effect across Southern California.  An alert
banning burning wood in Inland fireplaces – both indoor and
outdoor – has been extended to today by the South Coast Air
Quality Management District in many parts of the Inland Empire. 
It's the second day the ban has been in effect. The no-burn
prohibition also applies to manufactured fire logs, such as those
made from wax or paper.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wood-699826-burn-air.html 

‘Plume chaser’ researchers fan out across San Fernando Valley to
map reach of Porter Ranch gas leak. Nathan Phillips and Bob
Ackley cruised by the leaking gas field in Porter Ranch, then
dropped their gaze to a portable wind and methane monitor. It
flashed 3.4 parts per billion – a methane level nearly twice the
level of natural clean air. A few days earlier it had read 127
ppm, or 67 times above normal.
http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20160114/plume-chaser-researchers-fan-out-across-san-fernando-valley-to-map-reach-of-porter-ranch-gas-leak


NY gov aims to phase out coal by 2020. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
(D) said Wednesday he aims to phase out coal-fired power plants
in the state by 2020. Cuomo announced the goal in his state of
the state address, pushing to bring more green energy to New York
and reduce its carbon pollution. "We will help the few remaining
coal plants transition but we must clean our air…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/265786-ny-gov-aims-to-phase-out-coal-by-2020


CLIMATE CHANGE

Danger ahead: migration, climate top risks for Davos leaders. We
live in an increasingly dangerous world, with political, economic
and environmental threats piling up, according to experts polled
by the World Economic Forum. Ahead of its annual meeting in Davos
next week, the group's 2016 Global Risks report on Thursday
ranked the migrant crisis as the biggest single risk in terms of
likelihood, while climate change…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-davos-meeting-risks-idUSKCN0US0WV20160114
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/climate-change-and-immigration-head-davos-list-of-global-risks


Global warming could stave off next ice age for 100,000 years.
Global warming is likely to disrupt a natural cycle of ice ages
and contribute to delaying the onset of the next big freeze until
about 100,000 years from now, scientists said on Wednesday. In
the past million years, the world has had about 10 ice ages
before swinging back to warmer conditions like the present.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-iceage-idUSKCN0UR2G320160113


Bay Area-wide tax aims to protect against rising sea levels.  Bay
Area voters will be asked in June to approve a $12 annual parcel
tax to protect and restore the San Francisco Bay shoreline and
wetlands from rising sea levels due to climate change. 
The proposed tax is believed to be the first to go on the ballot
in all nine Bay Area counties. It needs two-thirds approval to
pass.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29381010/san-francisco-bay-restoration-and-flood-control-tax


Climate change disaster is biggest threat to global economy in
2016, say experts. 
Global warming heads top economists’ concerns for first time but
large-scale forced migration seen as most likely risk to
materialize. A catastrophe caused by climate change is seen as
the biggest potential threat to the global economy in 2016…
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/14/climate-change-disaster-is-biggest-threat-to-global-economy-in-2016-say-experts


Greens call for climate review of oil, gas drilling program. An
assortment of green groups is asking the Obama administration to
review the environmental impact of onshore oil and gas drilling.
In a Thursday letter to President Obama, the groups said the
Interior Department should freeze all new leases for gas and oil
drilling on federal land while it assesses the climate change
implications of those activities.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/265898-greens-call-for-climate-review-of-oil-gas-leasing-program


DROUGHT

El Niño pushes Zambian farmers to question maize habit.
Forward-thinking farmers in drought-hit Zambia are planning to
trim the amount of maize they plant, switching to faster-growing
crops such as beans that can better survive erratic weather. "I
will have to stop growing maize and find other crops to sustain
our livelihood because we have had no rains this season," …
http://www.reuters.com/article/zambia-drought-agriculture-idUSL8N14W3XJ20160114


South Africa suffers driest year on record in 2015. South Africa
suffered its driest year on record in 2015, the national weather
service said on Thursday, as a drought that has threatened the
vital maize crop and hit economic growth showed no sign of
abating. Average rainfall was 403 mm, about a third less than the
608 mm annual average and the driest since records began in 1904,
the service added.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought-idUSKCN0US14T20160114


