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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 20, 2016.
Posted: 20 May 2016 13:45:03
ARB Newsclips for May 20, 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 Hampshire a big step closer to getting $236M from Exxon. New Hampshire is a big step closer to getting a $236 million judgment after the U.S. Supreme Court said this week it wouldn't hear Exxon Mobil's appeal regarding its use of a gasoline additive that contaminated groundwater in the state. The case involved MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, a petroleum-based gasoline additive… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_POLLUTION_TRIAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Carbon dioxide levels jump by record amount due to El Nino. The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped by the biggest amount on record last month, a rise amplified by El Nino, scientists say. Carbon dioxide levels increased by 4.16 parts per million in April compared to a year earlier… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_CARBON_DIOXIDE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Exide and California regulator head into mediation over lawsuit. A bankruptcy judge has approved an agreement between Exide Technologies and a California pollution regulator to enter into mediation to try to resolve the regulator's $80 million lawsuit against the maker of lead-acid batteries. The South Coast Air Quality Management District had sued Exide in state court… http://www.reuters.com/article/bankruptcy-exide-idUSL2N18H09A States want piece of settlement money. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies is asking that any settlement with Volkswagen AG over vehicle emissions be spent on reducing air pollution. NACAA released a set of recommendations today for how the government should disburse the money. A top request is for state and local air pollution agencies to get a piece of the pie. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060037624/search?keyword=california ALISO CANYON Health officials push SoCalGas to professionally clean Porter Ranch homes. Los Angeles County health officials plan to ask a judge on Friday to once again modify the relocation program for Porter Ranch residents so Southern California Gas Co. can pay to professionally clean all their homes of dust particles found to contain some contaminants. http://www.dailynews.com/health/20160519/health-officials-push-socalgas-to-professionally-clean-porter-ranch-homes CLIMATE CHANGE India Records Its Hottest Day Ever As Temperatures Soar To 124 F. Almost all of India is experiencing higher than normal temperatures for this time of year. The severe heat wave that stifled India last May caused at least 2,300 deaths across the country. It was, according to Jeff Masters, Weather Underground’s director of meteorology, the fifth deadliest heat wave in Earth’s recorded history. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/india-hottest-temperature-51-degrees_us_573ebeade4b0613b5129e8b4?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e53b689d9c-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e53b689d9c-327747457 Norway's greenhouse gas emissions rise, despite promised cuts. Norway's greenhouse gas emissions rose by 1.5 percent last year, lifted by the oil and gas sector and industry, making it harder for Oslo to keep promises of deep cuts to limit global warming, official data showed on Friday. Emissions rose to the equivalent of 53.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from 53.2 million in 2014… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-carbon-idUSKCN0YB12E?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e53b689d9c-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e53b689d9c-327747457 . Investors in World’s Top Coal Shipper Pass Climate-Change Motion. Glencore Plc investors agreed that the largest exporter of coal burned for power should provide more information on risks to its business from growing levels of government legislation to tackle climate change. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O7FBNU6JIJVD01-4IMFP5A83BCGSGEAPMMIL146HA Moniz, lawmakers call nuclear critical to climate goals. Jobs, national security and climate change were all part of an urgent appeal at an emotional summit yesterday on Capitol Hill to keep America's nuclear fleet running. "We are supposed to be adding zero carbon sources, not subtracting or simply replacing by building to just kind of tread water," said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/20/stories/1060037602 Bear hybrid -- the pizzly -- might be a creation of warming. Climate change may be responsible for a grizzly-polar bear hybrid. The Arctic, which is warming at twice the global rate, is seeing grizzly and polar bear ranges overlap in recent years. While polar bears appear to be spending more time on land due to shrinking ice, grizzlies are moving north for cooler weather. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/05/20/stories/1060037577 DROUGHT Many California cities predict no conservation requirements under new water rules. Before throngs of TV news cameras in April last year, Gov. Jerry Brown stood on a patch of bare Sierra dirt that should have been covered in snow and told Californians they had to be unified in conserving water. