Under Trump, renewable-energy progress may not change much

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]President-elect Donald Trump's energy policies are expected to be a sharp departure from those of his predecessor. During his campaign, Trump pledged to expedite and deregulate exploration and processing of fossil fuels, enact an "all-of-the-above" energy policy, and "bring back coal," among other promises. That has led to concerns among...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk named to Trump’s business-leader forum

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk at Tesla Store opening in Westfield Mall, London, Oct 2013Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been appointed to a forum of business leaders being assembled by President-elect Donald Trump. The addition of Musk and two other notable business personalities was announced Wednesday by Trump's transition team, shortly before a meeting between the President-elect and several Silicon Valley executives, including Musk. The...

Trump: Rick Perry to lead Energy Department he vowed to eliminate

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, 2008President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Energy is a man who once vowed to eliminate it. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is an ardent supporter of the fossil-fuel industry who ran for president in the last two elections. But the Energy Department was part of a memorable gaffe that helped put an end to Perry's first...

Will California lead the green-car resistance?

2017 Chevrolet VoltWhen it comes to green cars, California leads the nation—and has done so for decades. California residents buy more hybrids and electric cars than those of any other state, and it is also the only state with fueling infrastructure to support the sale of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Consumer enthusiasm is underpinned by strict regulations...

Tesla CEO Musk, other Silicon Valley execs, to meet Trump Wednesday

'Revenge of the Electric Car' premiere: Elon Musk arrives in a Tesla RoadsterTesla CEO Elon Musk is among a roster of chief executives from Silicon Valley set to meet with president-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to news reports. Musk has suggested that climate change is among the most urgent challenges facing mankind, one reason his company makes only zero-emission electric cars. The president-elect, on the...

Automaker lobbyists fail to overturn EPA emission rules

U.S. Capitol BuildingA week ago, the EPA recommended that U.S. vehicle emission standards stay put for the years 2022 through 2025. According to the Technical Assessment Report the agency issued in July, automakers have so far quite successfully met standards in place since 2012 to cut emissions of the climate-change gas carbon dioxide. And, the report concluded, they...

EPA keeps car-emission rules to 2025; what happens under Trump?

Chrome exhaust pipeTwo days ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling that existing limits on tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide for 2022 through 2025 should remain in place. The EPA's carbon limits correspond exactly to NHTSA standards for corporate average fuel economy, and the EPA decision was widely (if incorrectly) reported to be about...