Nissan and the Pima Association of Governments, which represents the Tucson region, are forming a partnership to advance a zero-emission, electric vehicle (EV) charging network, the Renault-Nissan Alliance announced today.

ECOtality Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., a clean electric transportation and storage technologies company, also will participate in the partnership by working to facilitate the process of helping make the Tucson metro area EV-ready. Nissan has said it will introduce ZEVs in the United States in 2010 and will mass market ZEVs globally two years later.

“As a region, we are leading the way in developing a rich charging infrastructure to support cleaner modes of transportation,” PAG Regional Council Chair Lynne Skelton said in a statement. “This joint agreement will foster new jobs and opportunities in the Tucson region as we become a pioneer launch market for these advanced vehicles.”

As part of the agreement, Nissan will assist PAG and its member jurisdictions in EV acquisition as well as work with PAG to develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for EVs. The region has committed to promote and aid in the deployment, operation and maintenance of the charging network.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has agreed to ZEV partnerships in the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, and Sonoma County, Calif., to explore ways to promote zero-emission mobility and the development of an electric-vehicle infrastructure.

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

This week the Obama Administration shored up the Endangered Species Act, restoring a rule rescinded by the Bush Administration that requires federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service when their activities could harm threatened or endangered species.

Obama announced the decision on Tuesday at the Interior Department, noting that “the work of scientists and experts in my administration, including right here in the Interior Department, will be respected.”

It was a statement that many conservationists could embrace as they work to maintain habitats, preserve federal park lands and stabilize animal populations under threat such as the Rocky Mountain gray wolves, the American Pika, polar bears, Atlantic lobsters, salmon and seals, among others.

But the week began with a poignant note about the perils facing wildlife in the United States when an aged jaguar — possibly the very last jaguar living in the wild in the United States — had to be euthanized.

The wild cat, known as Macho B and believed to be 15 to 16 years old had recently been outfitted with a radio collar by Arizona state authorities. When he was later discovered to be suffering from kidney failure, the state game officials had the 118-pound cat euthanized.

It’s not known if the stress of the earlier capture contributed to the jaguar’s death; his demise though is believed to mark the probable extinction of the jaguar in the United States, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

“Macho B was the only jaguar known to be living in the United States; he had been photographed repeatedly since 1996 in southern Arizona. Three other jaguars, at least one of them thought to have been killed in Mexico, have also been recorded in the United States since 1996, but none are known to be living now,” the center reported in a statement.

“This is a major setback for the jaguar, particularly given that the border wall is making it much harder for jaguars to reoccupy their ancestral homes in the southern United States,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We are deeply saddened.”

Bleak as the situation appears, Robinson believes there is hope for a restored jaguar population because the Center for Biological Diversity has already sued to try to get a federal recovery plan in place. The non-profit is due in federal district court in Tucson on March 23 to discuss its lawsuit against a Bush-era U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refusal to develop a recovery plan and designate “critical habitat” for the jaguar.

Jaguars continue to populate parts of Mexico. They once ranged from the Bay Area of California to the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. Their population was decimated by decades of habitat loss, hunting for pelts and “persecution for fear of livestock losses,” including “systemic killing” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said Robinson.

Because there are still wild jaguars in northern Mexico, a recovery plan for the animal in the United States remains feasible, he said.

“The border wall doesn’t extend across the entire border, as yet. The recovery plan could look at many different options, including reintroduction and removal of all or portions of the wall,” he said.

“A recovery team developing the recovery plan would identify their best remaining habitats. Potential areas include the Sky Islands in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico (where this and other jaguars recently known to be in the U.S. lived) and the Gila National Forest and Mogollon Rim in respectively western NM and eastern AZ. But the team could also look further afield, since jaguars once ranged from east to west coast,” he added.

“Macho’s legacy should be action to develop a science-based recovery plan and protection of the areas they call home to ensure their survival.”

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

President Barack Obama today ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to review its previous refusal to allow California and more than a dozen other states to raise emissions standards above and beyond the national standard. The Bush administration had denied the requests.

“Instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way,” President Obama said. “The days of Washington dragging its heels are over.”

And in what he called “a down payment on a broader and sustained effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” President Obama directed the Department of Transportation to establish higher fuel efficiency standards for carmakers’ 2011 model year. The standard, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), was established in 1975 in the wake of the Arab Oil Embargo.

Here are states that are seeking to regulate auto emission standards, according to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and the National Resources Defense Council:

California – On July 22, 2002, former Governor Gray Davis signed AB 1493, a pioneering measure to protect California’s health and environment by reducing global warming pollution from all new cars and trucks sold in the state, America’s largest automobile market.

