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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 24, 2016.

Posted: 24 Feb 2016 14:19:47
ARB Newsclips for February 24, 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

Kathleen Wynne says cap-and-trade plan to increase gas prices by
4.3 cents a litre.  'The cost of doing nothing is much, much
higher than the cost of going forward,' premier says. Gas prices
in Ontario will rise about 4.3 cents a litre and residential
natural gas bills will go up about $5 a month under the Liberal
government's cap-and-trade plan.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-budget-1.3461834 

How China Can Shape the Future of Carbon Markets. In the lead-up
to the 2015 Paris climate change conference, policymakers
stressed the need for creation of integrated carbon markets and
called for linking new climate financing mechanisms with the
United Nations-organized Green Climate Fund (GCF) based in South
Korea. Both the U.S. and China have committed to accelerating the
transition to low-carbon…
http://www.theenergycollective.com/jnyangon/2322825/how-china-can-shape-future-carbon-markets


AIR POLLUTION

Air quality regulator files second lawsuit against Moreno Valley
logistics project. Southern California air quality regulators
have filed a second lawsuit against the city of Moreno Valley in
an effort to keep a massive warehouse development from happening
as approved. Last summer, Moreno Valley City Council approved the
development of the World Logistics Center…
http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20160223/air-quality-regulator-files-second-lawsuit-against-moreno-valley-logistics-project


Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas 27% Higher Than Earlier
Estimates. Methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are
significantly higher than previous official estimates, according
to draft revisions of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions inventory
released Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency. At 9.3
million metric tons, revised estimates of 2013 emissions are
27%...
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/02/24/methane-emissions-from-oil-gas-27-higher-than-earlier-estimates/

ALISO CANYON

Gas facility that had blowout will have to play by new rules. The
gas storage facility that spewed methane uncontrollably for
almost four months, driving thousands of families from their
homes, won't resume operations until it has undergone tougher
tests than ever required before, a process that will take months
and perhaps even longer.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e693c6fd20884767b8231cdeda7c05f1/gas-facility-had-blowout-will-have-play-new-rules

http://www.timesunion.com/news/us/article/Gas-facility-that-had-blowout-will-have-to-play-6850827.php


Los Angeles County officials call for extended Porter Ranch
relocation payments. The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
approved a motion Tuesday to urge the Southern California Gas Co.
to pay relocation fees for dislocated residents for up to a month
after the Porter Ranch gas leak was officially capped. The motion
by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich called for sending a letter
signed by five supervisors…
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160223/los-angeles-county-officials-call-for-extended-porter-ranch-relocation-payments


Porter Ranch: Panel approves moratorium on gas operations after
big leak. For months, natural gas spewed from a ruptured well at
SoCal Gas' Aliso Canyon Storage Facility near Porter Ranch. A
bill approved Monday by a legislative committee would require the
utility to test all wells at the facility before it can resume
storing gas there.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/02/23/57856/porter-ranch-panel-approves-moratorium-on-gas-oper/


CLIMATE CHANGE

Exclusive: New York asks SEC to force climate vote onto Exxon
proxy. New York state's comptroller and four other Exxon Mobil
(XOM.N) shareholders asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission this week to force the oil producer to include a
climate change resolution in its annual shareholder proxy…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-mobil-shareholders-exclusive-idUSKCN0VX0FC?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=7e30c76f31-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-7e30c76f31-327747457

Carbon emission cuts only way to save coral from acid seas
–study. Corals under threat from acid seas can only be saved by
deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, scientists said on
Wednesday, and engineering the chemistry of sea water around
coral reefs was only possible on a very small scale. In a
U.S.-led study, scientists mixed chemicals into a lagoon, cut off
from the sea at low tide, at Australia's One Tree Island…
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N1633I9?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0


Nevada joins states fighting Obama’s climate rule. Nevada is
joining the two dozen states fighting to stop the Obama
administration’s climate change rule for power plants in court,
though only in a limited capacity. Adam Paul Laxalt, Nevada’s
Republican attorney general, filed a brief late Tuesday in the
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit supporting
the arguments put forth by West Virginia, Texas and…
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/270570-nevada-joins-states-fighting-obamas-climate-rule?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=7e30c76f31-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-7e30c76f31-327747457


Even in sunny L.A., warming climate may be the next big public
health problem. For years scientists have warned that climate
change will cause melting ice caps, rising sea levels and severe
droughts and floods. But global warming's effects can also be far
more personal, seriously harming human health.
http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-climate-health-20160223-story.html


Scientists Turned Back the Clock on Climate Change. The world was
a vastly different place 250 years ago. There weren’t 50 states,
Taylor Swift feuds or viral videos anywhere in sight.  Another
thing that was also less plentiful: carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. Since then, CO2 has risen and with it, a host of
other impacts have befallen our planet.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/scientists-climate-change-ocean-acidification-20070?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed


New Sustainable Fuel Technology Could Help Limit Global Warming
by Removing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.  A team of University of
Texas at Arlington chemists and engineers have proven that
concentrated light, heat and high pressures can drive the
one-step conversion of carbon dioxide and water directly into
useable liquid hydrocarbon fuels. This simple and inexpensive new
sustainable fuels technology could potentially help limit global
warming by…  http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=23137 

AGL boss: regardless of climate science, it's time to drop the
'emissions business'. The energy giant’s future direction is
about financial risk, not what its leaders may think about the
science of climate change, Andrew Vesey says. The boss of
Australia’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases says his company
needs to be out of the “CO2 emissions business” regardless of
what they think of the science of climate change…
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/24/agl-boss-regardless-of-climate-science-its-time-to-drop-the-emissions-business


Earth is warming 50x faster than when it comes out of an ice age.
A major new study includes some scary implications about how
rapidly humans are changing the Earth’s climate. Recently, The
Guardian reported on a significant new study published in Nature
Climate Change, finding that even if we meet our carbon reduction
targets…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/feb/24/earth-is-warming-is-50x-faster-than-when-it-comes-out-of-an-ice-age


Fish food on the move as climate changes. Phytoplankton in the
North Atlantic are shifting poleward faster than previously
thought because of warming temperatures and other impacts of
climate change, according to a new study. The microscopic
organisms form the basis of marine food webs, yet scientists do
not fully understand how all the different species will react to
the impacts of rising temperatures.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/24/stories/1060032861 

Cost of cutting carbon is less than price of health risks –
study. An aggressive policy to fight climate change in the United
States could more than pay for itself with health benefits,
researchers have found. Scrubbing carbon dioxide from
fossil-fired power plants, electrifying cars and installing more
renewable energy to keep warming below an aggressive
2-degree-Celsius threshold…
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/02/24/stories/1060032887

DROUGHT

California water politics could get choppier with new House bill.
A Sacramento Valley Democrat revealed plans on Tuesday for a big
new California water bill that likely will upset some of his
colleagues and potentially affect water politics in the U.S.
capital.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article62077887.html#storylink=cpy


Hoping drought lessons stick for Sacramento water users despite
rain.  At the depth of California’s four-year drought, water-use
experts found plenty of stark images to illustrate the urgent
need to conserve. They pointed to half-empty Folsom Lake or
once-floating boat docks aground on caked clay.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article62119742.html#storylink=cpy


MWD budgets no money for popular cash-for-grass program. The turf
outside this Pasadena home was transformed into a
drought-friendly yard using the Metropolitan Water District's
Cash for Grass program in October 2014. The Metropolitan Water
District has no plans at the moment to continue funding an
extremely popular turf removal program that has been credited…
http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/02/24/57888/mwd-budgets-no-money-for-popular-cash-for-grass-pr/


Garamendi to offer companion to Feinstein's new drought bill.  A
House Democrat is planning to introduce a companion bill to Sen.
Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) latest bill dealing with
California's ongoing drought. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said
yesterday that he would carry the House version of Feinstein's S.
2533, her latest attempt after four years of drought to ease the
pain for farmers…
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2016/02/24/stories/1060032869 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Weber County citizens speak in favor of diesel emissions testing.
As the Weber-Morgan health board delays testing diesels, a group
of concerned citizens decided to take a stand Monday. For almost
a year, the board has tabled discussion of starting a diesel
emissions testing program in Weber County, even after hearing
about its benefits from health department staff, air quality
experts…
http://www.standard.net/Environment/2016/02/23/weber-county-diesel-emissions-testing.html


FUELS

Campaign to ban fracking and all new oil drilling in Monterey
County takes shape. Hoping to expand on similar bans already in
place in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Mendocino counties,
environmentalists on Tuesday launched a ballot campaign to
prohibit fracking in Monterey County, setting the stage for
another expensive battle with the oil industry over the
controversial drilling technique.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_29553143/fracking-ballot-campaign-ban-fracking-and-all-new


VEHICLES

Honda plans no Takata rescue, bullish on green vehicles. Honda's
president is sticking to its stance that the Japanese automaker
plans no independent financial bailout for supplier Takata, which
is embroiled in a massive recall crisis over air-bag inflators
that may explode. Takahiro Hachigo, Honda Motor Co. president and
chief executive, told reporters Wednesday that it plans no rescue
for Takata Corp…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_HONDA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Honda aims for green cars to make up two-thirds of line-up by
2030. Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T) on Wednesday said it aimed for
new-energy vehicles to account for two-thirds of its line-up by
2030 from around 5 percent now, as increasingly stringent global
emissions regulations prompt automakers to make greener cars.
Japan's third-biggest automaker by sales said in its latest
strategy update that its petrol-battery …
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-honda-strategy-idUSKCN0VX0TT 

