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THE HOT HOUSE

May 31, 2007

President Bush today proposed new talks with the world's industrial powers -- including fast-developing China and India -- to set targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Reaction to Bush's speech was mixed, based on reports from Bloomberg and The New York Times. British Prime Minister Tony Blair called it "a huge step forward.'' Others called it an attempt to "muddy the waters," noting that Bush is mum on whether his plan would sidestep or be part of a new round of Kyoto talks.

Bush has also rejected a proposal by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that would effectively cut emissions to half of 1990 levels by 2050. He continues to oppose a "cap and trade" system for cutting emissions, a position that he shares with, oddly enough, California Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata.

"Cap and trade sounds like something that Wall Street cares about, and few other people do," Perata recently told the Capitol Weekly.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 2:37 PM | Comments

May 30, 2007

Undaunted by criticism that he spends too much time mugging for cameras instead of implementing California's climate laws, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a partnership with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty Wednesday on greenhouse gas reduction and stem cell research.

"Despite the disagreements we have with other countries about global warming, I believe the United States is about to go from environmental problem to environmental problem-solving," Schwarzenegger told the Economic Club of Toronto in a speech.

"In fact, I believe the United States is the world's best hope for solving the global warming crisis. Your neighbor across the border may be late in coming to the front, but we are coming, and when we arrive, what we have lost in time, we will make up in action, in spirit, and in strength."

Democrats say the governor is getting ahead of himself by trying to partner with other states and countries on an emissions "cap and trade" program before California has even designed such a program. But the governor's advisors defend his junkets. "You're getting states to make these commitments they wouldn't otherwise make for the sake of sharing some of the limelight with California," said Dan Skopec, undersecretary for the state Environmental Protection Agency.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 5:16 PM | Comments

State agencies in California would be required to assemble a biannual "report card" of their efforts to reduce greenhouse gases under a trailer bill that a Senate budget subcommittee approved this month.

Under the budget bill, every agency would have to post on a state website their current greenhouse gas emissions, their targets for reducing emissions (under the governor's 2006 Climate Action Team Report) and their progress in meeting those targets.

The bill also requires the Bureau of State Audits to review these reports and prepare an independent audit of them.

If approved as part of a final budget bill, this "Greenhouse Gas Reduction Report Card" would go a long way toward addressing gripes that state agencies aren't holding themselves to the same standards that industries will face under California's climate laws. The Sacramento Bee raised that question in a March editorial.

Sacramento Bee Photo/Randy Pench

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 4:22 PM | Comments

May 29, 2007

chides Gov. Schwarzenegger on his claim that his low carbon fuel standard, a policy to promote biofuels, will bring down high gas prices. Hasta la vista to that idea, baby!

How can we reduce gas prices? One way would be to consume less gasoline, and one way we could do that is by living in communities that weren't so dependent on automobiles. The San Francisco Chronicle examines how California's patterns of sprawl could complicate efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

The Chronicle also catches up with the California Energy Commission's new regulations on long-term power contracts for municipal utilities, noted in this blog last week.

Speaking of utilities, the California Independent System Operator will be holding a forum tomorrow on how California's climate laws could affect wholesale markets for electricity. Runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at ISO's office in Folsom.

Also tomorrow, the U.S. EPA holds a hearing in Sacramento on the waiver California is seeking to implement its vehicle fleet regulations on greenhouse emissions. Hearing starts at 9:00 a.m. and Attorney General Jerry Brown holds a media conference at 8:30 a.m. Cal/EPA Headquarters, Byron Sher Auditorium, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

And if that weren't enough, the Global Warming Environmental Justice Advisory committee, created by AB 32, will be meeting tomorrow in Sacramento.

Enough meetings.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 5:23 PM | Comments

May 25, 2007

Just in time for Memorial Day, the auto industry has launched a $1 million ad campaign aimed at convincing motorists that Senate legislation will threaten their safety. Why? The Senate next month is scheduled to debate a bill that requires automakers to raise fuel economy 40 percent by 2020 to a fleet wide average of 35 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks.
........................................................Sacramento Bee Photo/Bryan Patrick, 2000

“I'm all for better fuel economy,” says one of the actors featured in the ads. “But for me safety is my top concern."

Hmmm. Haven’t we heard this scare tactic before?

Yep. For years, the Detroit auto industry has been selling consumers on the claim that lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles are less safe than the big, heavy SUVs they produce (and sell at higher prices than more efficient models). The sales job has worked, since millions of people have bought SUVs hoping that they can protect themselves and their loved ones from the threat of ever-larger vehicles on the road (including millions of new SUVs).

Never mind that many of these vehicles have roll-over problems, or that they are now walloping their owners with $3.50-per-gallon gas prices, or that they increase our dependence on imported oil, or that they lead to disastrous military incursions, or that they…

But I digress. The question of fuel efficiency and safety is again on the front burner. And not just because of legislation in Congress.

Some Hot House readers have questioned whether California’s laws to reduce greenhouse gases could result in more dangerous motoring. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is now seeking a federal waiver so California can enact a 2002 law requiring reduced emissions from car and trucks sold in the state. One way automakers can comply with the law is to produce and sell lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

“The unintended consequences of this waiver will be many more light-weight vehicles on the road, which will put the divers and passengers at risk, increasing light weight vehicle owner insurance costs, until all the heavy vehicles are replaced over twenty years,” writes reader Russ Steele.

I contacted the Schwarzenegger administration for comment on Steele’s concerns, but have so far received no reply. But if you read on, I’ll offer my own two cents on the assertion that increased fuel efficiency endangers motorists. The research to date is more muddled than you might imagine.

Continue reading "Will state’s greenhouse laws kill more motorists?"

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 3:59 PM | Comments

May 24, 2007

The California Energy Commission approved regulations that ban municipal utilities from purchasing long-term power contracts from coal-fired power plants -- unless these plants have the ability to "sequester" their carbon dioxide underground.

The CEC's action is another step in implementing Senate Bill 1368, one of two major laws passed last year to reduce greenhouse gases.

The Public Utilities Commission has already passed its own SB 1368 regulations that apply to investor owned utilities. Now the CEC has done its part by regulating the "munis," which include the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and 37 other utilities across the state.

These new regs will hit home hardest in Southern California, where Los Angeles Power and Water and utilities in Pasadena, Burbank and Anaheim all depend on coal power from Nevada, Arizona, Utah and other states. A key player here was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who supported SB 1368 and has directed LA Power and Water to purchase more power from wind and alternative energy sources.

Business groups are watching these developments warily. Last year, the California Chamber of Commerce warned of higher energy prices if lawmakers enacted SB 1368, which was sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata.

"AB 32 is a slow burn, but SB 1368 takes 21 percent of energy off the table
immediately," the Chamber's Dominic DiMare told Capitol Weekly last year.

Read a news story about this week's energy commission decision here and an April editorial on this subject here.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 5:35 PM | Comments

May 22, 2007

The California Air Resources Board has released its proposal on which industries must be the first to report their greenhouse gas emissions, as required by Assembly Bill 32, the state's global warming law.

The proposal calls for 430 power plants and utilities, 25 oil refineries, 11 cement plants and 140 "large stationary combustion sources" (factories, etc.) to be the first to report.

CARB is holding a meeting in Sacramento tomorrow (Wednesday) on its proposed reporting requirements. You can find out more about the meeting and the requirements here.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 6:29 PM | Comments

May 21, 2007

No longer a salesman for gas-guzzling Hummers, Schwarzenegger penned an op-ed in the Washington Post Monday that tells the EPA to "Lead or Step Aside" on global warming.

On Monday afternoon, the governor's Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams held a news teleconference, noting that the U.S. EPA has granted California 40 waivers since 1975.

Meanwhile, Environment California adds up the numbers. The group reports that tailpipe emissions standards passed by California and 11 other states -- and blocked by the EPA -- could reduce global warming emissions by nearly 400 million metric tons by 2020. That's the same pollution reduction that could be achieved by removing 74 million cars (or 10 Hummers?) from the road for a year.

AP Photo/Richard Drew, 2001

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 3:26 PM | Comments

May 18, 2007

Even as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger touts biofuels as a key element of his plan to reduce greenhouse gases, leading international environmental groups are mounting a campaign against these fuels -- or at least, against certain kinds of biofuels.

Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the World Wildlife Fund have been running ads (seen above) in British newspapers to highlight the campaign. They fear a further loss of rainforests, primates and wildlife as farmers in the developing world convert land to grow corn and other feedstocks for ethanol.

Schwarzenegger hosted an International Low Carbon Fuel Symposium in Berkeley Friday to tout biofuels, calling them "our race to the moon." He also unveiled a plan for measuring the gradle-to-grave carbon generation of various fuels.

One panelist at the morning session -- Jessica Chalmers, Fuels Programme Manager for the UK's Low Carbon Vehicle Program -- noted the Greenpeace campaign was getting wide attention in Europe. She warned of a budding backlash against biofuels.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 2:39 PM | Comments

May 17, 2007

By a 21-15 vote, the State Senate has passed Joe Simitian's bill to increase California's use of renewable energies, such as solar, wind and geothermal.

Current law requires California to get 20 percent of its energy from renewables by 2010. Simitian's bill would require utilities to get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The bill, SB 411, now goes to the Assembly where it could face more scrutiny. The California Chamber of Commerce opposes it, noting that California is already struggling to meet the 2010 goal.