New Jersey – On January 14, 2004, Governor James E. McGreevey signed legislation that adopted California’s vehicle emissions standards to automobiles sold in New Jersey.

Connecticut – On May 4, 2004, Governor John G. Rowland signed the Clean Car Act, PA 04-84, requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt regulations implementing California’s vehicle emissions standards, and to keep the Connecticut regulations current with changes California makes.

Oregon – In December 2005, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) adopted temporary rules requiring Oregon to meet California’s vehicle emissions standards. On June 22, 2006, the EQC permanently adopted rules requiring all new motor vehicles sold in Oregon to meet California’s vehicle emissions standards.

Washington – On May 6, 2005, Governor Christine Gregoire signed HB 1397, adopting California’s vehicle emissions standards for Washington, conditional on Oregon’s adoption of the standard.

Rhode Island – On October 13, 2005, Governor Don Carcieri announced Rhode Island’s intention to adopt California’s vehicle emissions standards. The standards were officially adopted on December 22, 2005 with approval of Air Pollution Control Regulation no.37, Rhode Island’s Low Emission Vehicle Program.

Vermont – On November 7, 2005, the Vermont Air Pollution Control Division adopted a rule amending its low emission vehicles regulation to be identical to that of California’s vehicle emissions standards.

New York – On November 9, 2005, the New York State Environmental Board approved State regulations that require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles by adhering to California’s vehicle emissions standards.

Maine – In December 2005, the Board of Environmental Protection adopted amendments to Chapter 127, New Motor Vehicle Emission Standards, which incorporated California’s vehicle emissions standards for new motor vehicles sold in Maine.

Massachusetts – On January 9, 2006, Secretary of Environmental Affairs, Stephen R. Pritchard announced the state’s adoption of California’s vehicle emissions standards, designed to produce cleaner air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts. The standards take effect in Massachusetts starting with 2009 model year vehicles.

Arizona – On September 8, 2006, Governor Janet Napolitano signed Executive Order 2006-13, which directs the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to coordinate with the Arizona Department of Transportation to adopt and implement California’s vehicle emissions standards.

Pennsylvania – On September 19, 2006, Pennsylvania’s Environmental Quality Board approved the Clean Vehicles Program, a plan to meet California’s vehicle emissions standards. On November 2, 2006, the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved the implementation of the plan. Despite support from Governor Edward G. Rendell, in late 2006, the Pennsylvania General Assembly debated SB 1025, a rollback bill threatening to block the state from implementing the Clean Cars Law. On November 22, 2006, however, Pennsylvania concluded its ‘lame duck’ session without having voted on the SB 1025.

New Mexico – On December 28, 2006, Governor Bill Richardson issued executive order 2006-69, establishing goals and timetables for steps the state can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including adopting California’s vehicle emissions standards. The New Mexico Environment Department is charged with submitting a proposal to the Environmental Improvement Board no later than January 1, 2008 to implement a state clean car standard consistent with California’s. In November 2007, the Albuquerque-Bernalillio Air Quality Control Board and the Environmental Improvement Board adopted the vehicle standards

New Jersey – On January 14, 2004, Governor James E. McGreevey signed legislation that adopted California’s vehicle emissions standards to automobiles sold in New Jersey

Utah – In May 2007, Utah joined the Western Climate Initiative, a joint effort to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. Other members include Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba. By agreeing to the Initiative’s regional goal, members commit to adopt California’s GHG standards for vehicles.

Florida – On July 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed Executive Order 07-127, requiring the Florida Secretary of Environmental Protection to develop rules adopting California’s vehicle emissions standards.

Colorado – On November 7, 2007, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter released Colorado’s Climate Action Plan, under which the Governor will issue an executive order directing Colorado’s Air Quality Control Division to propose clean car standards.

Sources: Pew Center on Global Climate Change and the National Resources Defense Council

If global warming wasn’t so devastatingly tangible, it would sound like part of a doomsday cult. Consider these projections of the future for a swath of the U.S.

First up: Kansas, the American heartland, breadbasket to the world, a place of amber waves of grain…a place we might not recognize by century’s end.

Under projected global warming scenarios, Kansas will become hotter and drier, with more insects and more storms during the next several decades. By century’s end, western Kansas will be so arid, it will need 8 more inches of water to sustain crops there. Eastern Kansas will be wetter, but so warm that evaporation will claim the extra rainfall and southwestern Kansas will be a virtual desert. All this according to a report released last week by University of Kansas scientists Nathaniel Brunsell and Johannes Feddema for the Climate Change and Energy Project based in Salina, Kansas.

But wait, Dorothy, there’s more.

