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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 27, 2016.

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 13:16:40
ARB Newsclips for July 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 quality around Sand fire is 'like being around second-hand
smoke,' expert says. The danger posed by the Sand fire depends on
how close people are to the flames, said Mark Morocco, a clinical
professor of emergency medicine at UCLA. If people are close
enough that the fire is actually in their neighborhood or yard,
there is fine particulate matter, such as ash, that can trigger
asthma and cardiac stress in people with chronic lung disease, he
said.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-sand-fire-live-updates-air-quality-around-sand-fire-is-like-1469478486-htmlstory.html


Heat turns Valley air unhealthy, prompts warnings about limiting
time outdoors. The air in the central San Joaquin Valley is hot –
and dirty. Air quality on Wednesday is forecast to reach a “red”
Level 5 for at least an hour or two in Fresno, which means
unhealthy air for everyone. And for much of the day, air quality
likely will be only slightly better at an “orange” or Level 4.
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article92044242.html#storylink=cpy


Spare the Air: What can big cities do to curb air pollution? San
Francisco hopes to inspire individuals to change their behavior
in order to contribute to clearer, healthier air. Bay Area
residents are being asked to change their daily habits on
Tuesday, the tenth day this summer when high levels of pollution
have prompted a “Spare the Air Alert.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0726/Spare-the-Air-What-can-big-cities-do-to-curb-air-pollution


CLIMATE CHANGE

2 attorneys general refuse subpoenas on climate change probe. The
New York and Massachusetts attorneys general are refusing to
comply with congressional subpoenas seeking records about their
investigations into whether Exxon Mobil misled investors about
man-made climate change. In an escalating political fight over
global warming, the chairman of the House Science Committee is
pursuing records…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE_INVESTIGATIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Climate change is as dangerous as ISIS, says Kerry, and part of
the problem is your air conditioning. When Secretary of State
John F. Kerry was in Austria's capital Vienna recently to join
discussions on climate change, chances were low that he
encountered too many air conditioned rooms. To Americans used to
cooler rooms in summer, this may just have been a simple cultural
difference.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/27/climate-change-is-as-dangerous-as-isis-says-kerry-and-part-of-the-problem-is-your-airconditioning/


Rising seas threaten to swamp U.S. military bases by 2050. 
Military bases along the East and Gulf Coast are at risk of
losing large chunks of land as rising sea levels from man-made
climate change swamp installations from New Hampshire to Florida.
The onslaught of water will come from both tidal flooding and
hurricane storm surge and could cause a 2,600% increase in the
number of annual flooding events… 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/07/27/sea-level-rise-military-bases/87576456/?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=c2804c0e97-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-c2804c0e97-327747457


Heat is on, but the power grid is holding. The retirement of coal
and nuclear power plants in the U.S. over the last few years has
raised concerns that the electric power industry might fail to
deliver when demand for power heightens — such as during a
blistering heat wave. But for the most part, that’s not the case
this week as a so-called “heat dome” leaves the eastern and
central parts of the U.S. sweltering with temperatures of 95
degrees or more and feeling as though it’s much hotter.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2016/07/26/heat-but-power-grid-holding/87444628/

Climate Change Threatens 18 East And Gulf Coast US Military
Installations, Study Finds. Over a dozen military bases along the
U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are at risk of losing land
because of rising sea levels due to hurricanes and tidal flooding
intensified by climate change, a new study has revealed.
Researchers at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) analyzed
18 East and Gulf Coast military installations ...
http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-threatens-18-east-gulf-coast-us-military-installations-study-finds-2395173
Humidity to stay high in San Diego through Friday. The humidity
will remain uncomfortably high in San Diego and other coastal
cities well into Friday. And there's a small chance that a stray
thunderstorm or two will pop up over the weekend. "We still have
a marine layer, so there's lots of moisture in the air," said
Phil Gonsalves, a forecaster at the National Weather Service.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/27/high-humidity-thisweek/

Global Warming, Heatwave Heighten Conflicts In Multi-Ethnic
Countries, Study Says. Weather disasters cause vulnerability to
multi-ethnic nations. Scientists said on July 25, Monday that
heatwaves and drought trends worsened by global warming somehow
ignite conflicts. In multi-ethnic nations, an outbreak of 23
percent armed conflicts since 1980 occurred during the same
months of extreme weather disasters.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/44498/20160727/global-warming-heatwave-heighten-conflicts-in-multiethnic-countries-climate-stabilization-peace-directly-related-according-to-study.htm


