Latest news with #CleanAirActof1970
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Trump blocks California EV rules in latest move to rein in the State
President Donald Trump signed joint resolutions of Congress on Thursday that block California's effort to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles, his latest attempt to reduce the power of the nation's most populous state. The Republican-led Congress passed the resolutions in May to reverse the Biden administration's approval of California's electric vehicle efforts. When signed by the president, joint resolutions revoking federal rules carry the force of law and are not subject to judicial review. Even so, the move drew an immediate legal challenge from California, as well as an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom directing state officials to find another path that would move the state's drivers toward electric vehicles and encourage companies to make them. On Thursday, Trump took aim at California's long-standing authority under the federal Clean Air Act of 1970 to set pollution standards for the state that are stricter than federal limits, and at Newsom's ambition to fight climate change with an aggressive transition to electric vehicles. Trump's action reversed a Biden administration decision that allowed the state to require that electric vehicles make up a progressively larger share of new vehicles sold in California until 2035, when the state would ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars entirely. Trump called the California plan a "disaster" and said it "would effectively abolish the internal combustion engine, which most people prefer." Anticipating the president's action, California leaders responded Thursday with a two-part plan. Rob Bonta, the state attorney general, filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to overturn the resolutions. And Newsom directed his administration to develop new rules that encourage the use of electric vehicles and reward car manufacturers who agree to follow California's plan to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. "Trump's all-out assault on California continues, and this time he's destroying our clean air and America's global competitiveness in the process," Newsom said in a statement. The resolutions Trump signed Thursday also revoke waivers for two other California clean-air policies. One blocks California from requiring that half of all new trucks sold in the state be electric by 2035. Another stops the state from putting limits on allowable emissions of nitrogen oxide from cars and trucks.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Why QuantumScape Stock Short-Circuited Today
The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that GM is lobbying against EV-friendly laws in California. GM has slowed its investments in EV production on several fronts. QuantumScape is a GM partner on rechargeable batteries for electric cars and trucks. 10 stocks we like better than QuantumScape › QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) stock stumbled in Monday morning trading after The Wall Street Journal reported that partner General Motors (NYSE: GM) is getting cold feet about the EV revolution. Laws that promote electric vehicles and "emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability," warns GM in an email to employees. Now, the automaker is lobbying to get EV-friendly legislation reversed. GM's 180 has QuantumScape investors concerned: Shares of the battery research start-up were down by 13.7% as of 10:45 a.m. ET. In the article, the Wall Street Journal reported that GM "is racing to reverse the nation's most aggressive EV mandate" in California, and urging employees to call U.S. senators and press them to eliminate the long-established federal waiver that permits California to set its own emission standards. The Clean Air Act of 1970 also gives other states the right to adopt California's environmental standards, and numerous states have done so. Of particular concern to GM is a 2022 California law that will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and trucks in the state by 2035. GM itself has already failed to make good on its promise to build 400,000 EVs by mid-2024, and it's postponing the development of an electric Buick and the construction of an EV truck factory. Viewed in combination, none of this sounds like good news for GM and its partnership with QuantumScape to develop solid-state lithium-metal batteries for use in GM EVs. Mind you, just because GM has tapped the brakes on its EV plans doesn't mean it's abandoning them. A breakthrough in battery technology by QuantumScape could even change GM's plans again. But the battery specialist doesn't have much time to waste. Its cash reserves are down to $860 million, and it has been burning through cash at a rate of $330 million a year. For QuantumScape, faster would be better. A slow-moving GM could be fatal to the company's prospects. Before you buy stock in QuantumScape, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and QuantumScape wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $642,582!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $829,879!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 975% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why QuantumScape Stock Short-Circuited Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump's climate change ‘cancel culture' is our real national energy emergency
