California asks Congress for waiver to regulate vehicle emissions as part of any bailout
As the federal government considers bailing out the Detroit automakers, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has asked Congressional leaders to include in any bailout, a provision granting California a waiver to regulate car emissions under the Clean Air Act. Up until now, the EPA has refused to grant this waiver, thereby preventing California, and numerous other states who have adopted California’s standards, from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from cars due to the doctrine of federal preemption.
Under California law, greenhouse emissions from cars should be reduced by 30% by 2016. READ MORE
Friedman to Obama: efficiency incentives and mandates are not enough– we need a carbon tax
President-elect Obama, in an interview conducted earlier this week and aired Sunday on Meet the Press, indicated that while he supports a transformation in our energy and environmental policies, he wants to accomplish this through incentives, rather than a carbon tax.
Tom Friedman, in effect, responds to that position in his op-ed in Sunday’s NYT.
Laying out the enormous importance of how the billions from bailouts and stimulus packages are spent, Friedman quotes Andy Karsner, a former assistant secretary of energy: “Remember, this money will not be neutral. We are talking about directing an unprecedented volume of cash at our housing, energy, transportation and infrastructure industries. This cash will either fortify the incumbent players and calcify the energy status quo, or it will facilitate the economic transformation we seek. The stimulus will either be white blood cells that will heal us or malignant cells that will continue to sap our strength.” [emphasis added]
Similar to our mantra on this site, Karsner (and Friedman) are basically saying that our country has been operating under an unsustainable status quo for a long time, and the billions and billions of dollars that we are about to spend will either act to cement that untenable situation, or transform it into something healthy and viable. READ MORE
Obama discusses the Big Three automakers on Meet the Press
Highlights of Obama on Meet the Press on Dec. 7:
If automakers want to survive they better start building fuel efficient cars. But we need to keep their feet to the fire.
“If taxpayer money is at stake [for a bailout]… we want to make sure it is conditioned on an auto industry emerging at the end of the process that actually works.”
We need to “introduce a new ethic of responsibility [into business].”
And regarding the environment and energy: Focus on incentivizing efficient cars and increasing efficiency in buildings, but opposed to a fuel tax since people are struggling financially right now.
EPA actions resulted in record $11.8 billion in pollution controls and projects
The EPA announced on Thursday that all of its enforcement actions during the 2008 budget year, which ended September 30, resulted in a record $11.8 billion in pollution controls and projects.
Reuters describes the biggest actions as follows: READ MORE
GAO criticizes UN climate scheme intended to send investments to developing nations
Reuters reports from the Pozan Conference:
The investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, the General Accountability Office (GAO), criticized on Tuesday the U.N. scheme that has channeled investments to nations such as China and India. It said its impact in limiting greenhouse gases was “uncertain.”
The GAO criticized the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), under which rich nations can invest, for instance, in windmills in Ecuador or in cutting emissions from a factory in China and claim credits to balance against domestic emissions.
“There is room for improvement and there are projects that perhaps make it through that shouldn’t have…we are in a learning experience,” Yvo de Boer, the head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told reporters.
‘In reality, there is no such thing as clean coal’
From Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection.
Chrysler commercial sums up Detroit’s failings in 60 seconds
I’m sure the Dodge Ram is a fine pickup truck, but this commercial borders on the ridiculous. With the soldiers and military helicopters, it looks like Chrysler is trying to sell a tank instead of a civilian automobile. Guess none of the MBAs over at Cerberus Capital have done a recent case study of the Hummer brand?
Western U.S. to face major water shortages even without climate change
The AP had an article on Friday about the impending water shortages in the Western United States [link may expire]. The region will face shortages as a result of a changing climate as well as exceedingly dumb planning that led to inefficient development and failed to account for the fact that the 1900’s were an above average century for wetness on the whole.
The result was a massive population boom in the Western US that was built on inefficient water use from the Colorado River based on the assumption that the river’s flow would not decrease and population growth would not overwhelm it. Of course, none of these assumptions proved true. READ MORE
Out of the dark comes a light rail project for Detroit
At a time when Detroit is dominating the headlines for its association with GM, Ford, Chrysler, and even the Lions football team (owned by the Ford Family), a nice piece of good news came to the city on Thursday when the state Senate approved plans to build a light rail line along the city’s main artery.
