Tag Archives: greenhouse gases

EPA Announces Carbon Pollution Limits for New Power Plants

Posted on 27 March 2012 by Ken Zino

EPA in 2009 determined that “greenhouse gas pollution threatens Americans’ health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes in our climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health and the environment.” Tougher national fuel economy standards ensued. Now it’s the power industry’s turn. Currently, there is no uniform national limit on the amount of carbon pollution new power plants can emit, which comes from burning fossil fuels. Continue reading →

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New EPA Grants Go to Universities for Black Carbon Research

Posted on 18 October 2011 by Ken Zino

Black carbon – including diesel powered vehicle emissions – can affect the climate in the near term, and as with other types of fine particles, can cause serious health effects such as cardiovascular and respiratory ailments. Fine particles have also been strongly linked to lung cancer. Continue reading →

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EPA, DOT Unveil New, “More Useful” Fuel Economy Labels

Posted on 25 May 2011 by Ken Zino

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 passed under Republican President Bush specifically said that EPA and DOT must rate available vehicles according to fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions and smog forming pollutants, which the new labels do.
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Tougher Vehicle Economy Standards to Save Billions in Costs?

Posted on 16 May 2011 by Ken Zino

Pressure or advocacy groups rarely – if ever – acknowledge that higher fuel economy standards are controversial, and they usually don’t explore the soundness of their assumptions. (Ever see a California Air Resources Board assessment of the cost of its aborted electric vehicle mandate of the 1990s?) Continue reading →

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House Passes GOP Attack on EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases after Senate Blocks it

Posted on 7 April 2011 by Ken Zino

The House vote was symbolic because the Senate has killed the matter – and in the views of critics a complete waste of taxpayer’s money. Thus a contentious attack on the Clean Air Act will end for the moment, but only for a moment. Continue reading →

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Chesapeake Energy Converts 800th Vehicle to Natural Gas

Posted on 6 April 2011 by Ken Zino

Unlike the volatility in gasoline and diesel prices most recently caused by turmoil in the Middle East, the price of CNG remains steady at $1.39 per gallon of gasoline equivalent in Oklahoma. Continue reading →

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Sales of Fuel Efficient 4-Cylinder Engines Double at Chevrolet

Posted on 17 March 2011 by Ken Zino

There’s no better example of how rising fuel prices have changed the auto industry than the ongoing shift in demand for more efficient engines. The trend led by customer demand is also reinforced strongly by the first government increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy in decades, which finally prompted reluctant auto executives to invest in technologies that produce significant decreases in the amount of fuel needed per mile traveled. Continue reading →

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House Bill Says Greenhouse Gases not Air Pollutants. Republican Attack on EPA Despite Supreme Court Ruling

Posted on 16 March 2011 by Ken Zino

Since nothing in the Act precludes states from pursuing their own GHG policies, this is a severe setback for automakers that need one coordinated national standard for fuel economy and CO2 emissions. Continue reading →

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EPA, DOT and California Want Higher Light Vehicle Fuel Economy Rules in Place by September. Jobs Are at Stake

Posted on 24 January 2011 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of California today announced a timeframe for proposing what will no doubt be increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas standards for model year 2017-2025 cars and light-duty trucks. Continue reading →

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EPA Moves Ahead on Greenhouse Gas Standards

Posted on 23 December 2010 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a plan for establishing greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution standards for refineries and power plants, in what appear to be victories for small businesses, farms and environmental moderates. It also signals the Obama Administration’s … Continue reading →

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