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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 28, 2016.
Posted: 28 Oct 2016 15:32:18
ARB Newsclips for October 28, 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 Shippers Brace for New Rules to Cut Deadly Sulphur Emissions. The global shipping industry is bracing for a key regulatory decision that could mark a milestone in reducing maritime pollution, but which could nearly double fuel costs in a sector already reeling from its worst downturn in decades. The shipping industry is among the world's largest emitters of sulphur behind the energy industry… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/28/business/28reuters-shipping-regulation-imo.html https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/28/shipping-industry-fails-agreement-cap-carbon-emissions When China Wants Better Air Readings, Cotton Does the Trick. The scheme was simple: Stuff cotton into air-monitoring equipment so that the air being read would be filtered and seem cleaner. The people doing this to produce better — but false — air-quality readings in Xi’an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi, got away with it for months, until inspectors noticed irregularities in the data. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/world/asia/china-xian-air-pollution-data.html?_r=0 Dependence On Cars Costs California $15B A Year, Report Says. A new report from the American Lung Association says California's dependence on gas-powered vehicles costs the state $15 billion a year in health and climate-related expenses. The report drills down on the costs of smog and climate pollution caused by passenger vehicles. Researchers evaluated the effects in California and in nine other states. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/oct/27/true-cost-gas-powered-vehicles-staggering-californ/ Political will needed to curb smog, says ousted air chief. For a man who earlier this year lost his powerful job in a political takeover of Southern California’s air quality agency, Barry Wallerstein appeared upbeat and comfortable. The former executive officer of South Coast Air Quality Management District smiled frequently as he gave a wonkish, 90-minute presentation Thursday evening, Oct. 27, at UC Riverside about the challenges of the region’s deadly smog problem and the strategies… http://www.pe.com/articles/air-817042-wallerstein-pollution.html Ozone battle rages on as regulatory regime takes shape. Lawsuits over the Obama administration's Clean Air Act standard for ozone are still playing out, legislative battles are still sputtering along in Congress and key regulations are still under wraps. But in the year since U.S. EPA set the bitterly contested standard, the new regime is quietly being locked into place and the trickle-down repercussions are starting to surface. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/10/28/stories/1060044997 Calif. agency sues over EPA's fine particulate strategy. Southern California air pollution regulators are challenging U.S. EPA's recently adopted compliance strategy for meeting the 2012 fine particulate standard. The recently filed lawsuit by the South Coast Air Quality Management District does not spell out the grounds for its appeal. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/10/28/stories/1060044991 Wall Street boom or bust linked to dust — study. To the litany of harmful effects associated with exposure to fine particles, a new study by Canadian and U.S. researchers suggests that there's yet one more to add: They may help drive down stock prices. The study, published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, looked at air quality readings near… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/10/28/stories/1060044999 CLIMATE CHANGE Study predicts deserts in Spain if global warming continues. Southern Spain will become desert and deciduous forests will vanish from much of the Mediterranean basin unless global warming is reined in sharply, according to a study released Thursday. Researchers used historical data and computer models to forecast the likely impact of climate change on the Mediterranean region, based on the targets for limiting global warming… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GLOBAL_WARMING_MEDITERRANEAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/27/world/europe/ap-eu-global-warming-mediterranean.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Study-predicts-deserts-in-Spain-if-global-warming-10417690.php Seafood's new normal. California's coastal ecosystem — and the fisheries that depend on it — are in the grip of a huge disruption. In the shallow waters off Elk, in Mendocino County, a crew from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife dived recently to survey the area’s urchin and abalone populations. Instead of slipping beneath a canopy of leafy bull kelp… http://projects.sfchronicle.com/2016/california-seafood-collapse/ The carbon bubble: why investors can no longer ignore climate risks. The financial risks posed by climate change and bad investments could make an ugly dent in your retirement savings, a new report warns. hen Sandy Emerson sat down in her portfolio manager’s office two years ago and announced she wanted to divest from fossil fuels… https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/27/investment-advice-retirement-portfolio-tips-climate-change-financial-risk Amitav Ghosh: where is the fiction about climate change? The climate crisis casts a much smaller shadow on literary fiction than it does on the world. We are living through a crisis of culture – and of the imagination. It is a simple fact that climate change has a much smaller presence in contemporary literary fiction than it does even in public discussion. As proof of this, we need only glance through the pages of literary journals and book reviews. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/28/amitav-ghosh-where-is-the-fiction-about-climate-change- Can a town that has defied history survive climate change? Ten days after he evacuated from his home on the other side of the Tar River, out of a home that flooded 17 years before and, now, a home that had just flooded again, the mayor of Princeville returned to his city. Bobbie Jones, a part-time mayor and a full-time high school vice principal, walked across the bridge over the Tar River hand-in-hand with other leaders. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/28/stories/1060044963 DROUGHT Wildfires burning around South as drought worsens. Wildfires are charring hundreds of acres daily in the South as drought conditions worsen across the region, and the heavy, widespread rains that officials say are needed to end the threat are nowhere in sight. A crew using bulldozers worked to put out a wildfire that spread gray smoke across the rural community of Brookside about 20 miles northwest… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOUTHERN_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Zimbabwe dam levels at record lows after drought. Zimbabwe's dam levels have fallen to 42 percent following a devastating drought that has left millions in need of food aid and local councils rationing water, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Friday. An El Nino weather pattern, which ended in May, triggered drought conditions across the southern African region that hit the staple… http://www.reuters.com/article/zimbabwe-drought-water-idUSL8N1CY5M0?feedType=RSS How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought? It's been a brutal forest fire season in California. But there's actually a greater threat to California's trees — the state's record-setting drought. The lack of water has killed at least 60 million trees in the past four years. Scientists are struggling to understand which trees are most vulnerable to drought and how to keep the survivors alive. http://www.npr.org/2016/10/27/499453623/a-1-600-year-old-tree-may-hold-the-secret-to-surviving-california-s-drought Storms put small dent in California drought. California is still substantially in a drought, but don't call it parched. A year ago, almost the entire state was in severe, extreme or exceptional drought — from the Oregon state line to the Mexican border — but since then enough rain has fallen that a chunk of northwestern California is now back to normal and the worst levels of drought designation… http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Storms-put-small-dent-in-California-drought-10419114.php It’s Sacramento’s 12th wettest October – and we’re not done. A surprisingly wet October continues to bring gentle rains to the Sacramento region, providing some relief to watersheds parched by five years of drought. But as scattered showers hit the region Thursday, forecasters and hydrologists said the promising start to the rainy season, while helpful, doesn’t necessarily mean the drought will end this winter. http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article110801097.html#storylink=cpy DIESEL ACTIVITIES Oakland Port cuts diesel soot with cleaner trucks, ships. The Port of Oakland helped put West Oakland neighborhoods on the toxic hot spot map a decade ago with trucks and ships that regularly showered large volumes of diesel soot pollution into the area. Neighbors can breathe a little easier these days. The Port reported Friday it has slashed its diesel emissions from trucks by 98 percent since 2005, and cut diesel pollution from ships by 75 percent. http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/10/28/oakland-port-slashes-dirty-diesel-pollution-in-long-campaign/ State approves funds for rural bus upgrades. The final vote has been cast by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that will open up $10 million in funding for rural and small school districts to replace their aging and dilapidated school buses. Rural and small districts have among the oldest and dirtiest burning fleets of buses in California. http://www.record-bee.com/article/NQ/20161026/NEWS/161029898 Halliburton settles Calif. truck-emissions case. Published: Friday, October 28, 2016 Halliburton Co., the second biggest provider of oil field services in the world, will pay $410,000 to settle allegations that it violated California's emissions rules for heavy-duty trucks. California requires companies that operate diesel-powered trucks and buses to meet U.S. EPA's 2010 emissions standards… http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/10/28/stories/1060044943 FUELS Exxon 3Q Profit Falls 38 Percent on Lower Oil Prices. Exxon's profit keeps shrinking because of lower oil prices, and the company is responding by sharply cutting investment in future production. Exxon Mobil Corp. said Friday that third-quarter income fell 38 percent to $2.65 billion. Still, it was the company's best quarter this year. The profit was higher than analysts expected, although revenue was sharply below forecasts. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EARNS_EXXON_MOBIL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/28/business/ap-us-earns-exxon-mobil.html API natural gas push meets resistance. America's oil and gas lobby is ramping up its campaign for states to use natural gas to meet federal climate standards, but environmental advocates warn that may lock the country into many decades more of fossil fuel dependence. The American Petroleum Institute yesterday released its analysis suggesting that letting markets pick the cheapest electricity sources would lead… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/10/28/stories/1060044966 VEHICLES Volkswagen Introduces New American-Built 7-Passenger SUV. Volkswagen took a big step toward recovering from its emissions-cheating scandal by introducing a new seven-passenger SUV. The Atlas SUV gives VW a family hauler entry into the fastest-growing part of the U.S. market, something dealers had sought for years. Volkswagen says the Atlas is big enough to carry seven adults plus their luggage. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/28/us/ap-us-volkswagen-new-suv.html VW May Return to Debt Market as Early as November: CFO. Volkswagen may return to the bond market as early as next month, Finance Chief Frank Witter said. Europe's largest automaker has been effectively shut out of the unsecured bond market since September 2015 when it admitted to rigging U.S. diesel emissions tests. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/27/business/27reuters-volkswagen-debt.html Hyundai, Kia to Pay $41.2 Million to U.S. States Over Mileage Claims. Korean carmakers Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors Corp will pay $41.2 million to resolve an investigation by 33 U.S. states over the their 2012 mileage restatements, state attorneys general said on Thursday. Hyundai said it agreed to settle state consumer protection claims but didn't admit to violating any laws. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/27/business/27reuters-hyundai-motor-kia-motors-probe.html VW RECALL VW Says 1.23 Million Diesel Cars Have Been Refitted With Software Update. Volkswagen said it has refitted 1.23 million diesel cars with a software update on pollution control systems as it pushes steps to overcome its emissions scandal. The number of 1.2-litre and 2.0-litre diesel cars repaired has more than doubled within several weeks from 500,000 previously, a Volkswagen (VW) spokesman said. The refitted cars include models from VW brand… http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/28/business/28reuters-volkswagen-emissions-diesel-cars.html EU Fears VW Diesel Fixes Could Damage Engines: Der Spiegel. The European Commission fears steps taken by Volkswagen to refit polluting diesel cars may damage the vehicles' engines, the Spiegel magazine reported, citing unidentified staff at the European Union's executive branch. Software updates carried out by Volkswagen (VW) could inflict greater stress on engine components, Spiegel cited a member of staff at the Brussels-based Commission as saying. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/28/business/28reuters-volkswagen-emissions.html VW's Audi Warns of Currency Hit to Sales in Challenging Market. Audi cut its sales forecast for the year on Friday, blaming volatile currency markets and predicting that its revenue will stagnate compared with 2015 due to "challenging" conditions. The pessimistic outlook from Volkswagen's flagship luxury division came a day after it scaled back its profitability forecast. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/10/28/business/28reuters-audi-results.html GREEN ENERGY Policy Prescriptions: Trump and Clinton on Energy. Energy independence has been a goal of every president since Richard Nixon, but it remains elusive. Still, an ongoing drilling boom has lowered dependence on imports of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. In 2015, the U.S. relied on net imports for about 24 percent of petroleum use, the lowest level since 1970. Domestic production of all types of energy except coal… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAMPAIGN_2016_POLICY_RX_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/28/us/politics/ap-us-campaign-2016-policy-rx-energy.html How Energy-Efficient Upgrades Can Increase Your Home's Value. Energy-efficient upgrades can not only shrink your utility bill; they can increase the value of your home. Homebuyers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of energy-efficient homes. In fact, they're often willing to pay more for homes with "green" upgrades, says Sandra Adomatis, a specialist in green valuation with… http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/27/business/ap-us-nerdwallet-energy-efficient-home-upgrades-.html OPINIONS The Climate Challenge Trio. Nations can and must deal with climate change, poverty and economic growth all at the same time. The three biggest challenges facing humanity are climate change, poverty and the economy. Perhaps the only good thing about the three is that they can and should be dealt with at the same time. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/op-ed/articles/2016-10-28/deal-with-climate-change-poverty-and-economic-growth-at-the-same-time Criminalizing climate change dissent? A new abuse of power. What issues matter the most to you this election? If you're like most Americans, climate change either isn't on the list or it comes in last. And that means Leonardo DiCaprio is unhappy with you. The actor, who produced the soon-to-premiere documentary "Before the Flood"… http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article111012132.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Alabama’s ‘Worst Drought In Memory’ Is About To Get Even Worse. With 98 percent of the state affected, Alabama’s abysmal water management planning is under intense scrutiny. Alabama farmer George Robertson has experienced some bad droughts over the years, but the 74-year-old has seen nothing like this. Speaking from his parched farm in East Alabama on Tuesday, Robertson sounded heavy-hearted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alabama-drought-2016_us_5812b8fee4b0990edc303fb7 California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.