Sacramento Bee Photo/Jose M. Osorio, 2000

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 5:26 PM | Comments

The host of the Hot House is not very handy, so it has taken some time to enable the comments tab on each item on this blog. But thanks to some of my tech-savvy colleagues, we have fixed that glitch.

So if you want to post a response, don't be shy. Click on the "comments" tab below each item and fire way.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 5:02 PM | Comments

May 15, 2007

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to commit his city to reducing greenhouse gases 35 percent by 2030.

The likely gubernatorial candidate calls his climate action plan, released today, the most ambitious of any major U.S. city. It calls for cleaner power, cleaner ports, new building standards and more parks, transit and walkable neighborhoods in a city synonymous with sprawl, smog and traffic jams.

No mention of "congestion pricing" -- in which motorists are charged extra for driving during periods of increased traffic. London has reduced emissions and traffic with congestion pricing, and mayors in Seattle and New York are exploring the idea. Antonio?

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 4:36 PM | Comments

May 14, 2007

directive calling for a yearly, 4 percent reduction in gasoline use over ten years. The Center for Biological Diversity calls it a "cynical retreat." John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, says a global warming bill will pass this year but panders to a Detroit audience by criticizing fuel efficiency standards.

Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but a trial started today that pits California Attorney General Jerry Brown against the Bush administration over the subject of fuel efficiency standards. Brown's predecessor, Bill Lockyer, filed suit against the administration for adopting what Brown calls "dangerously misguided" standards for cars and failing to study the global warming implications.

UPDATE: Late Monday, Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams issued a statement on on Bush's comments. Said Adams: “The President’s Executive Order looks like a recipe for delay. Instead of the federal government taking swift action on global warming, I’m concerned that today’s announcement is a delay tactic, signaling an intention to sit on California’s waiver request to reduce global warming emissions from new cars.”

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 3:36 PM | Comments

May 10, 2007

argument in their lawsuit against Vermont's regulations to reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions -- foreshadowing a similar trial that will take place in U.S. District Court in Fresno over California's regs.

The California Air Resources Board has scheduled a May 23 workshop on how California will set its 1990 baseline for greenhouse emissions and how businesses should report those emissions. Technical stuff, but important.

The House today approved an amendment by U.S. Rep. Mike Honda of California that allows the National Science Foundation to develop educational materials on climate change that can be used in schools. This was controversial? Yes. Honda explains his amendment here.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 1:23 PM | Comments

May 9, 2007

The Hot House seems to be living up to its name. I wrote a column Sunday examining the smokescreens that certain industries and the Bush administration have spread to cast doubt on the science of climate change. Readers responded in force. Many believe that global warming is a fraud and, apparently, haven't read Miss Manners' book on email etiquette.

“Idiot.”
“A pot calling the kettle black.”
“Enabler of what will come to be known in the near future as the biggest scam ever perpetrated on mankind.”
“Who is Stuart Leavenworth and why does he write garbage?”

Frankly, I'm not sure how to respond to some of these doubters. If they don’t believe the findings of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the Royal Society, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other institutions that have concluded that man-made emissions are warming the atmosphere, there’s nothing I can say that will persuade them otherwise.

On the other hand, a few readers raised some valid points and questions. If you keep reading, you can see my responses to their questions, plus the entire, unedited collection of reader comments. Enjoy.

Continue reading "Hot stuff: Readers respond"

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 3:12 PM | Comments

May 8, 2007

GM Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner (AP Photo/ Ng Han Guan)

Demonstrating that it can turn on a dime, General Motors has agreed to join the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of environmental groups and industries that want Congress to adopt a national cap-and-trade program for greenhouse emissions. (See item below).

This could be a big, big deal. Environmental Defense, one of the conservation groups that founded USCAP, claims that GM and the 21 other industries in the coalition -- including Shell Oil and BP -- have agreed to support legislation that would reduce U.S. emissions 60 to 80 percent by 2050.

But wait a moment. Isn't this the same GM that remains part of an auto industry alliance that is suing California and other states for their laws to reduce greenhouse emissions from cars and trucks?

There are also questions about what kind of national legislation the partnership will ultimately support, and whether it will be significantly weaker than California's law, which calls for a 25 percent cut in emissions by 2020 with a further 80 percent cut by 2050.

At least one member of USCAP, Pacific Gas & Electric, initially backed a draft bill by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein that would have preempted California's law. It was later rewritten after complaints from state officials.

Looks like we'll need to kick the tires on this for a while.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 4:43 PM | Comments

Continue reading "California registers more influence"

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 3:48 PM | Comments

May 7, 2007

Arnold Schwarzenegger, leader of the “nation state” of California, is hopping around like a kangaroo to ink new climate agreements with his counterparts in other states and countries.

