Podcasts about air resources board

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The National Peanut Board awards $400,000 in grants to nine organizations to advance food allergy research towards the eradication of peanut allergies, and Renewable Fuels Association applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom for directing the state's Air Resources Board to expedite approval of E15.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced the Port of Kalama in Washington state was awarded over $26 million for a rail expansion project, and Renewable Fuels Association applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom for directing the state's Air Resources Board to expedite approval of E15.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced the Port of Kalama in Washington state was awarded over $26 million for a rail expansion project, and Renewable Fuels Association applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom for directing the state's Air Resources Board to expedite approval of E15.

As state lawmakers reconvened in a special session to try to lower the cost of gas, the state's Air Resource Board is considering a move that could make prices go up by almost half a dollar a gallon. For a closer look, KCBS Radio news anchors Bret Burkhart and Patti Reising spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

This week we talk about weeds, lawn mowers, and California's Air Resources Board.We also discuss ornamental lawns, leaf blowers, and two-stroke engines.Recommended Book: The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel DurantTranscriptThe concept of the modern lawn—a term that originally referred to a somewhat ecologically varied, short-cropped green space that was used for livestock, in contrast to fields that were used for growing agricultural plants—is derived from a variation of the lawns built and maintained by European aristocracy, especially British aristocracy, in the mid- to late-teens centuries, BC.The concept evolved from a sort of posturing that only wealthy people could manage, back then, before the advent of grass-trimming machinery.And the flex here was two-fold:First, here is an expanse of land, which typically would have been put to use, in this case for livestock, but which I, because I'm wealthy, can leave unproductive, untarnished by beasts, and thus for purely beautification and recreational purposes; I can impress people with my sweeping plots of greenery, I can make it uniform and, thus, interesting, in an age in which nature is still being wrestled with and perfection by any standard is rare, and I have enough people working for me that all this maintenance, despite its incredible weight, all that grass in some cases being hand-scythed and sheered by human beings toiling all day long—I can afford to do that. So, look upon my fields, my vast tracts of ornamental land, and be amazed.So simply setting aside land for this aesthetic-focused purpose was big, but so was maintaining such a thing in a period in which that maintenance was the consequence of long, hard, expensive human labor.That ornamentality became more accessible to more people with the advent of early mowing machines, the first of which was unpowered, made from wrought-iron, and used a cylinder of blades that would spin when you pushed it.That was invented in 1830 in England, and from there these Budding Machines, named after the inventor, Edward Budding, were sold to entities with large expanses of land, like the Oxford colleges and Regents Park Zoological Gardens, which in turn helped Budding, mostly financially, evolve his machine, which was then manufactured at a larger scale and licensed to other companies that wanted to make their own version of the same.Within a decade, these mowing devices had been augmented so they could be pulled by horses, donkeys, and other beasts of burden.Just over sixty years after that first model was built by Budding, the first steam-powered mower, still pulled by animals, usually, but much more powerful, was patented, and then eventually built and sold, and by 1900 a popular model of steam-powered mower, the Ransomes' Automaton, which is just a wonderful and steampunk name for anything, was dominant in the English market, and the first riding lawn mowers arose around the same time, as seats for operators were added on to the increasingly complex machines.Mower designs started to show up in patent offices elsewhere around the world around this same time, as the concept of lawns had already spread globally, due to the British Empire's presence and influence, and in the US, the concept of the ornamental lawn was especially appealing: landowners who were gobbling up vast expanses of the—by their standards, basically uninhabited North American continent—were adding these sorts of areas to their growing estates, and the US Civil War meant that some of these landowners were finding themselves with a lot less abundant human labor—of the inexpensive and slave variety, at least—than before, thus the market for mowers, to maintain these brag-worthy lawns, grew quickly from the mid-1860s, onward.The first gas-powered lawn mowers were produced in Lansing, Michigan back in 1914 by a company called Ideal Power Mower Company, and that same company went on to develop the first-ever self-propelled riding lawn mower, of the sort that would be recognizable today, as it didn't need a horse or other animal to pull it, and this collection of mowing-related innovations, combined with the rapid expansion of suburbs around the United States following World War II—which was partially the consequence of trying to keep war-era manufacturing operating at scale, post-conflict, but also the flood of money that entered the economy as veterans were all but given access to higher-education and cheap loans for houses in rapidly developing city outskirts—that ended up being exactly the right combination of elements to help the lawn spread still further, into a country that was looking to flaunt its wealth a bit, and in which a large number of people were suddenly becoming homeowners, with little patches of lawn all to themselves, adopting the standards of landowners that came before them, including using these patches of non-house land more or less exclusively as decoration.What I'd like to talk about today is an impending, near-future disruption the lawn care industry faces as a consequence of the global shift toward renewable energy.—It's estimated that about 2% of the total continental US landmass is lawns.The data on this vary, as this is mostly based on estimates from state-level agencies, which are imperfect, and from entities like NASA which have provided satellite imagery that helps us clarify, with decent resolution, which patches of land are covered by what sorts of materials; but it can only ever really be estimates, because of the nature of what's being measured.But whatever the specific figure, lawns of the ornamental, just kind of sitting there and not doing anything variety, are immensely popular in the United States, and that's made them popular in many other countries, as well, as just like the British Empire was able to spread their norms globally by throwing around money and military units, US norms and priorities tend to spread through the country's vast and powerful media apparatus—so just like American-style malls and toilets and dating and hamburgers, American-style lawns have popped up all over the place, for better and for worse, though by most metrics, mostly for worse.And that's because lawns are almost uniquely net-negatives for the environments they occupy and bump up against.Lawns are typically monocultures, meaning plant-life that doesn't adhere to the visual norms of the prioritized green, green grass of a certain length and shape, is killed, sometimes only at great expense and with much effort, and often at the expense of local species, including pollinators and other food-web staples.Lawns require substantially more watering than a varied collection of local plant-life.They also generally necessitate the application of chemicals to prevent or kill-off weeds and other undesirable elements—weeds, of course, being any plant that isn't uniform grass of the kind we want to see.Turf of the kind typically prioritized for these sorts of lawns also has incredibly shallow roots of less than half an inch, which is part of why they require so much watering—they can't get what they need from the soil, themselves—but this also leads to compacted soils over time, which keeps it from absorbing as much water as it might, otherwise, which leads to more flooding and runoff issues, the soil basically eroding into storm sewer systems, which can clog and block them, compounding flooding issues, rather than helping with them.Another fairly significant issue inherent in ornamental lawns is the volume of greenhouse gas emissions—alongside pollutants—that are churned into the air by all the equipment people use to maintain