Environmental Protection Agency Archives – The Green Optimistic

Scott Pruitt Resigns From EPA, Mother Earth Continues Weeping

Nicholas Say — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 09:55:39 +0000

After President Trump accepted his resignation a few days ago, Scott Pruitt is no longer the head of the EPA. This looks a lot better than it really is, though it is vindicating to see Scott “I Destroy The Environment For Money” Pruitt exposed for the corrupt, wasteful, shill he has been shown to be. […]

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EPA: States Have Until 2022 to Comply With Pollution Regulations

Annika Tostengard — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 07:18:08 +0000

The Obama Administration previously proposed legislation including regulations written by the Environmental Protection Agency requiring pollution-emitters like power plants to begin dramatically cutting their emissions starting in the year 2020. The legislation still has not been finalized, and according to people involved in the planning, the EPA will extend the deadline until the year 2020. However, the environmental agency […]

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Lightweight Cars Will Drive Fuel Economy Future, say Carmakers

Benji Jerew — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 04:44:47 +0000

Fuel economy in the automotive industry has been largely dependent on aerodynamics and powertrain enhancements, but lightweight cars are going to take us into the future. Since CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards were first implemented by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), back in 1978, the main means of reducing fuel consumption and emissions has […]

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Renewable Energy is Reliable, Says Report

Benji Jerew — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 13:16:51 +0000

We know that most forms of renewable energy are intermittent, which some have used as a scare tactic to keep people from investing, either emotionally or materially, in clean energy technology. It’s true, renewable energy, such as solar power, depends on sunshine, or hydroelectric power, depends on rainfall, so a new energy future could be […]

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Europe Needs to Update Fuel Economy Test Cycles

Benji Jerew — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:10:30 +0000

Times, “they are a-changin’ but, at least according to some independent testing agencies, environmental regulations, such as those that govern transportation fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions, aren’t keeping up with them. Fuel economy measurements are a big part of marketing green cars. Recently, Toyota announced pricing on the Toyota Prius c, which has the […]

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Big Oil Behind Blocking Use of Ethanol? Say It Isn’t So!

Benji Jerew — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 15:43:39 +0000

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), higher percentages of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, are to be blended in the national fuel supply, but it seems that Big Oil might play a part in making it difficult. While fuel-efficient vehicles use less fuel overall, one might think this is […]

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How Environment vs Economy Could be a Win-Win Situation

Benji Jerew — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 15:31:23 +0000

Every time someone, whether it be scientists, the federal government, or environment activists, suggest that we need to cut emissions and reduce pollution, the other side of the argument is always, “but it’ll ruin the economy!” The short answer to that retort is, perhaps reflected best in the words of Elon Musk (regarding hydrogen fuel […]

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Department of Energy to Fund Zero-Emissions Cargo Transportation Technology

Benji Jerew — Mon, 05 May 2014 19:39:55 +0000

While zero-emissions transportation is still a fairly new field, zero-emissions cargo transportation is practically unheard-of. Cargo transportation, the backbone of which, at least in the United States, is the over-the-road (OTR) tractor trailer and the diesel locomotive, generates millions of metric tons of greenhouse gases. OTR tractor trailers, for example, generated ≈400 MMT (million metric […]

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Earth Day – How Big is Your Footprint?

Benji Jerew — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 14:55:37 +0000

Tomorrow, April 22, 2014, marks the 44th Annual Earth Day, which started in 1970. Today, over a billion people participate in Earth Day activities around the world. This first Earth Day, back on April 22, 1970, could probably be credited with the modern environmental movement and the passage of such environmental legislation as the Clean […]

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Power Producers Overestimate Emissions Control Costs

Benji Jerew — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 00:57:03 +0000

Carbon dioxide emissions are the latest focus of the EPA, including transportation and power production sectors. Power producers say it’s too heavy of a burden. We have the technology to address emissions, whether by reduction or elimination of fossil fuel burning, or by the addition of emissions-reduction technology. Mention this to most companies, however, and […]

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States Urge Feds to Implement Stricter Nationwide Carbon Dioxide Limits

Benji Jerew — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:44:38 +0000

Under current United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Clean Air Act regulations, individual States must enact regulations to meet a Federal carbon dioxide standard, but it seems that some States think that other States can do better. Of course, California can’t say to West Virginia, “Clean up your act,” but there are ways around a […]

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Biomass to Electricity – EPA Warned of Potential Issues

Danny Harper — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 06:50:45 +0000

The transformation of biomass to electricity was once considered a carbon neutral energy source. By allowing power plants to substitute natural fuel (biomass) in lieu of coal, they are able to avoid fossil-fuel carbon emissions. This has proven to be an egregiously misinformed strategy. With trees being half water by weight, they automatically come with less […]

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Addressing Climate Change: Power Producers Balk at Carbon Dioxide Limits

Benji Jerew — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:19:59 +0000

In the United States, power production, generates fully 33% of the carbon dioxide emissions of all sectors. In an effort to address climate change, a new Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] proposal could cut that number in half. Since United States President Barack Obama took office for his second term, it has been encouraging to see […]

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Coal Mining Pollution Neglected by The Environmental Protection Agency

Mila Luleva — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:31:57 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this week, that they will not take any action against coal mining pollution. The reasoning for EPA’s inactions is that the agency has “other priorities”. It is somehow difficult to comprehend how such agency, which is responsible for protecting the environment from deadly pollutants, harmful to human health, […]

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Obama Administration Champions New Air Quality Standards with Major Health Benefits

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:33:31 +0000

In early December, the Obama administration imposed a new air quality standard that aims to reduce the amount of soot released into the air by 20%. Soot, comprised of fine particulate matter, contains microscopic particles that are released from smokestacks, diesel trucks, and wood-burning stoves. In addition to creating a layer of haze in the […]

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Greenhouse Gas and Black Carbon Tracking – an Issue for North America

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:14:06 +0000

Environmental officials and businesses have a very difficult time estimating the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures between countries or regions of North America due to completely different standards. To improve statistical comparability, Canada, Mexico, and the United States are trying to unify the standards for emissions data. The goal is to work through […]

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Fast-Food Lobbyists Fight Biofuel Law

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 06:29:08 +0000

American fast-food lobbyists are pushing back again an alternative fuel policy that requires gasoline to contain ethanol, a fuel produced from corn, and are asking Congress to repeal the law. Fast-food customers consume corn in two ways. The hamburger and chicken they eat in their meals come from an animals raised on corn. The fuel […]

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