On Friday, Schwarzenegger signed a memorandum of understanding with Steve Bracks, Premier of Victoria, a state in southeastern Australia. The MOU pledges that both states will collaborate on ways to tackle global climate change, including a system of emissions trading for greenhouse gases.

On the surface, this MOU may appear to be meaningless, since it doesn’t create real obligations for either state. It could easily be written off as just another self-serving attempt by the governor to promote his green credentials.

Yet there is something else going on here. It’s called wedge politics. Schwarzenegger finds himself at odds with the Bush administration on climate policies, so he is looking for allies. He has teamed up with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and governors in other four states who share his concerns about global warming. In Australia, Prime Minister John Howard is a well-known skeptic of global warming and is facing a re-election fight. By shaking hands with his mate Bracks, Schwarzenegger puts pressure on Howard while giving Bracks (and Arnold) some good press back in Australia.

Schwarzenegger has also been dabbling in Canadian politics.

Continue reading "Hey mate, want to engage in some wedge politics?"

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 5:03 PM | Comments

May 4, 2007

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change today makes a strong case that nations can ward off the worst impacts of global warming, if they act quickly. Enviro groups are all over this. Yet missing from their flood of press releases is the fact that the IPCC report lists nuclear power as a "key mitigation strategy" for reducing greenhouse gases. (See page 13 of the summary.)

The nuke industry hasn't missed this detail. The blog of the Nuclear Energy Institute was anticipating this finding in a May 3 posting, a day before the report was released.

FYI, The Bee will run an editorial on the IPCC report Sunday. You can find it here.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 2:22 PM | Comments

May 3, 2007

AP Photo/The Press-Enterprise, Mark Zaleski

Welcome. Come on in. Take your shoes off. Sorry it is so darned hot in here. I'd like to turn on the AC, but I'm trying to be carbon neutral. It's not easy when you live in a greenhouse.

I've heard that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but I can't resist. The purpose of this blog is to track how California is responding to the threat of global warming, and examine the issues from all sides. Like I said, I'm gonna try to be carbon neutral. But let's face it. I'm an editorial writer.

That means I'm going to mix some opinion in with coverage of how California is implementing laws to reduce greenhouse gases. At times I will be serious. At times I will poke fun at the power players, and at times I will throw a few stones, and assume you will throw a few back.

So let's get acquainted. Here's my bio. I look forward to the conversation.

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 4:44 PM | Comments

California’s global warming law is only a few months old, and already it has generated its first industry-funded scare campaign. Joe Stalin is coming for your car AC!

Businesses that market automobile products are alarmed by a state proposal to ban retail sales of a certain refrigerant, known as 134a, which is known to be a potent greenhouse gas. State regulators believe that many do-itself-mechanics vent this refrigerant into the atmosphere when servicing their air conditioners, instead of going to a reputable repair shop, where it can be recovered.

Thus, the California Air Resources Board wants to ban retail sales of 134a, an easy "early action" measure required by the state's global warming law. That has some refrigerant marketers all heated up.

Hoping to drum up grassroots resistance to the ban, these industries have created a campaign called Stay Cool California. Check out their web site and you will be scared. Very scared.

“What costs you $10 today will cost you $150 or more tomorrow,” the site says. “Fight for your do-it-yourself rights. NOW!”

You have to give these businesses points for hubris. They call themselves Stay Cool California while opposing regulations designed to help cool the planet. Then check out the study they commissioned.

The study, by Frost and Sullivan, concluded that many do-it-yourselfers would likely stop servicing their air conditioners if the state banned retail sales of 134a, and then they would drive around on hot days with their windows rolled down. All these motorists driving around with rolled-down windows would create more drag on their cars and force them to burn more fuel, resulting in…

...More greenhouse gases!

How uncool is that?

Posted by Stuart Leavenworth at 4:43 PM | Comments

WHAT IS THE HOT HOUSE?

California has passed the nation's first statewide laws to control carbon dioxide and other emissions linked to global warming. Now comes the tough part: Translating statutes into action. Corporate CEOs, European ministers and others are all watching what happens here in Sacramento. This blog will track the implementation of California’s laws and the power players that are trying to influence the outcome.

WHAT ARE THE LAWS?

AB 32
Signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Requires the state to reduce its global warming emissions to 1990 levels (a 25 percent reduction) by 2020, with a further 80 percent reduction by 2050.

SB 1368
Also enacted in 2006. Requires utilities to purchase long-term power contracts from sources that are as "clean" – in terms of carbon emissions – as the most efficient natural gas-fired power plants. Effectively bans new contracts with out-of-state coal power plants.

AB 1493
Signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis in 2002. Requires motor vehicles sold in California by 2009 to achieve the maximum feasible reduction of greenhouse gases. The major automobile manufacturers are now challenging it in court.

STUART LEAVENWORTH

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