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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.