14% of Americans say global warming is a sign of the apocalypse.
End times are nigh. Nearly 1 in 7 Americans, or 14 percent,
believe global warming is a portent that the world is ending,
finds a new survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change
Communication. One in 10 Americans think they will witness the
apocalypse before they die, so why bother doing anything about
climate change?
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/07/27/stories/1060040827 

Peru adopts national climate change plan. Peru has approved a new
climate plan that conservationists say puts the forest-rich
country on the right track to curb the cutting and burning of
trees and protect its forests from rising temperatures. Still,
activists stress that progress on the ground in Peru depends on
how the government executes the plan's suggestions.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/07/27/stories/1060040826 

WILD FIRES

Homes on edge of the wilderness complicate wildfire efforts. When
Pat Telleria saw the wind-driven flames sweeping across the grass
foothills toward his dream home, he picked up the phone. In the
middle of the night, he called 911. "I'm next. It's coming right
at me!' he told dispatchers. "And they said, 'You're out of luck.
All the resources are allocated.'" That's when the wall of fire
came at them "and it was humming."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WILDFIRES_PROTECTING_HOMES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


California Declares State of Emergency as L.A.-Area Wildfire
Forces Evacuations. The state of California declared a state of
emergency Tuesday night, as firefighters feverishly tried to
control a fast-moving wildfire that has scorched 37,473 acres
near Los Angeles since Friday, according to the Los Angeles
County Fire Department. Fires in Monterey County, albeit more
than half the size of the L.A.-area wildfire, also prompted the
declaration.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/firefighters-25-wildfire-raging-la/story?id=40887094


California wildfire forces shutdown of famed Big Sur parks.
California's signature parks along the Big Sur coastline that
draw thousands of daily visitors were closed Tuesday as one of
the state's two major wildfires threatened the scenic region at
the height of the summer tourism season. To the south,
firefighters made progress containing a huge blaze in mountains
outside Los Angeles…
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Hot-hard-days-ahead-for-firefighters-on-8419557.php


DROUGHT

From herdsmen to central bankers, southern Africa counts drought
cost. Molefi Ramantele, a small-scale livestock farmer who ekes
out a living in Botswana's arid scrubland, lost a third of his
cattle in the drought that has scorched southern Africa.
"My life is my cattle. I have never seen it so bad...It will take
me years to get them back," the 67-year-old said of his
livestock, often the main measure of household wealth in rural
African economies.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-drought-idUSKCN1071LA 

FUELS

Environmentalists take aim at TransCanada pipeline project.
Environmentalists are again taking aim at the company that
proposed the Keystone XL pipeline - this time for another of its
projects they fear would send hundreds of supertankers laden with
crude oil down the Atlantic coast to refineries in Texas and
Louisiana. TransCanada is behind the Energy East Pipeline
project, a 4,600-kilometer pipeline, or nearly 3,000 miles…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PIPELINE_CONTROVERSY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Valero says biofuels blending costs could double in 2016. Valero
Energy Corp (VLO.N), the largest U.S. refiner, expects to get hit
with a half-billion-dollar bill in the second half of the year
thanks to the rising cost of meeting government mandates to blend
biofuels. For the full year, the company's cost to blend
renewable fuels like ethanol will swell to between $750 million
to $850 million…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-valero-energy-results-biofuels-idUSKCN1062K4


As Corn Devours U.S. Prairies, Greens Reconsider Biofuel Mandate.
Environmentalists who once championed biofuels as a way to cut
pollution are now turning against a U.S. program that puts
renewable fuels in cars, citing higher-than-expected carbon
dioxide emissions and reduced wildlife habitat. More than a
decade after conservationists helped persuade Congress to require
adding corn-based ethanol…
http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-OAOCMO6JIJV401-76VK4Q48GD9B73GSS677VE0LDO


Environmentalists reconsider support for biofuels mandate.
Backlash could boost effort to overhaul Renewable Fuel Standard.
Environmentalists who once championed biofuels as a way to cut
pollution are now turning against a U.S. program that puts
renewable fuels in cars, citing higher-than-expected carbon
dioxide emissions and reduced wildlife habitat.
http://farmfutures.com/story-environmentalists-reconsider-support-biofuels-mandate-0-144490


