What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for December 20, 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

Chamber of Commerce far and wide want cap and trade delayed.
Today, twenty chambers of commerce from across Ontario called for
a deferral of the provincial government’s Cap-and-Trade program
scheduled to be implemented January 1st, 2017, citing high costs
of the program layered of top of skyrocketing electricity prices,
lack of sector-by-sector economic impact information and a change
in policy direction in the United States.
http://saultonline.com/2016/12/chamber-of-commerce-far-and-wide-want-cap-and-trade-delayed/


AIR POLLUTION

Smog engulfs cities in northern China for fourth day. A plane
carrying the chief executive of the world's biggest oil exporter
was prevented from landing in the Chinese capital of Beijing on
Tuesday because of thick smog blanketing large swathes of
northern China. Amin Nasser, CEO of the Saudi Arabian oil
producer Aramco, was due to attend an event on Saudi culture at
Beijing's National Museum.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-idUSKBN14909M 

City in China's Shandong limits coal-fired power to cut smog:
notice.  A major city in China's Shandong province has ordered
seven coal-fired power plants, including one of the nations
largest, to cut output by nearly two-thirds to curtail hazardous
smog that has blanketed the north of the country. In a notice
reviewed by Reuters, the environmental regulator of Zoucheng city
in Shandong, a province known for both its farming...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-coal-idUSKBN1490SL


EU nations back stricter emissions rules for new gasoline
engines. EU nations backed measures to strengthen new on-road
emissions tests on Tuesday to supplement laboratory-based ones,
whose flaws were laid bare by the Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) scandal.
The measures will extend testing to ultrafine particles, which
cause thousands of early deaths, EU data shows, emitted from a
new generation of gasoline direct injection engines.

Spare The Air alert issued for Tuesday and Wednesday. The Bay
Area's air quality officials today issued a "spare the air"
wood-burning ban for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The ban is also for manufactured fire logs, pellets or any other
solid fuel that is burned either indoors or outdoors, according
to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Spare-The-Air-Alert-Issued-For-Bay-Area-Tuesday-10807366.php
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/air-district-issues-no-burn-alerts-for-tuesday-and-wednesday/article_5271af90-387c-54bb-ad3e-dbada29dfb28.html


This $500 shirt changes color when exposed to air pollution – but
who does it help? A NYC-based designer says he wants to make
people pay more attention to the environment. But at these
prices, is this more art than activism? utdoor air pollution has
grown by 8% around the world in the last five years, according to
new data by the World Health Organization. Some of the world’s
biggest cities have significantly high pollution levels.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/dec/20/fashion-air-pollution-environment-nyc


Air quality in a northern Chinese city is 3 times worse than
what's considered 'hazardous'. Concentrations of airborne
pollutants in a major northern Chinese city exceeded a World
Health Organisation (WHO) guideline by 100 times on Monday as
north China battled with poor air quality for the third straight
day. In Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei province, levels
of PM 2.5, fine particulate matter…
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-air-pollution-in-northern-chinese-city-surpasses-who-guideline-by-100-times-2016-12


In likely nod to Trump, court delays ozone arguments. Oral
arguments in the legal battle over U.S. EPA's latest ground-level
ozone standard will be delayed by two months, from Feb. 16 until
April 19, under an order issued late yesterday by the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. While the court,
acting on its own motion, gave no reason for the postponement,
several observers attributed…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/12/20/stories/1060047459 

CLIMATE CHANGE

These two sentences could hint at the next threat to climate
science under Trump. One of the biggest controversies of the
Trump transition so far has been about, of all things, politics
and science. It turns on a questionnaire the transition team for
the Energy Department sent to that agency seeking out the names
of staffers who participated in international climate change
meetings — names the agency refused to provide.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/20/these-two-sentences-could-hint-at-the-next-threat-to-climate-science-under-trump/?utm_term=.5faa4163733d