them.According to data from the US Environmental Protection Agency, using a modern gasoline-powered lawnmower for one hour emits about the same volume of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds—like benzene, formaldehyde, and tetrachloroethylene, all stuff you don't want in the air or environment—as driving a modern car 45 miles.These lawn care tools are responsible for about 5% of the US's total air pollution, and oil spills associated with filling up lawnmowers and other such equipment tally an estimated 17 million gallons across the US each year, that spilled gas then finding its way into the local ecosystem, impacting plant and animal life, but also the drinking water humans ultimately use and consume.Now, gasoline does actually make it into these devices, unspilled, and around 800 million gallons of gasoline is consumed through their use, each year, and because many pieces of lawn care equipment are powered by two-stroke rather than four-stroke engines, the fuel blends with the oil used for lubrication, and consequently around a third of it doesn't fully combust—and as a result emissions from tools and vehicles using two-stroke engines are around 124-times higher than from engines without that blending issue.Four-stroke engines are a bit better than two-stroke, but still not great: a four-stroke engine-powered land mower used for an hour generates emissions equivalent to driving a passenger vehicles about 300 miles.Leaf-blowers are also pretty brutal machines, in terms of emissions and pollution.A typical, off-the-shelf leaf-blower releases more hydrocarbons into the environment than a pickup truck, and research from 2017 suggested that gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and other such lawn equipment can produce more ozone-depleting pollution in the state of California than all of the passenger vehicles in the state, combined, leading to an announcement and warning on the issue by the California Air Resources board, that year.That and similar concerns were the primary motivations behind a recent decision to ban the sale of new gas-powered lawn tools in the state beginning in 2024.The argument is this:These types of engines, those that power lawn-care tools, create just a boggling amount of pollution and other emissions, and that's an especially pressing issue in California, which is highly populated, filled with cars, and which has areas that are deserts—like Los Angeles and its metro area—where folks spend gobs of time, energy, and resources, including very finite resources like water, trying to maintain lawns that struggle to survive in the, again, desert where they've been installed.So all that being true, it makes sense to try to temper at least some of this issue by making it more difficult to acquire and use these highly polluting tools, forcing people to either spend less time, energy, and resources on these unproductive, decorative spaces, or to just buy electric versions of the same, which are, today, widely available, and which can be powered by electricity that is generated cleanly, by solar, wind, etc.This ban is not without controversy: folks who have these sorts of devices already will be able to keep using them, and it's not a big issue to acquire a new gas-powered whatever if you really want to do so, but it will likely have some effect in that it makes it more difficult to casually acquire one, and in that it makes alternatives like electric versions of the same, and bigger changes like xeriscaping one's yard—using local plants and rocks and things like that, instead of generic green grass, in areas that are short on water—more thinkable for more people.What it does, in other words, is marks a moment at which a transition in this norm might be kicking off, and that's alarming for business entities that make these sorts of tools and which haven't transitioned their catalog over to electric versions, yet, but also for folks for whom the electrification of things has become a culture-war issue, and for whom—for instance—the idea of not being able to install new gas stoves or buy new gas-guzzling cars feels like an overstep, like oppression, on the part of regulators and other government ne'er-do-wells.There's also the noise element to this discussion: lawn-care equipment with gas-powered motors are incredibly loud, and there's an ever-growing body of evidence that this kind of noise is bad for animals, bad for human stress-levels, and can itself be partially ameliorated by the far, far quieter electric versions of the same, which tend to be something like 15-20 decibels quieter—and with every 6 decibels sound difference, the volume of noise doubles, so that's a pretty substantial change, even if big electric lawn mowers are far from silent.All that said, gas mowers are the more developed and iterated technology, and they'll tend to be cheaper up front, and at times more powerful and convenient in some ways; and the same is broadly true across the arsenal of available lawn tools on the market, today.So even though electric versions tend to be massively better in terms of environmental and public and personal health, and far superior in terms of the noise they generate, the amount and cost of maintenance, and the ease of handling, gas versions are still cheaper and sometimes more powerful, and likely will remain so for some time—though bans like this impending one in California make it more likely that costs on the e-versions will come down quickly, as the market expands, competition picks up, and norms shift, leading to more iteration, more cost-savings, and more overall power for these tools, as well.California is just one state, of course, but their regulations tend to spill-over into other states, as they often opt for stricter regulations on things like passenger vehicle fuel efficiency and the use of potentially cancer-causing chemicals in products, and because their market is huge and on average quite wealthy, which means companies don't want to be left out of the California market, but it also seldom makes sense to produce two versions of every product, one for California and one for the rest of the US, so those tighter restrictions often inform the shape their products take, elsewhere, as well.And though these sorts of tools exist everywhere around the world, these days, North America makes up about 58% of the $25 billion global power lawn- and garden-equipment market, so if this ban is implemented successfully, and then informs the state of things across the US, there's a good chance this industry could shift relatively quickly, in its entirety, leading to a far more rapid than would be the case, otherwise, transition away from inefficient and loud motors, to a cleaner version of the same, and at a more basic level, maybe more consideration for decorative lawn alternatives in relevant regions, as well.Show Noteshttps://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/2020-01/ard-22.pdfhttps://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/5/11/law-maintenance-and-climate-changehttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/04/james-fallows-leaf-blower-ban/583210/https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/zero-emission-landscaping-equipmenthttps://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/carb-approves-updated-regulations-requiring-most-new-small-road-engines-be-zero-emission-2024https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/lawn-mowers/gas-vs-electric-lawn-mower-which-is-better-a1057954260/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-20/gas-lawn-care-ban-in-california-tests-electric-leaf-blower-appealhttps://archive.ph/XCJNIhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-bad-for-the-environment-are-gas-powered-leaf-blowers/2013/09/16/8eed7b9a-18bb-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeriscapinghttps://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/the-american-obsession-with-lawns/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_mowerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Trucks are by far the largest source of air pollution from vehicles in California, generating about 80% of carcinogenic diesel soot and 70% of smog-causing pollution, according to the Air Resources Board. And their impacts are unequal: communities of color and low-income communities situated near ports, distribution centers and warehouses -- particularly in the Inland Empire -- are more likely to bear the health costs. As part of Forum's "In Transit" series, we look at the scope of the problem and new efforts by the state to decarbonize its trucking industry. Guests: Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law - host of the podcast, Climate Break Rachel Uranga, reporter covering transportation and mobility, Los Angeles Times Amparo Muñoz, former policy director, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) - and co-author of the letter urging Gov. Newsom to "Declare a Public Health State of Emergency in the Inland Empire"

