Top 10 Greenest Cars

Here is Kelly Blue Book's Green Car List - topped by the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S

(It isn't hard to tell which car is which.) 

And then there is the American Council for an Energy Efficient Econony's Green Car List - topped by the Prius and Honda Fit. (Can you guess which one is which without looking at the logos?)

Net zero commitment by 2030

The American Institute of Architects is challenging its members to join the 2030 commitment to design all new buildings and renovations to net zero energy standards by 2030!

They propose a 70% reduction in fossil fuel use for all new buildings by 2015 and a 100% reduction by 2030.

Now that is a real stretch energy code! Very inspiring. 

http://www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAB081490

EPA criticizes State Department's report on Keystone XL

The Environmental Protection Agency sharply criticized the State Department's impact statement for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying the report failed to adequately consider the climate change impacts of building the pipeline or to realistically assess alternative pipeline routes or modes of transport.

Cynthia Giles, a top E.P.A. official said in a letter to State Department officials that the department's latest environmental statement for the 1,700-mile pipeline provided "insufficient information" to adequately judge the project, and that the E.P.A. could not sign off on the pipeline unless more complete studies were performed. [NY Times]

Pipeline Safety in question after two spills in two weeks

Tar sands oil in a ditch in Mayflower, Ark., after an Exxon Mobil pipeline ruptured, forcing the evacuation of 22 homes.

Two recent oil pipeline spills have prompted new criticism from opponents of the proposed Keystone XL project, while raising more questions about whether the federal government is adequately monitoring the nation's vast labyrinth of pipelines.

An ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured March 29th, spilling more than 10,000 barrels of tar sands crude in an Arkansas town. On Tuesday April 2nd, vacuum trucks and crews were still working to clean up the accident, which the Environmental Protection Agency called a "major spill." 

The spill appears to be the largest accident involving heavy crude since an Enbridge Energy pipeline spill in 2010 that dumped more than 840,000 gallons near Marshall, Mich., soiling a 39-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River.

The safety records of both the Exxon and Chevron pipelines have been under scrutiny in recent years. Last week, the pipeline agency proposed imposing a $1.7 million fine on Exxon Mobil over a 2011 spill that dumped an estimated 63,000 gallons of oil in the Yellowstone River in Montana.

The Arkansas spill followed an accident in Utah on March 18 in which a Chevron pipeline leaked more than 25,000 gallons in a wetlands area about 50 miles from Salt Lake City. The Chevron spill was the third in three years in Utah, prompting Gov. Gary R. Herbert to sharply criticize the pipeline agency at a recent news conference. "Obviously, they have not done a very good job of overseeing the pipes that travel between our states," he said. [NY Times]

We cannot risk our future on the false hope that the vast majority of scientists are wrong

Nike, Starbucks, Intel and 3 dozen other companies have declared... 

What made America great was taking a stand. Doing the things that are hard. And seizing opportunities. The very foundation of our country is based on fighting for our freedoms and ensuring the health and prosperity of our state, our community, and our families. Today those things are threatened by a changing climate that most scientists agree is being caused by air pollution.

We cannot risk our kids' futures on the false hope that the vast majority of scientists are wrong. But just as America rose to the great challenges of the past and came out stronger than ever, we have to confront this challenge, and we have to win. And in doing this right, by saving money when we use less electricity, by saving money to drive a more efficient car, by choosing clean energy, by inventing new technologies that other countries buy, and creating jobs here at home, we will maintain our way of life and remain a true superpower in a competitive world.

In order to make this happen, however, there must be a coordinated effort to combat climate change–with America taking the lead here at home. Leading is what we've always done. And by working together, regardless of politics, we'll do it again.

The signatories of the Climate Declaration are calling for Congress to address climate change by promoting clean energy, boosting efficiency and limiting carbon emissions – strategies that these businesses already employ within their own operations.

