Natural Gas Vehicles
Boasting smaller carbon footprints, lower fuel prices, and less mechanical corrosion, natural gas vehicles already number in the millions in countries such as Iran and Argentina. The United States could be next, as “issues that have limited [natural gas] use in cars are being rethought.”
Learn more about this topic on November 13 when RFF’s Richard Morgenstern, Arthur Fraas, and Winston Harrington present new research at an RFF First Wednesday Seminar, “Cheaper Fuels for the Light-Duty Fleet.” They will discuss the economic, environmental, and security gains associated with natural gas–based fuels, as well as the regulatory and political challenges that accompany their use. Register here to attend in person or watch the webcast live and tweet your questions to #AskRFF.
West Coast Carbon Pact
The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington and British Columbia’s environmental minister have signed a pact to encourage the use of clean energy while mitigating climate change impacts. The “Pacific Coast Action Plan” begins to align carbon policies in the region and pledges to move forward on new plans to price carbon. The leaders believe that the group initiative will better allow the region to reach its emissions reductions goals.
Regional efforts in the United States and Canada are already primed for a carbon agreement in many ways, according to a report by RFF’s Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer, Clayton Munnings, Paige Weber, and Matt Woerman. They point out that many jurisdictions in the western United States and Canada have already linked their carbon pricing approaches “through cooperation and sharing of information, mutual learning, and borrowing from each other’s program design.” And, California has formally linked its carbon market with Quebec. Burtraw and Munnings also note that the intent to align policies “means that California, Oregon, and Washington are more likely to influence the US Environmental Protection Agency as it moves to craft regulations under the Clean Air Act.”
