Summary:

The use of petroleum-based fuels for transportation is responsible for a significant share of America's air and water pollution, and represents between 25-30% of the country's global warming emissions.  Transportation accounts for nearly 40% of California's global warming emissions.  While better technology options may be available for producing clean electricity than exist for transportation, significant progress can still be made toward cleaner and more efficient vehicles using off-the-shelf technologies and alternative fuels. With the financial assistance of the Energy Foundation and the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, CEERT has been working to reduce air pollution and global warming emissions from cars and trucks, foster smarter transportation and development planning, and develop alternative fuel distribution infrastructure, both for the near- and long-term, as a means of achieving a clean transportation future for California.

Recent Developments:

• Development of California’s Vehicle Regulations

CEERT is already involved in discussions with California Air Resources Board staff on the updating of the Low-Emissions Vehicle (LEV) program scheduled for next year.  These efforts will evaluate how California can strengthen its groundbreaking regulations that seek to reduce vehicle emissions (the general LEV regulations) and greenhouse gas emissions (the Pavley regulations), and to develop the future of vehicle technology through the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) element of the LEV program.

California Air Resources Board Low-Emission Vehicle Program

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/levprog/levprog.htm

California Air Resources Board Zero-Emission Vehicle Program

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/zevprog.htm

California Air Resources Board Climate Change Program for Mobile Sources

http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/ccms/ccms.htm

• Plug-In Hybrid Fuel Cell Research Project

John Shears will be serving as an advisor to a new research project currently under development that will be hosted at the Electric Power Research Institute.  The project will research the potential for plug-in hy­brid fuel cell vehicles.  This approach could prove to be a practical solution to overcoming the limitations of both plug-in hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles as standalone vehicle platforms.  The project is now seeking funding and plans to produce an initial report to CARB in time for the updating of the LEV and ZEV regulations next year.

• Low Carbon Fuel Standard

CEERT remains very active in helping develop regulations to implement the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).  Part of this work will involve updating the California version of the Argonne National Lab’s GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation) model, which is a critical tool for life-cycle analyses of biofuels.  TIAX Consultants developed the CalGREET model for the Energy Commission’s AB 1007 State Alter­native Fuels Plan; TIAX has just secured a contract to update the model for use by the Air Resources Board on the LCFS and by the Energy Commission in its transportation planning.  John Shears is serving as an advisor to TIAX on this project. 

As Chair of the California Biomass Collaborative’s Sustainability Issues Committee, John Shears leads the effort to produce a report on the sustainability of bioenergy, including biofuels.  This white paper will be made available to both the Air Resources Board and the Energy Commission as they develop sustainability regulations for biofuels in California. 

As part of this work, CEERT organized, co-sponsored and co-hosted (with CARB, CEC, California Biomass Collaborative, and California Institute for Agricultural Research) a major, highly successful international conference, the “Joint Forum on Bioenergy Sustainability and Lifecycle Ana­ly­sis,” held in Sacramento on May 28-30.  The conference attracted participants from international organiza­tions such as the UN, IEA, European Commission, Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, and other attendees from gov­ern­ment, industry, academia, and the NGO community.  The conference served as one of the first inter­national public dialogues on bioenergy and biofuels issues, and enabled key individuals from government agencies in Can­ada, Europe, California, and the rest of the U.S. to connect and develop much-needed coordination.  The conference proceedings will be an important reference for the CARB and CEC and for the sustainability white paper.

CEERT Cohosts Joint International Forum on Bioenergy Sustainability and Lifecycle Analysis - May 28 - 30, 2008

Forum Proceedings Now Available - CLICK HERE

Low Carbon Fuel Standard Implementation at the California Air Resources Board

http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/lcfs.htm

Argonne National Laboratory

The Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model

Argonne Press Release: 

Newest GREET model updates environmental impacts of latest transportation fuels, vehicle technologies.  http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2008/news080508.html 

Latest Version (1.8b) Updated May 8th, 2008.

http://www.transportation.anl.gov/software/GREET/

California-GREET Model - Version 98 

http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/greet1.7ca_v98.xls

California Energy Commission - AB 1007 Proceeding and Documents Including the State Alternative Fuels Plan,

http://www.energy.ca.gov/ab1007/documents/index.html

• AB 118 Implementation

The Energy Commission must establish sustainability criteria for the implementation of AB 118 (Nunez), a 7 ½-year program to accelerate the development of alternative fuels and transportation.  The Energy Commission selected John Shears to serve on the AB 118 Advisory Committee, which helps create the annual $100-120 million Invest­ment Plan to fund projects under the program.

AB 118 The Law
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_118&sess=CUR&house=B&author=nunez

AB 118 Implementation

At the California Energy Commission

AB 118 Rulemaking Proceeding (Docket # 08-OIR-1)
http://www.energy.ca.gov/ab118/index.html

AB 118 Implementation Proceeding (Docket # 08-ALT-1)
http://www.energy.ca.gov/proceedings/2008-ALT-1/index.html

At the California Air Resources Board
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aqip/aqip.htm

• British Columbia’s New Vehicle Regulations

On April 29, British Columbia introduced a bill setting new GHG emissions standards for its motor vehicles.  The new law was inspired by California’s vehicle regulations.  CEERT served as part of a small consulting team that advised the BC Ministry of the Environment during its deliberations on this bill. 

Bill 39 — 2008: Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Vehicle Emissions Standards Standards) Act).

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2008ENV0049-000653.htm, http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2008ENV0049-000653-Attachment1.htm,  http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th4th/votes/progress-of-bills.htm refer to bill 39.

February thrown speech

http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th4th/4-8-38-4.htm

• New Transportation Economy Coalition (New TEC)

Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition

Rey Leon and John Shears serve as two of the three Co-Chairs of the CVAQ Coalition's Energy Committee, which works to develop policy approaches on how renewable energy and clean transportation technologies can be used to provide economic opportunity for Central Valley residents while at the same time improving the Valley's air quality.

Project Co-leader:

C. John Shears

Project Co-leader:

Jose Carmona

Resources: