How to lose the climate fight one MPG at a time

The Trump administration’s proposed freezing of tailpipe regulations would reverse one of the most effective climate actions on the books. 
Marianne Lavelle 

BY MARIANNE LAVELLE 

 

AUG 2, 2018 
The Trump administration's proposal to freeze automotive efficiency standards at 2020 levels would effectively abandon the decades-long push to cut carbon emissions from this sector.

The Trump administration’s proposal to freeze automotive efficiency standards would effectively abandon the decades-long push to cut carbon emissions from this sector, among the most climate-polluting. Credit: David Paul Morris/Getty Images
The Trump administration’s plan to halt the drive for more efficient U.S. passenger vehicles will downshift the nation’s ambitions on climate change at the same time that it triggers an epic battle with California, the leader on clean cars.The administration is casting its proposal, issued on Aug. 2, as neutral on climate and even beneficial from a safety standpoint.But the costs will be enormous, according to those who favor stricter regulations. It’s not just that consumers will have to pay the price at the pump, they say—everyone will have to pay for the health and ecological costs of air pollution and global warming. Every new gas-guzzler sold will lock in some of those costs for years to come.The rule would freeze emissions and efficiency standards at 2020 levels, or the equivalent of 43.7 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 31.3 mpg for SUVs and other light trucks. That would end the steady improvement toward 54 mpg, a goal that the lame duck Obama administration called technically feasible, effective and beneficial to the public. The proposal is certain to be challenged in a public comment period and in court.

The Climate Change Imperatives

In the United States, transportation has surpassed electric power as the most important driver of emissions. The science dictates that net global emissions from energy must decline to zero in the next few decades to avoid the worst risks of climate change.That simply can’t happen in the United States without rapid cuts in tailpipe emissions.

The Trump administration suggests its move would cause U.S. fuel consumption to increase by about 500,000 barrels of oil per day, an amount many experts consider to be an underestimate. The proposal argues the CO2 impact “perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively, is relatively small.”   Additional emissions would be just a drop in the global bucket, according to the rule, less than one part per billion of extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But in making that estimate, the Trump administration reveals an ominous finding.By the end of this century, it expects the accumulation of CO2 to reach concentrations of nearly 790 parts per billion, nearly doubling what’s there today—and enough to blast far past the goals of the Paris climate treaty.The New York-based research firm Rhodium Group projects that the impact of the auto standards freeze will begin slowly but build substantially over time. By 2025, the increase in annual emissions will range from 16 million to 37 million metric tons, ballooning to 32 million to 114 million metric tons by 2035. At the high end—the expected track if oil prices stay relatively low—that’s equivalent to adding another state the size of New Jersey to the U.S. emissions mix.Dave Cooke, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, calculates that by 2040, the Trump freeze would add a total 2.2 billion metric tons of global warming emissions to the atmosphere. (Total annual U.S. carbon emissions are currently about 5 billion metric tons.)

How to lose the climate fight one MPG at a time Read More »

N.J. sought more money to protect voting machines from hackers. Republicans in Congress said no.

N.J. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
N.J. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal


Jonathan D. Salant reports for NJ.com 

WASHINGTON — New Jersey’s voting machines are among the nation’s most vulnerable to hacking, and state officials asked Congress for more money to protect their equipment.

Republicans who run the show in Washington said no.

Both the House and Senate declined to allocate millions of dollars in grants to states when they passed spending bills funding the Election Assistance Commission for the 12-month period beginning Oct. 1.

“This is going to be an ongoing need and election officials are going to need a regular stream of funds to combat the threats and defend their systems,” said David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a Washington research group.


How secure are N.J.'s voting machines?
How secure are N.J.’s voting machines?
A report by House Administration Committee Democrats identified states with the weakest election security.

