Coral Davenport

Car Graveyard

The Beginning of the End of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle?

The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously on August 25 to begin a phased ban on the sale of passenger vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel beginning in 2026 when over a third of new vehicles sold in California must be zero-emissions.

August 29, 2022 - The New York Times

New York City Air Conditioners

Historic Climate Legislation Included in COVID Relief Spending Deal

The $900 billion COVID relief bill along with a $1.4 trillion omnibus bill allowed for the inclusion of unrelated legislation and funding for 2021, from border wall spending to phasing-out some of the most potent greenhouse gas pollutants.

December 23, 2020 - The Hill

California

California's Ability to Set Auto Emissions Standards to Be Revoked

The announcement was made Wednesday morning in a series of tweets by President Trump while raising cash from willing donors at several fundraisers in California. The formal announcement from EPA and DOT is set for Thursday.

September 19, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Methane

Big Oil Not Happy With Methane Regulation Rollback

The Trump administration's rollback on August 29 of an Obama-era regulation to reduce methane emissions in the production and distribution of oil and natural gas did not sit well with large oil and gas companies who see value in reducing emissions.

September 3, 2019 - The New York Times

Mercedes Benz Suburbs

Another Automaker Shows Interest in California Deal on Auto Emissions

President Trump is 'enraged' that automakers would agree with California in support of maintaining the Obama-era fuel efficiency standards, reports the Times. Mercedes-Benz is apparently preparing to join Ford, Honda, BMW, and VW in the private deal.

August 23, 2019 - The New York Times

Coal Extraction

Judge Halts Sales of New Coal Mining Leases on Federal Lands

Once again, the president's efforts to undo his predecessor's environmental legacy were thwarted by a court ruling. In this case, the Interior Department's failure to conduct an environmental review of a Trump executive order ran afoul of NEPA.

April 23, 2019 - The New York Times

U.S. Department of the Interior

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Resigns Amid Scandals

With a tweet from the president on Saturday morning, the public learns that yet another embattled cabinet member will lose his job. Zinke, a former congressman from Montana, is the subject of numerous investigations and controversies.

December 17, 2018 - The New York Times

Bay Area Wetlands

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Propose Revision of Wetlands Definition

Fulfilling a promise he made as a candidate, the Trump administration proposed a redefinition of what is classified as a wetland, with the result being the loss of federal protection of millions of acres of waterways and wetlands.

December 14, 2018 - NPR

Coal Mining and Power Station

Climate Report Written by Federal Government Warns of Dire Impact on Economy

The second volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released on Black Friday to presumably draw less attention from the American public, was well-covered by the media. Unlike Volume 1, there was greater focus on economic impacts.

November 27, 2018 - The New York Times

Oil Pipeline

Federal Judge in Montana Halts Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline

The Trump administration's denial of climate change may serve a political purpose, but in the courtroom, it can prove a liability. A federal judge in Montana took into account the administration's "discarding" of climate science in its ruling.

November 15, 2018 - InsideClimate News

Methane

Latest Obama-Era Regulations Targeted by the Trump Administration: Methane Rules

One Obama-era climate regulation still on the books deals with methane leakage from oil and gas wells. The greenhouse gas is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Another methane regulation targeted deals with flaring on federal lands.

September 13, 2018 - The New York Times

The Far-Reaching Consequences of Remaking the Mercury Emissions Rule

The EPA intends to review the rulemaking process behind the mercury rule, the subject of a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2015, to place more value on a rule's compliance cost to industry and less to its beneficial impact on human health.

September 9, 2018 - The New York Times

Utility-Scale Solar

'Affordable Clean Energy Rule' Proposed to Replace Clean Power Plan

On Tuesday, EPA released its new rule to regulate emissions from existing power plants, essentially leaving it to the states to determine appropriate emissions levels rather than setting actual standards each state has to meet like the current rule.

August 22, 2018 - The New York Times

President of the United States

Trump Administration Clashes on Vehicle Emissions Standards Rollback

It's the U.S. EPA, under the new acting administrator, against two top officers in the Department of Transportation. Both agencies (along with California) determine fuel efficiency standards. Guess which wants to proceed cautiously in the rollback?

July 31, 2018 - The New York Times

Scott Pruitt

EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Resigns

Climate change denier Scott Pruitt, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, submitted his resignation on Thursday, to take effect July 6. On Monday, EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler becomes the acting administrator.

July 6, 2018 - The New York Times

Ballot Initiative Launched After Gov. Jay Inslee Withdraws Carbon Tax Bill

Environmental, labor, and community groups in Washington State filed an initiative for placement of a carbon fee on the November ballot. Unlike a similar measure in 2016, revenues would be used to mitigate emissions.

March 6, 2018 - knkx

Environmentalism

Infrastructure, Unlike the Trump Administration, Can't Ignore Climate Change

How can President Trump, who has made environmental regulation rollbacks and climate denial trademarks of his administration, be expected to select projects for his infrastructure plan that must weather climate change?

February 12, 2018 - The New York Times

Pumping Gas

Legal Loophole Will Allow Rollback of Fuel Efficiency Standards

On Tuesday, the Trump administration anticipates unraveling two signature Obama environmental regulations: fuel efficiency standards for model year 2022-2025 light-duty vehicles and beginning the undoing of the Clean Power Plan.

March 7, 2017 - The New York Times

Scott Pruitt

Climate Change Skeptic Confirmed to Head U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt on Friday afternoon as administrator of the EPA, the same agency he sued 14 times in his capacity as Oklahoma Attorney General. He could not be more different than his predecessor, Gina McCarthy.

February 18, 2017 - The New York Times

President Obama Enacts Permanent Drilling Ban Along Arctic and Atlantic Coasts

In a precedent-setting action that supporters call creative and opponents view as abusive, President Obama has declared a permanent drilling ban off the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Maine and along much of the Alaska coast. But will it last?

December 22, 2016 - The New York Times

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