What Can California's Experience Tackling Climate Change Teach the Federal Government? WithRichard CoreyEarlier this year, Congress, through the Inflation Reduction Act, finally passed large-scale, meaningfullegislation to respond to climate change. The Act includes billions of dollars for electric vehicles, cleanenergy, and other action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and build resilient systems. While thefederal government has been taking some action on climate change for many years, the IRA representsthe first time it has made such a substantial financial and regulatory commitment.California passed economy-wide climate legislation – AB 32 – in 2006, and has been pursuing a multi-pronged, large-scale effort to mitigate climate change and build adaptation and resilience ever since.The lead state agency for that effort is the California Air Resources Board or CARB, which is charged withdeveloping and updating a Scoping Plan – basically a blueprint for a California-wide response to climatechange across all aspects of the State and its economy. So, what has California learned from its effortsover the past 16 years, and what might the federal government learn from California's experience?We sat down with Richard Corey to discuss that and more.Who is Richard Corey?Richard Corey was the second longest tenured CARB Executive Officer, serving in that capacity from2013 to 2022, responsible for directing a team of approximately 1,750 professional managers,engineers, scientists, lawyers, and analysts on a broad range of programs including those concerningfuels, mobile sources, climate, incentives, and air toxics. Richard oversaw the advanced clean carsprogram including the effort to bring over 1.5 million electric vehicles to California over the severalyears, advanced clean truck regulation (first program of its kind in the world requiring the production ofzero emission trucks for use in California), low carbon fuel standard, cap-and-trade regulation, measuresand incentives to reduce emissions from a variety of goods movement sources, including port trucking,transport refrigeration units, cargo handling operations, maritime operations, rail-related goodsmovement, and measures to reduce emissions from mobile, stationary, and portable diesel engines aswell as several strategies to reduce toxic air contaminants from a wide variety of sources

