Cities lead global push for cleaner, zero-emission cars

Mark Webber driving a 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid in LondonCarlos Ghosn, the man behind the Nissan Leaf electric car and now the chairman of the Renault Nissan Alliance, isn't the first to say it. But his recent comment that cities are driving the push for electric cars is an important one, because it indicates a prime market for their advantages. The result is that city governments all over the world are...

U.S. planning to sue Fiat Chrysler over diesel emissions: report

2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel HFEThe U.S. Justice Department may be planning to file a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler over allegations that the engines in its light-duty diesel trucks included equipment to defeat Environmental Protection Agency emissions tests. A report from Bloomberg last week cites unnamed sources who were briefed on the forthcoming suit. The equipment in...

Could California climate-change rules raise gas price enough to backfire?

Gas pumpCalifornia has by far the most aggressive climate-change policies in the nation, and the state is a global leader in plans to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. It's also the world's eighth-largest economy, with a growing population, soaring economic output, and a resolutely progressive legislature. While its zero-emission vehicle policies may get...

EPA gets 29,000 comments on proposed elimination of environmental rules

Smog obscures George Washington Bridge, 1973 [From EPA Documerica series]Much of the news out of Washington, D.C., these days has to do with the possibility of political scandal. But the wheels of government keep turning, and significant changes are happening at numerous agencies charged with missions as diverse as collecting intelligence, supporting education, and protecting the environment. Few groups are seeing...

Would weaker EPA rules kill advanced start-stop hybrid systems for U.S.?

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid debuts at 2017 New York auto showToday's political climate has made for fluid motion in regulations, and corporate average fuel economy targets haven't been left out. Suppliers and automakers have already begun investing heavily into vehicles to be sold in 2022 through 2025, which will include various fuel-saving and emission-reducing technologies. However, that unsettled...

EPA’s Ann Arbor test lab threatened; emission tests in the balance

The White House, Washington, D.C.  [Creative Commons license by dcjohn]The 436 scientists who spend their days testing new vehicles and enforcing environmental rules at the National Fuel Emissions Lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan, face a very uncertain future. The lab sits in the crosshairs of President Trump's proposed budget, which eliminates 99 percent of its funding, as part of a 31-percent cut to the overall...

Ruling that EPA must regulate carbon emissions: now 10 years old

Chrome exhaust pipeAnniversaries often provide an opportunity to reflect on important past events, review what has happened since, and reflect upon the future. April 2 of this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs EPA in which the EPA was forced to regulate carbon emissions. The passing of this anniversary was marked by an...

EPA science advisers axed; execs from regulated industries to replace them

Natural gas flaring from oil well [licensed under Creative Commons from Flickr user Sirdle]While much of the nation's capital is preoccupied with the unpredictable Trump administration and its possible ties to Russia, the fate of the Environmental Protection Agency generates less news coverage. That's not to say there hasn't been news. Administrator Scott Pruitt is proceeding swiftly with a radical plan to restructure—critics...