One of the early lessons of El Niño - catch that water. El
Niño-driven rainstorms can be captured for precious water
resources, or they can create millions of dollars of damage to
cities, businesses and homeowners. It just depends on timing.
When the first storms dumped several inches of rain on Southern
California last week, water coursed off the driveways…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-699831-county-rain.html

Exceptional Drought Eases In Northern California. The U.S.
Drought Monitor released January 14 showed a slight improvement
in one category of drought in California. But the weekly report
noted that recovery will be slow after more than three-years of
drought. "In California, even with the rain and snow received
over the last several weeks…
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/01/14/exceptional-drought-eases-in-northern-california/


After Two Years, Final Round Of Drought Aid Distributed. It turns
out “emergency drought relief” can take up to two years to
distribute. On Wednesday, California regulators awarded the final
pieces of the $680 million drought aid package Gov. Jerry Brown
and state lawmakers approved in March 2014. As the harshness of
California’s drought first came into focus two years ago, the
state’s leaders scrambled to respond.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/01/13/two-years-later,-water-agencies-receive-final-round-of-emergency-drought-aid/


Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away. No Dent in Drought with Storms Mostly
Missing Reservoirs. Last week’s El Niño storms may have dumped
four inches of rain on the South Coast in relatively short order,
but Santa Barbara city water czar Joshua Haggmark said it wasn’t
nearly enough to generate runoff into either Lake Cachuma or the
city’s Gibraltar Reservoir. At least two more storms will be
necessary, he said, to even minimally replenish those desperately
diminished reservoirs.
http://www.independent.com/news/2016/jan/14/rain-rain-dont-go-away/


FUELS

Crude oil tumble hits Southeast Asia's biodiesel ambitions. The
world's top palm oil producers Indonesia and Malaysia may have to
curb plans to channel more of the commodity into biodiesel as
tumbling crude oil prices render the edible oil twice as
expensive as its fossil fuel alternative.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southeast-asia-biodiesel-idUSKCN0US0VX20160114


U.S. sees no relief from swelling oil glut until late 2017. The
global oil glut will swell until late 2017, the U.S. government
forecast on Tuesday in an outlook that offered little hope of
near-term relief for energy producers reeling from the collapse
of crude prices to 12-year lows around $30 a barrel. Increased
Iranian oil output should feed the global glut this year with the
expected lifting of Western sanctions on that country's exports…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eia-outlook-idUSKCN0UQ2BD20160113


VEHICLES

Audi Q8 h-Tron Quattro Concept Swaps In Hydrogen Fuel Cell For
e-Tron's Battery. Hot on the heels of the all-electric Audi
e-Tron Quattro Concept it revealed last fall, VW Group's luxury
brand Audi has released a second iteration of the same concept.
This one still has all four wheels powered by electric motors,
but the electricity to run them comes not from a large battery
pack but a hydrogen fuel cell.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101859_audi-q8-h-tron-quattro-concept-swaps-in-hydrogen-fuel-cell-for-e-trons-battery


Renault-Nissan CEO Ghosn Welcomes Bolt EV, More Electric-Car
Competitors. Five years ago, Nissan was the first carmaker to
launch a modern, mass-market electric car--and it's become the
world's leading maker of battery-electric cars. The Nissan Leaf
is the bestselling electric car in history, with around 200,000
sold globally. But now Nissan faces stiffer competition from an
expanding electric-car segment…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101868_renault-nissan-ceo-ghosn-welcomes-bolt-ev-more-electric-car-competitors


Cal Energy awards nearly $700K to Andromeda Power for smart
fast-charging system for EVs. The California Energy Commission
has awarded a $681,693 grant (Agreement EPC- 15-015) to Andromeda
Power, LLC to develop a smart, fast-charging system for electric
vehicles. The system will enhance the integration of plug-in
electric vehicles (PEVs) into the electricity grid using real
time monitors…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/01/20160114-andromeda.html 
 