A new study by climate researchers finds that the record-breaking series of wildfires in 2020 released twice the amount of emissions than were saved by carbon-reduction efforts since 2003. This comes as the state's Air Resources Board will update its metrics to include wildfire pollution in maintaining California's climate goals. Then, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, is stepping down and returning to his environmental activism roots. And finally, our weekend preview features contemporary dance, 17th century music and a new outdoor amphitheater.

Welcome to Friday, friends. Today we share what we've been learning from talking to Dealers all week. We also cover California's power shortages, Netflix taking the expensive route for advertisers, and the much anticipated ‘edit tweet' button. What were learning by talking with so many Dealers and Industry Partners this weekCalifornia asks residents not to charge their EVs the day after announcing all vehicles must be EV only by 2035The American Public Power Association and state energy regulators are asking people to turn thermostats up to 78 degrees or higher and to turn down how much they're charging their EVs, especially during 4 and 9pmState officials point to heat wave and remind people this is normal for CaliforniaGovernor Gavin Newsom and other state officials are also backing a plan that would allocate $5 billion to maintain the current grid instead of making it better. The plan include relying on fossil fuel-powered generators to shore up the gridThe Times of SanDiego reports that Members of California's Air Resources Board continue to question the practicalities of their staff's proposal to ban gas-powered vehicles, raising concerns over challenges in buying and charging electric cars in addition to affordability and equality concerns. Take away:Netflix is taking big steps toward launching its ad supported product and it isn't going to be cheap for advertisersExecs from Netflix and Microsoft (who is the tech partner to support the ads) met with buyers last week are are planning to charge $65 CPM which is substantially higher than other platformsThey want to get it up to $80 due to their proposed ability to master targetingAsking for a one year commitment from buyers, similar to traditional TV buys and is limiting spend to $20million per year to avoid users seeing the same companies advertise over and overTargeting 4 mins of 15 and 30 second ads per hour which is less than other streaming platforms and much less than TV which can be as high as 23 mins per hourLaunch for the new service is slated for early 2023Take awayIt's time to edit those tweets as Twitter rolls out widespread testing of the new editing function to all Twitter Blue usersCan edit within the first 30 minutes of postingEdited tweets will include an indicator of the date and time the tweet was last editedTweet readers will be able to tap to view the edited tweets historyGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/Rock with us LIVE at ASOTU CON! Tickets: https://www.asotucon.comJOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-emailShare your positive dealer stories: https://www.asotu.com/positivityASOTU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automotivestateoftheunion

Today's headlines: a redacted version of the affidavit that provided evidence for the FBI search was released in the Trump Mar-a-Lago case. The affidavit also revealed that the original 15 boxes of documents that Trump returned to the National Archives contained classified documents casually mixed in with magazines and contain Trump's handwritten notes in the margins. The CIA has admitted to losing dozens of informants, having been captured, killed or compromised, while a Saudi Crown Prince has stated that Jared Kushner was “In his pocket.” A Florida judge has issued her response to Trump's motion to appoint a “special master” to review the FBI's search, while Truth Social is in financial trouble. An appeals court in Arkansas ruled against the state's ban on gender affirming medical care for transgender minors, and a Missouri school district has adopted a policy that will allow parents to opt in to their children receiving paddling as a form of punishment. Finally, extreme flash flooding in Pakistan has led to deaths of over at least a thousand people, and California's Air Resources Board has unanimously passed a rule banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles starting in 2035. Resources/Articles mentioned this episode: VOX: Reading between the lines of the Mar-a-Lago affidavit Washington Post: Mar-a-Lago affidavit says many witnesses interviewed, 184 classified files returned in January NY Times: Captured, Killed or Compromised: C.I.A. Admits to Losing Dozens of Informants NY Times: Classified Material on Human Intelligence Sources Helped Trigger Alarm Intercept: SAUDI CROWN PRINCE BOASTED THAT JARED KUSHNER WAS “IN HIS POCKET” CBS: Judge states her "preliminary intent" to appoint special master requested by Trump, but schedules hearing Axios: Appeals court: Arkansas can't ban trans youth transition treatment CNN: Missouri school district adopts opt-in corporal punishment policy BBC: Pakistan floods: Sindh province awaits more deluges and devastation CNBC: California bans the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035

KVI's John Carlson examines how Washington Governor, Jay Inslee, is handling a mandate to only allow sales of new electric vehicle (EV) car and trucks starting in 2035. Plus a comparison of how Inslee is blindly following a new California rule (mind you, its a rule passed by California's Air Resources Board a group of appointed--not elected--bureaucrats) to how Virginia's new Governor is handling the future of gas and EV powered car sales.

