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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 1, 2016.
Posted: 01 Jul 2016 15:24:18
ARB Newsclips for July 1, 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 Gas stations to slap cap-and-trade 'cost' labels on pumps. Gas pumps in California could soon feature signs telling drivers they're paying more per gallon because of the state's cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions. The California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA), a trade group for oil distributors, is handing out to members a label that adds wording on cap-and-trade costs… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/07/01/stories/1060039717 AIR POLLUTION AQMD plan would fight smog mainly through incentives, not rules. For decades, regulators have attacked Southern California’s notorious smog through an ever-stricter array of regulations that forced polluters to deploy cleaner technology. But a plan released Thursday by the South Coast Air Quality Management District takes a more industry-friendly approach. It relies on finding billions in incentive funds… http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-ln-smog-plan-20160630-snap-story.html http://www.dailynews.com/article/20160630/NEWS/160639961 Here's why air quality regulators want more money to help you breathe easier. Southern California’s air pollution regulators unveiled an air clean-up plan today that essentially calls for the region to buy its way out of the worst smog problem in the nation. The draft plan from the South Coast Air Quality Management District relies on cash incentives… http://www.ocregister.com/articles/air-721135-clean-pollution.html PM2.5 linked to increased rates of kidney disease in China. While fine particulate air pollution is known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, a new study indicates that it also likely causes damage to the kidneys. Specifically, the study found that the likelihood of developing membranous nephropathy, an immune disorder of the kidneys that can lead to kidney failure, increased 13% annually from 2004 to 2014 in China. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/07/20160701-kidneys.html CLIMATE CHANGE Antarctica’s penguins could be decimated by climate change. For millions of years, fluctuating climates have impacted Adélie penguins, which breed on ice-free, rocky ground. Colder climates and expanding glaciers led penguins to abandon ice-covered breeding habitats. Warming climates and melting glaciers meant more breeding territory for these penguins, one of only two true Antarctic penguin species. (Emperor penguins are the other.) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/06/30/antarcticas-penguins-could-be-decimated-by-climate-change/?tid=pm_business_pop_b Green Climate Fund to target ‘high risk’ investments1. Projects in Africa and Asia set to benefit as GCF sets out stall to be top clean energy and resilience lender to developing countries. Board members agreed on a proposal it should “take on risks that other funds/institutions are not able or are willing to take” and adopt a “high level of risk appetite”. That could mean supporting wind and solar energy projects in African… http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/07/01/green-climate-fund-to-target-high-risk-investments/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=d6621244ce-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-d6621244ce-327747457 Antarctic Ozone Layer Shows Signs of Healing. The Antarctic ozone layer is beginning to show signs of healing, according to new research. The study, published in the journal Science, found that the hole in the ozone layer is closing. The researchers found that the average size of the ozone hole when measured each September has shrunk by more than 1.7 million square miles since 2000. http://time.com/4391034/antarctic-ozone-layer-healing/ Rescuing Scotland's history from global warming's rising tides. Scotland's history is being claimed by the seas. Off the nation's northwest coast lies South Uist island, where Scandinavian seafaring pirates known as Vikings arrived on swift boats in the 8th century. Some archaeologists suspect the Vikings may have killed the local leaders of... http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/07/01/stories/1060039691 DROUGHT As state loosens grip on conservation rules, La Cañada utilities make plans for a dry future. A decade ago, before the state of California declared itself to be entering a prolonged drought period, most La Cañada Flintridge residents were pretty loose with their taps. http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-water-20160629-story.html New drought water rules mean zero rationing in Paradise, South Feather. Paradise Lake is full and so is the water budget for residents on the ridge. The most recent calculation is that customers of Paradise Irrigation District are no longer subject to a water budget. The same is true for customers of South Feather Water and Power, which provides water in southeast Butte County… http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20160630/new-drought-water-rules-mean-zero-rationing-in-paradise-south-feather Summer Of Wildfires As Drought Persists In California. The drought in California is now in its fifth consecutive year and conditions throughout the state have increased potential for wildfires. Cal Fire says it has already responded to more than 2,400 wildfires in 2016. Federal and state firefighters were working June 30 to contain more than 21 large, active wildfires in 10 states… http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/06/30/summer-of-wildfires-as-drought-persists-in-california/ FUELS California Refiners Subpoenaed as Group Questions Pump Price. California’s attorney general has subpoenaed oil refiners operating in the state, where gasoline prices tend to be consistently higher than the national average. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Thursday that subpoenas seeking information on gasoline… http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O9LGNX6VDKHW01-1AOO4Q82MQ5H2VLF41OKLNCKRS American Gasoline Demand Isn’t as Strong as Previously Thought. Gasoline demand in the U.S. isn’t growing as fast as the market thought a couple months ago. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Thursday that gasoline consumption in April was 9.21 million barrels a day, down from the 9.49 million estimated in weekly reports. