California | Grist

Waiver hello

EPA affirms California’s right to set tougher automobile emissions standards 0
Posted 4 days, 21 hours ago
The EPA announced on Tuesday that it will grant a waiver for California and 13 other states to set automobile emission standards that are higher than national ones. The move is important symbolically, even though it isn't likely to lead to emission reductions in the next few years.
Big Blue's electric green dreams

IBM places big bet on lithium-air batteries 3
Posted 5 days, 9 hours ago
IBM has been recycling and repurposing a panoply of technologies to create a portfolio of environmental services -- everything from a traffic congestion pricing system in Stockholm to a smart water and electricity grid for Malta. Now Big Blue has its eye set on achieving a big leap forward in battery technology.
A Can of Worms

California is new front line of BPA fight 1
Posted 5 days, 18 hours ago
California is at the forefront of the fight to protect young children from exposure to BPA. A bill authored by Democratic state Sen. Fran Pavley would essentially ban BPA in products such as baby bottles, sippy cups, infant formula and baby food jars designed for children ages three and younger.
Solar passes gas

RE less than G 8
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago
The next time someone tells you solar is too expensive, send them here (PDF).

It's a contract PG&E signed for a 230 MW solar photovoltaic project, delivering 592 GWh/year. That’s a lot. But the best part? Look at the chart on the bottom of page 3. It won't tell you the price exactly, but it’s below 13 cents/kWh—which is the proxy price for a combined cycle gas turbine.

Solar cheaper than the fossil fuel alternative.
SCREEEEECH 2
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago
That, my friends, is the sound of the California solar market grinding to a halt -- which is exactly what will happen if we don't lift the cap on net metering.
Radiant Cities: Driving It Home

One man’s plan to re-create suburbia, sans cars 1
Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
If Sherman Lewis has his way, he and 950 other homeowners will soon be living in a car-free California paradise. But can he shift his vision into high gear, or will it stall out?
The House Doctors Are In

Symptom: High utility bills; Diagnosis: Full energy efficiency workup 4
Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Meet the "greenup" team from Sustainable Spaces, a four-year-old San Francisco firm that conducts residential energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits to shrink a home's carbon footprint while saving the owner money over the long haul.
All Politics Is Green

Quiz S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom about his green agenda 1
Posted 3 weeks, 5 days ago
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is running for governor in California, and boy oh boy is he thumping on the green platform. Here's your chance to determine and shape the environmental issues that our political leaders discuss with the media.
The California Coda

Our peak oil future? Electric vehicle startup unveils Chinese-made, $45K ‘economy’ car 9
Posted 1 month ago
Open one of those minimalist black boxes that contain a shiny new iPod and you're greeted by five words -- "Designed by Apple in California." In much smaller print would be the phrase "Made in China." That, in a nutshell, describes the strategy of the latest entrant in the electric car sweepstakes: Santa Monica-based Coda Automotive.
The Climate Post: The House at the center of the world 0
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Lately, every week is the most consequential in the history of climate change. This week was no exception.
Wheeler Dealers

Auto industry’s litigation strategy may have backfired in showrooms 5
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Automakers can claim a victory of sorts, in that they secured a single national fuel-economy set of rules. Left in the dust, some said, are the dealers who followed manufacturers' orders.
Get out of my dreams, get into my car

Obama’s new mileage rules will be first real step to curb planet-warming emissions 18
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago
President Obama is unveiling new fuel-economy standards for automobiles -- the first major step by his administration to limit planet-warming greenhouse gases.
You Can Go Your Own Way

California plans no exit from hydrogen highway 39
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Energy Secretary Steven Chu may want to slam the brakes on future hydrogen funding, but California will continue to pay its own way down the Hydrogen Highway, infuriating electric vehicle advocates in particular.
The Skyline's the limit

In solar biz, simple and cheap are keys to success 3
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Skyline Solar says its approach will deliver on the promise of concentrated photovoltaic farms -- producing electricity cheaper than standard solar panels from arrays built closer to cities and power lines.
So Long, Saturn

I sold my car, and I couldn’t be happier ... I think 20
Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago
The road from deciding to ditch your car to actually doing it can be bumpy -- find out how one urban driver navigated her way to auto-freedom.
Climate Savings Bond

Pinko bastion spawns capitalist solution to solar financing 4
Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago
The hotbed of East Bay Bolshevism has become a wellspring of municipal eco-capitalism that's serving as a model for expanding the use of solar power in less leftist locales.
Hizzoner's Progress

15 green-leaning mayors 17
Posted 2 months ago
Global warming is a global problem -- but there ain't no global solution. That's why mayors across the U.S. are taking matters into their own hands.
Brainstorm Green

Policy chatter is on everyone’s lips at Fortune’s green-business conference 0
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
Fortune Magazine's annual Brainstorm Green confab brings together Fortune 500 types (naturally), green tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and enviros. As such it's a barometer for the state of green in the Green State.
Deposing King Corn?

Corn ethanol approaches a moment of truth 33
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
Corn ethanol may have reached a turning point. But it is regulators, not legislators, who are in the driver's seat. A series of regulatory rulings may help to determine whether corn ethanol or soy biodiesel will play any meaningful role in our future biofuel mix.
Waiver goodbye?

States left wondering about EPA’s greenhouse gas ruling 5
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago
The EPA's greenhouse gas announcement explicitly tied motor vehicle emissions to climate change. But there was no mention of allowing California or more than a dozen other states to move forward promptly with their long languishing laws.