Some charming quotes this week from Democrats – including one current governor, one candidate for governor, and even the President of the United States - with regards to Republicans are worth a glance. “And we are here to say that the era of Trump, and Zeldin and Molinaro, just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong, ok?” “Get out of town. Because you do not represent our values. You are not New Yorkers.” So said New York Governor Kathy Hochul to her Republican opponents. Democrat nominee for Florida governor Charlie Crist also chimed in. “Those who support the governor should stay with him and vote for him, and I don't want your vote.” “If you have that hate in your heart, keep it there!” Then there was President Biden himself on Monday. “It's not just Trump, it's the entire philosophy that underpins the — I'm going to say something, it's like semi-fascism.” “The MAGA Republicans don't just threaten our personal rights and economic security.” “They're a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace political violence. They don't believe in democracy.” But California's Air Resources Board announced this week that they are going to ban the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. And according to an article by William Johnson at Teslerati.com, California's regulations are accepted in 14 other states and the District of Columbia, so 17 State Attorney Generals are suing in federal court to block the move. This is to say that we should not just read this news as being one state out of 50 having decided something for itself. California is not just one of the wealthiest and most influential states in the Union. It's also one of the biggest economies in the world, and 28% of these United States look to its regulatory board to set their standards, including Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington. This move comes as Ford just announced an $8,475 increase in the price of their 2023 Electric Mustang compared with the 2022 model immediately after the Biden administration announced an EV tax credit of $7500, citing “significant material cost increases” and “evolving market conditions.” An article at The Daily Wire by Zach Jewell reports “Materials such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel have become harder to get, with China dominating cobalt and lithium production. That, coupled with supply chain issues, resulted in the cost of raw materials for EV production doubling from March 2020 to May 2022." The government should not be centrally planning and paternalistically declaring that individual consumers are disallowed from buying the most inexpensive and dependable vehicles available. And central planning of this kind is exactly why we are right now seeing inflation at levels not seen in decades, and why we are seeing shortages of so many goods and materials across the economy in recent years where just previously there was an abundance. A doubling of costs for raw materials needed for EV production in just two years should lead us to ask how much more will they rise in the next dozen. And what are the economic and national security implications of China dominating global cobalt and lithium production, with America on what seems like a collision course with China over Taiwan? The real question cannot be limited to whether some of us want a clearer view of the mountains. Yet at the risk of seeming to gatekeep the conversation, I would recommend some books to study, and soon. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/support

People across the nation are coming together to fight against violent hate crimes, including here in San Diego. A vigil protest against gun violence and white supremacy is being held Monday night at the Balboa Park fountain. Then, carbon capture, removing excess carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere, is essential to the latest climate report from the United Nations and is an essential element in California's new climate roadmap released by the state Air Resources Board. Next, Chinese-American parents are divided in their reactions to remarks made last month by San Dieguito Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Cheryl James-Ward about Asian students. And, a major tool to help lower the number of accidental overdoses is the naloxone. But one place where access to the life-saving medicine is not available to everyone is in local jails. That soon could change. Next, the coastal cloud cover that we call May Grey and June gloom traditionally keeps spring and early summer temperatures comfortable in San Diego. But that natural air conditioner may be disappearing. Finally, for most people turning 21 is a reason to celebrate. But for 200,000 young people here in the U.S. turning 21 catapults them into a bizarre legal limbo.

