What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for June 27, 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

Air pollution to kill millions more without energy policy change:
IEA. Premature deaths from air pollution will continue to rise to
2040 unless changes are made to the way the world uses and
produces energy, the International Energy Agency said on Monday.
Around 6.5 million deaths globally are attributed each year to
poor air quality inside and outside…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iea-energy-pollution-idUSKCN0ZC15U

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-26/air-pollution-seen-costing-trillions-to-save-millions-iea-says


Study Links 6.5 Million Deaths Each Year to Air Pollution. A
sobering report released on Monday by the International Energy
Agency says air pollution has become a major public health crisis
leading to around 6.5 million deaths each year, with “many of its
root causes and cures” found in the energy industry. The air
pollution study is the first for the agency…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/business/energy-environment/study-links-6-5-million-deaths-each-year-to-air-pollution.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=08f1ab66eb-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-08f1ab66eb-327747457&_r=0
http://time.com/4383435/air-pollution-deaths-study/ 

ENVIRONMENT: Inland air quality once again 'unhealthy' in places,
'very unhealthy' in others. The unusually poor air quality is
likely the result of the high temperatures in the area which
cause urban pollutants to heat up. The air over Inland Southern
California is expected to reach "very unhealthy" levels Monday
following a weekend of high temperatures.
http://www.pe.com/articles/air-806846-high-southern.html 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Scientists send coral reef plea to Australia. As the largest
international gathering of coral reef experts comes to a close,
scientists have sent a letter to Australian officials calling for
action to save the world's reefs, which are being rapidly
damaged. The letter was sent Saturday to Australian Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull imploring his government to do more to
conserve the nation's reefs and curb fossil fuel consumption.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6afb0c3755ab4e72be22a2d2a2992c12/apnewsbreak-scientists-send-coral-reef-plea-australia?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=08f1ab66eb-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-08f1ab66eb-327747457


Climate Action Plan adopted by La Cañada Flintridge City Council.
Members of the La Cañada Flintridge City Council officially
adopted Tuesday a citywide Climate Action Plan aimed at reducing
locally generated greenhouse gas emissions. Drafted with input
from residents and community groups and finalized by the Planning
Commission, the plan introduces measures that could lower La
Cañada emissions…
http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tsn-vsl-climate-action-plan-adopted-by-la-canada-flintridge-city-council-20160626-story.html


DROUGHT

What drought? Many Californians no longer required to curb water
use. The Tahoe-Truckee Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) Readiness
Plan is underway. After receiving a grant in April 2015, Tahoe
Regional Planning Agency began the formal process that November
to work toward implementing a plan to increase the number of PEVs
in the area.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-conservation-20160624-snap-story.html


How much water are top California suppliers committing to save
this year? Zilch. A year after California attacked the drought
with an unprecedented water rationing program that drove cities
and towns to cut back 24 percent collectively, state officials
have changed course and given local agencies the leeway to come
up with their own water-saving goals. But the agencies are not
exactly setting a high bar.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-720685-state-agencies.html


Newport council to consider easing water restrictions. City
leaders on Tuesday may loosen the spigot for Newport Beach water
customers, but officials warn that the drought isn't over and
conservation is still necessary. The City Council will consider
moving the city to level two of its water conservation plan,
which would restrict outdoor watering to before 9 a.m. or after 5
p.m.
http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-council-20160626-story.html


Sacramento region to California: We’ve got plenty of water. The
Sacramento region’s largest water districts have given a
resounding answer to the question of whether they could handle
three more years of drought: We have plenty of water. The State
Water Resources Control Board last month asked California’s urban
water districts to evaluate how much water they would need in the
next three years if drought persisted…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article86115867.html#storylink=cpy


Drought threatens 'genius' regs that stopped L.A. water grab. In
1941, Los Angeles came for the scenic lake here. After diverting
the inflows to Owens Lake -- setting it on course for ruin -- the
city extended its aqueduct 100 miles north in the eastern Sierra
Nevada and captured virtually all of Mono Lake's tributaries.
Like Owens Lake, Mono Lake's water level began to drop
precipitously as Los Angeles pumped…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/06/27/stories/1060039402 

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Daimler Trucks Fights Tighter Emission Controls in Mexico as Smog
Worsens. Daimler AG and other truck makers are fighting to delay
new emissions standards in Mexico as the government struggles to
control the worst smog in the capital city in 14 years. The Latin
American nation published draft rules in December 2014 to slash
emissions on all new trucks and buses.
http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=42377 

VEHICLES

California's climate change agency just approved a $500 million
plan — but there's no money for it. The state agency in charge of
combating climate change signed off on a $500 million plan
Thursday morning to get 100,000 clean cars on the road, limit
pollution from heavy-duty trucks and replace outdated school
buses. There’s just one problem.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-no-money-climate-change-20160620-snap-story.html


