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  • ECO:nomics: Overload

    Good lord. Today was overwhelming. There were about 10 sessions, every one thought-provoking. I interviewed Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy. I saw energy advisers from all three presidential campaigns […]

    David Roberts Technology

  • National convergence April 4-6 for green-collar jobs

    Hundreds of activists, youths, and dreamers from communities of color around the nation are about to come together for The Dream Reborn in Memphis, and the green-job market is a big reason why. The conference is hosted by Green For All and marks the anniversary of MLK Jr.'s assassination by seeking to deepen relationships and skills in the arena of climate justice and building opportunity for poor communities in the new green economy. Van Jones, Majora Carter, Winona LaDuke, and others are going to lead the conversation, and it's going to be rich.

    You probably knew that already. But did you know that they're also looking for a few more sponsors, a couple more green business exhibitors, and also help with giving scholarships to all of those whose presence is most needed at the event?

    And if the thrust of this event is your bailiwick, then get registered, because hotel rooms in Memphis are filling up ...

    Erik Hoffner Technology

  • CEO settles the debate over whether Wal-Mart is green

    Is Wal-Mart an eco-angel or an eco-devil? CEO Lee Scott himself settles the debate, declaring at a Wall Street Journal conference: “We are not green.”

    Grist staff Technology

  • Is CARB up to its old tricks?

    The following post is by Earl Killian, guest blogger at Climate Progress.

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    WhoKilledElectricCarIf you've seen the movie Who Killed the Electric Car? (which is ranked No. 8 on Netflix in documentary rentals), then you know the EV story up to 2003. What you might not know is that it looks like one of the players in the movie, the California Air Resources Board, is up to no good again.

    In killing Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) the first time, they put off progress on this front for a decade. Now they are preparing, at their March 27 meeting, to kill BEVs a second time and probably waste another decade. We don't have another decade. In Part 2 you will find information on what you can do to let CARB know what you think.

    This post provides background on the CARB's sorry zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) legacy. For background on BEVs, PHEVs (plug-in hybrid EVs), and FCVs (fuel cell vehicles) see Joe's January post on plug-in hybrids and electric cars. The major automakers are likely to produce plug-in hybrids on their own, but not ZEVs, and yet eventually we want ZEVs to be a part of the fleet to get the greenhouse gas reduction necessary in 2050.

    Back in 1990, to help fix chronically unhealthy air in California cities, CARB required that 2 percent of California new vehicle sales have zero emissions by 1998. Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) were then supposed to reach 3 percent by 2001, and 10 percent by 2003, and it was presumed that ZEV meant BEV. In 1996, under automaker pressure, CARB removed the 2 percent and 3 percent requirements but left the 10 percent goal in place. It also allowed low emission vehicles (misleadingly called Partial ZEVs or PZEVs) to substitute for some ZEVs.

    In 2001 they tinkered again and added a new category, Advanced Technology (AT) PZEVs, which are essentially hybrids. They also changed the 10 percent goal to 2 percent ZEVs, 2 percent AT PZEVs, and 6 percent PZEVs. The program began to resemble a Rube Goldberg contraption at this point, with gold, silver, and bronze categories. The program's complexity has continued to grow since.

    Joseph Romm Technology

  • ECO:nomics: Quick observations

    The programs today are stacked up, one after another, 30 min. apiece. As a result, there’s not much opportunity to blog about them — I’m struggling just to take notes. […]

    David Roberts Technology

  • Misleading cotton ads banned in U.K.

    Poster and magazine ads by the U.S. cotton industry have been banned in Britain. The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority can put the kibosh on advertising deemed to be greenwashing, and […]

    Grist staff Technology

  • ECO:nomics: Immelt miscellania

    Here are some bits and pieces from the Immelt keynote that didn’t fit into my other post: — GE CEO Jeff Immelt, center, flanked by Kimberly Strassel and Alan Murray […]

    David Roberts Technology

  • GE CEO explains practical realities to free marketeers

    The Wall Street Journal‘s ECO:nomics conference is taking place at the Bacara Resort, a gorgeous old Spanish-style complex perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Just outside, the cherry-red […]

    David Roberts Technology

  • Thoughts on the NODPA/Stonyfield debate over organic dairy

    About four years ago, I attended a workshop by Jonathan White, the maverick New York State cheese maker/baker/dairy farmer of Bobolink Dairy. Photo: iStockphoto Like a Southern Baptist preacher thundering […]

    Tom Philpott Technology

  • Influential CEOs gather to discuss sustainability, by which I mean plot total global domination

    Today I’m heading down to sunny Santa Barbara for “a CEO-level view of the rapidly developing relationship between the environment and the bottom line." The list of speakers is daunting, […]

    David Roberts Technology