“As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation.”—unknownWARNING: This episode of Labor Relations Radio discusses California politics—and the exodus of businesses and people—from a rather blunt perspective. If blunt political discussions cause you, as a listener, to drive erratically, raises your blood pressure, or otherwise impair your performance, please do not listen to this podcast without sitting down, perhaps with a glass of wine.Businesses and People Are Fleeing California. Why?The “exodus” of businesses and people out of California has made headlines over the last few years.In 2020, California experienced a population decline for the first time in over one hundred years.But why?The California Policy Center (CPC), an educational non-profit working for the prosperity of all Californians by eliminating public-sector barriers to freedom, has created a database called the California Book of Exoduses, which documents the ‘exodus’ of individuals and businesses leaving the state.In this wide-ranging conversation with Lance Christensen, CPC’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Labor Relations Radio host Peter List discusses the many issues affecting the once-Golden State of California, the historical causal factors, as well as the current climate—from union control of the politics inside Sacramento to wildfires and real estate prices.One example of the Top Reasons Why People Are Moving Out of California are the high taxes. For example, the marginal income tax rate is currently at 13.3% but legislators want to increase it to almost 17%. CPC Projects:California Local Elected Officials (CLEO): CLEO is a membership organization that networks, educates, supports and advises local elected officials throughout California’s thousands of cities, counties, school and special districtsThe Parent Union: The Parent Union engages, organizes and trains parents, students and community members to defend the constitutional right to a high-quality public education for all students.The Janus Project: The Janus Project informs public-sector employees of their right—under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 Janus v. AFSCME decision—to refrain from having pay any part of his or her paycheck withheld by any union as a condition of employment.National Review’s Radio Free California PodcastOther Links of Interest:Pension Reform Handbook: A Starter Guide for Reformers [in PDF]CEQA Law Denied Clearing of Forest to Prevent Wildfires in Berry Creek Resulting in Human and Animal Lives LostCNN: Week of wildfires polluting air as much as year of carsSnapcrap — Why I built an app to report poop on the streets of San FranciscoThen-Governor Ronald Reagan’s signing of CEQA, Air Resources Board & mental health reform bill and local government collective bargaining rights billsCalifornia Is Moving Toward An $18 Minimum Wage. (Will $25 be next?)This episode of LaborUnionNews.com's Labor Relations Radio is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to LaborUnionNews.com's News Digest at laborunionnews.substack.com/subscribe

A new law sign by Governor Batman will prohibit the sale of gas powered small engines starting in 2024.  Will this really reduce greenhouse gas emissions or simply shift them from the exhaust pipe to the power plant smoke stack? California will ban “small off-road engines” (SORE) primarily used in gas-powered lawn equipment, such as leaf blowers and lawnmowers, in a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom this weekend. The bill, AB 1346, directs California's Air Resources Board to draw up regulations that will go into place by 2024. It bans the sale of new SOREs, but does not seem to ban their operation. The law will apply not only to gas-powered lawn equipment, but also to generators and emergency response equipment and other assorted categories. The bill does give regulators some leeway with the regulations based on what is found to be “technologically feasible,” so some portions of the regulation may be pushed back beyond 2024. California's reasoning for the ban is because gas-powered lawn equipment produces surprisingly high levels of pollution, but these devices have not been subject to nearly as much regulation as vehicle engines allowing them to pollute with impunity. The small engines in this equipment don't fully combust the gasoline used to run them, which means they emit high levels of particulate exhaust. This exhaust forms smog, which contributes to poor air quality and harms health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that California is reopening, where do we go and how do we get there? This three-part episode focuses on the future of transportation in the state, from clean cars and electric trucks to high-speed rail and highway removals. We're talking with three people who are working on innovations in all those areas. GUESTS * Part 1: Robert Powers, general manager of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART ) * Part 2: Craig Segall, deputy executive officer of mobile sources and incentives at California's Air Resources Board * Part 3: Jeanie Ward-Waller, deputy director of planning and modal programs at Caltrans PODCAST PLAY BY PLAY * 0 to 2:30 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers, and to this episode * 2:30 min - Robert Powers of BART talks about public transit -- how it's recovering from the pandemic gut punch, who it needs to service, and how it should be funded going forward * 23:10 min - Craig Segall of the Air Resources Board explains California's Clean Cars program, how he's going to meet the 2035 goal of all new-car sales being zero-emission vehicles, and how he's going to convince millions of us to buy them * 38:25 min - Jeanie Ward-Waller, the "forward-looking thinker" at Caltrans, talks about that agency's plans, from "electrifying" California to making Equity come first when repairing current infrastructure and building new ones RESOURCE GUIDE * SPUR's Bay Area Regional Strategy for 2070: Climate Change and Transportation (https://www.spur.org/featured-project/spur-regional-strategy/climate-transportation) * Link21, the proposed integrated rail network for Northern California - https://link21program.org/en/about * The Advanced Clean Cars Program - https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program * Clean Cars 4 All Program - buying guide and rebate incentives - https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/msprog/lct/vehiclescrap.htm * Caltrans' 5 Priorities - https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/documents/director-5-topic-fact-sheet-a11y.pdf * California Transportation Plan 2050 - https://dot.ca.gov/programs/transportation-planning/state-planning/california-transportation-plan