In 2006, President George W. Bush, a former Texas oilman, surprised the nation by declaring that America was 'addicted to oil.' Until that statement, Bush had pushed oil production, symbolized by the viral photo of him holding hands with Saudi Arabia's crown prince. But suddenly Bush was saying that 'by applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.' His pronouncement threw Washington 'into one of its occasional paroxysms of confusion.' Unfortunately, the addiction continued. America still imports some oil, but now it leads the world in oil and gas production. The energy policy of subsequent presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, has been 'all of the above,' the politically expedient idea that we need all available energy resources. However, no president has pushed fossil fuels more aggressively or at greater cost than President Trump. He has imposed an energy policy that denies the addiction's real costs, ranging from lung cancers to deadly weather disasters. All the while, America's future — in fact, the world's — depends on replacing 'all of the above' with the 'best of the above.' Many of the best options are market-ready today, and much less expensive than fossil fuels, especially when we compare their real costs and benefits to those of oil, natural gas and coal. America's most secure and prosperous future will be powered principally by electricity generated by resources that are indigenous, limitless, ubiquitous, relatively nonpolluting and free for the taking. Even with markets biased in favor of fossil fuels, renewables are often cheaper today. And they can be deployed in months rather than years to meet the nation's rapidly growing electric demand. Instead, America's fossil fuel addiction is sustained by inertia, the ability of the oil industry to buy elections, and the subversion of market forces. With the help of elected policymakers, markets ignore the actual costs of carbon-based fuels. Consumers pay only a fraction of those costs. For example, the price of a gallon of gasoline does not include the costs of air pollution on public health or its impact on weather disasters. A few years ago, the Center for Investigative Reporting calculated that when carbon dioxide pollution is counted, gasoline costs about $15 per gallon. The center estimated that a typical driver causes about 10,000 pounds of annual emissions. It would take a forest the size of California, Nevada and Arizona combined to mitigate all the pollution created by America's gas-powered vehicles. According to the World Economic Forum, air pollution from fossil fuels costs over $820 billion annually in the U.S., or about $2,500 per person per year in additional medical bills. Despite progress in reducing air pollution under the Clean Air Act of 1970, nearly half of Americans still live in places where emissions make breathing dangerous. In March, the nonprofit Fractracker Alliance itemized the direct and indirect ways governments in the U.S. subsidize fossil fuels. The total is $760 billion annually in subsidies, tax breaks and unpriced externalities. The International Monetary Fund found that nations provided $7 trillion in subsidies for fossil fuels during 2022, 60 percent of it attributed to global warming and local air pollution. In the U.S., direct and indirect subsidies totaled $757 billion that year, or $2,243 per person. 'These policies distort energy markets, hinder renewable energy growth, and cost taxpayers billions,' Fractracker points out. '(T)ax advantages shield oil and gas companies from real market risks, which means that unprofitable fossil fuel ventures—businesses that would otherwise fail in a competitive market—are kept afloat at the expense of the public.' Due to climate change, the actual costs of fossil energy are increasing rapidly. The average number of weather disasters has grown from nine annually over the last 45 years to 23. Forty states have suffered 10 or more major weather disasters during the last 13 years. Three of every four Americans live at risk of floods, hurricanes, sea-level rise or wildfires. The Obama administration attempted to correct energy market signals by calculating the 'social costs of carbon.' President Barack Obama ordered agencies to use it to estimate the real costs of federal programs and policies. Trump is now trying to hide the actual costs by directing agencies to stop considering the social cost of carbon — just one of many actions he is taking to suppress America's necessary transition to renewable energy, including the false energy emergency he has declared. In the meantime, the American people are suffering from Trump's refusal to recognize reality. We need energy security at least cost with clean domestic resources. We need it now to guide today's investments in America's energy systems. Trump is doing profound damage in many ways, but none as irreversible, dangerous to life, or long-lasting as the nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide that America's fossil fuel addiction dumps into the atmosphere each year. He has done all this in 118 days, but the actual costs will last thousands of years. William S. Becker is a former U.S. Department of Energy central regional director and executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, which is not affiliated with the White House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump's climate change ‘cancel culture' is our real national energy emergency
