With the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing we notice is the higher fatality rate for elderly patients, or for those with impaired health, or for those who are smokers. It seems that those with weaker immune systems have a harder time fighting off COVID-19, and therefore are more likely to result…
Last week, on the eve of instituting a tax on polluting cars entering the central area of Bucharest, the Mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, abandoned the so-called Oxygen Tax plan. Under the plan cars not meeting the Euro 3 criteria would be banned from the center of Bucharest, and overall…
Bucharest, the Capitol of Romania, has passed a special tax, the Oxygen Vignette, aimed at cars not meeting the Euro 5 standard. Cars not meeting the Euro 3 standard will be completely banned from entering an area designated as Action Zone for Air Quality (ZACA) in the center of Bucharest,…
During a fund-raising trip to California, President Trump issued a series of Tweets announcing the Trump Administration is “revoking California’s Federal Waiver on emissions”. He promised this will decrease car prices, make cars much safer, and increase JOBS for auto-workers. To do this his Administration is flouting over 50 years…
The Trump Administration has broken off negotiations with California over vehicle emission standards and clean air rules. Since before the EPA existed, California has regulated clean air standards, with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) overseeing the process. CARB’s efforts have resulted not only in the rise of electric vehicles,…
In 2012 the Obama Administration achieved a major win, with the full endorsement of the automobile industry, to require tighter fuel efficiency standards. The new CAFE Standards would reduce fuel consumption, reducing air pollution, and saving the US Economy zillions of dollars a year in fuel expenditures. Given the friendliness…
On Sept 18, 2015, the EPA and CARB jointly announced the Volkswagen Group had been caught cheating on emissions tests with its 2.0 liter TDI Diesel cars. The fraud had been perpetrated over a 6 year period during which the cars in question had been lauded as ultra-clean wonder cars.…
Where within Volkswagen was the decision made to cheat on emissions tests? Earlier I’d reported on statements by Volkswagen’s supervisory board suggesting that the top management was not responsible, and that instead pointed fingers at engineers within the company. Upon Winterkorn’s resignation (the previous CEO), the supervisory board explicitly…
Another anti-electric-vehicle article has made it into the mainstream press, so it’s time for everyone to freak out and think the sky is falling. I’m talking about an opinion piece in USA Today, Electric car benefits? Just myths, by well-known distorter of facts Bjørn Lomborg. He has the ability to string…
Now that Republicans have majorities in both houses of Congress, they’re planning to ramrod some extremist so-called-Conservative legislation that undermines all sorts of useful things, primarily in clean technology or environmental protection. A case in point is approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project that environmental groups like 350.org have…
It seems I missed out on something in childhood – Snow Cream – a treat that’s supposedly common for children to eat like Ice Cream. While I’m sure I ate some snow here and there, it wasn’t flavored with anything – so far as I recall. Only now did I…
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is naming names with a list of 39 U.S. Senators and 193 Congressmen whose votes for dirty air and water make them “Dirty Air Villians.” The named members of Congress not only have voted against clean air laws, but have taken large campaign contributions…
Today is a “Spare the Air” day in Silicon Valley so it seems like a good day to look at the environmental consequences of different car choices. One of the reasons to choose green transportation is potential environmental improvements. Spare the Air days are issued by the Bay Area Air…