How is California doing with its ambitious goal to reach 100% clean energy? We’ll speak with a Los Angeles Times reporter about the challenges. Best-selling author David Pogue joins the show to discuss his new book “How to Prepare for Climate Change,” and we take a closer look at a vote this week by the state Air Resources Board on whether to ban agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley. Today's Guests CalMatters Environment Reporter Rachel Becker discusses a vote this week by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to ban agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley Los Angeles Times Energy Reporter Sammy Roth explains whether California is on track to meet its goal of 100% clean energy CBS Sunding Morning Technology and Science Correspondent and New York Times best-selling author David Pogue on his new book “How to Prepare for Climate Change” UC Davis News and Media Relations Specialist and Host of “Unfold,” Amy Quinton, and UC Davis News and Media Relations Specialist and Co-Host of “Unfold,” Kat Kerlin, talk about season two of the podcast and the decision to focus on climate change

Mary Nichols is not a household name, but she arguably has done more than any other public official to reduce America's carbon pollution. As she puts it, “I took on the one topic that everybody agreed was really important, but they didn't know what to do about, and that was air pollution,” Nichols first served as chair of California's Air Resources Board, or the Air Board, from 1979 to 1983 in Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown's first term. When she returned to the job, almost 25 years later under a Republican governor, the board had evolved into a much more powerful and important player, in what had become an urgent struggle against climate change. The Board played a crucial role, for example, in exposing the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” scandal. “The Air Resources Board and our engineers are the ones who uncovered the fraud and figured out how it actually worked,” she recalls, “and we immediately brought in the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and in turn, the Department of Justice.” More recently, Nichols has been busy battling the Trump administration's attempt to water down California's fuel economy rules -- which often become national standards because of that state's big car market. “It's about the merits, it's about getting the results and the environmental benefits,” Nichols says, “but it's also about protecting California's right to set standards because that has been time and time again the one tool that we the people as a whole have had to really force progress on the part of the industry.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California and its clean car ambitions had a lot riding on the US presidential election. The state's Air Resources Board spent the Trump presidency fighting with the US Environmental Protection Agency about its rollback of Obama-era tailpipe standards, which were set to increase average fuel economy of the US passenger vehicle fleet by 5% annually from 2021 to 2026. The Trump administration slashed these targets to a 1.5% annual increase. Trump's EPA also moved to revoke California's long-held waiver to set tougher air quality standards than the national limits, and it is still battling that in courts. The incoming Biden administration, however, means a smoother ride for California's clean car goals. In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an ambitious target to phase out new sales of gasoline-powered cars and passenger trucks by 2035. This zero-emission vehicle policy also set a 2045 goal for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. We have two interviews today on California's clean car ambitions: * Jennifer McIsaac, lead analyst of emissions and clean energy for Platts Analytics' Future Energy Outlook Service, on the market, policy and logistical challenges ahead. * John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART, a clean transportation nonprofit, about the results of a recent study showing that auto suppliers want policy makers to set strong standards in this area. Stick around after both interviews for the Market Minute, a look at near-term oil market drivers.

In an effort to wean California off carbon emissions, Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order to ban sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. The state's Air Resources Board will work out the details. It's a big move, but environmentalists say it's not big enough to slow climate change. We'll hear from energy experts about what else will have to change to accommodate all those electric and battery powered cars on the road. And how the market might be different next time you head out to kick some tires.

Fresno and Tulare Counties declared local emergencies Thursday after rendering plant Baker Commodities in Kerman stopped accepting livestock carcasses. Jimmy Andreoli, a spokesman with the company, says it has reached its limit in how many animals it can process according to its permit with the state Air Resources Board. If it surpasses that limit, it could be fined. Christopher Greer, the assistant agricultural commissioner in Tulare County says the summer heat kills more cows. “As the high heat, and often in the summer months, and as it’s been for many many years past, there’s an increase in cow mortality and animal mortality,” explains Greer. Greer says any farmers with dead animals should call the county agricultural office, and for now, let them decompose on their property. “Then within about three months to six months or so, our office and or RMA [resource management agency] will be contacting them to schedule that transport of the compost carcasses to the approved landfill in

Steve Horn, a writer and producer from The Real News Network covering the California climate beat, joins Terra Verde to report on the state Air Resources Board approving a tropical forest offset scheme for global carbon markets. The post California Air Resources Board Pushes Through Global Tropical Forest Offset Scheme appeared first on KPFA.

It's invisible in some places, but dirty air kills millions of people all over the world. That's even true in America, despite the Clean Air Act and California's Air Resources Board. But, after Volkswagen's diesel scandal, Europe can't brag.

The slow motion legal showdown between the feds, the state of California, and its climate-minded allies is on. While President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency works to roll back clean car regulations, California's Air Resources Board convened late last week to pass a series of measures that confirm its determination to reduce vehicle emissions in the state, and its willingness to lead the fight—no matter what the federal government says.

