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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 9, 2016.

Posted: 09 Feb 2016 13:52:41
ARB Newsclips for February 9, 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

New study links traffic-related air pollution to facial dark
spots. A large-scale study that included women from Germany and
China has demonstrated a link between levels of traffic-related
air pollution and air pollution-associated gases with the
formation of dark spots on the skin, known as lentigenes, or
liver spots. The most pronounced changes were observed on the
cheeks of Asian women over the age of 50.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/02/20160209-lentigenes.html


ALISO CANYON

Relief well is closing in on Porter Ranch gas leak. A relief well
is within 20 feet of reaching the leaking Southern California Gas
Co. well in Aliso Canyon that released tons of methane into the
air and led to the dislocation of thousands of residents,
regulatory and company officials said Monday. Once they can
access the leak — which is about 1.6 miles below ground — crews
will cap the well with cement.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-porter-ranch-relief-well-20160208-story.html


Porter Ranch: Residents will get more time to move home after
leak is stopped. Porter Ranch residents were only set to get 48
hours to move home from temporary accommodations after the gas
leak is stopped under a proposal from the Southern California Gas
Company, but now they're set to get more time under a deal
between SoCal Gas…
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/02/08/57297/porter-ranch-residents-will-get-more-time-to-move/


CLIMATE CHANGE

U.N. Agency Proposes Limits on Airlines’ Carbon Emissions.  After
more than six years of negotiations, the global aviation industry
agreed on Monday to the first binding limits on carbon dioxide
emissions, tackling the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas
pollution. The deal is the latest in a series of international
efforts to address climate change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/business/energy-environment/un-agency-proposes-limits-on-airlines-carbon-emissions.html?_r=1

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2016/02/08/airplanes-pollution-united-nations/80039324/

Climate Change Is Leaving Native Plants Behind. Willis Linn
Jepson encountered a squat shrub while he was collecting
botanical specimens on California’s Mount Tamalpais in the fall
of 1936. He trimmed off a few branches and jotted down the
location along the ridge trail where the manzanita grew, 2,255
feet above sea level.
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/08/climate-change-is-leaving-native-plants-behind/


Australia guts climate research: blow to science or boon for
innovation? The chief executive of the country's main scientific
research agency has announced deep cuts to two departments
studying climate change, prompting international concern. The
chief executive of Australia’s main scientific research agency
has announced deep cuts to its climate change programs…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0209/Australia-guts-climate-research-blow-to-science-or-boon-for-innovation


'Natural geoengineering’ could slow global warming.  A Path to
Progress. An overlooked tool in fighting climate change is
enhancing biodiversity – especially the top predators – to
maximize the ability of ecosystems to store carbon.	As natural
wonders go, perhaps the most awe-inspiring is the annual
migration of 1.2 million wildebeest flowing across East Africa’s
vast Serengeti grassland.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2016/0209/Natural-geoengineering-could-slow-global-warming


Global emissions standard seen by greens as too lax. A global
greenhouse gas standard for civil aviation moved one step closer
to reality yesterday, greeted by some as "historic" and by others
as an insufficient check on a growing source of climate-changing
emissions. The United Nations' International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) draft rule would mandate an overall 4 percent
reduction…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/09/stories/1060032046 

Oil industry spends millions lobbying against Calif. climate
bill. Big Oil spent $10 million lobbying California state
lawmakers last year, mainly aiming to kill climate change
legislation. The oil industry spent most of the money to fight
S.B. 350, a bill that would require 50 percent of the state's
gasoline use be phased out by 2030. The oil-related part of the
bill eventually was removed after heavy lobbying of
business-friendly Democrats.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/02/09/stories/1060032006 

DROUGHT

Drought’s hardest-hit sectors may need years of support. Dying
native fish, rural communities with dry wells and some other
sectors hardest-hit by California’s drought may still need extra
support long after the current dry spell ends, an analysis of the
state’s drought response said Friday. The nonpartisan Legislative
Analyst’s Office also urged officials to study the effectiveness
of the state’s more than $3 billion in drought…  
http://www.times-standard.com/article/NJ/20160208/NEWS/160209875


As drought becomes the norm, where can US turn for lessons in
adaptation? A new study found that the southwestern American
region will be drier going forward. Regardless of the reasons
why, there is plenty of innovation out there to help the region
adapt to this new reality. It’s official: the southwestern United
States will likely never be the same again. A new analysis of the
past 35 years of weather patterns…
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0208/As-drought-becomes-the-norm-where-can-US-turn-for-lessons-in-adaptation


Southwest drier because of drop-off in precipitation. Dry weather
may be the new standard in the American Southwest, following a
marked decline in precipitation over the past four decades,
according to a new study. The weather patterns that usually bring
almost two-thirds of the precipitation to the region have
significantly decreased in frequency…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/09/stories/1060032022 

FUELS

Shale Bust Not Busting as Fast as U.S. Government Thought. Shale
patches in the U.S. are pumping out more oil and gas than the
government previously thought. A total 184,000 barrels a day of
shale oil output were added to the Energy Information
Administration’s estimate for February in its monthly Drilling
Productivity Report released Monday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-09/shale-bust-not-busting-as-fast-as-u-s-government-thought

Mysterious ship helped keep California gas prices high, consumer
advocate says. There's an unusual new entry to the long list of
reasons why Californians spent the last year paying significantly
more for gasoline than other U.S. drivers: a mystery ship. The
explosion at Exxon Mobil's huge Torrance refinery a year ago
undoubtedly was a major factor contributing to high gasoline
prices in California…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-exxon-gasoline-tanker-20160209-story.html


