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ARB Newsclips for September 13, 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 POLUTION

Campaigners criticise UK government’s response to air pollution
warning. Formal response rejects measures urged by MPs to tackle
dangerously high levels of air pollution in British cities.
Campaigners have attacked the government for rejecting calls by
MPs for greater action on air pollution, as severe pollution
episodes were predicted for parts of the UK this week. MPs warned
in April that dangerously high pollution in British cities was a
“public health emergency”…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/campaigners-criticise-uk-governments-response-to-air-pollution-warning


Study: Exposure To Common Air Pollution At Home Increases Insulin
Resistance Risk. A new study performed by researchers at
Helmholtz Zentrum München, in collaboration with researchers at
the German Center for Diabetes Research, has revealed that common
levels of air pollution in homes notably increase the risk of
developing insulin resistance as a pre-diabetic state of type 2
diabetes.
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/09/13/study-exposure-common-air-pollution-home-increases-insulin-resistance-risk/


EPA asks court to reconsider tossing boiler rules. U.S. EPA
yesterday asked for a rehearing of a federal court's decision to
toss out part of the agency's rules setting emission standards
for industrial boilers. The agency argued that vacating parts of
the rules, as a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia did in July, would have
environmental impacts and be disruptive to industry.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/09/13/stories/1060042724

CLIMATE CHANGE

Will Climate Change Lead To Far Northern Agriculture Bonuses? No.
Climate change ‘skeptics’ who have been pushed off of all their
denialist positions by ugly empirical facts often resort to
arguments that climate change will actually be positive. One
argument they make is that output from agriculture will increase
globally, with especially far northern areas benefiting from
increased arability.
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/09/13/will-climate-change-lead-far-northern-agriculture-bonuses-no/


With U.S. Election in Sight, Ban Ki-moon Seeks Quick Action on
Climate Accord. As the United Nations General Assembly converges
in New York on Tuesday, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is using
the gathering of world leaders to rush the 2015 Paris climate
change accord into legal force this year, hoping to bind all
countries to its strictures for at least the next four years…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/world/americas/united-nations-trump-climate-accord.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1&utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=7aaa0f109d-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-7aaa0f109d-327747457


Brazil ratifies Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. The
Brazilian government on Monday ratified its participation in the
Paris Agreement on climate change, a significant step by Latin
America's largest emitter of greenhouse gases that could spur
other countries to move forward. With a landmass a little bit
larger than the continental United States, Brazil emits about 2.5
percent…
http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Brazil-ratifies-Paris-Agreement-to-reduce-9217728.php


See the Giant Crack That Could Collapse Part of an Antarctic Ice
Shelf. A large crack in an Antarctic ice shelf has grown by 13
miles in the past six months. A large crack in an Antarctic ice
shelf has grown by 13 miles in the past six months, threatening
to detach an area of ice larger than Delaware.
http://time.com/4483880/antarctica-global-warming-ice-melt/?utm_source=Daily+Carbon+Briefing&utm_campaign=2fff895223-cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_876aab4fd7-2fff895223-303423917


DROUGHT

Why some people in California are straight up not showering. In
small communities scattered across California, more wells have
been failing as the drought persists for a fifth year. In parts
of the Central Valley, entire neighborhoods have run dry and are
relying on trucks to deliver water to refill tanks. State
officials’ latest tally of homes with reported water supply
problems stands at more than 2,300 statewide...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/09/12/drought-means-sputtering-taps-in-california/89789856/


California Uses More Renewables, Less Natural Gas This Summer.
California is using more renewables and less natural gas this
summer. Improving drought conditions are playing a role. Power
generated from natural gas dropped 20 percent this summer
compared to June through August of last year. The California
Independent System Operator says the drought dealt a blow to
hydroelectric generation for the last three years. Much of that
loss was offset by natural gas.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/09/13/california-uses-more-renewables,-less-natural-gas-this-summer/


FUELS

The answer to the global methane mystery? Fossil fuels, a study
finds. New research has added yet another layer to a major
scientific debate about our global emissions of methane, a
powerful greenhouse gas that is second only to carbon dioxide
when it comes to driving climate change. A study, published
Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
suggests that the amount of methane leaked…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/09/13/the-answer-to-the-global-methane-mystery-fossil-fuels-a-study-finds/?utm_term=.7146f51d565e


Driven by Propel Fuels, California Now Leads the Nation in Low
Carbon Fuels. California's Big Oil disrupting climate-change
policies have been extended to 2030 and the state now leads the
nation in low carbon fuel retail volumes with more than 14
million gallons of E85 Flex Fuel sold in 2015. This increase was
led by Propel Fuels, the top retailer of low carbon fuels in the
state.
http://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachricht/8916765-driven-by-propel-fuels-california-now-leads-the-nation-low-carbon-fuels