In 2006, President George W. Bush, a former Texas oilman, surprised the nation by declaring that America was 'addicted to oil.' Until that statement, Bush had pushed oil production, symbolized by the viral photo of him holding hands with Saudi Arabia's crown prince. But suddenly Bush was saying that 'by applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.' His pronouncement threw Washington 'into one of its occasional paroxysms of confusion.' Unfortunately, the addiction continued. America still imports some oil, but now it leads the world in oil and gas production. The energy policy of subsequent presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, has been 'all of the above,' the politically expedient idea that we need all available energy resources. However, no president has pushed fossil fuels more aggressively or at greater cost than President Trump. He has imposed an energy policy that denies the addiction's real costs, ranging from lung cancers to deadly weather disasters. All the while, America's future — in fact, the world's — depends on replacing 'all of the above' with the 'best of the above.' Many of the best options are market-ready today, and much less expensive than fossil fuels, especially when we compare their real costs and benefits to those of oil, natural gas and coal. America's most secure and prosperous future will be powered principally by electricity generated by resources that are indigenous, limitless, ubiquitous, relatively nonpolluting and free for the taking. Even with markets biased in favor of fossil fuels, renewables are often cheaper today. And they can be deployed in months rather than years to meet the nation's rapidly growing electric demand. Instead, America's fossil fuel addiction is sustained by inertia, the ability of the oil industry to buy elections, and the subversion of market forces. With the help of elected policymakers, markets ignore the actual costs of carbon-based fuels. Consumers pay only a fraction of those costs. For example, the price of a gallon of gasoline does not include the costs of air pollution on public health or its impact on weather disasters. A few years ago, the Center for Investigative Reporting calculated that when carbon dioxide pollution is counted, gasoline costs about $15 per gallon. The center estimated that a typical driver causes about 10,000 pounds of annual emissions. It would take a forest the size of California, Nevada and Arizona combined to mitigate all the pollution created by America's gas-powered vehicles. According to the World Economic Forum, air pollution from fossil fuels costs over $820 billion annually in the U.S., or about $2,500 per person per year in additional medical bills. Despite progress in reducing air pollution under the Clean Air Act of 1970, nearly half of Americans still live in places where emissions make breathing dangerous. In March, the nonprofit Fractracker Alliance itemized the direct and indirect ways governments in the U.S. subsidize fossil fuels. The total is $760 billion annually in subsidies, tax breaks and unpriced externalities. The International Monetary Fund found that nations provided $7 trillion in subsidies for fossil fuels during 2022, 60 percent of it attributed to global warming and local air pollution. In the U.S., direct and indirect subsidies totaled $757 billion that year, or $2,243 per person. 'These policies distort energy markets, hinder renewable energy growth, and cost taxpayers billions,' Fractracker points out. '(T)ax advantages shield oil and gas companies from real market risks, which means that unprofitable fossil fuel ventures—businesses that would otherwise fail in a competitive market—are kept afloat at the expense of the public.' Due to climate change, the actual costs of fossil energy are increasing rapidly. The average number of weather disasters has grown from nine annually over the last 45 years to 23. Forty states have suffered 10 or more major weather disasters during the last 13 years. Three of every four Americans live at risk of floods, hurricanes, sea-level rise or wildfires. The Obama administration attempted to correct energy market signals by calculating the 'social costs of carbon.' President Barack Obama ordered agencies to use it to estimate the real costs of federal programs and policies. Trump is now trying to hide the actual costs by directing agencies to stop considering the social cost of carbon — just one of many actions he is taking to suppress America's necessary transition to renewable energy, including the false energy emergency he has declared. In the meantime, the American people are suffering from Trump's refusal to recognize reality. We need energy security at least cost with clean domestic resources. We need it now to guide today's investments in America's energy systems. Trump is doing profound damage in many ways, but none as irreversible, dangerous to life, or long-lasting as the nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide that America's fossil fuel addiction dumps into the atmosphere each year. He has done all this in 118 days, but the actual costs will last thousands of years. William S. Becker is a former U.S. Department of Energy central regional director and executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, which is not affiliated with the White House.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
15 vintage photos show what New York City looked like before the US regulated pollution
