California leads the nation in plug-in car sales, but the state isn’t resting on its laurels to maintain dominance in the emerging market for zero tailpipe emission vehicles. Read More
California Charts a Course for Clean Air: Can We Get There from Here?
September 11th, 2012
Imagine that 8 out of 10 cars on California roads release no tailpipe emissions, that the telltale exhaust plumes of soot from ships sailing into our ports are no longer visible, and that freight trains run on electricity. These are a few examples of what California air quality regulators, including the Air Resources Board and the air districts of the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast regions, envision in the recently released Vision for Clean Air. Read More
California Gives a Boost to Electric Vehicles, Approves $27 Million in Consumer Rebates
July 16th, 2012
Seeing an electric vehicle driving down the street isn’t really a novelty anymore, at least not in the San Francisco Bay Area. I no longer do a double take whenever I spot a Chevy Volt or a Nissan LEAF. Granted, there are far more gas-powered vehicles on the road, but it’s clear that electric vehicles have finally hit the streets. And more and more automakers are offering electric variants for consumers to choose from. Read More
Dear Climate Deniers, Meet California Scientists and Engineers with the Facts and Solutions to the Pollution
February 8th, 2012
A recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) from 16 scientists and engineers has gotten a lot of attention on our blog and elsewhere. The scientists and engineers basically urged candidates for public office to ignore the growing problem of climate change. But they are far from representative of the scientific and engineering communities. Read More
Car Companies Embrace a Different Kind of Climate Change, Oil Industry Threatens to Sue
February 3rd, 2012
When I think about climate change, the images that come quickly to mind are of melting polar ice caps, heat waves, droughts, and severe flooding. This kind of climate change, or global warming, is one of the biggest problems UCS is trying to help slow and ultimately stop. Read More
California’s Electric Car Program a Very Big Step, But Contains Missteps
December 8th, 2011
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) just released all the details of their new advanced clean cars program. It includes policies to cut vehicle smog-forming and particulate pollution, reduce vehicle global warming pollution (in cooperation with federal regulators), guarantee consumer access to clean fuels, and help accelerate the market for electric cars. You can see our big picture take on it here. Read More
California Takes Another Stand for Climate Action
November 21st, 2011
On October 20, 2011, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) formally adopted a program to limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that the electricity, industrial, and transportation sectors in California can release into the atmosphere. The program, called cap-and-trade, is one of several policies the state has enacted to reduce its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Read More
