Energy Exchange

States must continue driving progress on zero-emission trucks

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 14, 2021

One year ago today, 15 states and Washington D.C. took a major step toward improving the health of people and our planet by committing to work collaboratively toward decarbonizing their trucking industries. As part of this agreement, these states have vowed to ensure 100% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sales will be zero-emitting by 2050, with an interim goal of 30% by 2030.

The Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management Multi-State ZEV Action Plan demonstrates a recognition from many states that they can and should lead the charge on emissions reduction because of the associated economic, environmental and public health benefits of a zero-emissions future.

Governors from states not yet a part of this MOU should consider signing on as soon as possible if they want to help shape the implementation of this transition. Furthermore, policymakers should view the overarching goal of 100% ZEV sales by 2050 as an important first step and strive for more ambition — namely to achieve 100% MHD ZEV sales by 2040.

Posted in Air Quality, California, Electric Vehicles, NESCAUM, New Jersey / Comments are closed

Leadership, bold action needed to scale electric trucks and buses

By Jason Mathers / Published: July 6, 2021

A recent report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance highlights the urgent need for policymakers to prioritize truck electrification, which could have sweeping benefits for the climate, public health, and American jobs. The annual EV outlook includes (for the first time) a comparison of the zero-emission vehicle adoption path needed to achieve net-zero by 2050, as well as a business-as-usual scenario where fleet operators continued to externalize the health and climate damage from operating combustion trucks.

For large trucks and buses, the difference between these scenarios is stark. According the BNEF summary, “by 2040, zero-emission medium and heavy commercial vehicles are 95% of sales in our Net Zero Scenario, but just 30% in the ETS. This represents an ‘adoption gap’ of 65 percentage points in 2040.”

Posted in Air Quality, California, Electric Vehicles, New Jersey / Comments are closed

Federal pipeline agency has essential opportunity to reduce methane emissions

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 6, 2021

By Erin Murphy and Elgie Holstein

The Biden administration recently directed gas pipeline companies to explain how they will minimize emissions of methane, which is both a potent greenhouse pollutant and the primary component of natural gas. This is the first step in implementing the PIPES Act of 2020, which Congress passed last year detailing new oversight requirements with an enhanced focus on environmental protection as well as safety.

Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during the first 20 years after release, which makes pipeline emissions a crucial element in a national climate strategy.

Natural gas pipelines emit methane through unintended leakage and deliberate operational releases. Researchers estimate that distribution pipelines alone have about 630,000 leaks emitting 690 thousand tons of methane annually — five times higher than estimated in the U.S. EPA greenhouse gas inventory.

Posted in Air Quality, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

Current power crunch underscores Texas Legislature’s lackluster efforts to “fix the grid”

By Colin Leyden / Published: June 17, 2021

When Texas state senators and representatives return to their home districts this summer, they’ll be able to tell constituents they did something in response to this winter’s deadly energy crisis. But they better not brag. And they might face some difficult questions when constituents ask why the Electric Reliability Council Of Texas is facing another supply crisis during a very predictable warm June.

Because despite promises to make sure February’s grid failures are never repeated, the Legislature only passed modest grid-related bills this session. They missed a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass comprehensive electricity reforms that would have fortified the grid and protected Texans from increasingly frequent weather-related energy crises. And they spent an unforgivable amount of time and effort vilifying solar, wind and electric vehicles and considering punitive legislation that had nothing to do with February’s disaster.

Posted in Clean Energy, Texas / Comments are closed

Fleets have much to gain from NACFE’s Run on Less – Electric program

By Ellen Bell / Published: June 14, 2021

From regional haulers to food and beverage delivery, operators of medium- and heavy-duty fleets understand that there is an urgent need to reduce the transportation sector’s contribution to climate change and poor air quality, and the impact their vehicles have. That’s why fleets in cities from New York to Los Angeles and Quebec to Vancouver have signed up for the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and Rocky Mountain Institute’s Run on Less-Electric program to help amplify understanding of electric trucks and collect data to scale their adoption.

Run on Less – Electric is working with original equipment manufacturers to signal their readiness to pursue zero-emission vehicles, their desire to do their part to drive change and to make it work for their business model. The program will provide the opportunity for fleets to see zero-emission vehicles achieving product delivery along real-word routes, and the data collected will prove that ZEVs are a viable option for the future of logistics.

Posted in Air Quality, California, Electric Vehicles, New York / Comments are closed

What new Permian research means for U.S. methane policy

By EDF Blogs / Published: June 10, 2021

By Dan Grossman and Ben Hmiel

Newly released research is shedding more light on the largest sources of methane emissions in the nation’s largest oilfield.

Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas and has a huge impact on the current rate of global warming. The oil and gas industry is one of the biggest emitters.

Using a helicopter equipped with an infrared camera, we surveyed over a thousand sites across the Permian Basin to get specific information about the types of facilities, equipment and events that make the Permian Basin the highest-polluting oilfield in the country. Three things immediately stood out.

Posted in Methane, Methane regulatons, Natural Gas, PermianMAP, Texas / Tagged New Mexico | Comments are closed