Biological Engineers Decipher Cellular Strategy to Make Biofuel
Ethanol Using Industrial Waste Gas. Cornell University biological
engineers have deciphered the cellular strategy to make the
biofuel ethanol, using an anaerobic microbe feeding on carbon
monoxide - a common industrial waste gas. "Instead of having the
waste go to waste, you make it into something you want,"…
http://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=23524

VEHICLES

VW likely to build electric cars in North America by 2020:
executive. As it works to recover from the diesel-emissions
cheating scandal, Volkswagen's future plans include quite a
number of new electric cars. The company has said it will
introduce 30 electric models across multiple brands by 2025, in
fact.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1105182_vw-likely-to-build-electric-cars-in-north-america-by-2020-executive


VW RECALL

Volkswagen's $14.7 billion diesel U.S. emissions settlement
clears hurdle. Volkswagen AG's (VOWG_p.DE) $14.7 billion
settlement of its U.S. diesel emissions cheating scandal cleared
another legal hurdle on Tuesday, as a federal judge gave the
automaker preliminary approval to buy back up to 475,000
vehicles. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco set
an Oct. 18 hearing for final approval.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-idUSKCN1061ZP


Volkswagen's $15-billion settlement over emissions cheating gets
preliminary OK. A $15-billion settlement over Volkswagen's
emissions cheating scandal cleared a key hurdle Tuesday, with a
federal judge in San Francisco giving preliminary approval to a
deal that includes an option for owners to have the carmaker buy
back their vehicles.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-volkswagen-settlement-20160726-snap-story.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/07/26/volkswagen-group-emissions-settlement-hearing/87564422/

 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/26/volkswagen-emissions-scandal


VW has a long road ahead to restore consumer trust, green
credentials. Volkswagen is starting the process of atoning and
compensating for Volkswagen's use of illegal 'defeat device'
software, but it likely won't do much in the short term to
rebuild consumers' trust in the German carmaker.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/0726/VW-has-a-long-road-ahead-to-restore-consumer-trust-green-credentials


GREEN ENERGY

The surprisingly bright future of America’s forgotten renewable
energy source: water. Long before wind and solar, water was the
nation’s top renewable energy source. Going back some 100 years,
the United States built enormous dams — like the Depression-era
Hoover Dam in Nevada — to produce tremendous amounts of energy.
We have so many such dams that hydropower last year remained…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/26/the-surprisingly-bright-future-of-americas-overlooked-renewable-energy-source-water/


Arizona's solar plans for California need new energy. When the
engines roar, the wheels lift off, and the ground beneath you
starts to shrink, everything seems much more simple. The Arizona
Republic went up with LightHawk, a nonprofit that promotes
conservation by showing a bird's-eye view of environmental
issues.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/07/26/arizonas-solar-plans-california-need-new-energy/87582526/


MISCELLANEOUS

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is Also Very Hot. Jupiter’s Great Red
Spot is not only big and red. It’s also hot. Using a telescope on
Earth, astronomers peered at infrared emissions from Jupiter and
found that the temperature of the upper atmosphere, 350 to 600
miles above the giant swirling storm, averages 2,500 degrees
Fahrenheit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/science/jupiter-great-red-spot.html?_r=0


OPINIONS

Natural-Gas Vehicles Will Lower Emissions. Natural gas is much
better suited for pickups and other large vehicles than
electrification.  “Regulators Defend Fuel Standards” (U.S. News,
July 19) notes the growing tension between consumer desires for
larger, less fuel-efficient light trucks and ambitious automotive
emissions and efficiency targets set by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/natural-gas-vehicles-will-lower-emissions-1469561459


In his grandchild’s question — ‘Why is it you don’t understand
global warming?’— Sen. Jim Inhofe sees ‘brainwashing’. Climate
change denier Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) is in the news again
denying climate change “brainwashng” in the schools. The senator,
speaking last week on the syndicated Eric Metaxas radio show,
said his granddaughter once asked him, “Popi, why is it you don’t
understand global warming?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/27/why-is-it-you-dont-understand-global-warming-sen-jim-inhofe-cites-grandchilds-question-as-evidence-of-school-brainwashing/


Santa Monica is all Wet, Even in a Drought. Another Day in the
Soviet Socialist Republic of Santa Monica.  Santa Monica gives a
"Your Awesome!" sign to a resident with a brown lawn. It was
another day in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Santa Monica.
Another day for the city to steal money from its citizens and
another way to control their lives. "Drop everything! A Forum on
Water and Climate Change" was sponsored…
http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/07/27/opinion/santa-monica-is-all-wet-even-in-a-drought/1672.html
 

