HybridBlog

And What Environment is the EPA Protecting, Exactly?

It’s pretty flabbergasting that just hours after signing the most significant national step toward addressing energy use from autos in 30 years, the Bush administration would turn right around and use it to try and take a step backward on global warming pollution from autos.

Yes, trying to use the new fuel economy standards as a rationalization, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson rejected the waiver request for California and other states to adopt the clean car standards program.

Ho…Ho…Ho.  Talk about a lump of (liquid) coal in your stocking.

Here’s what we had to say about this.  A couple of interesting additional notes.  First, of course, California will be suing right away.  This story in the Washington Post reveals that Johnson’s own lawyers and policy people told him that it was really unlikely that they can win this case in court—yet they did it anyway.  Also this is the first time in the history of the Clean Air Act waiver for California air pollution policies, started in 1967, that the EPA has denied a waiver.  California has 60 days to appeal this decision, which they will certainly do on top of the lawsuit.

Waves of discontent are already crashing down around the administration for this decision, including a promised congressional investigation of the whole waiver process by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA).  But this line from Sen. Diane Feinstein sums it up nicely:

“Candidly I find this disgraceful.   The passage of the Energy Bill does not give the EPA a green light to shirk its responsibility to protect the health and safety of the American people from air pollution.”

I rarely suggest people take action that is purely to show outrage, because it is usually not productive.  Not so in this case.  I’ve set up this alert if you want to join me in demanding that the EPA put public health and sound science before the politics of obstruction.

Posted by: ScottN

Fuel Economy Standards Will Become Law: What Does that Mean to You?

While two very important pieces of the House Energy Bill —the Renewable Electricity Standard and a renewable energy incentive package—were taken out of the energy bill before the final vote last night in the Senate we will finally have, after three decades of stagnation, standards that will require the automakers to give all of us more fuel-efficient choices.  The Senate passed their version of the Energy Bill yesterday by a whopping 86-8 vote. This trimmed-down version of the bill will now go back to the House for one final vote next week.  Then, off to the President’s desk, where George W. Bush has already said that he will sign it.

I’ll let our press release speak more to the details of how this went down, but here’s why I, for one, am so excited about this kick start, and it’s not related to the fact that this is what I do for a living, and it’s not even because I am concerned for the future of our planet—it’s actually pure selfish interest.

Thing is, I’m running out of space in my car.  My boys, six and three, are actually starting to dangle their feet into the seat well, making it harder to pack up the Prius for the long trips, and the station wagon which in reality gets about 25 mpg makes for a pricey trip.  Additionally, the boys are starting to have their friends over, and the days of throwing all the kids into the back of the wagon to roll around while you drive are long gone (fond as I am of those memories).  And, with my parents thinking of moving up north to be around the grandkids, it’s either upsize the vehicle, or we’ve got a great big convoy, guzzlin’ through the night.

It was in part this “enlightened self-interest” that spurred me to make our 2nd Driving Change Network Earth Day Challenge as a petition campaign to help bring to this country a Toyota hybrid minivan like the one they sell in Japan.  It was also why, though I can’t say I’m instinctively a “SUV guy” I drooled at the initial rumors that GM’s first true hybrid was going to be a full-sized vehicle using the advanced drivetrain that had been so successful on their buses.  A seven-seat SUV that would top my station wagon’s fuel economy?  I was in.

Yet Toyota still hems and haws over whether to bring a fuel efficient hybrid minivan to the U.S.  And you know from my many posts that the Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon hybrids favor muscle over miles.  So, again, I’m stuck—and I don’t think I’m the only one in this boat.

I truly believe that if these fuel economy standards had been in place (I mean, the National Academy of Sciences analysis from a couple years back indicated that we have the technology to get to 37 mpg fleetwide already without sacrificing performance or safety), Toyota would likely already have the hybrid minivan in the U.S., and GM would have used its hybrid technology to max out mileage in order to help them meet the higher standards—and I’d already be behind the wheel of my fuel-efficient family car.

At the end of the day, this is about choices.  Whether you need to save money, want to save the planet, or believe we should be throwing less dough at overseas oil interests, everyone needs fuel-efficient choices in every vehicle class to even have the opportunity to do their part when choosing a vehicle.  In a few years, many people denied the opportunity to make the choice for fuel efficiency will finally get that chance.  That, to me, is the most exciting thing about this historic day.

