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ARB Newsclips for February 12, 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

Transit agency goes all electric, using cap-and-trade money. A
Los Angeles County transportation agency yesterday pledged to
convert to an all-electric fleet of buses, a move that it said
made it the first in the nation to go all green. The Antelope
Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) unanimously voted in favor of the
project, which will cost $72 million over five years.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/12/stories/1060032297 

AIR POLLUTION

McCarthy: Clean Power Plan Stay Doesn't Stop States. Two days
after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the Environmental Protection
Agency's signature climate change rule, Administrator Gina
McCarthy struck a decidedly optimistic tone, vowing to support
ongoing state efforts to shift toward a cleaner power sector.
We'll move forward. We'll get this done. We'll have the [Clean
Power Plan].
http://www.bna.com/mccarthy-clean-power-n57982067277/ 

The tiny changes air pollution makes inside you.  A Canadian
study is getting volunteers to breathe the kind of dirty air we
find in many of our cities – to see what the toxins may be doing
to our genes. Spending two hours breathing diesel exhaust in the
basement of a hospital doesn't sound like the most pleasant way
to while away a morning.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160210-the-tiny-changes-air-pollution-makes-inside-you

Court stay may slow, not stop, state carbon-cutting talks.
Officials from blue, red and purple states signaled interest
yesterday in continuing planning for power-sector carbon
reductions, despite a Supreme Court ruling putting the Clean
Power Plan on hold. In a spirited address to a meeting of state
agency leaders, U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy yesterday
also encouraged the willing.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/02/12/stories/1060032322 

ALISO CANYON

Massive gas leak plugged; residents seek return to normal. The
massive gas leak that spewed uncontrollably for nearly four
months drove thousands of Los Angeles residents to pack up and
leave their homes, while others rode it out. Vicky Walker did
both, turning her life upside down shuttling between hotels and
home every few days, where she lived like a shut-in and stopped
walking her dog to avoid the foul stench of gas.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_GAS_LEAK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/nation/sns-bc-us--california-gas-leak-20160212-story.html

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-porter-ranch-gas-leak-20160212-story.html

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-porter-ranch-gas-leak-fix-20160211-story.html

http://www.capradio.org/news/npr/story?storyid=466527059 
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/02/11/massive-gas-leak-near-los-angeles-plugged-after-16-weeks/
 

The kids of Porter Ranch: How spewing methane rocked their sense
of safety. Cooper Stutler's teacher told his second-grade class
to put their shirts over their noses as they crossed the
playground to get snacks. She didn't want them to "breathe the
gas," Cooper says. "It smelled like rotten eggs." So he tried to
inhale less air, hoping it wouldn't get into his lungs.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/12/health/porter-ranch-gas-leak-children/index.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama says climate rule on 'strong legal footing' President
Barack Obama says he is very confident his administration is on
"strong legal footing" in its defense of a key piece of his
climate-change agenda. Obama is telling political donors in
California that the Supreme Court's decision to freeze a new rule
reducing power plant emissions is only a temporary setback. The
power plant rule would aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLEAN_AIR_LAWSUITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


How teachers are getting it wrong on climate change.  A major new
survey of U.S. middle school and high school science teachers has
found that across the country, a majority are teaching about
climate change in their classrooms — but a significant percentage
are also including incorrect ideas, such as the notion that
today’s warming of the globe is a “natural” process.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/02/11/how-teachers-are-getting-it-wrong-on-climate-change/


Can only Congress prevent climate change?  Two south Florida
congressmen last week created a new House task force on climate
change that seeks to propose clean energy legislation in the next
two months. And despite strong headwinds, the bill may not be
dead on arrival. The new Climate Solutions Caucus differs from
most other House…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article59977231.html#storylink=cpy


Sweden reveals plan to go 'carbon neutral' by 2045. A proposal
from the Swedish parliamentary committee responsible for
environmental policy has set out how the country can go "carbon
neutral" within 30 years. The country says it could cut domestic
emissions by at least 85 per cent from 1990 levels and offset the
remaining 15 per cent by investing in projects to cut carbon
emissions abroad.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2446912/sweden-reveals-plan-to-go-carbon-neutral-by-2045


CO2 Emissions Are Causing Earth to ‘Hyperventilate’. Every year,
plants inhale and exhale carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It’s
a natural seasonal cycle that has played out over millennia. But
as humans emit more carbon dioxide (CO2) by burning fossil fuels,
the steady rhythm is being replaced by a more erratic cycle as
plants race to keep pace with all the new CO2 in the atmosphere.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/co2-emissions-earth-hyperventilate-20026