Tesla, Faraday, Elio: Start-Up Automakers Aim to Carve Out a
Niche.  A few months from now, a new automotive assembly plant
will begin to rise from the sands just outside of Las Vegas. At a
cost of $1 billion, it will produce a new line of
battery-electric vehicles developed by the California-based
Faraday Future. That's not to be confused with Silicon Valley's
Tesla Motors or, for that matter…
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/tesla-faraday-elio-start-automakers-aim-carve-out-niche-n523746
 

Electric Vehicle Charger Hits New Efficiency Level. As the
falling price of gasoline helps to soften concerns about the
impact of greenhouse gas emissions, researchers and semiconductor
companies remain focused on advancing electric vehicles and the
charging infrastructure behind them.
http://electronicdesign.com/power/electric-vehicle-charger-hits-new-efficiency-level

VW RECALL

Class-Action Suit Filed Against Volkswagen in U.S. Court. Case
filed in California alleges that the German car maker engaged in
widespread fraud. In what is expected to be a high profile civil
proceeding, attorneys have filed a consolidated class-action suit
in a U.S. District Court in California against Volkswagen AG ,
alleging that the German car maker engaged in widespread fraud,
citing federal laws used to curb racketeering.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/class-action-suit-filed-against-volkswagen-in-u-s-court-1456318343


GREEN ENERGY

Norway’s Statkraft to Build $1.2 Billion Onshore Wind Farm
Project. Europe’s largest onshore wind joint venture prompted by
Oslo’s push to support non-oil economy. A joint venture led by
Norway’s state-owned utility Statkraft said Tuesday that it would
spend €1.1 billion ($1.22 billion) to develop Europe’s largest
onshore wind project in central Norway, eight months after it was
halted due to weak profitability.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/norways-statkraft-to-build-1-2-billion-onshore-wind-farm-project-1456222873


Australia, long on coal and gas, keeps door open for renewables. 
Australia is in a major energy transition with newly found
confidence in its renewable market, but it still needs outside
help to reach its energy goals. This means places like Europe,
China and Silicon Valley, incubators for renewable technology,
have big opportunities to expand Down Under.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/02/24/stories/1060032848 

OPINIONS

Don't bank on a toasted U.S. corn crop just yet: Braun.  The U.S.
Department of Agriculture will host its annual Agricultural
Outlook Forum at the end of this week, where one of the most
popular topics is the expectations for the upcoming U.S. corn and
soybean crops. Absent from the agenda, however, is a summer
weather outlook specific to the United States.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSKCN0VX141 

Global Warming and Coastal Floods. To the Editor: Re “Greenhouse
Gas Linked to Floods Along U.S. Coasts” (front page, Feb. 23):
Rising sea levels at an accelerated pace will bring their
greatest devastation to the coastal areas and deltaic regions of
poor countries. City dwellers in these regions — where the bulk
of future world population growth will occur — will be especially
vulnerable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/opinion/global-warming-and-coastal-floods.html?_r=0


Don’t believe Global warming. To the Editor: More than 10 years
ago, Al Gore predicted the end of the earth as we know it. He
said the Earth temperatures will be so hot that the polar ice
caps will melt which will cause the oceans to rise which will
then cause major flooding everywhere. The 27th of January, 2016,
was the day this was all to happen. It didn’t happen. In the
1990’s…
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/article/NP/20160224/LOCAL1/160229952


Uber supports clean air initiatives in London. We agree with your
editorial (24 February) that more should to be done to tackle air
pollution in London, and new technology can be part of the
solution. More than four in 10 Uber trips in the capital are now
in cleaner and greener hybrid vehicles, which produce less than
half the pollution of a standard TX4 black cab.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/24/uber-supports-clean-air-initiatives-in-london


BLOGS

VW car buyback would speed emissions-scandal exit. Volkswagen’s
dieselgate has turned into a two-speed scandal. The carmaker has
found a cheap way to fix 8.5 million pollution-spewing vehicles
to the satisfaction of European regulators, but appeasing Uncle
Sam is proving elusive. Five months after getting caught cheating
on emissions tests, VW’s best option may be to buy back the worst
of the offending clunkers.
http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2016/02/23/vw-car-buyback-would-speed-emissions-scandal-exit/


What Prohibition Can Teach Us About Climate Change.  As the
decriminalization of marijuana moves from state to state,
Prohibition, the prior American effort to outlaw substances
people use for fun and stupor, is having a cultural moment. But
the ban on alcohol 96 years ago last month can also provide
lessons to those trying to reduce the use of a substance probably
more globally harmful than weed: oil.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thought-matters/what-prohibition-can-teac_b_9299712.html




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

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