Why Keystone XL Matters

Enbridge tar sands spill in Michigan

From our friends at Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light

Why Keystone Matters

"Game over" on Climate Change

If built, the Keystone XL pipeline would stretch 1,980 miles, from Hardisty, Alberta to Nederland, Texas. Climate scientist Jim Hansen has said that if the Canadian Oil Sands are tapped, it's "essentially game over" for any hope of achieving a stable climate. CO2 emissions from carbon intensive Keystone XL tar sands oil at the rate of 830,000 barrels a day, would be the annual equivalent of seven coal-fired power plants operating continuously or having 6.2 million more cars on the road for 50 years, according to EPA calculations. Another way to look at it is that the reductions in CO2 resulting from President Obama's pact with auto companies to raise fuel efficiency standards would be neutralized by emissions from the oil in this pipeline.

Unacceptable Safety and Public Health Risks

At full capacity, Keystone XL could carry up to 900,000 barrels per day of toxic tar sands oil across 6 states: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The route goes through the environmentally sensitive Sandhills region of Nebraska, a decision opposed by Nebraska's governor, its two senators and even by some supporters of the pipeline.

Strong evidence indicates tar sands oil threatens pipeline integrity. Current pipeline regulations were issued long before tar sands oil production ramped up and don't cover the unique aspects of tar sands. Tar sands oil poses more acute risks than conventional fuels because the oil is a volatile mix of raw bitumen diluted with gas condensates. This mix, called "dilbit" is a, corrosive, toxic, viscous substance with the consistency of gritty peanut butter that is moved at much higher pressures and temperatures than conventional oil. Tar sands oil contains, on average, 11 times more sulfur, 11 times more nickel, 6 times more nitrogen, and 5 times more lead than conventional oil. The metals found in tar sands are neurotoxic.

Enbridge, the proponent of the pipeline had a major leak in Michigan in 2010 which leaked 19,500 barrels of dilbit – including spillage into the Kalamazoo river. At $1 billion, that cleanup is the most expensive for an onshore spill in US history. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that Enbridge ignored pipeline cracks for years and did not detect the rupture for more than 17 hours.  In March, an Exxon pipeline carrying heavy Canadian crude breached in Arkansas spilling a yet-to-be-determined amount of crude into a residential neighborhood and almost entering a recreational lake.

In Whose National Interest?

In a recent blog post, the Mass. Climate Action Network persuasively argues that Keystone XL does not benefit the United States. Among the reasons:

• Nationally Keystone XL will have a de minimus impact on gasoline prices and could actually increase prices in the American Midwest.
• Much, if not most, of this oil will end up in the East Asian and European markets;
• The job benefits of the pipeline are vastly overstated and will result in mostly temporary employment.

MCAN concludes, "It isn't the United States' responsibility to ensure dirty Canadian oil can reach international markets . . . Keystone XL, which will spill, which will be an economic wash for the United States, and which will further the possibility of irreversible and damaging climate change, is not in our national interest."

To learn more about Keystone go to: http://www.usclimatenetwork.org/resource-database/keystone-xl-by-the-numbers-fact-sheet.

US and China admit to 'inadequate' climate action

The US and China have announced plans to accelerate joint efforts to tackle climate change, warning that the "inadequacy of the global response requires a more focused and urgent initiative".

The two countries issued a joint statement at the end of Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Beijing over the weekend, featuring some of the strongest wording on the need for action on climate change to emanate from either government.

"Both sides consider that the overwhelming scientific consensus regarding climate change constitutes a compelling call to action crucial to having a global impact on climate change," the statement read, adding that they recognise the threat presented by "the sharp rise in global average temperatures over the past century, the alarming acidification of our oceans, the rapid loss of Arctic sea ice, and the striking incidence of extreme weather events occurring all over the world".

"Both sides recognize that, given the latest scientific understanding of accelerating climate change and the urgent need to intensify global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, forceful, nationally appropriate action by the United States and China - including large-scale cooperative action - is more critical than ever," it added. "Such action is crucial both to contain climate change and to set the kind of powerful example that can inspire the world." [Business Green]