Climate Change Remains A Confusing Topic For Many American School
Teachers, Study Finds. In November, a study by the Pew Research
Center revealed that only 45 percent of Americans believe that
climate change is a “very serious” problem. Now, a study
published in the journal Science indicates that although climate
change is widely covered by schools throughout the U.S. …
http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-remains-confusing-topic-many-american-school-teachers-study-finds-2304948

Study finds teachers don't make the grade on climate change. In
classrooms across America, some middle and high school teachers
are sending kids mixed messages on climate change, according to a
comprehensive survey. One in three science teachers do not teach
students that global warming is due to human releases of
greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, the study found.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/12/stories/1060032327 

DROUGHT

UN agency: Major drought count rises amid record-hot 2015. The
U.N. agency specializing in reduction of disaster risks says the
Earth faced more than twice as many major droughts last year than
the average of the last decade. Focusing part on the human cost
of the hottest year on record last year, the U.N. Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction says in a trend analysis Thursday that
98.6 million people were affected by disasters in 2015.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UNITED_NATIONS_NATURAL_DISASTERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Calif. drought concerns overwhelm House hearing.  California
lawmakers called on the Bureau of Reclamation yesterday to ease
water pumping restrictions in light of recent rains in the state.
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López fielded
questions from the House Energy and Water Appropriations
Subcommittee on the operations of large water projects in the
state after an El Niño-driven wet season in the drought-stricken
state…
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/02/12/stories/1060032301 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Antelope Valley Transit orders up to 85 electric buses from BYD;
first US all-electric public transit fleet. The board of
directors of the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) in
California voted to award BYD a contract to manufacture up to 85
electric buses over a five-year period. Under the order from
AVTA, BYD Motors will build and deliver a variety of all-electric
bus models including a 40-foot low floor transit bus, a 60-foot
low floor articulated bus, and a 45-foot commuter coach.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/02/20160212-antelope.html 

FUELS

UPDATE 1-Valero Energy sues U.S. EPA over biofuels plan. Valero
Energy Corp filed lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency on Friday to push the regulator to alter a U.S.
policy designed to boost use of renewables in transportation
fuels. The country's top refiner and No. 3 ethanol producer filed
a challenge with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington to
review the EPA's latest Renewable Fuel Standard plans for
2014-2016.
http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-biofuels-valero-energy-idUSL2N15R1KE


HPCL seeks rare diesel imports – traders. Hindustan Petroleum
Corp Ltd is seeking diesel for import into the country for the
first time in many years, at a time when demand for the fuel is
rising in the domestic market, industry sources said on Friday.
It was not immediately clear why HPCL was in the spot market
seeking diesel. But its spot requirements could boost Asian
diesel margins, traders said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/india-diesel-imports-hpcl-idUSKCN0VL0T6


Dem-sponsored bill would block federal fossil fuel development. 
A House Democrat on Thursday introduced a bill that would ban all
future fossil fuel production on federal land. Rep. Jared
Huffman's (D-Calif.) Keep It In The Ground Act would block new
leases to tap fossil fuel reserves on federal land and in federal
waters in the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, and the Gulf
of Mexico.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/269125-house-dem-pushes-bill-to-block-federal-fossil-fuel-development


VEHICLES

Game Change: Tesla And GM Announce Affordable, Long-Range
Electric Cars. Two of the world’s leading electric vehicle (EV)
producers say that they will soon deliver 200+ mile range EVs at
a game-changing price of $30,000 or less — including tax
incentives. Until now, EVs have not been considered a mass-market
consumer vehicle in the United States for two key reasons — high
price and low range.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/11/3748451/tesla-gm-affordable-electric-cars/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20climateprogress/lCrX%20%28Climate%20Progress%29


Next Volkswagen e-Golf To Have At Least 200 Miles Of Range. When
it launched in fall 2014, the Volkswagen e-Golf electric car all
but duplicated the Nissan Leaf in range and efficiency: 83 miles
and 116 MPGe against the Leaf's 84-mile and 114-MPGe ratings.
Since then, the Leaf has gotten an upgrade to 107 miles, and an
increase is en route for the e-Golf as well.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102333_next-volkswagen-e-golf-to-have-at-least-200-miles-of-range


CMU study finds that coal retirement is needed for EVs to reduce
air pollution. Electric vehicles charged in coal-heavy regions
can create more human health and environmental damages from life
cycle air emissions than gasoline vehicles, according to a new
consequential life cycle analysis by researchers from Carnegie
Mellon University. However, the anticipated—albeit now possibly
delayed, per the recent Supreme Court decision…
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/02/20160212-cmu.html
 