Climate models are accurately predicting ocean and global
warming. A new study from my colleagues and I vindicates climate
models, which are accurately predicting the rate of ocean heat
accumulation. For those of us who are concerned about global
warming, two of the most critical questions we ask are, “how fast
is the Earth warming?” and “how much will it warm in the future?”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jul/27/climate-models-are-accurately-predicting-ocean-and-global-warming


Zoning: Like Cap And Trade For Housing. I’ve been thinking about
how to explain why arbitrarily limiting the production of housing
by writing laws that limit the height, bulk, and scale of
buildings—what we generally call zoning—is so absurd and harmful.
I’ve tried lots of things, usually involving food, but it
occurred to me the other day that zoning is a lot like cap and
trade, a proposal to reduce carbon emissions by creating…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogervaldez/2016/07/27/zoning-like-cap-and-trade-for-housing/#41164c561b01


Biofuels help protect the Chesapeake Bay. As a boater from
southern Maryland, I read Chris D. Dollar's latest boating column
with interest ("Outdoors: Polish skills before tackling busy
ramps," July 16). But he cited some inaccurate claims from the
Boat Owners Association of the United States about
ethanol-blended fuel. In reality, the Environmental Protection
Agency is not asking boaters to change fuels.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-biofuels-letter-20160726-story.html


Biofuel: is it the answer? The shift from fossil fuels to
renewable energy is occurring mainly at the power plant level.
But what about transportation? Can we significantly reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by switching to cleaner fuels? Or is
this just an attempt to keep 20th century technology chugging
along while trading one set of environmental problems for
another?
http://www.castanet.net/news/Opinion/171634/Biofuel-is-it-the-answer


Call it cap-and-fraud. Cap-and-trade, one method Canada will use
to try and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, is especially
vulnerable to organized crime. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
and the premiers jostle on what carbon pricing in Canada will
look like and how much it will cost us, a modest proposal. We
should rename the carbon pricing scheme known as cap-and-trade…
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/07/23/call-it-cap-and-fraud 

The latest threat to the American cowboy: Environmentalists. Pity
the poor cowboy. Once the hero of hundreds of movies, television
shows and pulp novels, he’s no longer an icon. Instead, he’s a
social pariah, spending his days caring for cows, the worst
environmental villain that modern man can imagine.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/the-latest-threat-the-american-cowboy-environmentalists


Column: When will the candidates pay attention to the biggest
environmental issue facing America? “This election is about
climate change,” said Vermont senator Bernie Sanders while
endorsing the Democratic nominee for president Hillary Clinton.
He’s with her because she’s the one following the scientists on
global warming and pledging to accelerate the development of
clean, renewable energy sources…
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/column-when-will-the-candidates-pay-attention-to-the-biggest-environmental-issue-facing-america/


Obama’s $4.5 Billion Electric Vehicle Initiative is a Winner.
Don’t blame President Obama for the slow roll-out of electric
vehicles in the Northeast and other parts of the United States.
Back in 2011, he got behind the Department of Energy’s
“aspirational” goal of 1 million EVs on the road by 2016. Earlier
this year, the President was in Detroit kicking the tires on
Chevy Bolt, the industry’s first affordable long-range option,
which is due in late fall.
http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/obamas-4-5-billion-electric-vehicle-initiative-winner.html/?a=viewall


BLOGS

At Federal Energy Conference, Forecasts Predict Bright Future for
Fossil Fuels. This year’s annual Energy Information
Administration conference started off on a somewhat positive note
with a presentation by Dr. John Holdren, the Obama administration
director of the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy. Holdren was clear in his presentation that the risks of
climate change are real and deserve urgent action. 
http://www.desmogblog.com/2016/07/27/fossil-fuel-industry-fighting-back-annual-federal-energy-conference


Sustainable Green Omni Terminal Demonstration project gets green
light. Engineering design firm Burns & McDonnell are set to
provide design-build engineering and project management services
in the new $27 million Green Omni Terminal Demonstration project
at the port of Los Angeles. The project will provide sustainable
solutions in the reduction of pollutants and transform marine
terminal operations.
http://www.constructionglobal.com/majorprojects/794/Sustainable-Green-Omni-Terminal-Demonstration-project-gets-green-light




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

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