The debate over helping states guard against voter hacking came as top officials in President Donald Trump‘s administration warned that Russian attempts to interfere with U.S. elections didn’t end in 2016.
“In regards to Russian involvement in the midterm elections, we continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States,” National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said at the daily White House press briefing. “We also know the Russians tried to hack into and steal information from candidates and government officials alike.”
State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal sought more federal help.
“I strongly believe that the federal government should be doing more, not less, to ensure our democratic institutions are free from foreign intrusion, and I’m disappointed that Congress disagrees,” he said.
Grewal and 20 other state attorneys general had written to key congressional Republicans last month, urging them to approve a new round of state grants.
“The existing Election Assistance Commission grants are simply insufficient to provide for the upgraded technology needed,” the attorneys general wrote. “More funding is essential to adequately equip states with the financial resources we need to safeguard our democracy and protect the data of voting members in our states.”

N.J. sought more money to protect voting machines from hackers. Republicans in Congress said no. Read More »

NJ push for pollution penalties draws praise, concern



Mike Catalini reports for the Associated Press:

New Jersey’s new push to sue people and companies responsible for pollution has environmental groups applauding and business interests raising questions and concerns.
After two terms of Republican Chris Christie, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration announced last week that it would resume pursuing natural resources damages in cases that resulted in contamination in New Jersey. The state has a long history of industrialization as well as contamination; it has more Superfund sites — land contaminated by hazardous waste and marked for cleanup due to its health risks — than any other state.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced a half-dozen new lawsuits and said Christie’s administration didn’t pursue any such new suits over eight years. Christie did, however, reach the biggest such settlement in state history in a case he inherited, agreeing to accept $225 million from ExxonMobil over polluted sites in Bayonne and Linden, as well as retail gas stations across the state.

The so-called natural resource damages cases are distinct from the responsibility that property owners carry to remediate contaminated sites. The cash the state recovers in the damages cases is aimed at compensating the public for the loss of the use of land because of pollution. But even if no such money is recovered, responsible parties are still required by law to pay for cleanup.

Environmental activists add that the money must also be used to restore polluted sites so the public can use them again.
It’s an important distinction, business groups say, because otherwise it could seem as if corporations had not been paying for cleanups.
“I’m a little bit worried when the public reads this they sort of think this is going against companies that are actively out there (violating the law),” said Dennis Hart, the executive director of the state’s Chemistry Council, which reviews regulations for their effect on manufacturing in the state. “I worry about the message the public hears.”

Read the full story 

NJ push for pollution penalties draws praise, concern Read More »

Coughlin douses move to shrink NJ Gov. Murphy’s power

New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin

Samantha Marcus reports for NJ.com:
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said Friday he’s not on board with the state Senate president’s approach to stripping Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of his sole constitutional power to certify state revenues.
“For now … we’re not prepared the move the amendment,” he said on 1450 AM with Bert Baron.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney wants to go to the voters this fall to ask them to support such a constitutional amendment, and he has bipartisan support in the Senate.
Under the current system, the government has final say overestimating how much money the state can expect to collect in any given year, and in turn, in estimating how much money the state has to spend.
The governor’s authority caused the Democratic-controlled Legislature distress during this year’s budget negotiations. Murphy argued then that the Legislature’s projections were too high and would force him to slash hundreds of millions of dollars in spending.’

Coughlin douses move to shrink NJ Gov. Murphy’s power Read More »

Auto suppliers rev up to chase electric vehicle bonanza

Lithium batteries boil in Novec, a non-conductive, non-flammable liquid that 3M hopes to sell automakers to cool batteries and extend the range of dozens of new electric vehicle models in the future, in St. Paul, Minnesota, . Picture taken February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Carey


Nick Carey reports for Reuters:

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Reuters) – In what seems to be a magic trick, Dele Fayemi runs a batch of batteries in a beaker of boiling water – a physical impossibility that should cause a short circuit.

But instead of a highly-dangerous combination of water and electricity, the 3M Co (MMM.N) engineer is testing the batteries in Novec, a non-flammable, non-conductive liquid the conglomerate has sold to cool supercomputers, and which it now aims to sell to automakers to cool batteries.