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article78771857.html#storylink=cpy Drought hangs tough as feds project dry winter in California. The end of the historic California drought appears increasingly unlikely, at least anytime soon, with new long-range forecasts hinting at a warm, dry winter for much of the state. The monthly outlook released Thursday by the U.S. Climate Prediction Center cites a 33 percent chance… https://app.meltwater.com/report/573f18c2964eb43b0b14df8c/inbox/160613/open/documents/21TIJn7zdMvXQdOaPA-IAalfZp8?type=search&s=mail-digest&name=CA%20ARB%20News&uId=558b29e945a2e7b6898a9b3b&cId=5548d88552a7c462a6eadb7e&dId=21TIJn7zdMvXQdOaPA-IAalfZp8&sentiment=V&isHosted=true&id=160613&companyId=5548d88552a7c462a6eadb7e&publishTime=1463731200000&op=open Californians navigate changing tide of drought rules. California’s decision to let local entities regulate how much water people use has residents hoping their bills will get a little more manageable and their yards a little less ugly. Lee Nguyen, a 64-year-old retiree in Irvine, believes she has done her part to help in the five-year drought. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-716545-local-state.html What drought? Nestle plans $35M bottled water plant in Phoenix. The world's largest water bottler intends to open a bottling plant in Phoenix, tapping a growing thirst for its product in a desert region stressing over its uncertain water future. Nestle Waters will spend $35 million to revamp a west Phoenix warehouse… http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/05/19/drought-nestle-plans-bottled-water-plant-phoenix/84631928/ Drought Conditions Improve In California, Nevada. The lastest drought update shows that as California moves toward the dry summer months, conditions continue to improve. Improvement comes as the California State Water Resources Control Board ended mandatory statewide water conservation regulations. The new regulations allow local water districts to set their conservation targets… http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/05/19/drought-conditions-improve-in-california,-nevada/ Drought water rates end at Contra Costa Water District. "' Water rates for some 200,000 Central Contra Costa residents will drop in early June after the Contra Costa Water District board agreed Wednesday to end a temporary drought surcharge. With plenty of water this year, the water board decided there… http://www.eastbaytimes.com/walnut-creek/ci_29915099/drought-water-rates-end-at-contra-costa-water Lake Mead shrinks to record low amid ongoing Western drought. The surface level at Lake Mead has dropped as planned to historic low levels, and federal water managers said Thursday the vast Colorado River reservoir is expected to continue to shrink amid ongoing drought. The closely controlled and measured lake shrunk Wednesday to its lowest point since Hoover Dam… http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/nation/lake-mead-shrinks-to-record-low-amid-ongoing-western-drought/article_3324ead2-29cf-5e5b-846d-fa183612cd34.html http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/nation/lake-mead-shrinks-to-record-low-amid-ongoing-western-drought/article_3324ead2-29cf-5e5b-846d-fa183612cd34.html FUELS Oil Eases as Rising Dollar Curbs Investors’ Commodity Appetite. Crude fell as the dollar rebounded against its peers, making commodities denominated in the U.S. currency less attractive as an investment. Futures dropped as much as 1.5 percent in New York. The dollar, which rose as much as 0.2 percent against a basket of peer currencies, was buoyed by speculation the Federal Reserve may raise rates in June. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O7G5TP6K50YH01-1EKTH0PR12UQJVS0A0UFJQKVO4 California Dairy Turns Cow Waste Into Power. Forty-five percent of California’s methane emissions come from dairies, the largest source of the potent greenhouse gas in the state. The 700 cows on Cace Van Steyn’s dairy farm in Elk Grove excrete about 98,000 pounds of manure and urine every day. All that waste produces methane. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/05/19/california-dairy-turns-cow-waste-into-power/ LNG safety rules could get Band-Aid fix. Federal safety rules for liquefied natural gas facilities are woefully out of date, relying on a standard published before the shale gas revolution, but any change to the rules could take years. At a public meeting held by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration this week, safety rules were continuously described as outmoded. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/05/20/stories/1060037596 VEHICLES GM offers debit cards or longer warranties in mileage case. People who bought or leased 2016 General Motors SUVs with overstated gas mileage on the window sticker will be getting compensated, the automaker said Friday. Those who purchased their SUV will get to choose a debit card or an extended warranty, while lessees will receive the debit card. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GENERAL_MOTORS_MILEAGE_OVERSTATED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Third Annual AltCar Expo in Oakland showcases alternative-fuel vehicles. In California, cars have long held dominion over both the state's transportation network and the public's imagination. It only takes a drive during peak weekday commute hours on a Bay Area freeway to understand just how dependent residents are on the automobile. But while environmentalists and transportation experts agree that reducing the region's auto dependency is paramount in stemming climate change, there's no evidence to think that cars will be disappearing from city streets and highways anytime soon. http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29914450/third-annual-altcar-expo-oakland-showcases-latest-alternative Peapod adds two LH hydraulic hybrids delivery trucks to fleet. Peapod, the leading online grocer in the US, took delivery of its first two hydraulic hybrid delivery trucks this month. The vehicles, existing Workhorse walk-in vans with GM gasoline engines and equipped with the Lightning Hybrids Energy Recovery System (ERS), are in service on the streets of Chicago and were partially paid for by the… http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/05/20160520-lh.html What brands do Tesla buyers also look at? BMW should worry. Looking at their future product plans, the established German luxury carmakers have now clearly started to take electric-car maker Tesla Motors seriously. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche are all expected to launch at least one Tesla-targeting electric vehicle apiece over the next few years. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104060_what-brands-do-tesla-buyers-also-look-at-bmw-should-worry VW RECALL Scandal-hit VW agrees to 4.8 percent pay rise for workers. Automaker Volkswagen and Germany's industrial union have agreed to increase wages 4.8 percent by next year in an economy where the cost of living is flat - the kind of raises that could help the 19-country eurozone lift inflation from dangerously low levels. The company said Friday that almost 120,000 workers would get 2.8 percent more on Sept. 1… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN_WAGE_DEAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT GREEN ENERGY Pro-nuclear GOP senator urges Tennessee to reject wind farm. Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is urging his fellow Tennesseans to oppose what he calls an "unsightly" wind farm near the Cumberland Mountain State Park. The longtime supporter of nuclear power argued on the Senate floor this week that the 23 wind turbines Apex Clean Energy wants to install are "massive" and would spoil the "natural beauty of our state." http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNSIGHTLY_WIND_FARM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Mirrors spark fire at world's largest solar-thermal plant. A small fire shut down a generating tower at the world's largest solar-thermal power plant, leaving the sprawling facility on the California-Nevada border operating at only a third of its capacity, authorities said. Firefighters had to climb some 300 feet up a boiler tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California after the fire… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOLAR_PLANT_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.modbee.com/news/business/article78797282.html#storylink=cpy Wind tax credit sparks controversy. Wyoming state lawmakers and the developer of the largest onshore wind farm in the country are butting heads. At issue is a plan to raise Wyoming's wind generation tax. Power Company of Wyoming LLC officials say the measure muddies the future of their proposal to construct 1,000 turbines in a southern region of the state. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/05/20/stories/1060037607 This is how cities of the future will get their energy. In the global effort to fight climate change, cities have some of the greatest potential– and the greatest imperative — to make a difference. With an increasing global migration into the world’s urban areas, which are expected to support at least two-thirds of the total human population by 2050… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/20/this-is-how-cities-of-the-future-will-get-their-energy/ MISCELLANEOUS Humans damaging the environment faster than it can recover, UN finds. Radical action is needed to combat increasing rate of environmental damage to water sources, land, biodiversity and marine life, report shows. Degradation of the world’s natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage, meaning the rate of deterioration is increasing globally… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/19/humans-damaging-the-environment-faster-than-it-can-recover-report-finds?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e53b689d9c-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e53b689d9c-327747457 OPINIONS Beyond Twitter, Donald Trump’s Views on Climate Change Are Unclear. So far, Donald J. Trump has said very little about climate change and energy policy beyond his Twitter posts on the issues. He has called global warming a “hoax,” for example, and claimed that the Chinese fabricated climate change (just a joke, he later said). http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/science/donald-trump-global-warming-energy-policy-kevin-cramer.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=e53b689d9c-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-e53b689d9c-327747457&_r=0 Let's give up the climate change charade: Exxon won't change its stripes. Every year at the shareholders’ annual meeting, there is an attempt to push the company on reducing emissions. It’s time to stop trying and divest instead. In 1990, a small group of investors offered a resolution at Exxon’s annual shareholder’s meeting asking that it “develop a company-wide plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/20/exxon-shareholders-climate-change-reform-divest The $10 Billion Solution to Climate Change. Even if the world keeps rolling out solar panels and wind farms at the current, record rate, the chance of meeting our climate change targets remains thin. That’s because China, India, and other parts of the developing world, while embracing renewables, are still building hundreds of coal plants to produce cheap, reliable power without having to depend on the variability of the sun and wind. http://fortune.com/2016/05/20/climate-change-nuclear/ Solar power investments don’t pay off. Ivanpah is a 640,000 megawatt-hour solar farm in California that received $1.5 billion in taxpayer-funded federal loans. The project benefited from a loan-guarantee program where taxpayers bear the risks and the solar industry gets favorable rates to protect its profits. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2016/05/19/solar-power-bad-investment/84639258/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.