What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for March 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Oslo trash incinerator in carbon capture trial. The world's first
experiment to capture carbon dioxide from the fumes of burning
rubbish is nearing completion in Oslo. The trial at the Norwegian
capital's main waste incinerator began in January in a
groundbreaking bid to develop technology to enlist the world's
trash in slowing global warming.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-burning-rubbish-idUSKCN0WQ1BM


DROUGHT HURTS AIR QUALITY.  Water crisis negates progress on
reducing small particulate matter. California’s ongoing drought
is affecting a lot more than just food prices. It’s affecting the
air that you breathe in on a daily basis. In a presentation
Wednesday night to members of the community and representatives
from Manteca Unified School District...
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/1/article/133402/ 

ENVIRONMENT: Most members clean air board live where skies are
cleaner.  An analysis by The Press-Enterprise found that only two
of the 13 members of the governing board of the South Coast Air
Quality Management District live in areas hit heavily by ozone,
the hallmark pollutant of summer smog that is at its worst in the
Inland area. As Southern California continues to battle the
nation’s worst smog…
http://www.pe.com/articles/air-797927-board-ozone.html 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Feds reject Exxon Mobil bid to block shareholder proposal. The
Securities and Exchange Commission has rejected Exxon Mobil's bid
to block a shareholder proposal that would require it to disclose
how its business will be affected by a 2-degree target limit on
global warming.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EXXON_MOBIL_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-mobil-shareholders-exclusive-idUSKCN0WP2TG
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article67986512.html 
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/feds-reject-exxon-mobil-bid-block-shareholder-proposal-37902207


U.S., Argentina take steps to tackle climate change.  U.S.
President Barack Obama and Argentina's President Mauricio Macri
agreed on Wednesday to take joint steps to fight climate change
including working to cut carbon emissions from air flights and
integrating solar and wind power into electricity grids.
http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-argentina-climatechange-idUSL2N16V15J


Climate Change, 'Chill Hours' And California Crops.  Agricultural
economists at UC Davis used Yolo County as a case study to show
how warmer winter temperatures may alter the types of crops
planted in California. Dr. Hyunok Lee is Research Economist in
the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC
Davis. 
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/03/23/climate-change,-chill-hours-and-california-crops/


Is forest protection moving 'beyond carbon'? Helping local
communities and habitats is just as important as fighting climate
change for a growing number of forest project developers and
those supporting them, a new report finds. Job creation,
protecting threatened species and building up climate resilience
are all co-benefits of projects aimed at protecting forests and
the carbon they hold.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/03/24/stories/1060034556 

DROUGHT

Extreme Drought ‘Entrenched’ In Most Of California. The U.S.
Drought Monitor released March 24 says, from a water supply
perspective, there is nearly normal snowpack to melt off and
northern Sierra reservoirs are filling. But long-term to extreme
drought is still "entrenched" across much of central and southern
California. The weekly update says the heavy precipitation the
first two weekends of March…
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/03/24/extreme-drought-entrenched-in-most-of-california/


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Port of L.A. helped pay for cleaner China Shipping vessels--which
later stopped docking in L.A. he Port of Los Angeles paid a
Chinese government-owned shipping company $5 million in 2005 to
equip cargo vessels to plug into electric shore power while at
dock to keep their massive diesel engines from polluting
neighborhoods near the harbor. The company, China Shipping, used
the money to upgrade 17 ships…
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-china-shipping-20160324-story.html
  

FUELS

Despite oil’s decline, energy companies win with equity
offerings. More than a dozen companies in the hard-hit
exploration and production energy industry have announced new
share offerings this year – and have generally been rewarded in
the stock market for the strategy. Although it might seem that
companies would upset their investor base by diluting earnings
per share when they added more stock…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-oil-stocks-idUSKCN0WQ128

In oil rout, some U.S. energy bosses were spared the pain.  More
cash, lower targets and bigger share awards - not all U.S. energy
bosses are feeling the full impact of tumbling oil prices in
their paychecks. Some oil and gas companies are making it easier
for their top managers to meet performance goals or are offering
more cash as a prolonged oil slump keeps share prices at lows not
seen in five years, filings show.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-pay-idUSKCN0WP0CB 

VEHICLES

Renault recalling 10,649 Zoe electric cars for brake hose checks.
Renault is recalling 10,649 Zoe electric cars to remove the
potential risk of rupture to brake fluid hoses, a spokesman for
the carmaker said on Thursday, confirming reports on specialist
websites and BFM Business TV. The vehicles were built between
their launch in 2012 and Oct. 6, 2014 at the company's Flins
factory…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-renault-recall-idUSKCN0WQ0JL 

Tesla Supercharger map fills in more U.S. gaps for electric-car
charging. Tesla continues to expand its network of Supercharger
DC fast-charging stations in the U.S., making it easier for
owners to complete longer journeys in their electric cars. The
company remains committed to offering a nationwide network of
free-to-use fast-charging stations for its customers, and to
expanding that network.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1103050_tesla-supercharger-map-fills-in-more-u-s-gaps-for-electric-car-charging


BorgWarner’s eGearDrive launches in Geely’s first electric
vehicle. BorgWarner’s eGearDrive transmission (earlier post) will
propel the Geely EC7-EV sedan. The Chinese automaker’s first
mass-produced electric vehicle is powered by a 96 kW electric
motor and features a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph) and a range
of 253 km (157 miles).
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/03/20160324-borgwarner.html

