Category Archives: environment

First 118 MPGe Honda Fit EV Delivered in California

American Honda initially will lease Fit in some California and Oregon markets. Some East Coast locations will be added next year. The EV is lease-only with a price of $389 per month for three-years, which computes to a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $36,625. Collision coverage, maintenance costs and roadside assistance service included in lease. Gasoline versions of the Fit sell in the $16,200 to $21,000 range. Continue reading

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BP, Marathon, Exxon Mobil, Monsanto, BASF, and Other Hazardous Waste Polluters to Pay for Texas City Superfund Cleanup

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced have reached an agreement with more then three dozen companies and government agencies that will result in a $56.4 million cleanup of the “Malone Services Company” Superfund Site in Texas City, Texas. The former waste-disposal site is near the shore of Galveston Bay. The deal avoids costly and time-consuming litigation. Continue reading

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EU Pols Say Tough New CO2 Limits Will Create Auto Jobs

As part of the proposal adopted yesterday by the European Commission to limit drastically CO2 emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles, there were claims made that it makes economic sense. Continue reading

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Aloha Petroleum Unveils First Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers

Aloha Petroleum now has working fast chargers for electric vehicles at three locations in Oahu, Hawaii. As a promotional tool, EVs equipped with a CHAdeMO fast-charging outlet, including some models of the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV can be topped up free at these Aloha stations. Aloha is the largest gasoline retailer and convenience store operator in the state. Continue reading

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European Makers Squeal Over Tough CO2 Targets Just Announced

It is not clear if the European auto industry has the political influence to modify the regulations in the face of strong and apparently growing (at least among regulators and some political parties) green sentiment in Europe. Continue reading

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Taxpayer Subsidized Solazyme Starts Renewable Biofuel Refinery

Biofuels have the potential to decrease imports of oil, but cost, currently as much as five times conventional oil, and feedstocks that could hurt the global food supply, remain problematic. Continue reading

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Fisker and Leonardo DiCaprio to Work on ‘Sustainability’

Fisker Automotive and Leonardo DiCaprio today announced that they will work together to promote environmental causes. DiCaprio – an investor in Fisker – will “participate in conversations on the auto manufacturer’s future plans for the advancement of sustainable, responsible vehicles.” Continue reading

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Louis Dreyfus Energy Pays $4 Million for ‘Stealing’ Natural Gas

Louis Dreyfus Energy Services has paid the United States $4,084,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay money owed on natural gas acquired from the Department of the Interior, which is to say U.S. taxpayers. Continue reading

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Toyota Leads 2012 Best Global Green Brands Report

Toyota retained its number one position in the annual “Best Global Green Brands” report published by Interbrand today. The report gauges the gap between public perception of a brand’s environmental performance or green image compared to actual environmental practices using publicly available data and information. Continue reading

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Edeniq Pilot Plant in California Now Making Cellulosic Ethanol

The new plant was constructed in partnership with Logos Technologies Inc. under a $25 million program funded 80% by the Integrated Biorefinery Initiative Program of the U.S. Department of Energy. Whether this is a good investment by taxpayers that might help recover some of the billions of dollars spent on subsidized corn ethanol or just more subsidies for agribusiness are open issues. Continue reading

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OSHA and NIOSH Say Fracking Hurts Workers

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health today issued a ‘hazard alert’ to employers conducting hydraulic fracking operations. OSHA wants steps to protect workers from silica exposure in the controversial technique used to extract oil and natural gas. The hazard alert follows a study by NIOSH and industry that identified overexposure to silica as a health hazard to workers during hydraulic fracking. No data on the effect of residents of these areas were released. Continue reading

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Germany to Add 35 New Hydrogen Fueling Stations

Automakers are currently lobbying in the U.S. for tax breaks and other taxpayer incentives for fuel cell cars to bring down their astronomical – as in $pace technology – costs. Hyundai thinks it can develop a fuel cell business if it can get the costs down to ~$50,000 a vehicle. Continue reading

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Honda World’s First Company to Reveal Third-party Validated Estimates of Global CO2 Emissions during Product Use

Honda Motor Company said in Japan today that it is the world’s first mobility company to disclose estimated global CO2 emissions during customer use of its motorcycles, automobiles and power products. The move will likely force other automakers who claim to be green into similar disclosures. A next step could be window or product stickers that list the effects of their use on the environment. Continue reading

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EPA Proposes Soot Pollution Standards under Court Order

Depending on the final level of the standard, estimated benefits will range from $88 million a year, with estimated costs of implementation as low as $2.9 million, to $5.9 billion in annual benefits with a cost of $69 million – a return ranging from $30 to $86 for every dollar invested in pollution control.

While EPA cannot consider costs in selecting a standard under the Clean Air Act, those costs are estimated as part of an analysis now undertaken for all significant regulations, as required by Executive Order 13563 issued by President Obama in January 2011. This genuine reform is a fact apparently unknown or ignored by the presumptive Republican presidential candidate who says he require such and analysis if elected. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Farm Wins Land Stewardship Award

Ford Motor Company’s Cherry Hill Farm, the last freestanding working farm the automaker owns, has received an award for effective land stewardship by reducing pollution. Continue reading

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