VW RECALL

Renault Probe in France Is Rooted in Volkswagen's Diesel Scandal.
The French probe of Renault SA vehicles’ emissions has its roots
in the Volkswagen AG diesel scandal that has rocked the car world
since September. Government fraud investigators searched
Renault’s headquarters and two other offices, sparking fears of
scandal contagion and sending the French company’s shares down…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/renault-probe-in-france-is-rooted-in-volkswagen-s-diesel-scandal


Renault becomes latest subject of diesel-related investigations.
The French automaker's stock price took a big dip after a series
of police raids. Today is not a good day for Renault. After
reports of police raids on the French automaker's offices, the
company's stock price plunged more than 20 percent, removing the
equivalent of €5 billion ($5.45B) from the company's market
capitalization.
http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/renault-latest-subject-diesel-investigations/


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


EIB Suspends Loans to Volkswagen Pending Outcome of Diesel Probe.
The European Investment Bank has suspended loans to Volkswagen AG
while the German carmaker remains under investigation for
designing cars to cheat emissions testing, EIB President Werner
Hoyer told reporters in Brussels on Thursday. The EIB is
examining a 400 million-euro ($436 million) facility it awarded
to VW in 2009…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/eib-suspends-loans-to-volkswagen-pending-outcome-of-diesel-probe
 

U.S. says talks will continue to reach VW diesel emissions fix.
U.S. environmental officials said on Wednesday talks will
continue with Volkswagen aimed at reaching an agreement on a fix
for nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles that emit up to 40 times
legally allowable limits. Nearly four months after the emissions
scandal broke…
http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-idUSL2N14X1OE20160113


VW CEO's Bumpy U.S. Tour Fails to Win Over Regulators, Critics.
Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller’s visit to
the U.S. started with a bungled media interview in Detroit and
ended in Washington on Wednesday with only a terse
thanks-for-stopping-by message from regulators investigating the
cheating scandal set to cost it billions of dollars.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/vw-ceo-s-bumpy-u-s-tour-fails-to-win-over-regulators-critics


Moody's keeps negative outlook on VW after U.S. rejects fix.
Moody's maintained its negative outlook on Volkswagen after U.S.
authorities rejected the German carmaker's vehicle recall
proposals, the credit rating agency said on Thursday. The
California Air Resources Board (CARB) on Tuesday harshly rejected
VW's plan to fix 2.0 liter diesel cars equipped with software
capable of cheating U.S. emissions tests.
http://www.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-idUSFWN14X02320160114?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews


GREEN ENERGY

Solar and Wind Just Did the Unthinkable. Cheap oil and gas
couldn't stop another record year for renewables, or a turning
point for energy investment. The sun and the wind continue to
defy gravity. Renewables just finished another record-breaking
year, with more money invested ($329 billion) and more capacity
added (121 gigawatts) than ever before...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/solar-and-wind-just-did-the-unthinkable


Salesforce.com Buys Texas Wind Power in Second Clean Energy Deal.
Salesforce.com Inc. agreed to buy 24 megawatts of capacity from a
wind farm that EDF Renewable Energy is developing in Texas, a
deal that puts the software company on track to meeting its goal
of getting all its energy from renewable sources.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/salesforce-com-buys-texas-wind-power-in-second-clean-energy-deal


Canadian Solar, Goldwind, Juwi Compete for Australia Solar Funds.
Renewable energy companies from Canada, China and Europe are
among those seeking funds to develop about A$1.68 billion ($1.2
billion) in large solar plants in Australia amid forecasts for
costs to halve by the end of the decade.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/canadian-solar-goldwind-juwi-compete-for-australia-solar-funds


Abu Dhabi's Masdar to Double Solar, Wind Power in Middle East.
Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Masdar plans to invest in renewable
energy projects from the U.A.E. to Morocco to double its power
generation capacity from solar and wind plants within a decade to
meet rising demand in the region, Chief Executive Officer Ahmad
Belhoul said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/abu-dhabi-s-masdar-to-double-solar-wind-power-in-middle-east