VW RECALL

Volkswagen’s Problems Aren’t Renault’s. Investors could do worse
than buy into Renault’s recovery. Renault dedicated a total of
zero slides in its annual results presentation to the emissions
questions that have hit its market value this year. But when
charged in question time with avoiding the politically sensitive
subject, Chairman Carlos Ghosn let slip an interesting number:
€250 ($283).
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagens-problems-arent-renaults-1455292495


GREEN ENERGY

Dong Energy Sells U.K. Wind Farm Stake for $958 Million. Lego’s
parent company and a Danish pension provider to buy 50% stake in
development. Denmark’s Dong Energy A/S, part-owned by Goldman
Sachs Group Inc., has agreed to sell a 50% stake in a U.K. wind
farm to the parent company of toy maker Lego and a Danish pension
provider.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/dong-energy-sells-u-k-wind-farm-stake-for-958-million-1455179876
 

Will Arizona dodge rapid shift to renewable energy?  Arizona's
federally mandated shift to cleaner but costlier power could be
slowed by a Supreme Court decision to halt the federal Clean
Power Plan's implementation while it considers the plan's
legality. The court's decision raised cheers from Arizona
officials and utility regulators, but disappointment from those
fearing the worst effects of climate change and air pollution.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/02/11/will-arizona-dodge-rapid-shift-renewable-energy/80261474/


Shell heir's oil-powered country pile goes green. National Trust
installs wooden pellet boilers at Upton House in Warwickshire,
once owned by petroleum tycoon Lord Bearsted. It is perhaps no
surprise that a country house bequeathed to the nation by the
family that made its fortune from Shell petroleum should run
entirely on barrel after barrel of oil – 25,000 litres of it each
year.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/12/shell-heirs-oil-powered-country-pile-goes-green


Is This The Best Solar Chart Yet? Solar energy has been in a bit
of a boom phase as of late (one that will arguably continue for a
long while). Why exactly, one might ask, has the technology been
finding more and more of a foothold in the global marketplace?
Well, the graph above (courtesy of the Earth Policy
Institute/Bloomberg) puts it more succinctly than I could, so
have a gander.
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/02/12/is-this-the-best-solar-chart-yet/
 

OPINIONS

COLUMN-U.S. refiners eye gasoline demand after winter storms:
Kemp. Between January and the middle of August 2015, the gross
3-2-1 cracking margin averaged $24 for every barrel of crude
processed through a refinery.  In reality, refineries also have a
range of costs from equipment and labour to inputs such as fuel,
power and platinum catalysts. Net margins once all these other
capital and operating costs are taken into account were much
narrower in most cases. 
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N15R33D?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0
  
California’s push for clean energy is paying off. This week, the
U.S. Supreme Court made the unfortunate decision to temporarily
block President Barack Obama’s clean-energy plan. Many of the
arguments made against it have also been made against
California’s clean-energy policies. The state’s new landmark
clean-energy law took effect this month, ensuring that at least
50 percent…
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article59845756.html#storylink=cpy


Supreme Court puts dirty-energy profits above the planet. To the
editor: It is shameful, disgraceful, impractical, premature and
shortsighted that the U.S. Supreme Court decided to halt
President Obama's recent climate change regulation that was
achieved in Paris in a groundbreaking international agreement
until legal challenges have been settled, which may take a year
or more. ("Supreme Court deals blow to Obama by putting his
climate change rules on hold," Feb. 9)
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0212-supreme-court-climate-20160212-story.html


Our Editorial: Clean Power Plan stay a hollow win. The U.S.
Supreme Court earlier this week delivered a blow to the Obama
administration’s Clean Power Plan, the behemoth regulatory
proposal to fight climate change with ambitious clean energy
mandates in every state. It’s a monumental decision from the High
Court, and signals several justices have serious problems with
making law via regulation.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/02/11/editorial-clean-power-plan-stay/80264048/


BLOGS

California Cap and Trade: We Already Pay Highest Price for Gas,
Don’t Make It Worse. This state’s cap and trade program, which
aims to reduce the state's overall greenhouse gas emissions to
1990 levels by 2020, is now more than two years old. Heavy
industry is forced to pay an “allowance” for every ton of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases they emit.
http://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/world-views/10486-california-cap-and-trade-we-already-pay-highest-price-for-gas-don-t-make-it-worse#sthash.HhL7E0BN.dpuf




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