Maintaining a constant, low temperature helps electric vehicles (EVs) drive longer distances, so keeping batteries cool could help solve a key problem for automakers: a lack of range has been a major obstacle to the mass adoption of electric cars.

“As you can see, the temperature remains constant,” at 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit), Fayemi said, the boiling point of this particular batch of Novec, which 3M also wants to sell to data centers to keep servers cool.

“Automakers are trying to figure out how to get the absolute maximum out of batteries,” said Ray Eby, head of 3M’s automotive electrification program, which was created last year. “That’s right in 3M’s wheelhouse.”

Major automakers plan to roll out hundreds of new electric vehicle models over the next several years, fueled by investments that consultancy AlixPartners has estimated at up to $255 billion through 2023.

To put that in context, in 2017 all the world’s automakers and suppliers combined invested $115 billion in research and development, and had capital expenditures of $234 billion.

Much of that investment will flow to suppliers, but only if they can offer ways to cut electric vehicle manufacturing costs, which are still higher than for internal combustion cars. 3M and other automotive technology companies are looking for ways to adapt to electric vehicles existing products that enjoy economies of scale from other markets.

Along with major suppliers like BorgWarner Inc (BWA.N) and Aptiv PLC (APTV.N), others like aluminum company Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY.OL) and synthetic rubber maker Trinseo SA (TSE.N) are developing products to extend the driving ranges of electric vehicles, attacking a significant barrier to higher sales.

Suppliers hope automakers will adopt their technology early in the development process so they can sell similar products to more than one customer.

With no set approach to developing EVs, automakers are pursuing their own paths, giving suppliers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to influence what parts and even what materials to use.

“Eventually we’ll see more standardization in the high-voltage market, but it’s not there yet,” said Alan Amici, vice president of transportation solutions for TE Connectivity Ltd (TEL.N).

That’s why TE and other suppliers using embedded teams of engineers within the engineering operations of major automaker customers. From inside, suppliers can pitch existing products and materials, or ones they have in development.

Their customers are looking for ways to get more driving miles per charge, tackle technical problems such as electromagnetic interference or, most importantly, cut costs on vehicles that are as yet unprofitable.

Read the full story

Like this? Click to receive free updates


Auto suppliers rev up to chase electric vehicle bonanza Read More »

What Trump’s auto-mileage rollback means for (cough) NJ

Administration’s move to freeze tougher fuel-efficiency standards may make it much harder for the state to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, diminish air pollution

tailpipe emissions smog



Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:


The Trump administration yesterday moved to roll back aggressive federal clean-car standards, a decision that likely will increase air pollution in New Jersey and undermine its efforts to curb emissions contributing to climate change, according to critics.

The decision, announced jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had been expected for weeks by clean-air advocates, but turned out be worse than anticipated, according to environmentalists. Proponents said it would make cars safer and save consumers money.
The proposal aims to freeze tougher fuel-efficiency standards intended to reduce pollution from cars while also revoking the right of California to establish more stringent tailpipe-emission standards than other states, a step designed to limit greenhouse-gas emissions.

Relaxing restrictions on greenhouse gases

The latter move is especially significant for New Jersey, which is one of 12 other states that have adopted California’s tougher emission standards, which include mandates to transition to electric vehicles. Transportation accounts for roughly 46 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions in New Jersey, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The rollback already is being challenged in court by environmental groups, sure to be joined by California and other states. Auto manufacturers also have a big stake in this fight, as they’re worried about having to comply with different standards in multiple states. In any case, litigation could lead to years of legal uncertainty.
In New Jersey, advocates denounced the freezing of the standards and the move to abolish the California waiver, saying it will increase air pollution, making it harder for the state to clean up its air. New Jersey has never achieved the federal health-quality standard for ground-level ozone, a pollutant that blankets parts of the state every summer.

Read the full story


Like this? Click to receive free updates

What Trump’s auto-mileage rollback means for (cough) NJ Read More »