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The march of the bureaocratic gas bags
Posted on 09/06/2007 6:38:07 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
When Californians take their vehicles in for a tune up, smog check or oil change, the job should include fully inflating their tires.
That one simple step could prevent an estimated 200,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year from going into the air, according to a new proposal that state air regulators are weighing to help California meet its global warming goals.
Making tire inflation a mandatory regulation is among five new early action measures that would take effect by Jan. 1 2010 to help California reduce greenhouse gases by an estimated 25 percent by the year 2020.
"There (are) a wide variety of things we can be doing right now to help us meet our goal of rolling back emission levels to 1990," Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Nichols planned to unveil the regulations Friday at a conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Palo Alto.
The announcement comes three months after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Air Resources Board were criticized by Democrats and environmentalists for moving too slowly to implement California's 2006 landmark global warming law. The law, known as AB32, requires regulators to take so-called "early action measures" to start reducing greenhouse gases.
The board spent months earlier this year sifting through 72 proposals from interest groups, businesses, environmental, public health groups and industry representatives. But it eventually adopted only three - a ban on do-it-yourself coolant cans for air conditioning systems, creating new standards to lower carbon emissions in fuels and capturing more of the methane that spews from landfills.
The dispute exploded in July when former board chairman Robert Sawyer, whom Schwarzenegger had fired for not being aggressive enough on global warming, released a voice mail transcript in which a Schwarzenegger aide asked the board to adopt only three early action measures.
Schwarzenegger appointed Nichols, a Democrat and former secretary of the Resources Agency, July 3 to replace Sawyer.
Environmental groups said Thursday they were encouraged that the board planned to reconsider a wider scope of global warming regulations.
"It's really heartening to see how much progress California is making," said Devra Wang, director of California Energy Programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "At this point I think we have a robust list."
The Air Resources Board plans to hold public workshops this month on the five early action measures and another six proposals that could also be implemented later.
The board is expected to vote on the measures at its October meeting.
If adopted, the early measures could reduce greenhouse gases by 2.8 million metric tons - the equivalent of about 604,000 cars being taken off the road in a single year. They would achieve roughly 2 percent of the state's 2020 reduction goal, Nichols said.
Nearly half the reductions would come from retrofitting fuel-guzzling trucks and trailers with aerodynamic devices designed to make them more efficient. For example, adding an angled plastic shield to the front of a truck cab or installing wheel guards helps to move air around trucks and makes them about 5 percent more fuel efficient, said Don Anair, a vehicles analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
That translates into an estimated 1.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases a year, according to board calculations.
"What ARB is proposing is that off-the-shelf technology be adopted today instead of waiting for new fuel-efficient trucks to hit the road," Anair said.
Other regulations proposed for 2010 include requiring cargo ships docked at ports to turn off their engines and use electrical outlets for power, a ban on the chemical sulfur hexafluoride, used to make aluminum, magnesium and semiconductors, and more stringent rules on emitting the potent greenhouse gas perfluorocarbon, which is used to make microchips and circuit boards.
Measures that could be adopted after 2010 include: Improving energy efficiency at cement manufacturers as well as changing how cement is made, and improving compliance with rules limiting how long trucks and buses can idle. The board also plans to monitor and recover refrigerants such as the potent gas hydrofluorocarbon and research how to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer.
Click on POGW graphic for full GW rundown
New!!: Dr. John Ray's
GREENIE WATCH
Ping me if you find one I've missed.
Easiest way to immediately roll back California CO2 emissions? Reduce the population and slow or stop future population growth. Simplest way to do that is deport all illegals and build a fence at the southern border. Bingo — instant 15% CO2 reduction.
Here’s an interesting article about the 1936 heatwave my mother just sent to me.
http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=134&category=life
No real value other than anecdotal evidence that it’s gotten warm before.
Another $10 add on to the smog inspection.
That’s great - post it for historical prospective, and I’ll ping it.
Can you imagine the headlines today.
more than 500 dead in Michigan, Bush sends his condolances from springtime Australia.
Your beautiful car is next. Soon, all cars must be shaped very much like a Prius to minimize wind resistance... FOR THE GREATER GOOD!
And no exhaling.
I suppose the frustrating thing about these movements is that when the temperature cools as part of the natural cycle, the governments will claim it was due to their stringent measures and seek to make them permanent. No way to win here.
Fart filters are the real answer.
When I read the title of the blog, I thought “Why are scuba divers causing global warming”. LOL!
What nonsense. The maximum inflation embossed on a tire is for the maximum load that a particular vehicle is rated for (fully loaded with passengers and gear). My tires say “40 lbs.” on the side wall but actually run most efficiently at 32 lbs of pressure. Not to mention using all those air hoses to inflate tires will increase Global Warming (sarcasm :}).
“It’s really heartening to see how much progress California is making,” For example, this summer the forsts have burned and blackouts are back during heat spells. People all over the country are watching and listening. /s
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
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