Public health experts speaking in Tuscon Arizona over the weekend projected that climate change could bring a rash of asthma, Nile virus, malaria and dengue fever to the desert Southwest.

How does climate change unleash this cloud of locusts? Warmer weather drives disease-bearing mosquitoes north from Mexico; higher temperatures aggravate respiratory ailments and sudden heavy rainstorms (the erratic weather predicted with climate change) nurture a set of waterborne illnesses. So say scientists speaking at a health conference and quoted in the Arizona Daily Star.

To be fair, these climate projections are just projections. The Tuscon speakers acknowledged that trying to pinpoint where the heavy rains and droughts will occur is tricky science. The Kansas scientists say we could turn it all around, by working very hard to reduce carbon emissions.

Discouraging as all this is, the reaction of some people reading the Daily Star story on the conference was nearly as disheartening. Dozens of comments derided the experts for even trying to project the future, accusing them of being alarmists. “The sky is falling!!!” cracked one.  An astroid could hit the earth, noted another.

People do have enough troubles, without adding global warming. As one Arizona reader pointed out, he’s more concerned about his job security and ability to get health insurance than whether the oceans rise in 50 years and California drops into the Pacific.

Speaking of California. We don’t need projections to outline the effects of global warming there. Extreme drought and high winds have led to some of the worst wildfires seen in Southern California. Hundreds have lost their homes and thousands have been displaced over the past several days as rapid walls of flame descended on their neighborhoods. Firefighters have been fighting fires across four counties, Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and Santa Barbara. (See the Los Angeles Times map of the affected areas.)

Are these fires climate change related? We can’t know for sure. Is this the sort of thing that climate change models predict? Most certainly.

At least Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t dithering about it.

“I think that everyone has recognized that this is a different situation now than we had in the past. I think the last two years or so we have seen that this is not anymore a fire season in the fall, like we usually have had but there is fire season all year round,” he told news reporters.

“We have seen the fire(s) starting in February. We have fires in March, in April, in June. We have them now. They will continue. I think it is because of the weather change, the climate change.”

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

While the world waits for Washington to act on one looming crisis – the Wall Street mortgage debacle – states in the Western U.S. acted today on another crisis, announcing a plan to reduce emissions to combat global warming.

The Western Climate Initiative, a collaborative of seven Western states and four Canadian provinces, agreed to try to reduce carbon emissions to 15 percent lower than 2005 levels by 2020.

The plan, based on a regional cap-and-trade market and efforts to support clean energy and other green technologies, would be “the most comprehensive carbon-reduction strategy to date” covering 90 percent of the region’s emissions, according to the news release on the agreement.

It would target emissions from electricity generation, industry, transportation and residential and commercial use. Under the cap-and-trade program, those emitting greenhouse gases would be capped at a certain level and would have to buy permits to cover their pollution or find the best market solutions to reduce their emissions.

The WCI is one of many regional cap-and-trade programs being developed around the world, including two others in the U.S.: The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the Northeast, and the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord in the Midwest.

Cap-and-trade programs are expected to give green energy and clean-tech businesses a big push, but many who’ve lauded the regional efforts say they are a clarion call to the federal government, which failed earlier this year to pass a proposed comprehensive climate change bill.

In the absence of federal legislation, however, many climate watchdog groups believe  regional pacts such as the one announced today will help shift the nation toward a green economy and spur green job growth.

Christopher Busch, a climate economist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that analyses conclude that Western region’s economy would benefit from investments in global warming solutions. Improved energy efficiency, for instance, can reduce electric bills and save drivers money at the pump and other changes would help create new jobs, he said.

But he warned: “There’s a right way and wrong way to do cap and trade. Doing it the right way means making sure that the program speeds the transition to a clean energy economy in a way that protects consumers. “The UCS believes “the right way” involves limiting the use of carbon offsets, which allow polluters to basically pay others to “offset” or reduce their emissions. It is better to encourage real gains in pollution reduction and to that end the UCS supports auctioning of permits to polluters. That sets up a market for the permits, with pollution-reduction programs achieving real market value which in turn “allows states to spend money on projects that can further reduce pollution and benefit their residents.”

The WCI agreement does limit the use of carbon offsets and allows for states to set even tighter limits on offsets, according to the UCS analysis.

The Western Climate Initiative, launched in February 2007, is composed of the governors of the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Utah; and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Business types, evidently, feel they know all they need to know about Tempe, Ariz., firm First Solar, a nine-year old company being called “the Google of solar.” In a year and a half, investors drove its stock price up from $25 to $250. But aside from reports that this year’s sales are projected to hit $1 billion, what exactly do they know?