As chair of the Air Resources Board, Nichols wields "rock star" status.  Nichols plays a central role in deciding where Californians get their energy, what fuel goes in their cars and how their homes are built. Nichols has held the post since 2007, when she was appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ask a Californian what's so special about the Golden State – you'll hear about our beaches, our redwood forests, and our high tech and entertainment hubs. 30 years ago, you'd have heard about our smog. Today's small business owners, however, will tell you about our "unique" environmental regulations. California's emissions laws are the strictest in the nation, thanks to an exemption from the EPA's Clean Air Act that allows special vehicle standards, as long as they're at least as strict as federal standards. The Clean Air Act of 1970 requires the EPA to submit new rules to an expert oversight panel, which it failed to do for new recommendations by the California Air Resources Board. While the Air Resources Board may have once been needed to address a crisis, its new rules go too far (modern diesel engines emit far less exhaust than engines from even 15 years ago). Ted Hadzi-Antich is the senior attorney for the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for the American Future, and is on the team challenging the EPA's violation of the law. He stands for thousands of small businesses that would be devastated by the restrictions on diesel vehicles, while big corporations thrive based on their ability to comply. Ted joined the show to clear the air for us Californians, and to give an overview of the EPA's regulatory overreach nationwide.

Dr. Scott Fruin is Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. Scott worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Bell Labs for a few years before earning his Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of Minnesota. He also spent a year traveling the world before working as a Consulting Environmental Engineer before returning to the academic world to get his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also worked for the government on the Air Resources Board for 7 years. Scott is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Carbon & Courts II: Cap and Trade: Fixable or Fatally Flawed? Edie Chang, Office of Climate Change, California Air Resources Board Brent Newell, General Counsel, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment Bill Gallegos, Executive Director, Communities for a Better Environment Kristin Eberhard, Legal Director, Western Energy and Climate Projects, Natural Resources Defense Council It might be the only reference to Star Wars you’ll ever hear at Climate One. Reaching for an analogy to drive home the impact of a shrinking cap on carbon emissions in California, Kristin Eberhard, Legal Director, Western Energy and Climate Projects, Natural Resources Defense Council, asks the audience to remember the trash compactor scene from the original Star Wars.“This is the cap for Chevron. That cap is coming down on them year after year after year. And they have to figure out what they’re going to do,” she says. “In the trash compactor, there’s no out. They’re in it. And that’s what we’re finding. These regulated facilities are realizing that the cap is not changing.”“The problem with Kristin’s analogy,” interjects Brent Newell, General Counsel, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, to big laughs, “is that R2-D2 actually stopped the trash compactor. And they got out.” Replace R2-D2 in the analogy with political meddling and market manipulation and the two poles of this spirited Climate One exchange on the future of California’s cap-and-trade program come into focus. Eberhard and Edie Chang, Office of Climate Change, California Air Resources Board, argue that a regulated cap-and-trade system, coupled with renewable energy targets and improved fuel economy standards, will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and give communities relief from harmful localized pollutants. Newell and Bill Gallegos, Executive Director, Communities for a Better Environment, argue that regulators at CARB are choosing not to use their authority under AB 32 to target pollution at major industrial facilities, usually sited next to neighborhoods home to low-income people of color. After reiterating that environmental justice groups firmly support AB 32, Bill Gallegos says that the lawsuit these groups filed to force CARB to scrap the cap-and-trade system was a last resort. “We wanted to ensure that, as we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions, let’s get the other stuff that is really choking people and killing them right now. We had a chance to do something good and, unfortunately, the Air Resources Board has not seized that opportunity,” he says. In response to Newell and Gallegos’ concern about local sources of pollutants, Edie Chang says, “We’re also initiating a rulemaking to ensure that the seventeen largest industrial sources in the state are going to have to implement the cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions. Programs like that will make sure that localized communities experience air-quality benefits.” This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on September 14, 2011

Reducing carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change and help usher in a clean energy economy has been a contentious issue for companies and governments alike. Despite the failure of Congress to regulate carbon emissions nation-wide, the state of California is earning credibility as an economic and governance innovator by forging ahead with its own carbon-cutting legislation. In 2006, California passed Assembly Bill 32 – The Global Warming Solutions Act, which requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. After a failed attempt by the oil and gas industry to delay implementation of AB32 through a ballot initiative in the last election, the state is starting to employ carbon reduction strategies this year. In this episode, we’re joined by Kevin Kennedy, executive officer of California’s Air Resources Board’s climate division and main architect of the bill’s cap-and-trade rules. Kennedy describes the process and progress on climate policy in California and what it might mean for carbon management in the rest of the country. [Music: Debashish Bhattacharya, "Amrit Andand" from Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide-Guitar Odyssey (Riverboat, 2008); Beach House, "Zebra" from Teen Dream (Sub Pop, 2010)]

Edie Chang from the California Air Resources Board, Office of Climate Change, discusses the state government's response to climate change.