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-O9LO0S6KLVRR01-2JVRTBILVD90QP2734A17BHURL UPDATE 1-California probes oil refiners for gas price manipulation. California has issued subpoenas to Valero Energy Corp and Chevron Corp as part of a probe into whether oil refiners in the state have manipulated gasoline prices since 2014, the companies said on Thursday. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL1N19M1UG http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil-refineries-subpoenas-20160630-snap-story.html Will Exxon Mobil's sale of its Torrance refinery lead to lower gas prices in L.A.? Exxon Mobil has completed the sale of its Torrance plant to a New Jersey oil refinery company, a $537.5-million deal that brings a new player into the California market. PBF Energy is the first new owner of the Torrance plant since Mobil Oil acquired the facility in 1966. The 600-worker plant, which sits on 750 acres… http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pbf-energy-20160701-snap-story.html Carmakers seek exceptions to fuel rules as gas use soars. Automakers are ramping up lobbying efforts ahead of a key midterm review of the Obama administration's fuel efficiency standards for cars. Unexpected shortfalls in average fuel economy performance, brought about by low oil prices, have sparked fierce debate among regulators, environmentalists and auto industry representatives. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/07/01/stories/1060039708 Enviros push court to vacate fracking rule freeze. Environmental groups are urging caution in efforts to dismiss an appeal over a federal court's decision last fall to freeze the Obama administration's hydraulic fracturing rule. The U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming last week issued its final decision in the fracking rule litigation, leading both government lawyers and their adversaries… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/07/01/stories/1060039698 VEHICLES Paris drives old cars off its streets. Paris banned old, exhaust-belching cars from its streets on Friday in a war on air pollution that environmentalists hope will also drive dirty vehicles from the centers of other European cities. Air pollution, in large part caused by fine particulate fuel emissions, kills 48,000 people each year in France, some 400,000 in Europe… http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-autos-ban-idUSKCN0ZH4V8?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt VW RECALL Clean Diesel, Zero Emissions Vehicles Get Boost From VW. The proposed $14.7 billion Volkswagen settlement is expected to speed up adoption of clean diesel trucks and zero-emissions vehicles thanks to the inclusion of a pair of multibillion-dollar environmental remediation funds. The proposed partial settlement, announced June 28, includes a total of $4.7 billion to offset the increased nitrogen oxides… http://www.bna.com/clean-diesel-zero-n57982076331/ What will I get for my VW diesel car in the buyback? More than nine months after the Volkswagen diesel scandal first came to light, VW and the EPA have agreed on a proposed final settlement for 482,000 cars with illegal "defeat device" software. That settlement includes cash payments for the owners of affected Audi and VW 2.0-liter TDI models—whether they decide to keep their cars or not. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104784_what-will-i-get-for-my-vw-diesel-car-in-the-buyback GREEN ENERGY Expected wind power drop lifts spot prices next week. European spot power prices for early next week rose on Friday on expectations of a downturn in wind power production although thermal capacity operators are expected to increase output. "The bullish renewable factors outweigh the conventional supply additions and slightly easing demand," one trader said. http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL8N19N2N1?sp=true Lender promises India $1B for renewable energy infusion. The World Bank offered India substantial support yesterday to help reach its ambitious renewable energy targets, but it is unclear how much will go to off-grid solar. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who visits India this week, said the $1 billion pledge would help India… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/07/01/stories/1060039715 MISCELLANEOUS OPINIONS California may have a water ‘rainy day fund’. Californians are so used to bad news on the water front — from lengthy droughts to soaring water rates — that any good news seems particularly welcome. That’s certainly the case with a Stanford University study showing that the parched Central Valley has three times as much groundwater as previously assumed. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/01/california-water-windfall/ Global Warming Insurance Requires Reasonable Premiums. Global warming advocates are increasingly claiming carbon dioxide restrictions are a prudent and conservative insurance policy against severe global warming. Insurance policies, however, are only prudent and conservative when the price of the premiums… http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2016/07/01/global-warming-insurance-requires-reasonable-premiums/#5f9344117972 BLOGS First Generation Biofuels Should Be Phased Out. I have to say that I am very surprised to see policymakers continue to allow such a flawed technology across the nation. I am even more surprised that the taxpayers are forced to fund this. I wonder how policymakers didn’t foresee the implications of such a technology. Taking sugar, and converting it to fuel is not any different than taking food from… http://www.forbes.com/sites/mortezasoleymannezhad/2016/07/01/first-generation-biofuels-should-be-phased-out/#402e05473f10 We Successfully Reduced The Ozone Hole, Is Climate Change Next? A new study published today in the journal Science today discusses “the first fingerprints” of healing of the Antarctic ozone layer that protects life on Earth from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun. It’s a success story of environmental policy, but does it mean it’s possible to tackle a bigger problem like climate change? http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2016/06/30/we-successfully-reduced-the-ozone-hole-is-climate-change-next/#50c04a4458c8 California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.