It is clear from reading Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau’s Oct. 7 opinion piece that he disagrees with Gov. Newsom’s recent executive order mandating that 100% of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035. Mr. Brandau also makes it known that he feels utility investments...
Newsom Moves to Ban Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars in California
California will halt sales of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, a move he says will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% in the nation’s most populous state. The proposed rule would not ban people from owning gas-powered cars or selling them on...
Move to ‘Dump Dirty Diesel’ Trucks Latest Unrealistic Virtue Signaling by State Policymakers
California is now the first state to “dump dirty diesel” and require today’s rigs be replaced with “zero-emission trucks.” It’s a demand for far too much in return for nothing of value. The rule, issued June 25 by the Air Resources Board, forces “manufacturers to transition from diesel trucks and...
Will California Require Zero Emission Truck Sales?
SACRAMENTO — California could become the first state to require that a portion of new truck sales be electric or “zero emission” as it grapples with the nation's worst air. Home to the two largest ports in the country in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California has roughly 1.5 million...
California Steers Toward a Future of Self-Driving Cars
California is laying the groundwork for the next, slightly scary phase in its push toward zero-emission transportation: self-driving cars packed with computers using finely tuned algorithms, high-definition cameras, radar, and other high-tech gadgetry. What the driverless cars won’t feature: steering wheels, brake pedals, and gas pedals. Autonomous vehicles, mostly electric,...
California Shouldn't Ignore Hydropower in Climate Change Fight
Is the cleanest, greenest electricity in the world green enough for California? For years, the people of the northern San Joaquin Valley have been trying to get hydropower recognized for what it is: the original source of clean electricity. Our efforts have been stymied by people who feel entitled to...
‘Clean’ Freight Elusive as California Rolls To Zero Emissions
Work used to be much simpler for the California Department of Transportation: widen highways, fill potholes, build new freeways. Alas, those quaint days are gone. To get an idea of what planners must prepare for, state officials recently hosted a demonstration of a drone air taxi that will require devising...
Biden's $5 Trillion Climate Plan: Net Zero Emissions by 2050
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is pitching a $5 trillion-plus climate proposal he says would lead the U.S. to net zero emission of carbon pollution by 2050. The former vice president calls for $1.7 trillion in federal spending over 10 years, with the rest of the investments coming from the private sector....