Elon Musk's SolarCity bid: Mistake? Tesla is proposing to buy
SolarCity for a price of between $26.50 and $28.50 per share,
which represents a 21% to 30 % premium over Solar City’s previous
price. The deal would transform Tesla from a maker of cars and
batteries into a clean energy powerhouse - making not only cars
and batteries…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/06/26/elon-musks-solarcity-bid-mistake/85648452/

Electric vehicles on the rise in Tahoe-Truckee region. The
Tahoe-Truckee Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) Readiness Plan is
underway. After receiving a grant in April 2015, Tahoe Regional
Planning Agency began the formal process that November to work
toward implementing a plan to increase the number of PEVs in the
area.
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/21778161-113/electric-vehicles-on-the-rise-in-tahoe-truckee-region


GREEN ENERGY

Why Plans to Replace Diablo Canyon With 100 Percent Clean Energy
Could Fall Short. When PG&E announced plans to close California’s
last remaining nuclear plant last week, it also announced a
historic plan to replace it with clean energy, like solar or
wind, and energy efficiency gains. That way, the Diablo Canyon
nuclear plant, which doesn’t put out carbon emissions, won’t be
replaced with something that does…
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/06/27/why-plans-to-replace-diablo-canyon-with-100-percent-clean-energy-could-fall-short/


MISCELLANEOUS

Thomson Reuters Latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report Shows
Indications of Sustainable Growth within Global 500. Thomson
Reuters today released its latest Global 500 Greenhouse Gas
Performance 2010-2015: 2016 Report on Trends – revealing
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data from the world's 500 largest
businesses (Global 500).
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thomson-reuters-latest-greenhouse-gas-emissions-report-shows-indications-of-sustainable-growth-within-global-500-300290483.html


OPINIONS

Exxon-Mobil is abusing the first amendment. Global warming is
perhaps the single most significant threat facing the future of
humanity on this planet. It is likely to wreak havoc on the
economy, including, most especially, on the stocks of companies
that sell hydrocarbon energy products. If large oil companies
have deliberately misinformed investors about their knowledge of
global warming…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/exxonmobils-climate-change-smoke-screen/2016/06/24/2df8b29c-38c4-11e6-9ccd-d6005beac8b3_story.html

Forget cap and trade's detractors, California's carbon-pricing
works.  California’s cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon
emissions and address climate change keeps on ticking as it was
designed to, defying its critics. Cap-and-trade programs are
considered to be among the most effective ways to reduce
pollution, in particular carbon emissions, from power plants and
other sources.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-burtraw-cap-and-trade-reduces-emissionsornia--20160623-snap-story.html


Dead trees aren't a wildfire threat, but overlogging them will
ruin our forest ecosystems. here are now 66 million dead trees in
California’s forests due to several years of drought and native
bark beetles, creating a “catastrophic” wildfire threat—or so
claims Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.  While
Vilsack’s assertion may resonate with many in the general public
because it makes intuitive sense, it simply isn’t true.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hanson-dead-trees-fires-vilsack-20160627-snap-story.html


State ponders how to save cap-and-trade. When California’s
“cap-and-trade” auction of carbon emission allowances imploded a
month ago, it clobbered ambitious plans by Capitol politicians to
spend many billions of dollars. The immediate question was
whether the May 16 auction, in which the state realized just 2
percent of the money officials…
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/columnists/dan-walters/state-ponders-how-to-save-cap-and-trade/article_fd2bd454-f6c9-5e77-ad43-522aff529208.html


The hidden costs of environmental regulations. Environmental
regulation is often portrayed as all good, no bad. After all, it
draws on widespread public support for laws intended to give us
clean air and water, help protect wildlife and preserve open
space. In reality, however, environmental regulation often fails
to protect those things while also imposing substantial economic…
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/critical-720548-habitat-housing.html


California's wasteful bullet train funding fantasy. The backers
of California's high-speed rail continue to perpetuate the myth
that if they build it, the money will come. When voters in 2008
approved state bonds for part of the project, we were promised a
$45 billion system stretching from San Diego to Sacramento.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/editorial/ci_30054046/editorial-californias-wasteful-bullet-train-funding-fantasy


BLOGS

The Sun Is Setting On Fossil Fuels. Things are getting a lot
tougher for the embattled carbon fuels industry. That’s according
to a new Bloomberg research piece predicting a slow, inevitable
death for the widespread use of crude oil. To be sure, fossilized
dinosaur goo has been under siege for a while.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmarkman/2016/06/27/the-sun-is-setting-on-fossil-fuels/#4ebca892588f


Trader Joe’s: Looks adorable, passes gas like a climate villain.
Trader Joe’s is the go-to supplier of bagged almonds and $2 wine
to an entire generation of city dwellers. But did you know that
Trader Joe’s is also a stone-cold villain of the greenhouse gas
variety? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
announced that Trader Joe’s slacked off so much on refrigerator
maintenance…
http://grist.org/business-technology/trader-joes-looks-adorable-passes-gas-like-a-climate-villain/




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