The public rail line is proposed to run along Woodward Avenue, which travels through the heart of the city. The plan would use $103 million in private money to build the above-ground light rail, which would loop between Hart Plaza and Grand Blvd. It is proposed that the line would have 12 stations, including stops in the business and theatre districts, the ballpark, museums, and hospitals.
Ironically, if it is built, a public rail line would have the potential to spark a renaissance in Detroit, which would be widely welcomed if the automotive woes continue.
New technology could pull drinking water out of thin air
Access to drinking water is a massive global health issue that is highlighted by the current cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. Additionally, diminishing water supplies stemming from climate change will exacerbate this already tenuous global situation. The impending battles over access to water are sure to shape the 21st century.
In this context, technology that can address some of these problems will be of tremendous use in coming years. CNN reports that one such technology may be the WaterMill, which is being produced by a small Canadian company called Element Four. READ MORE
San Diego hopes to lead California in solar panel installations
San Diego may be the first major city in California to take advantage of a new state law that allows government to assist in the financing of solar panel installations for homes and businesses. Under the proposal by Mayor Jerry Sanders, participants will be able to pay for solar panel installations through their property tax bill over a 20 year period. The privately financed loans would have a fixed interest rate and could be transferred if the property was sold.
The proposal, if approved by the San Diego City Council, would become law early next year. This would coincide with the federal law that goes into effect on January 1 that gives a 30% tax credit for residential and commercial solar installations. READ MORE
Geothermal technology brings clean energy and green jobs to Kenya
Israeli geothermal company, Ormat Technologies, which is headquartered in Reno, NV, announced on Thursday that it had completed work on the second phase of the Olkaria III geothermal plant in Kenya.
The project, which cost $150 million, will add 35 MW to the already existing 13 MW of capacity from that plant, which has been in operation since 2001. Ormat estimates that the project will save Kenya from having to import 120,000 tons of oil per year and will eliminate 200,000 tons of CO2 per year. READ MORE
Skiers and snowboarders support WWF efforts to fight climate change in Poznan, Poland
The WWF organized a demonstration of pro skiers and snowboards in Poznan, Poland this week, where UN climate talks are on-going. Of course, those involved in the ski and snowboard industries are particularly concerned about climate change. The WWF demonstration calls on the governments attending the Poznan conference to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The petition signed by the skiers and snowboarders reads, “From the European Alps to the Asian Himalayas, the US Rockies and the Central American Andes, global warming means milder winters and less snowfall. Ice and snow are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming, and as avid skiers and snowboarders we see our beloved sports endangered.” READ MORE
Oil drops below $42 on unemployment data
Crude oil dropped again on Friday, this time to just below $42 per barrel. This drop comes on a report from the Labor Department that nonfarm employment fell by 533,000 in November, making it the worst month for job losses in 34 years. The unemployment rate last month was at 6.7%, which is the highest since October 1993.
Oil dropped on Friday in reaction to this news. MarketWatch quotes an energy economist explaining, “folks without jobs drive less, and those in fear of losing their jobs are minimizing expenditures.” Proving this correct, gasoline consumption in the US has dropped 2.8% in the last month. If the market closes on Friday as expected, without a rebound, oil will have lost more than 20% this week alone, the largest drop since March 2003.
This comes on the heels of a warning by a Merrill Lynch analyst that oil could drop below $25 per barrel next year if the recession hits China hard.
Offshore wind projects in Germany to be scaled back
Germany, the world leader in wind energy production, is having to scale back some of its ambitious offshore wind farm plans due to technical and financial problems. Previously, the country had planned to build enough wind capacity in the North Sea to generate 25,000 MW by 2025. However, that number is now being scaled back to 16,000 MW.
Some of the challenges include construction difficulties arising from building and servicing equipment that is miles offshore, as well as a backlog for equipment due to high demand. And of course, the global credit crisis has limited the resources available to fund the projects.
It is estimated that installing the 16,000 MW of offshore wind production will cost around $60 billion.
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