AES Completes 10-Megawatt Energy Storage System in Netherlands.
AES Corp., a U.S. power producer with operations in 18 countries,
completed a 10-megawatt energy storage system in the Netherlands
that will improve stability on the local power grid.
The Advancion Energy Storage system comprises tens of thousands
of lithium-ion batteries similar to the ones in electric vehicles
such as Tesla Motors Inc. …
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/aes-completes-10-megawatt-energy-storage-system-in-netherlands


Colorado acknowledged for fuel cell use and development. The U.S.
Department of Energy has released a new report praising Colorado
for its clean technology industries.
The Denver Post reports (http://dpo.st/230RIZb ) the 2015 report
on the growth of fuel cells as an alternative source says
Colorado is "fast becoming a hot bed of energy and clean
technology industries."
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article54633470.html#storylink=cpy


Panel denies requests to pause rooftop solar-rate hike. Nevada
energy regulators won't pause a controversial rate hike for
rooftop solar customers, in spite of hours of pleas from hundreds
of solar energy users, a supportive tweet from presidential
candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and even a cameo from a movie star.
The Nevada Public Utility Commission voted unanimously Wednesday
to reject requests to put a stay on new rates…
http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/celebrities/article54435975.html#storylink=cpy


EPA to hear more views on program rewarding early action. U.S.
EPA is offering another bite at the apple for anyone wanting to
weigh in on a program to reward states for installing wind, solar
and energy efficiency in low-income communities in the two years
before the Clean Power Plan compliance period begins.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/01/14/stories/1060030596 

MISCELLANEOUS

Alex becomes first Atlantic hurricane to form in January since
1938.  Amazingly, in the dead of winter, a rare hurricane is
swirling in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Alex, which was named a
Subtropical Storm on Wednesday, has steadily strengthened over
the past day and is making history as an extraordinarily rare
January hurricane. The National Hurricane Center says Alex is the
first Atlantic hurricane to form in January since 1938.
(Hurricane Alice of 1955 first formed in late December, but
lasted into January.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/13/its-january-and-a-tropical-storm-has-formed-in-the-atlantic-ocean/


OPINIONS

Climate Change Has Saved the Planet. For Now. Good news: Don't
expect an ice age for 100,000 years. Bad news: Global warming is
still a problem. Warm temperatures across North America last
month had some bemoaning bare slopes and a brown Christmas.
Shouldn't it be colder, many asked? In truth, much. Climate
scientists have been asking the same thing for a significantly
longer period of time.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/climate-change-has-saved-the-planet-for-now-


Cheap Gasoline Will Kill The Electric Car Again. One of the
enduring myths of the past decade was that the U.S. automobile
industry was threatened with bankruptcy because it failed to
anticipate the shift to more efficient cars. The argument is
especially promoted by electric vehicle advocates who want to
divert the discussion from the role of gasoline prices in
determining the demand for fuel efficiency…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2016/01/14/will-low-gasoline-prices-whipsaw-the-auto-industry-again/#2715e4857a0b647f22e25e7e


BLOGS

The Tesla Way. My husband Rod and I are electric car aficionados,
for all the obvious environmental reasons. Rod had his first
custom electric car built in the early 1990s. It was a Porsche
914 with the gas engine and components removed and replaced with
golf cart batteries. A gas car conversion like the
"voltsporsche," as was emblazoned on its side, was the only
electric auto option for its time…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gloria-duffy/the-tesla-way_b_8973740.html


The Effects of Climate Change On Coral Reefs and Women at Jacques
Cousteau's Underwater Reserve, Guadeloupe.  About 25% of the
world's fish (over 4,000 species!) live on coral reefs, and they
provide more than 450 million people with food and income. Reefs
create islands through the accumulation of sand and sediment,
providing homes to people, birds, and turtles…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-advice-project/the-effects-of-climate-ch_b_8973698.html



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