My congrats to everyone out there who worked to make this possible.  Well done!

Posted by: ScottN

Automakers Strike out in Court, Senate Still Swinging on Energy Bill

Well, in April, the automakers whiffed in the Supreme Court and were told that carbon emissions from autos are a pollutant that must be regulated under the Clean Air Act.  In September, the automakers swung and missed as a Vermont Judge upheld the right of California and other states to adopt clean car standards that go beyond current federal regulations.

The Mighty Casey that is the automaker legal team pretty much got caught looking at strike 3, as Federal District Court Judge Anthony Ishii in Fresno rejected U.S. automakers' claims that federal law pre-empts the state standards and threw out their case. 

You can read our full statement about this decision in our press release, but the most pertinent current action this applies to are the last ditch efforts by automakers and their allies in the Senate and administration to use the improved fuel economy standards in the Energy Bill as a tool to block the EPA and the states from trying to move forward on regulating global warming pollution from autos.

Seems these folks aren’t quite getting the message blaring from the courts.  The Supreme Court’s ruling was pretty clear on this, saying, “EPA has been charged with protecting the public’s “health” and “welfare,” a statutory obligation wholly independent of the Department of Transportation’s mandate to promote energy efficiency.” The key is this: the 35 miles per gallon by 2020 standard is a good stepping stone to move forward on oil security while providing a needed push forward on carbon reduction in the automotive sector.  That said, it should be seen as a complimentary policy, NOT A REPLACEMENT, to the EPA’s primary job under the Clean Air Act and states’ legal rights to move beyond EPA regulations by following California’s lead.

Given New Mexico’s recent adoption of the clean car standards, and the emerging interest coming from states such as Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Montana, a small minority of recalcitrant interests should simply not be able to stop the forward movement we have seen from the states, the courts, and the majority of Congress.

Let’s hope common sense wins the day.  Looks like we’ll have another Senate vote on the Energy Bill sometime today.

Posted by: ScottN

Energy Bill Passes the House

One word just keeps coming to mind...WOW.

Here's the UCS take:

HOUSE PASSES HISTORIC ENERGY BILL; SENATE'S TURN TO FOLLOW SUIT

WASHINGTON (December 6, 2007) -- Today, in a 235 to 181 vote, the House of Representatives passed a landmark energy bill containing a suite of standards that will strengthen America's energy security, save consumers billions of dollars, and dramatically cut global warming pollution.

"Lawmakers sent a clear signal that we Americans believe that technology and innovation will break our oil dependence, insulate us against rising energy prices, and fight global warming," said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). "Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues have put all the key elements in one package. It's the boldest, most responsible bill of its kind in a generation."

Notably, the bill increased the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard to a fleetwide average of at least 35 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2020. The current average is about 25 mpg. A UCS analysis found that the measure would save some 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2020, about half of what the United States currently imports from the Persian Gulf. Consumers would save $22 billion dollars in 2020 -- even after paying the cost of the necessary fuel economy technology. Additionally, the provision would prevent more than 190 million metric tons of global warming pollution, the equivalent of taking 28 million of today's average cars and trucks off the road.

"This landmark bill will help break the nation's $1 billion-a-day imported-oil habit, ease consumers' pain at the pump, generate thousands of jobs, and cut pollution," said Michelle Robinson, director of UCS's Clean Vehicles Program. "The decades-long debate on increasing fuel economy is over. Americans will finally get the fuel-efficient cars, trucks and SUVs they need from this important first step."

The House legislation also features a national renewable electricity standard requiring major utilities to generate at least 15 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and bioenergy, by 2020. A UCS analysis of the proposal concluded that consumers would cumulatively save $13 billion to $18.1 billion on electricity and natural gas bills by 2020. By 2030, UCS projects that the savings would grow to $27.7 billion to $31.8 billion.

The renewable electricity standard will strengthen the nation's energy security, reducing the need for natural gas imports by as much as 2 trillion cubic feet. It will also cut global warming pollution by as much as 126 million metric tons per year by 2020, the equivalent of taking some 20 million of today's cars and trucks off the road.

"The renewable electricity standard will give us cleaner, cheaper energy," said Marchant Wentworth, Washington representative for UCS's Clean Energy Program. "The House delivered on its promise of a new energy future today. Now it's up to the Senate and the president to step up and protect the national interest."

