Monday, January 25, 2010 at 11:46AM Senator Lisa Murkowski (R. AK) introduced a disapproval resolution on January 21, 2010, seeking to veto retroactively the Environmental Protection Agency’s finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, a threshold determination for other pending climate rules.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 8:22AM When the North American International Auto Show opens to the public on January 16, 2010, consumers will not be surprised at the significant number of electric and hybrid vehicles on display and some revolutionary concept car designs.
Industry focus on electric and hybrid vehicles is expected to increase as automakers’ prepare for the issuance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation proposed light vehicular emission standards.
As previously discussed on iGreenLaw, the proposed rule would require model year 2016 vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, and the overall light-duty vehicle fleet's fuel economy would reach 35.5 miles per gallon in model year 2016, up from 27.5 mpg today.
However, automakers and industry analysts recognize the uphill battle in marketing and selling electric and hybrid vehicles, particularly given the currently high costs of battery packs. According to the New York Times, approximately 98% percent of the vehicles sold in the United States in 2009 were powered by conventional gasoline engines.
As stated to the New York Times, “[automakers] don't know what the market is going to be for electric vehicles,” said William Ford Jr., Ford Motor Company’s executive chairman. “A lot will depend on the ability of people to charge them at home, at work, at the mall.” Moreover, the $40,000 initial pricetag of the Volt, GM’s upcoming electric vehicle with a gasoline battery charger, may not be within most consumers’ budgets. Perhaps in recognition of this challenge, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told the Detroit Free Press that, at full production, GM will build a maximum of 60,000 Volts.
Friday, January 8, 2010 at 7:39PM As reported in the E&E Reporter (subscription required) on January 6, 2010, Indiana officials are debating whether to adopt or reject the regulation enacted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”), which requires insurance companies to complete a survey revealing the ways in which they are addressing risks associated with climate change.
insurance, regulation in Climate Change Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 9:43PM As of January 2, 2010, LG Electronics USA will be prohibited from selling 20 of its refrigerator models using the “Energy Star” label, as ordered by the Department of Energy.
Energy Star is a voluntary program sponsored through DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency that promotes the development and sale of energy efficient products. The labels associated with the program inform consumers of the most energy efficient products in a particular product category. The program has been an effective marketing tool for appliance manufacturers.
The DOE based its ban on studies from multiple sources showing that the French-door style refrigerators do not conform to the required energy and cost savings to qualify for the Energy Star program. In response, according to a press release, LG Electronics sued the DOE in the District Court for the District of Columbia, claiming that the agency is inappropriately requiring use of a new test procedure to measure efficiency.
DOE, Energy Star, regulation in Regulatory Actions Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 10:39AM On November 9, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced that it sent its final greenhouse gas endangerment finding to the White House for review. The EPA did not release a copy of the finding, a draft of which was published in April 2009. The proposed finding sets forth EPA’s position that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, and therefore can be regulated by the EPA as a pollutant.
The Office of Management and Budget has up to 90 days to review the proposal. If approved, the endangerment finding would provide the basis for EPA to regulate and curb greenhouse gas emissions, even if the U.S. Congress does not pass climate change legislation.
According to Reuters, the EPA also proposed a finding that greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to the release of greenhouse gases and contribute to this endangerment. If approved, this finding would allow the government to regulate vehicle emissions by increasing vehicle gas mileage standards. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the government is facing a “hard deadline” of March 2010 to let automakers know of the changes to fuel economy standards that would affect 2012 model vehicles.
EPA, greenhouse gases, regulation in Climate Change