Weekly Green: January 26, 2012

• President Obama plugs clean energy in SOTU speech;
• California to the nation: It’s time for cleaner cars;
• Candidates Betsy Butler and Fran Pavley are champions for the environment;
• Should the Lorax movie be more tree-huggy?
• And much more.

Leading Off

Driving home the need for a higher fuel standard  

On Tuesday several dozen people environmental advocates, including more than two dozen CLCV members, testified to the EPA, voicing their support for cleaner car standards. In addition to the expected supporters from CARB and several environmental groups, more than a dozen auto manufacturers and the United Auto Workers union support the new regulations, including Ford, Chrysler, and Hyundai.

Take action:  Urge the EPA to enact stronger fuel economy standards

The verdict is in on climate change  

Without a scientist general to instruct us on climate change, we as a nation have been adrift, looking for leadership and not finding it. But there is one notable exception: California. In the absence of federal leadership, in the absence of a scientist general, our state has acted on the scientific verdict.

Schoolkids want The Lorax to be more tree-huggy  

The original Seuss tale is bleak, sure, but bleak with a purpose: it’s a parable about greed, exploitation, and the consequences of environmental rapaciousness… A group of fourth graders from Brookline, Mass. has drafted a petition asking Hollywood to reinstate the original book’s environmental themes.

State of the Union: Obama Plugs Clean Energy

Obama’s 2012 State of the Union: Energy, environment

President Obama sought middle ground on energy and environmental issues Tuesday night, calling for an “all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy” and outlining a handful of initiatives he said would enable the United States to tap fossil fuel reserves as well as wind and solar power.

Obama doesn’t back down on clean energy

That’s what I was watching for: whether the president would back down on clean energy in the face of coordinated GOP assault. (Solyndra is the battle flag of Republicans, but they’re going after clean energy on multiple fronts.) He did not. Instead, he doubled down.

State of the Union: From Climate to Clean Energy to… Fracking?

But global warming was barely a passing reference in the speech—quite unlike something that surely has many greens worried: a call to increase domestic oil and gas production.

More Clean Cars

California Must Continue Leading the Country on Clean Cars

Our state has a proud history of adopting cutting-edge vehicle standards that lead the nation and the world. As former chair persons of the Air Resources Board, we’ve voted to set a course for strong, health-based standards that are grounded in scientific research and honed through broad stakeholder input. California’s leadership has paid great dividends.

California air board to vote on landmark electric-car rules

In a move that could reshape the American automobile industry, California regulators Thursday are expected to approve sweeping new rules requiring that 15 percent of new cars sold in California by 2025 run on electricity, hydrogen or other systems producing little or no smog.

Car emissions may fuel desert forest fires

Nitrogen emissions from car exhaust and industrial sources might be increasing forest fires across the California desert by fueling the spread of invasive grasses, according to a new report by the Ecological Society of America.

More Environmental & Political News

Assemblymember Betsy Butler Serves Californians

With both CLCV and the Sierra Club endorsing Betsy Butler, one thing is certain, in the race for Assembly District 50, Betsy Butler is the clear environmental choice.

Fran Pavley: In SD27, a clear choice for jobs and the future

Perhaps Pavley's greatest contribution to the California economy is AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, bringing clean energy jobs to California. The law bothers oil companies so much that they mounted an entirely unsuccessful attack on it in 2010, Proposition 23. Thanks in part to her leadership, California is on target to meet its renewable energy standards early.

SoCal Shines Brightest in Solar Rankings

The Bay Area likes to tout its clean, green reputation, but when it comes to installing solar, Southern California shines brightest. San Diego and Los Angeles lead the state in rooftop solar installations, according to a report released today by Environment California’s Research & Policy Center.

Rooftop solar capacity soars in Sacramento, report shows

Rooftop solar power installations nearly tripled in Sacramento during the past two years, making it the fastest-growing solar city in the state.

Small non-profit works to reduce massive sewage spills into San Francisco Bay

Last year, a staggering 17.5 million gallons of raw or partially treated sewage spilled in the nine Bay Area counties -- enough to fill 26 Olympic-size swimming pools -- and 95 percent of it flowed to the bay, lakes or streams. But with little fanfare, a small nonprofit group is steadily turning the tide.

Auditor: Calif high-speed rail has risky financing

California's $98 billion high-speed rail project relies on risky financial assumptions and has just a fraction of the money needed to pay for it, raising more questions about the heavily criticized plan, the state auditor said in a report released Tuesday.

Mercury News editorial: Closing state parks would be just plain stupid

Brown's predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, tried the same parks ploy. But he backed down in the face of a well-deserved backlash, not wanting to be remembered as the first governor to close parks.

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