MEA Terminal Infrastructure Grant Program Announcement
In an effort to make biodiesel more readily available
throughout the state, MEA has issued a Request for Proposals
to add biodiesel infrastructure at Maryland terminals.
Applications will be accepted through May 1, 2007. Questions
should be addressed to Chris Rice (410-260-7207) or Lauren
Robbins (410-260-7542).
The
program website includes the guidelines and grant
application form.
Maryland State Government Legislative Update
A progress update on relevant legislation proposed in the
Maryland state legislature.
- Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2007 A major part of
this legislation is the proposed 2011 adoption of the
stricter California vehicle emission standards that
other states including: Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington have. A separate
version of the bill has passed the House and Senate.
- Biodiesel Renewable Fuel Act There are two
versions of the bill. The Senate version proposing the
formation of a Task Force to review the feasibility of a
B2 mandate passed the Senate (44-0) and is currently in
the House. The house version favored a B2 mandate
followed by a move to B5, this version was defeated.
- Biodiesel Production Credit Increases production
credit for biodiesel and ethanol and broadens the
eligibility for both products. Passed the House (136-0),
and is currently in the Senate.
- Tax Credit for Fuel Efficient Vehicles Would give
a tax credit to vehicles that met certain fuel
efficiency standards (conventional, electric,
hybrid-electric, etc.) The bill was defeated.
- Tax Credit for Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicles
There are two bills that address these vehicles. SB295
was defeated. MEA is monitoring SB776 where these
vehicles would be eligible for a 10% income tax credit
in the year they were purchased. A hearing was
scheduled, but results have not been posted.
Click here
for a more detailed discussion on the proposed Maryland
Clean Cities related legislation
May is Clean Commute Month
May is the 9th Annual Clean Commute Month in the
Baltimore region. The Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC)
is organizing a series of events from the end of April and
through May (there is too much to fit in one month).
Events include:
- Clean Cars for Clean Air Kickoff (April 22nd)
Certified automotive repair technicians will inspect
your car to make sure cars are working efficiently and
cleanly.
- The Baltimore Ecofest (May 5th) information about
air pollution and how it affects you.
- Towsontown Festival (May 5th-6th) learn about
carpooling and other clean commute options.
- Bike-to-Work Day 2007 (May 18th) - at four area
locations: War Memorial Plaza (Baltimore), City Dock
(Annapolis), County Office Building (Bel Air),
Courthouse Square (Towson).
- Commuter Appreciation Day (May 23rd) BMC staff
will greet mass transit riders at the BWI Amtrak station
with coffee and a paper to acknowledge their
contribution.
A series of Clean Car Clinics like the one on April 22nd
will be held from May through July; the website below will
post dates.
Baltimore Region Hybrid Bus Tour
The project involved a workshop to educate area transit
agencies, federal/state/local governments about the
technology, operation, cost, and benefits of hybrid-electric
bus technology. This was followed by interested transit
agencies participating in the Hybrid Bus Tour. Hybrid
buses from the two major hybrid-electric bus manufacturers
were delivered to the transit agency property to allow the
fleets to examine, inspect, use the bus on their routes and
to ask any questions they had of the manufacturer to
determine how they could fit into their operation. The
project was jointly funded by the Baltimore Metropolitan
Council and the Maryland Energy Administration. The project
was developed and run by New West Technologies, a local
Engineering Management firm specializing in advanced
transportation. The project was discussed in the last
quarterly meeting and the report is now available at the
link below.
Alternative Fuel and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Update
A summary of several recent alt fuel and AFV news stories
including:
Click here for
more detailed information on the new medium and heavy-duty
hybrid vehicles.
U.S. Supreme Court Rules that the EPA has the Authority
to Regulate CO2 Emissions
The U.S. Supreme Court said in a 5-4 decision, following
an eight-year debate on whether carbon dioxide is a
pollutant, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has
the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other
heat-trapping gases from automobiles. The court overturned
the EPA's 2003 rejection of a petition from
environmentalists to regulate greenhouse gases from cars.
This ruling gives
California's efforts to combat global warming a boost,
ruling Monday that federal regulators wrongly decided not to
limit greenhouse-gas emissions from cars.
The Supreme Court accused the EPA of coming up with a
"laundry list" of reasons not to regulate carbon dioxide
rather than taking a more straight-forward approach to its
responsibilities under the Clean Air Act.
Link:
www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/politics/17019075.htm
UL Progress Report on E85 Efforts
The U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Headquarters,
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) held a webcast/conference
call to update Clean Cities coordinators, automobile OEMs
and others about the progress towards developing an E85 fuel
dispenser safety standard. A link to the notes from the
webcast/call is below.
Links:
Next Quarterly Meeting May 2007
The next quarterly meeting will be some time in May. We
are looking for suggestions, or offers, for meeting
locations, presentation topics, and stakeholder updates.
Please contact Lauren (410-260-7542 /
lrobbins@energy.state.md.us) if you have any
suggestions.
Stakeholder News Updates
This space in future newsletters will be used to
highlight stakeholder accomplishments and announcements.
Please forward information to Lauren Robbins (lrobbins@energy.state.md.us).
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