Finally, the bill includes a renewable fuel standard (RFS) requiring an increase in biofuel production of 36 billion gallons by 2022, a sevenfold jump over current production. Twenty-one billion gallons of that fuel would have to be "advanced" biofuel, meaning that it could not be made from corn, and would have to cut global warming pollution at least 50 percent below that of gasoline, on a life cycle basis. Sixteen billion gallons of the advanced biofuels would have to be produced from cellulosic biomass and reduce global warming pollution at least 60 percent below that of gasoline. The bill stipulates that the remaining biofuels produced to satisfy the RFS emit at least 20 percent less global warming pollution than gasoline.

"This bill ensures that biofuels won't create more problems than they solve," said Eli Hopson, Washington representative for UCS's Clean Vehicles Program. "Rather than trade one nasty addiction for another, the bill includes safeguards to protect critical habitat and limit other potential environmental damage from biofuel production."

Onto the Senate we go...

Posted by: ScottN

Fuel Economy History

Wow.  It's hard to believe this is really happening.  The House should vote on the Energy Bill this week.  Here's our take on what the House is about to do:

Historic Breakthrough Reached on Fuel Economy
35 mile per gallon minimum standard locked in for 2020

November 30--Today, Congressional leaders announced an agreement that would lead to the first meaningful improvement in the fuel economy of America's cars, trucks, and SUVs in over 30 years.  The agreement would raise fuel economy standards to an average of at least 35 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2020, a 10-mpg increase over current levels. Now Congress and the president must seize this opportunity and turn these standard into law.

"This agreement breaks 30 years of gridlock on fuel economy and could not have happened without strong leaders in Congress who were committed to curbing America's oil addiction," Said David Friedman, UCS clean vehicles program's research director. "This is a victory for American's struggling with $3 per gallon gasoline and would deliver savings of more than $20 billion in 2020."

According to analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, full implementation of this compromise will save about 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2020. That is half of what the United States currently imports from the entire Persian Gulf.  As a result, American consumers will save $22 billion dollars in 2020, even after paying for the necessary fuel economy technology. In addition, the legislation will prevent over 190 million metric tons of global warming pollution. That is the equivalent to taking 28 million of today's average cars and trucks off the road in that year. 

"This agreement sends a clear signal, it is time for automakers to turn their PR into products," said Friedman. "Today Congress listened to the facts on fuel economy, the technology is there to deliver more miles to the gallon and 35 is just the beginning."

The agreement sets a floor for fuel economy. It would require current and future administrations to make steady progress each year beginning in 2011, ultimately resulting in a fleet of new cars, SUVs, minivans and pickups that reaches an average of at least 35 miles per gallon in 2020. The standards would be based on vehicle attributes, so companies that make more large vehicles, such as Detroit's Big 3, would have to meet a requirement of only 33 mpg by 2020. Companies that sell fewer large vehicles, like Honda and Volkswagen, would have to reach 37 to 39 mpg.  At the same time, it leaves all existing laws intact, keeping the door open to efforts underway at both the federal and state level to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. 

While the agreement is a strong step forward, it is still a compromise.  Under the agreement, automakers will continue to receive flex-fuel vehicle credits for vehicles that can, but rarely do, run on alternative fuels. While this does erode oil savings, the loophole is phased out and ultimately eliminated in 2020. While the agreement preserves separate passenger and non-passenger vehicle standards, the locked in 35 mpg requirement should guard against automaker attempts to game the system.

Key Facts From reaching 35 in 2020:

• Oil Savings: 1.1 million barrels per day in 2020
• Net Savings for Consumers: $22 billion in 2020 (even after paying for the needed technology)
• Greenhouse Gas Savings: 192 million metric tons of global warming pollution avoided in 2020 (equal to taking 28 million of today's average cars and trucks off the road)
• Estimated 2007 gasoline demand: 145 billion gallon
• Annual Consumer Spending on Gasoline: over $370 billion
• Current Spending on Oil and Petroleum Imports: $1 billion per day
• Oil Imports: 60%, 12 million barrels per day
• Oil Imports from the Persian Gulf: 2.2 million barrels per day in 2006
• Today's average fuel economy: about 25 mpg
• Peak year for fuel economy: 1987 at about 26 mpg
• Lifetime gasoline savings for the 35 mpg average vehicle: over $4,500
• Added cost for the average vehicle to reach 35 mpg: $1,000-1,500
• Payback time: 2-3 years

Posted by: ScottN