 
VW RECALL

Volkswagen gets a month for plan on diesel emissions fix.  A
federal judge on Thursday gave Volkswagen and regulators a month
to provide a specific plan about how they will bring nearly
600,000 diesel cars into compliance with clean air laws following
an emissions cheating scandal. Senior U.S. District Court Judge
Charles Breyer said he wants to know the timing of the fix…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-vw-emissions-20160324-story.html

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article67995237.html
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=151&sid=39028455&title=volkswagen-gets-a-month-for-plan-on-diesel-emissions-fix
 

VW, Porsche recalling 800,000 SUVs over possible pedal issue.
Volkswagen and its Porsche unit say they're recalling a total of
about 800,000 Touareg and Cayenne SUVs worldwide because of a
potential problem with the pedal system. Volkswagen said Thursday
that it is recalling 391,000 Touaregs worldwide because of a
problem that was detected in internal checks with "possible
loosening of a retaining ring on the bearing…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_VOLKSWAGEN_RECALL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


GREEN ENERGY

Australian prime minister announces greener policies. 
Australia's prime minister on Wednesday distanced himself from
the man he replaced by announcing a new fund to promote clean
energy innovation as the country heads toward a likely early
election in July. The announcement by Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull of the 1 billion Australian dollar ($760 million) Clean
Energy Innovation Fund…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_POLITICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Developing world overtakes West in renewables investments.  A
U.N.-backed report says global investments in solar, wind and
other sources of renewable energy reached a record $286 billion
last year. For the first time the developing world accounted for
the majority. The United Nations Environment Program on Thursday
said renewable investments in developing countries jumped 19
percent to…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RENEWABLE_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Solar incentives sunset as states grapple with tight budgets.
Thousands of homeowners and small businesses in New Mexico - the
second sunniest state in the nation - have invested nearly a
quarter billion dollars in roof-top solar and related labor
thanks to a program fueled by tax credits. Supporters say the
investment has paid off. A record number of solar panels went up
in 2015 and job growth within the industry…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOLAR_TAX_CREDITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


China leads as green energy investment plans hit record high.
China helped push global green energy investment plans to record
heights in 2015, offsetting a sharp fall in Germany, authors of a
U.N.-backed report said on Thursday, predicting further growth.
Solar and wind power, especially in developing countries, are
driving spending higher…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-renewables-investment-idUSKCN0WQ1IU


CalPERS makes big California solar investment. CalPERS said
Wednesday that it’s buying a significant stake in a solar energy
company with operations near Palm Springs.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System said it has
agreed to buy up to 25 percent of Desert Sunlight Investment
Holdings, which owns two big solar generation facilities near
Palm Springs.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article67822462.html#storylink=cpy


MISCELLANEOUS

Is your floor making you sick?  Formaldehyde in the home can
contribute to breathing problems — or worse. News on Tuesday that
Lumber Liquidators LL, +3.95%  settled charges with the
California Air Resources Board regarding wood laminate flooring
helped put investors’ minds at ease: The company’s stock rose
after the announcement, making up for some of the losses it
sustained after a “60 Minutes” segment suggested…
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-your-floor-making-you-sick-2016-03-24


OPINIONS

Oil price war threatens U.S. sense of energy security: Kemp. The
political economy of oil prices in the United States is
complicated. The United States is the world’s largest oil
consumer and one of its biggest importers. But it is also a
substantial producer with large oil and gas resources.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-oil-kemp-idUSKCN0WQ1GS 

Punishing Climate-Change Skeptics.  Some in Washington want to
unleash government to harass heretics who don’t accept the
‘consensus.’ Galileo Galilei was tried in 1633 for spreading the
heretical view that the Earth orbits the sun, convicted by the
Roman Catholic Inquisition, and remained under house arrest until
his death. Today’s inquisitors seek their quarry’s imprisonment
and financial ruin. 
http://www.wsj.com/articles/punishing-climate-change-skeptics-1458772173


Put state air board’s emissions testing lab in Pomona. Since its
formation in 1967, the California Air Resources Board has worked
with the public, the business sector and local governments to
protect our health and our state’s ecological resources. ARB
employs hundreds of scientists and engineers, whose sole focus is
to study…
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article67821982.html#storylink=cpy


Switch cars, help save the planet: Column. Simple changes in your
daily life can help slow climate change and its devastating
impact. Dangerous climate change is closer than we think,
scientists warned this week. Is there anything you as an
individual can do to make a real difference? The answer,
surprisingly, is yes.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/03/24/climate-change-reducing-emissions-residential-vehicles-fuel-efficiency-column/82158748/

BLOGS

Goodbye, Super-Cheap Gas. The end of very cheap gasoline probably
won't affect consumer spending much, at least not yet. The era of
falling pump prices: It sure was nice while it lasted. U.S.
average gasoline prices climbed back above $2 a gallon on
Thursday for the first time since early January, according to
GasBuddy.com.
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/03/24/goodbye-super-cheap-gas-prices/


Carbon Emissions Haven’t Been This High Since The Dinosaurs.  A
new study warns we’re entering “uncharted territory.” The last
time carbon emissions were this high, dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
And if that isn’t daunting enough, the human-driven release today
is happening about 10 times faster than any event since that era,
a new study has found.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carbon-emissions-highest-in-66-million-years_us_56f05144e4b03a640a6b5177



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