The company is highly secretive about its innovations, it seems, going so far as to refuse to speak with journalists. Now, an in-depth story in IEEE Spectrum Online attempts to get to the bottom of how, as the journal says, “within five years, this company’s thin-film solar cells could compete with coal.”

First Solar uses cadmium telluride (CdTe) rather than silicon, and the thin CdTe films it manufactures are a hundredth the thickness of silicon solar material and take a tenth as long to produce — advantages that could offset the fact that they aren’t as efficient as conventional silicon devices at turning sunlight into electricity. And the company is churning them out: The story’s author Richard Stevenson reports they’re on their way to having an annual production capacity of “just over 1 gigawatt by 2009.” (By comparison, the Mitsubishi solar production expansion we just reported on here hopes to hit three-fifths of that capacity by 2012.)

Stevenson’s article gets impressively technical on the second and third pages, doing detective work with industry analysts to guess at the exact nature of First Solar’s new processes, and wraps up with a list of competing companies and other technologies (using multiple substances to capture more sunlight, for example) that could outpace First Solar’s impressive rise.

But for casual readers, all this is just support for the bold claims on the first page that: “…analysts agree that [First Solar] will very likely meet typical grid-parity prices” within two to four years.

Translated that means the company will offer a product that will cost roughly $1-per-watt cell price, matching the cost of other forms of electricity “in developed countries”.

Unfortunately, these groundbreaking panels aren’t currently being sold to the public. First Solar is keeping plenty busy meeting the demand of solar farm operators and corporations who want them on factory rooftops.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Summer’s ending and school’s recommencing — and along with the sound of bells ringing comes the simultaneous groan of kids nationwide. But this year, more American students than ever will return from vacation to a new backdrop, a green schoolhouse.

Yep, the little red school-house of yesteryear is getting a redo, making way for a 21st-century incarnation. Of this country’s 100,000 private and public schools, approximately one a day are now registering for LEED certification, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

These little green schoolhouses still teach the “Three R’s” (reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic), but they’ve added three more – “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.” And they’re doing it not just through energy-efficient building principles or water-conserving whiz-bangs, but through curricula, community-outreach projects, cafeterias, landscaping, new buses and transportation policies. One school in Oregon, Clackamas High School, has a city-wide cellphone battery recycling program and last year planted its own orchard.

The greening of America’s schools is a phenomenon to behold. Less than four years ago, Arizona and Washington state were two of the first to require all new public building construction meet LEED Silver requirements. Now dozens of states have green ground rules for schools. New York prohibits the use of non-green cleaners, while its neighbor New Jersey has mandated that all new schools be built to LEED specs. The 58 member schools of the Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools Program marked the project’s first anniversary this year (Kentucky made national news when it banned the sale of non-cafeteria foods on campus a couple of years ago).

Even foot-dragging Washington D.C. has gotten involved. The U.S. House Representatives created a Green Schools Caucus last November and now has more than 50 members. Earlier this summer, the House passed a bill that, if dovetailed with a similar Senate one, would fund $20 billion over the next five years. Known as “the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act,” it would help states construct new schools or renovate existing ones to make them healthier, more energy efficient and better for the environment.

But the numbers say it all. Since 2007, when the USGBC launched its LEED for Schools –- which has additional specs for things like acoustics and mold control (see USGBC for specs)– more than 78 schools have been certified and more than 750 have registered for certification. Its Green Schools Map illustrates how wide-spread the greening of America’s schools has become.

One of the first was the 220,000-square-foot Desert Edge High School campus (pictured left), part of the Agua Fria school district outside of Phoenix, in the burb of Goodyear. Built in two phases between 2002 and 2005, with the second, complementary phase turning out its first graduates in 2006, Desert High was the first school in Arizona to receive a LEED Silver rating, the fourth in the country and, according to multiple sources including the U.S. Department of Energy, the fifth in the world.

Since then, Agua Fria has built a second, even greener school, Verrado High (pictured right and far top), which opened in 2006 and is awaiting its LEED approval. (No problem, says the district’s assistant superintendent John Schmadeke. “We’re certain that will be another one.”)

In fact, since undertaking the Desert Edge extension, the entire school district has greened up its act and is waiting for the funds to build a third uber-green (LEED Silver) high school in 2009 or 2010. Already, Desert Edge has received kudos nationwide, such as The Green Guide’s most recent “Top Ten Greenest Schools” (2006), as well as special recognition from Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

“All that’s really cool,” adds Schmadeke, who was in on the ground floor of his community’s ambitious mission. “I mean, these things kind of come and go, but we’re really in it for the kids. We keep making it better for them –- the best we can. But what matters is graduation rates and kids getting a good education in a healthy environment.”