Feds approve high-value fuel from Pacific Ethanol's Stockton
plant. Sacramento-based alternative fuel producer Pacific Ethanol
Inc. said it won approval from the federal government for a new,
valuable renewable biofuel from its Stockton ethanol plant. The
Stockton plant can produce 60 million gallons of ethanol a year,
mostly from fermenting corn starch and sugar.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2016/09/13/feds-approve-highvalue-fuel-from-pacific-ethanols.html


Fossil fuels contributed to emissions spike — study. New research
out of the Pacific Northwest offers an alternate interpretation
of the energy industry's contributions to methane in the
atmosphere. Scientists have posited that changes in the
production and use of fossil fuels, specifically natural gas,
have helped slow emissions of the potent greenhouse gas
(ClimateWire, Aug. 24, 2012).
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/09/13/stories/1060042700 

VEHICLES

GM's electric Chevy Bolt to go 238 miles per charge. The
Chevrolet Bolt, General Motors' Tesla-fighting electric hatchback
for the masses, will be able to go 238 miles (383 kilometers) on
a single charge. The car beats the base rear-wheel-drive Tesla
Model S, which can go 210 miles (336 kilometers) per charge but
costs about $28,500 more. The Bolt goes on sale later this year
for about $37,500 before a $7,500 federal electric vehicle tax
credit.
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/GM-s-electric-Chevy-Bolt-to-go-238-miles-per-9218761.php


Electric cars could be charged at Shell service stations from
2017. Emails released under FoI suggest the company is in
advanced preparations to introduce the chargers on its forecourts
from next year. Electric car charging points could appear
alongside petrol pumps at Shell’s UK service stations as soon as
next year, the oil giant confirmed after emails between the
company and government officials revealed discussions on
introducing them.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/electric-cars-could-be-charged-at-shell-service-stations-from-2017

VW RECALL

Investors sue Porsche SE over Volkswagen scandal. Porsche SE
(PSHG_p.DE), the main shareholder of Volkswagen (VW) (VOWG_p.DE),
is facing lawsuits from investors claiming the firm did not
disclose the financial risks of VW's emissions scandal uncovered
a year ago. A spokesman at Porsche SE said on Tuesday
Frankfurt-based law firm Nieding + Barth had filed 12 lawsuits
against the firm which controls 52.2 percent of VW's voting
shares…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-porsche-hldg-lawsuit-idUSKCN11J21B


Volkswagen Not Sure it Will Bring Diesel Cars Back to U.S.
Market. German auto maker cites tightening emissions standards,
but doesn’t rule out bringing diesel engines back. Volkswagen AG
’s North America head, Hinrich Woebcken, indicated the company is
uncertain when or if the German auto maker will bring diesel
engines back to the U.S. market for light vehicles, but the
company is not ruling it out. During a session with reporters…
http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-not-sure-it-will-bring-diesel-cars-back-to-u-s-market-1473781040


GREEN ENERGY

Vattenfall Wins Danish Wind-Power Projects With Record-Low Bid.
The Danish government said it would prefer to cancel the
projects. Swedish utility Vattenfall said Monday it has won the
tender for two wind-power projects offshore Denmark with a
record-low bid, but the Danish government is seeking to cancel
them as weak power prices require it to pay more in subsidies.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/vattenfall-wins-danish-wind-power-projects-with-record-low-bid-1473687333?mod=rss_Business


Advocates press Georgia Power to fulfill solar plan. Solar
advocates are demanding that Georgia Power fulfill its promise to
add 100 megawatts of distributed solar projects to the grid by
the end of the year. The Georgia Solar Energy Industries
Association last week filed documents asking state utility
regulators to enforce Georgia Power's 2013 integrated resource
plan, which called for 525 MW of utility-scale and distributed
solar…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/09/13/stories/1060042700 

OPINIONS

California is backsliding on water conservation. L.A. can't and
won't follow suit. Last month, California’s Water Resources
Control Board took the easy way out on water conservation. In
2015, California nearly met Governor Brown’s mandatory water
conservation goal of 25% thanks to transparent monthly reporting
and identifying profligate water wasters.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/ 

BLOGS

Donald Trump’s Newest Adviser Says Global Warming Is a Huge
Threat to National Security. But don't get too excited. Former
CIA Director R. James Woolsey has signed on as a senior adviser
to Donald Trump—even though the two men's views are oceans apart
on an issue very close to Woolsey's heart: climate change. For
years, the former CIA director has been an advocate for cleaner
energy and has called for addressing global warming from a
national security perspective.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/09/james-woolsey-trump-climate


This New Electric Bus Can Drive 350 Miles on One Charge. In the
world of electric vehicles, Tesla gets most of the love. Over
100,000 of Elon Musk’s big, bad autos are zooming around the
world, gasoline-free. But how many of those can claim to take an
additional 40-odd cars off the road—each? That’s the promise of
the Catalyst E2 Series, a new electric bus debuting today that’s
aimed squarely at city public transit.
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/new-electric-bus-can-drive-350-miles-one-charge/




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