El Niño on a warming planet may have sparked the Zika epidemic,
scientists report. In a world characterized by rising
temperatures, deforestation and other human influences on the
environment, the spread of infectious disease is a hot topic.
Many recent studies suggest that environmental changes can affect
the transmission of everything from malaria to the Zika virus —
and it’s increasingly important to understand these links,
scientists say.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/19/el-nino-on-a-warming-planet-may-have-sparked-the-zika-epidemic-scientists-report/?utm_campaign=dc7eb61bd5-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Inside
Climate News&utm_term=.f9be2119636f  

How will the Trump White House treat climate change? Why it's so
hard to know. Donald Trump and some of his nominated cabinet
members have complex relationships with climate change, making it
difficult to know how past remarks will translate into future
policy. Donald Trump’s three latest cabinet nominees are part of
the president-elect’s campaign promise to “drain the swamp in
Washington.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/1217/How-will-the-Trump-White-House-treat-climate-change-Why-it-s-so-hard-to-know


Nuclear Will Be Necessary for Europe to Meet its Climate Goals.
While there is no sense in trying to predict the future of
nuclear energy in Europe, the one thing can be claimed for sure –
the climate goals and decarbonization of the European society
will be practically impossible to achieve if at the same time the
role of nuclear is significantly reduced. Amid continuous debates
on the nuclear energy in Europe…
http://www.theenergycollective.com/denk/2395189/atom-for-the-nature

EPA stops work on climate rule compliance program. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stopped work Monday on
writing an optional program that states could use to comply with
the climate change rule for power plants. Janet McCabe, the EPA’s
top air regulator, announced the decision in a blog post, along
with the draft, incomplete compliance plans and related
documents.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/311032-epa-stops-work-on-climate-rule-compliance-option


Alaska indigenous people see culture slipping away as sea ice
vanishes. In a year almost certain to be history’s hottest,
drastic environmental changes are taking a toll on food supply
and even language in Arctic communities. The extreme warmth of
2016 has changed so much for the people of the Arctic that even
their language is becoming unmoored from the conditions in which
they now live.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/19/alaska-sea-ice-vanishing-climate-change-indigenous-people?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=dc7eb61bd5-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-dc7eb61bd5-327747457


Is global warming still happening if it’s really, really cold
outside? A scientific explainer on climate change. It’s probably
the single most persistent and annoying question that is asked of
atmospheric scientists: “If the planet is really warming, why is
it so cold outside?” It’s become such a trope of editorial
cartoons that there’s a Tumblr page collecting them all, and the
sentiment has become a social media staple.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/is-global-warming-still-happening-if-its-really-really-cold-outside-a-scientific-explainer-on-climate-change


Global warming linked to plant, animal extinctions.  Almost half
of plant and animal species have experienced local extinctions
due to climate change, research reveals, with the tropics
suffering the most pronounced loss. Climate change is already
beginning to alter the natural world. A study of 976 plant and
animal species worldwide – freshwater, terrestrial and marine –
reveals that local extinctions have happened in 47% of their
natural ranges.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/12/20/global-warming-linked-to-plant-animal-extinctions/


Jerry Brown talks tough, but can he stop Trump on climate?
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) came out swinging last week on
climate change, vowing to protect the state's environmental
policies from President-elect Donald Trump. Positioning the
Golden State as the country's liberal champion, Brown noted that
California has triumphed before on green issues, like pushing for
the nation's toughest restrictions on vehicle emissions.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/12/20/stories/1060047440

DROUGHT

Federal water legislation supports Orange County drought
solutions. President Barack Obama recently signed the Water
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. This
historic legislation, which included elements from the Water
Resources Development Act (WRDA), will authorize California
drought relief, provide aid to address lead contaminated drinking
water, and will provide over $10 billion in flood control,
navigation…
http://www.oc-breeze.com/2016/12/20/94159_federal-water-legislation-supports-orange-county-drought-solutions/


DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Electric bus maker eyes Vegas market. GreenPower Motor Company is
not just looking at building an assembly plant in Porterville
next year, it is looking at building many electric buses for a
variety of uses. The Vancouver-based company announced earlier
this month the City of Porterville had received a $9.5 million
grant to purchase 10 buses…
http://www.recorderonline.com/news/electric-bus-maker-eyes-vegas-market/article_d1d37200-c67a-11e6-b5ec-ff28dbf9e7db.html

http://ngtnews.com/carb-gives-ev550-all-electric-bus-the-nod 

EPA to pursue tighter truck NOx standards. U.S. EPA will launch a
rulemaking that could lead to tighter emissions standards for
heavy-duty trucks by the 2024 model year, the agency said today
in responding to a petition by air quality regulators in Southern
California and other states. The goal is to develop a 50-state
program that would "streamline compliance for manufacturers" in
meeting stricter controls on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx)…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060047486/search?keyword=california


FUELS

Obama Said to Use 1953 Law to Restrict Offshore Drilling.
President Barack Obama is preparing to block the sale of new
offshore drilling rights in much of the U.S. Arctic and parts of
the Atlantic, a move that could indefinitely restrict oil
production there, according to two people familiar with the
decision. Obama will invoke a provision in a 1953 law that gives
him wide latitude to withdraw U.S. waters from future oil and gas
leasing…
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-19/obama-said-to-use-1953-law-to-block-drilling-in-arctic-atlantic?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=dc7eb61bd5-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-dc7eb61bd5-327747457


Obama's last coal rule likely headed for the chopping block in
Congress. The Obama administration's years-in-the-making rule to
protect streams from mountaintop removal coal mining is on track
to go into effect a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes
office, meaning Congress will have to step in to kill it quickly.
 Trump has railed against regulations on the coal industry in
general…
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/interior-stream-rule-appears-headed-for-congresss-chopping-block-232825?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=dc7eb61bd5-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-dc7eb61bd5-327747457


California officials sue feds over offshore fracking. State
Attorney General Kamala Harris and the California Coastal
Commission on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the federal
government's recent finding that fracking off the state's coast
has no significant environmental impact. The lawsuit filed in
federal court in Los Angeles says the Department of Interior
failed to take a hard look at the potential environmental effects
of the 22 offshore oil platforms…
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article121897153.html#storylink=cpy


Court rules for EPA on import certification. U.S. EPA acted
reasonably when it approved a program for certifying soybean oil
used in Argentinian biodiesel production, a federal court ruled
today. A three-judge panel rejected the National Biodiesel
Board's challenge both to the program and to EPA's underlying
regulations on foreign biofuel imports. EPA's decision "comports
with agency regulations and rests upon…
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2016/12/20/stories/1060047478 

VEHICLES

Navistar Expects Volkswagen Deal to Close by End of March. Truck
maker posts quarterly loss and expects soft conditions to
continue. Navistar International Corp. expects regulatory review
of its planned alliance with Volkswagen AG to be completed early
next year, allowing the companies to begin working on commercial
trucks and engines for the U.S. market.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/navistar-revenue-lower-than-expected-amid-weak-demand-1482243106


Chinese competitor to Tesla is floundering.  A Chinese-backed car
company that has mimicked the playbook of Tesla Motors Inc. is
running into financial trouble, with a highly publicized
unveiling just a few weeks away. The story of Faraday Future has
many elements that will seem familiar: an ambitious Silicon
Valley automaker named after a 19th-century electricity innovator
that plans to build a fancy electric sports car at…
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/12/20/stories/1060047442 

