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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 9, 2016.
Posted: 09 Jun 2016 11:47:19
ARB Newsclips for June 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 House approves bill to delay EPA rule on ozone pollution. Ignoring a White House veto threat, the Republican-controlled House on Wednesday approved a bill delaying an Obama administration rule setting stricter limits on air pollution linked to asthma and respiratory illness. The bill, approved 234-177, would delay implementation of a new federal ozone standard by at least eight years. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_OZONE_RULES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Air Pollution Seen Reducing China’s Economy 2.5% by 2060. Air pollution may reduce the size of China’s economy as much as 2.5 percent by 2060 by extending worker sick days, damaging crops and increasing health care costs, according to a new report that urges governments to enact tougher environmental laws. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O8I5RL6JTSES01-3OJS8AKBDQ6FK88314OLV1DBFS Oil refineries sue Bay Area air district over pollution rules. The five rules were proposed in the wake of a fire and heavy smoke at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond in 2012 that sent thousands to hospitals with eye and throat irritation. The measures, adopted in December and April, aim to tighten pollution controls on cooling and refining towers and other equipment… http://www.eastbaytimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29992678/oil-refineries-sue-bay-area-air-district-over Marathon agrees to $330M in upgrades to cut emissions. Marathon Petroleum Corp. will invest more than $330 million to curb pollution from refineries in five states, according to a settlement announced this morning by U.S. EPA and the Justice Department. Under the agreement, filed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit, the Ohio-based firm will spend $319 million on "state of the art"… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/06/09/stories/1060038569 CLIMATE CHANGE Earth's super-sized El Nino is over; coming up, La Nina. This year's monstrous El Nino, nicknamed Godzilla by NASA, is dead. It heated up the globe, but didn't quite end California's four-year drought. In its monthly update Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the El Nino has ended, 15 months after its birth in March 2015. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_EL_NINO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT NASA takes 23,000-foot view of the world's coral reefs. Coral reefs have almost always been studied up close, by scientists in the water looking at small portions of larger reefs to gather data and knowledge about the larger ecosystems. But NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is taking a step back and getting a wider view, from about 23,000 feet above. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NASA_CORAL_STUDY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Del Mar adopts climate action plan. Del Mar became the second city in the county to declare its goal of switching exclusively to renewable energy by 2035, according to a climate action approved Monday by the city council. The document, which follows a similar plan approved by San Diego in December, spells out measures to reduce the city’s carbon emissions. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jun/08/del-mar-climate-action-plan/?st What If Global Warming Emptied India? Climate change poses significant threats to the populous nation. In an armchair experiment where humans are thought of as no wiser than animals, scientists have found that climate change could empty some nations by 2100. A warming of 2 degrees Celsius would cause 34 percent of the world’s population to migrate more than 300 miles… http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-if-global-warming-emptied-india/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/09/stories/1060038516 McKibben vows to fight for carbon tax in Democratic platform. The last two times Bill McKibben was in Washington, D.C., he was cuffed and put in jail. This time he's fighting for climate action from inside the Democratic Party, instead of a cell. "It's good to be here in what is the hottest year we've ever recorded on this planet… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/09/stories/1060038526 Pro-carbon tax conservatives make their case ahead of House vote. A handful of conservatives yesterday argued that Republicans can eventually embrace a carbon tax, despite a congressional GOP effort to formally oppose the market-based climate policy instrument. A carbon tax "uses small-government principles,"… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/09/stories/1060038546 Climate change may threaten pandas' bamboo banquets. Giant pandas living in the wild could struggle to find food because of climate change, researchers at Drexel University cautioned this week. As global temperatures rise, heat stress could cause bamboo -- which pandas eat almost exclusively -- to die off or move to higher elevations. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/09/stories/1060038523 FUELS RPT-ANALYSIS-Unlikely casualty in California's renewable energy boom: natural gas. In February of 2001, then California Governor Gray Davis stood at the site of Calpine Corp's new Sutter natural gas power plant and unveiled his plan to fast-track construction of similar stations to add 20,000 megawatts of modern, efficient generation to the state in three years. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL1N19020R Methane emissions are extremely harmful, and the government might not know how much there is. Methane is a colorless and odorless. But it is a powerhouse in the way it contributes to global warming. In the atmosphere, it’s more than 100 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Now, after the growth of a natural gas production operation commonly known as fracking… https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/06/09/this-heated-fight-over-methane-emissions-is-almost-as-hot-as-the-gas/ EPA's plan to boost ethanol use in gasoline gets hearing. All sides of the ethanol and biofuels debate are getting the chance to weigh in on a federal agency's proposal to boost the amount of renewable fuels blended into gasoline. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding its only hearing Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_ETHANOL_IN_GASOLINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.chicoer.com/business/20160609/epas-plan-to-boost-ethanol-use-in-gasoline-gets-hearing Government reports were wrong about methane leaks' severity, environmental group says. An environmental organization filed a federal complaint Wednesday, alleging that key reports by a top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official wrongfully stated the severity of methane leaks across the nation's natural gas industry. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article82618967.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES Tesla to release lower-priced versions of Model S car. Tesla said Thursday that it has started selling a cheaper version of its Model S car in an attempt to make its electric vehicles more affordable for more people. The new version, called the Model S 60, starts at $66,000. An all-wheel drive version of the Model S 60 will start at $71,000. Both cost less that the current Model S 90D, which starts at $89,500. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TESLA_LOWER_PRICED_MODEL_S?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-09/tesla-brings-back-smaller-battery-model-s-at-lower-price-points http://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-motors-to-restart-sales-of-lower-range-model-s-sedan-1465476547 Benz vs. BMW: A Century of Out-Inventing Each Other. In March, BMW marked its centennial—and a century of technological rivalry with Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz. In newspaper ads, Benz, which can lay claim to having invented the car in 1886, congratu-mocked its Bavarian archenemy: “Thanks for 100 years of competition. The 30 years before that were a little dull.” That’s like M-B doing doughnuts on BMW’s driveway. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-09/benz-vs-bmw-a-century-of-out-inventing-each-other BMW wins LAPD electric car contract, beating Tesla. German automaker BMW has beaten California-based Tesla Motors Inc. by winning a contract to supply the Los Angeles Police Department with 100 electric cars. BMW is leasing 100 of its i3 all-electric plug-in vehicles, which the LAPD plans to use for community outreach and other police business — but not patrols or car chases. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-lapd-chooses-bmw-20160608-snap-story.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/06/08/l-city-workers-driving-bmws/85629320/ http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104379_la-police-to-buy-100-bmw-i3-electric-cars-for-department-use HIGH-SPEED RAIL China will not build L.A.-to-Vegas rail line — U.S. company calls the deal off. Nine months after announcing that China would help build a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, the private U.S. company behind the plan said late Wednesday that the deal was off. XpressWest said the decision to terminate the relationship… http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-xpresswest-rail-line-20160608-snap-story.html VW RECALL German prosecutors investigating missing data in VW scandal. German prosecutors said Thursday that they are investigating an employee at Volkswagen who allegedly asked his coworkers to delete or hide data in connection with the company's emission scandal. Braunschweig prosecutor Klaus Ziehe said the suspect, whose name was not released, had in an "indirect but clear enough way"… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VOLKSWAGEN_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT GREEN ENERGY Solar Makes Up Most of New U.S. Power Capacity for First Time. The U.S. solar industry had a record first quarter, accounting for the majority of new power generation for the first time. The 1,665 megawatts of solar power that came online in the first three months of the year represented 64 percent of new capacity, and wind provided 33 percent… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O8GRF4SYF01T01-795DKKTDNHIEDF6HLL2GSI03CR DONG Energy CEO says offshore wind to compete with fossil fuels. DONG Energy's Chief Executive Henrik Poulsen said renewable energy like wind will be produced at a lower cost in the future. * "I have no doubt that costs of offshore wind and solar energy over time will come down and be at same level as fossil fuels." * "Our vision is that green energy will be cheaper than conventional energy. It can happen within a decade." http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL8N19120H Norway, Sweden to meet green energy target under joint scheme. Norway and Sweden's joint scheme to boost renewable energy generation, set up in 2012, is on track to deliver 28.4 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2020, Norway's energy regulator said on Thursday. The scheme, the only one of its kind in the world, pays energy producers a premium for each megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable power… http://www.reuters.com/article/norway-sweden-renewables-idUSL8N1911TK?feedType=RSS&feedName=utilitiesSector Who’s In Charge? Getting Western States to Agree on Sharing Renewable Energy. In California, there is so much solar energy that grid operators have to switch off solar farms. One solution of dealing with the additional power generated is to share the renewable wealth across state borders – but in the West, it’s sparking some not-so-neighborly opposition. http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/06/09/whos-in-charge-getting-western-states-to-agree-on-sharing-renewable-energy U.S. could outpace climate rule through mid-2020s, studies say. The U.S. power sector may be able to comply with federal climate regulations through 2025 without changing any plans, according to a new analysis by MJ Bradley & Associates. The report incorporates extended federal tax incentives for renewable power, lower natural gas price forecasts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/06/09/stories/1060038525 MISCELLANEOUS New smoking age to take effect in California. Andrew Rodriguez was 15 years old when he smoked his first cigarette. He knows how addictive smoking can be and hopes a new California law raising the smoking age will discourage young people from taking up the habit. "I think it's better," said the 21-year-old chef-in-training from Los Angeles. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_TOBACCO_LAWS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2016-06-08/new-smoking-age-to-take-effect-in-california BLOGS Why Have Solar Stocks Been Underperforming This Year? Solar stocks have had a tough year so far, with the MAC Global Solar Energy Index declining by nearly 30% so far this year, compared to the broader S&P index, which has seen a modest year-to-date increase. This under-performance comes despite reasonably strong solar installation growth… http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/06/09/why-have-solar-stocks-been-underperforming-this-year/#56f22d756b46 Trump’s Dubious Drought Claims. During a campaign rally in Fresno, Donald Trump made two misleading claims about California’s drought and water issues: Trump suggested “there is no drought” in California because the state has “plenty of water.” But California is in its fifth year of a severe “hot” drought, the kind that’s expected to become more frequent with global warming. http://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/trumps-dubious-drought-claims/ The End of the Free-Speech Consensus. Naturally, the Golden State wants to lead the totalitarian way. What happens when the consensus for free speech evaporates and those with political power become willing to use any means necessary to silence people who hold unpopular views? http://spectator.org/the-end-of-the-free-speech-consensus/ Five Things You Didn’t Know about California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. New industry compliance data on the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program shows that the LCFS—which requires the oil industry to help reduce carbon pollution from transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020 through increasing the mix of low-carbon fuels—is already working and exceeding expectations. https://www.nrdc.org/experts/simon-mui/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-californias-low-carbon-fuel-standard California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.