Before environmental regulation, New York City struggled with severe pollution. The city's coastlines were often the sites of illegal dumping. Pollution regulations began after the Environmental Protection Agency was formed in 1970. If you've ever spent time in New York City, you'll be familiar with the black trash bags that form mountains on its sidewalks. The city's government last year advocated for a "trash revolution" that aimed to switch those trash bags with wheeled trash cans. And while Mayor Eric Adams unveiling the trash cans as "revolutionary" might've been mocked widely online, the Big Apple has had it worse. Before the days of regulated dumping, New York City's landscape was littered with waste stretching from the city's shores to the alleyways of each borough. The Environmental Protection Agency, which started regulating emissions, waste, and water pollutants after it was established in 1970, once described Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal as "one of the nation's most extensively contaminated water bodies." Since then, the canal has undergone a cleaning operation involving the dredging of contaminated sediments on the canal's floor. Air pollution, coming largely from transportation and construction, has also long posed a threat to residents. In 1971, the EPA dispatched 100 photographers to capture America's environmental issues, showing what the US looked like from 1971 to 1977 in a photo project called Documerica. Of the 81,000 images the photographers took, more than 20,000 photos were archived, and at least 15,000 have been digitized by the National Archives. Many of the photos were taken before the US regulated things like water and air pollution. Take a look at a few New York City Documerica photos that were taken between 1973 and 1974. By the start of the 1970s, New York City was one of the most polluted cities in the US. By the end of the 1960s, New York City had already been dealing with the effects of its unregulated pollution. The city shorelines were seen as "municipal chamber pots," landfills and illegal dumping lined the city's surroundings, and the air quality had gotten so bad that it was affecting people's lungs, The New York Times reported. Oil spills were a common occurrence in the pre-EPA days. In the first six months of 1973, more than 300 oil spills occurred in the New York City area, The New York Times reported. According to a 1973 Coast Guard survey cited by the newspaper, more than 800 oil spills occurred in the mid-Atlantic region during the same time period. The city's iconic landscape was often obscured by clouds of smog. The high air pollution levels meant residents often had their view of the cityscape obscured. The city updated its air quality laws after a smog event in 1966. A historic smog event in 1966, when a mass of warm air trapped pollutants from vehicles, factories, and chimneys, prompted the city to update its local air quality laws in the late 1960s, the Times reported. The Clean Air Act of 1970 set in place regulations for industrial pollution. The Clean Air Act, passed in 1970, allowed the EPA to set regulations for industrial pollution and authorized the agency to create National Ambient Air Quality Standards to promote air quality regulation throughout the country. Illegal dumping was common before regulations. Today, the EPA regulates landfills and auto salvage yards, protecting shores from becoming junkyards. Jamaica Bay was heavily affected by solid waste. Over the years, the EPA has spearheaded mass trash removals that focus on toxic chemicals. According to the agency, some New York City residents worried about pollution and ecological damage from the Jamaica Bay landfill in the early 1970s. In 2011, the city of New York and the US Interior Department reached an agreement for a collaborative effort to improve the bay's environmental conditions. Efforts to continue improving the shore have continued into the 2020s. Outside the city, waste management wasn't controlled. In the 1970s, New Jersey began to crack down on illegal dumping after toxic waste began being detected on the marshes of Newark, as reported by The New York Times. Toxic waste was often found in landfills surrounding the city. A landfill in Staten Island, called Fresh Kills, was the largest in the world. In 2023, the first phase of its restoration into a park was completed and North Park opened. In 2013, The New York Daily News reported that a New York City Sanitation Department study found high concentrations of two toxins banned by the EPA on the Gravesend Bay landfill, where the children in the picture played. Marshes and wetlands near the city were often plagued by trash. By 1992, regulations to prevent waste from being dumped on the shores around the city and efforts to clean them up had begun, with The New York Times reporting the end of the era of "using the ocean as a municipal chamber pot." Until 1992, the city discarded sewage into the ocean. The 1992 EPA mandate meant that processing plants for raw sewage began popping up around the city. Before regulations, the oil and gas industries weren't regulated on where they disposed of waste. Today, the EPA sets standards on waste produced by oil and gas industries, with the goal of limiting public health hazards. Ongoing construction in the city also meant increased waste. Building construction has long contributed to air pollution in NYC, though the EPA now regulates emissions from construction equipment. Improvements to air quality promoted a healthier quality of life for city residents. In 2010, the EPA estimated that the Clean Air Act prevented over 160,000 early deaths, 130,000 heart attacks, and millions of cases of respiratory illness. Without EPA regulation, cities could return to high levels of pollution that once defined them. The Trump administration has announced plans to cut back on EPA funding and staffing, with The New York Times reporting in March that the administration planned to eliminate the agency's research branch. As the current administration's EPA leadership launches the "Biggest Deregulatory Action in US History," as called by the agency, regulations for how industries emit waste into the air, water, and soil will begin to change. Some reports suggest that if the Trump administration dismantles more of the EPA, Americans could return to the environmental and health conditions that predated the agency's regulations. Read the original article on Business Insider