VW RECALL

Volkswagen deal on diesel cars gives buyback option for some.
Volkswagen reached a deal that will give at least some owners of
the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's
emissions cheating scandal the option of a buyback and provide
all of them with compensation on top of any repurchase or
repairs, a federal judge announced Tuesday.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_EMISSIONS_SCANDAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/vw-reaches-deal-for-emissions-cheating-audi-porsche-models

http://in.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-idINKBN1492EP

http://in.reuters.com/article/volkswagen-emissions-epa-idINL1N1EF18P

http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-agrees-to-repurchase-or-fix-more-diesel-powered-vehicles-1482263888
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-latest-vw-reaches-deal-on-last-80000-polluting-cars/2016/12/20/e647baba-c6e9-11e6-acda-59924caa2450_story.html?utm_term=.458dbeff65f0
 
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/epa-volkswagen-to-pay-225m-for-diesel-cheating-scandal/article/2610101

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/12/20/volkswagen-3-liter-diesel-settlement/95661794/
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-volkswagen-diesel-deal-20161220-story.html

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Judge-Volkswagen-reaches-deal-over-remaining-10808767.php

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article122004104.html 
http://www.seattletimes.com/business/the-latest-vw-reaches-deal-on-last-80000-polluting-cars/

http://www.journalgazette.net/business/Volkswagen-deal-on-diesel-cars-gives-buyback-option-for-some-16927908

http://www.autonews.com/article/20161220/OEM11/161229986/volkswagen-reaches-agreement-to-fix-buy-back-3.0-liter-u.s.-diesels

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-vw-reaches-deal-80000-polluting-cars-44308675

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20161220/COPY/312209740/volkswagen-reaches-agreement-to-fix-buy-back-3.0-liter-u.s.-diesels

https://www.yahoo.com/news/volkswagen-reaches-agreement-fix-buyback-u-diesels-193120146--finance.html
 

Volkswagen agrees to spend up to C$2.1 billion over Canadian
emissions. Volkswagen AG has agreed to spend up to $2.1 billion
Canadian dollars (1.3 billion pounds) to buy back or fix 105,000
polluting diesels and compensate owners in Canada, the company
said Monday. In June, Volkswagen agreed to a similar deal with
U.S. owners, in which it would spend up to $10.03 billion to buy
back or fix 475,000 U.S. vehicles.
http://www.reuters.com/article/uk-volkswagen-emissions-canada-idUKKBN148201

http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-nears-deal-to-add-another-1-billion-to-emissions-scandal-costs-1482114058

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/1220/Volkswagen-to-pay-200-million-for-cheating-3.0-liter-diesels

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2016/12/19/volkswagen-emission-scandal-might-cost-another-1-billion/95616730/


GREEN ENERGY

Is the sun setting on state solar policy fights? The most recent
U.S. attempt to rebuild its pioneering but lagging development of
solar energy began in 2009 with an Earth Day speech by President
Obama. "We've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in
generating, even though we have more sun than either country.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2016/12/20/stories/1060047435 

SE transmission linebacker touts $4B in benefits. The developer
of a high-voltage transmission project that would bring wind
energy into the Southeast said the project would have long-term
economic benefits of roughly $4 billion. Pattern Energy Group LP
said the Southern Cross Transmission project would create jobs,
boost local businesses, and add to the tax base to Louisiana and
Mississippi.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2016/12/20/stories/1060047450 

MISCELLANEOUS

Trump allies map out ways to block EPA. President-elect Donald
Trump hasn't played coy when it comes to how he feels about the
Environmental Protection Agency. He vowed to dismantle the EPA's
powers numerous times on the campaign trail. What isn't clear is
the strategy the Trump administration plans to use to hamstring
the federal agency in charge of enforcing regulations intended to
safeguard against pollution and climate change.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/20/politics/donald-trump-allies-block-epa/index.html


OPINIONS

How China Beats the U.S. at Clean-Air Progress. As Beijing and
more than 20 other cities in northern China have been plunged
into another winter air-pollution crisis, with choking, toxic air
and many people afraid to wander outside, observers wonder when
China will start making significant progress on this problem. But
there is some good news, namely that when it comes to clean air
improvements…
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-12-20/how-china-beats-the-u-s-at-clean-air-progress


