Legislature and Governor
Governor’s Energy Advisor is New CPUC President
Marybel Batjer, outgoing California Public Utilities Commission president, is being replaced Dec. 31 by Alice Reynolds, who is the Senior Advisor to the Governor for Energy. She was rumored to be the pick for months.
Air Board Plans Massive Spending to Address Vehicle Pollution
The California Air Resources Board is planning to spend $2.3 billion to advance zero emission cars, trucks, buses, and off-road engines, with $1.5 billion to be spent in the current fiscal year. More than half the total funding is directed to cleaning up the air in heavily burdened neighborhoods.
Like the California Energy […]
Big Bucks Heading to EV Chargers and Refueling Stations
The same day the federal $1.2 billion Infrastructure package was signed into law that includes $7.5 billion for EV stations, the California Energy Commission approved a huge increase in its clean transportation investment plan, with a focus on charging stations for trucks and buses to reduce diesel pollution in overburdened communities.
Critical Federal Analysis of Klamath Dam Removal Due Beginning of the Year
It looks as though the long-awaited environmental impact analysis for a historic removal of four large dams on the Klamath River will come in January. That will be a milestone. After more than two decades of struggle, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s draft impact assessment will be the final hurdle to their removal, […]
West Coast Sets Up Clean Construction Task Force
Over the weekend at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the states of California, Oregon, Washington, the province of British Columbia and six of the region’s largest cities announced a new task force to boost the market for new construction materials that don’t destroy the atmosphere.
Building materials like concrete and steel are responsible […]
Study Says State Would Save Money, Prevent Pollution if Diablo Canyon Stayed Open
Keeping the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant running 10 years past the expiration of its federal operating licenses would save an estimated $2.6 billion in power system costs and avoid a 10% rise in carbon dioxide emissions from gas-fired plants compared to 2017 levels, according to a report by Stanford University and the […]