Here’s everything that factors into the price of gas in
California. California motorists have long complained about high
prices at the pump, but few drivers are aware of all the factors
that push gasoline prices so high. Consumer Watchdog’s report
offers a big piece of the puzzle. It alleges that California’s
largest oil refiners “calibrated” imports and exports of gasoline
to artificially inflate gas prices…
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/business/20160208/heres-everything-that-factors-into-the-price-of-gas-in-california


Cheap Oil Will Last A Decade, Says Huge Oil Trader. The low oil
prices that boosted new-car sales and caused average fuel-economy
gains to sputter last year may be here to stay, for a while at
least. With fuel prices low throughout 2015, Americans bought
more new cars, but many of them were less-efficient SUVs and
crossovers. And those oil prices likely won't increase
dramatically for the next decade or so…
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102281_cheap-oil-will-last-a-decade-says-huge-oil-trader


DOE to award up to $11.3M for biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels
pathways; MEGA-BIO. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will
provide up to $11.3 million in funding to develop flexible
biomass-to-hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can be
modified to produce advanced fuels and/or products based on
external factor…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/02/20160209-megabio.html 

Record U.S. production could go higher if corn prices rise.
Ethanol production in the United States likely reached a new high
in 2015, fueling another big year for exports, economists at the
University of Illinois reported. In a weekly outlook published
yesterday, University of Illinois economist Darrel Good said
recent federal reports suggest ethanol production totaled around
14.76 billion gallons for the year…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/02/09/stories/1060032069 

VEHICLES

Fiat Chrysler's 500X SUV has excess emissions - German lobby
group. German environmental lobby group DUH stepped up its
campaign against auto industry pollution on Tuesday, accusing
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' 500X compact sport-utility vehicle of
releasing excessive levels of toxic diesel emissions. DUH has
already accused General Motors' Opel division, Renault and
Daimler's Mercedes-Benz brand of violating…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-fiat-chrysler-emissions-idUSKCN0VI1CN


Duff to offer bill allowing Tesla to sell cars to consumers. The
majority leader of the Connecticut Senate says he'll introduce
legislation that would allow electric vehicle manufacturers,
including Tesla Motors, to sell cars directly to consumers.
Democratic Sen. Bob Duff, from Norwalk, is scheduled to appear
Tuesday at a news conference with Tesla representatives to
discuss his bill.
http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article59264543.html#storylink=cpy


GREEN ENERGY

UPDATE 1-Vestas record order intake points to strong 2016.
Denmark's Vestas beat forecasts with record orders for new wind
turbines last year, signaling continued strong demand for
renewable energy despite a plunge in fossil fuel prices. Hit by
overcapacity and the withdrawal of some government subsidies
during the global economic downturn, big wind turbine makers…
http://www.reuters.com/article/vestas-wind-results-idUSL8N15O127?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews

EU Installs Record Wind Power as Technology Leapfrogs Hydro. The
European Union installed record wind- power capacity in 2015 as
the technology leapfrogged hydropower to become the third-biggest
source of electricity in the 28- nation bloc. Germany’s market
led the growth, installing 47 percent of the 12.8-gigawatts of
new wind power capacity…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O28ECI6K50Y901-465JITTMFUKILAVJI0A759UI1C
 

Sea Level Rise Will Last Twice as Long as Human History. Huge
sea-level rises caused by climate change will last far longer
than the entire history of human civilization to date, according
to new research, unless the brief window of opportunity of the
next few decades is used to cut carbon emissions drastically.
http://www.newsweek.com/sea-level-rise-will-last-10000-years-424240?rx=us


Helping solar roofs could go the way of community gardens. A new
national trade group says it wants to improve access to community
solar projects, also known as "solar gardens," for millions of
Americans who face economic and institutional barriers to
acquiring clean energy.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/09/stories/1060032029 

OPINIONS

Don’t go nuclear on climate change just yet. Nuclear power is
being promoted as a necessary low-carbon solution to help
mitigate the risks of climate change. But current-generation
nuclear reactors, entail societal risks of their own – uncertain
waste storage, serious nuclear proliferation risks, cost
uncertainties, as well as the more well-known risk of the
occasional nuclear accident.
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/268696-dont-go-nuclear-on-climate-change-just-yet


Renewable Fuel Standard crucial to a prosperous farm economy. Tom
Pyle has spent his entire professional life working for
petroleum. As a consequence, his viewpoint regarding the
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires oil companies to
use an increasing amount of renewable fuels like ethanol and
biodiesel to replace petroleum, is understandably skewed
(“Ethanol mandate hurts corn farmers,” Jan. 25).
http://thehill.com/opinion/letters/268678-renewable-fuel-standard-crucial-to-a-prosperous-farm-economy


BLOGS

Global Shift in Climate Change Viewpoints.  Reflecting on the
progress that has been made by the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since its inception reminds
one of an aircraft carrier – big and mighty but slow to turn. The
initial call for a change of course came when the UNFCCC was
formed amid growing scientific evidence pointing to rapidly
increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
http://www.ydr.com/story/news/world/blogs/global-hot-topic/2016/02/09/global-shift-in-climate-change-viewpoints/80051116/


Volkswagen’s Stalling Strategy for Emissions Clarity. VOW.XE
-2.51% is racing against time. Last week the embattled car maker
delayed its annual results, due March 10, citing “remaining open
questions and the resulting valuation calculations” linked to the
emissions scandal. It now expects to report four to six weeks
later. The implication is that the thorny question of VW’s
exposure to U.S. legal bills will be closed by mid-April.
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/02/09/volkswagens-stalling-strategy-for-emissions-clarity/




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

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