Wednesday, 09 Jun 2004

Cobra Power

Hydrogen-Powered Sports Car May Sex Up Clean Energy

The hydrogen revolution got an injection of sex appeal yesterday with the launch of the Hydrogen Shelby Cobra, a version of one of the world's most admired sports cars. The new model, being sold by the Los Angeles-based Hydrogen Car Co., uses hydrogen to power a traditional V-8 internal-combustion engine, a system that is cleaner and more efficient than a standard gasoline-powered engine and less technically complex than a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell engine. The big question, though, is where Cobra buyers will fill up. Though California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has announced an ambitious plan to build a network of hydrogen filling stations along the state's highways, that plan is going nowhere fast; there are currently only 13 hydrogen filling stations in the state. And naysayers will point out that unless hydrogen is produced using clean energy, it's not an enviro dream fuel. Of course, considering that the new Cobra has a starting price of $149,000, filling it up may be the least of a prospective buyer's worries.

Mr. Mercury Goes to Washington

Bush Foes Intend to Make Mercury a Campaign Issue

Enviros and Bush adversaries are plotting to make mercury an issue in the presidential campaign. Controversy has been swirling around the Bush administration's plan for reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, a plan that critics say panders to industry with unambitious reduction targets, prolonged timetables, and plenty of "flexibility." Though U.S. EPA and White House officials met repeatedly with utility-industry reps -- including one lobbyist nicknamed "Mr. Mercury" -- in the lead-up to formulating new mercury rules, the administration claims its plan was not affected by industry pressure nor by substantial campaign donations from utilities and their employees. Opponents find that contention laughable, and they think many voters will too. The progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org has developed a TV ad on the issue that shows a poison symbol morphing into a happy face on a kid's lunchbox.

Prime Cut

California Plans Sizeable Cuts to CO2 Emissions from Autos

California is moving right along with plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and hence make a dent in global warming. A regulation now being drafted will require new cars and light trucks sold in the state to emit less CO2 beginning in 2008, with a goal of cutting emissions some 30 percent by 2015, which means vehicles will have to become some 30 percent more fuel efficient. The California legislature in 2002 passed the first law in the U.S. aimed at reining in greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles, and the regulation now being crafted will put that law into effect. Predictably, automakers aren't happy about being told to produce more efficient cars and are likely to sue over the matter; the Bush administration may also mount a legal challenge. Enviros are expected to be supportive of the regulation, though some say it should go further.

Declaration of Dependence

ExxonMobil Chief Says U.S. Can't Shed Dependence on Mideast Oil

The head of ExxonMobil -- the bete noire of oil companies, from enviros' perspective -- declared this week that the U.S. cannot achieve energy independence and shouldn't even try. ExxonMobil Chair Lee Raymond, speaking in Washington, D.C., suggested cozying up to Middle Eastern nations because increased U.S. dependence on oil and natural gas from the region is "inevitable." "We do not have the resource base to be energy independent," he said, dismissing the potential of renewable sources to make a significant contribution to U.S. energy supplies. Of course, he still wants more U.S. public land opened up to oil drilling, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Democratic presidential contender John Kerry has made energy independence part of his platform, and President Bush has also made noises about decreasing reliance on foreign oil. No word yet on whether they'll abandon those plans in the face of Raymond's sagacious arguments.

Raise Your Hand If You're Insured

Insurance Industry Wants Action on Climate Change

While the oil industry may be willfully blind to the dangers of fossil-fuel use and climate change, the insurance industry certainly is not. A new report from the Association of British Insurers warns that insurance costs are likely to climb in coming years as insurance companies are hit with increasing numbers of damage claims resulting from aberrant weather -- in essence, resulting from global warming. Claims for flood and storm damage in Britain doubled in the period 1999-2003 compared to the previous five years, said the report, and claims could triple in the next few decades if action isn't taken to manage climate change. The report also suggests that auto insurance prices could increase as bad weather leads to more accidents on the road, and that liability insurance could rise because directors of some companies could be held responsible for climate change.