Over the past month, CALSTART has been working to defend California’s key clean transportation programs and to ensure ongoing policy and funding support for this sector. As always, we welcome your input and engagement in our policy initiatives. 

There is a vitally important policy battle taking shape in California right now. The state’s landmark global warming legislation has been a major driver for the growth of the clean transportation technology industry, spurring investments in alternative fuels, advanced vehicles, and efficiency improvements. However, there is an oil industry-funded effort underway to essentially repeal this law through a ballot initiative (Proposition 23). CALSTART is actively working to oppose this proposition, as it would chill investment in clean technologies and reverse many of the gains made to date in this sector. Read more about the reasons why CALSTART’s Board of Directors decided to go on record opposing this proposition.

In order to help meet California’s strong greenhouse gas reduction targets, CALSTART worked closely with the legislature in 2007 to create a $200 million per year clean transportation investment program (the AB 118 program) for clean transportation research, development, demonstration, and deployment. This important program has been under attack recently due to budget cuts and political concerns. CALSTART remains engaged on this issue, with a focus on defending the funding and ensuring smooth implementation.

CALSTART is also tracking progress on state and federal standards for cleaner, more efficient light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles. California’s programs to reduce emissions from passenger vehicles (both the Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate and the LEV III criteria and GHG emissions standards to start in 2017) are currently being revised, with proposed regulations expected early next year. At the federal level, EPA is in the process of creating GHG emissions standards for both light and heavy duty vehicles. More details on this will be available soon, with progress on both light and heavy duty standards expected later this fall.

Links in this story:
http://www.calstart.org/Members/FYIs/CALSTART-Board-Opposes-Prop-23.aspx

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