Reindeer victims of climate change.  ‘You know Dasher and Dancer
and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donder and Blitzen” — for
those who celebrate Christmas, that song is a familiar one.
Unfortunately, Santa’s reindeer may be coming under threat, much
to the detriment of our climate. Reindeer (or, as they are called
in North America, caribou — they are biologically the same
species) aren’t currently on anyone’s endangered species list.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/opinion/editorials/reindeer-victims-of-climate-change/article_99bee832-c6c4-11e6-bd22-bf16f065227b.html


George Pataki: How to Make Global Warming a Bipartisan Issue.
'Democrats saw it as a very effective marketing issue—and thought
they would never lose the presidency'. A poll conducted earlier
this year by Yale University and George Mason University found 47
percent of conservatives believe in global warming. Despite
growing consensus that the climate is warming, Democrats and
Republicans in Congress remain deeply polarized on the issue.
http://observer.com/2016/12/george-patakai-how-to-make-global-warming-a-bipartisan-issue/
 

BLOGS

EPA Responds to States, Provides Useful Information for
Developing Cost-Effective Programs to Reduce Carbon Pollution.
Earlier today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
released several draft  documents designed to provide additional
information for states and other stakeholders as they work
together to reduce emissions of carbon pollution from power
plants.
http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2016/12/20/epa-responds-to-states-provides-useful-information-for-developing-cost-effective-programs-to-reduce-carbon-pollution/
 

Climate Change Investing Heats Up. Trends like climate change are
often slow acting, but they are powerful and poised to move
markets for many years to come. Climate change could be the most
important long-term trend for investors. It will produce winners
and losers over the next decades…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddmillay/2016/12/19/climate-change-investing-heats-up/#402934591195


How Can We Be Certain That Reducing CO2 Emissions Will Affect
Global Warming? How can we be certain that reducing our CO2
emissions will affect global warming when meteorologists can
barely make accurate 24h weather forecasts? originally appeared
on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling
questions are answered by people with unique insights.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/19/how-can-we-be-certain-that-reducing-co2-emissions-will-affect-global-warming/#74e6c80c295e


Americans who live in cold places 'less likely to believe in
global warming'. As many as one in four in the US do not believe
that global warming is real. Americans who live in cold places
are less likely to think global warming is real, according to a
new study. Researchers looked at US beliefs about climate change
on a county-by-county basis, and compared them to the frequency
of residents' exposure to…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/climate-change-global-warming-americans-hot-weather-donald-trump-a7486066.html


Toxic Smog Choking Beijing Is So Bad, It’s Grounded Flights. The
pollution has put northern China on red alert. Residents in
Beijing and dozens of other cities across northern China endured
another day of smog that was so strong, flights were canceled,
factories shut down and traffic stopped. A red alert, the highest
level in the country’s pollution warning system…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/beijing-smog-prompts-residents-to-flee-seeking-breathable-air_us_5858b932e4b03904470a7675?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=dc7eb61bd5-Today_s_Climate12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-dc7eb61bd5-327747457


Despite the Uncertainty, EPA Is Providing Information on How to
Comply with Carbon Regulations. With the Obama administration
leaving office and the Trump administration about to enter the
White House, what happens to the Clean Power Plan that aims to
cut carbon dioxide emissions? With that, the current
Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a paper and saying
that carbon releases are a quarter less now than they were in
2005.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/12/despite-uncertainty-epa-providing-information-comply-carbon-regulations/


Pruitt EPA Appointment Ominous for Environmental Justice
Communities. Contempt for the EPA’s mission and prioritizing the
interests of fossil fuel industries are incompatible with
ensuring protection of communities on the frontlines of climate
impacts and environmental pollution. After all, the Environmental
Protection Agency’s fundamental mission is to “protect human
health and the environment—air, water, and land”.
http://blog.ucsusa.org/juan-declet-barreto/pruitt-epa-appointment-ominous-for-environmental-justice-communities




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