May
15th Quarterly Meeting
The last quarterly meeting was held at the
Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The meeting notes and
speaker presentations are available below.
Click here for the agenda,
meeting notes, and speaker presentations.
Maryland State Government Legislative Update
A progress update on relevant legislation proposed in the
Maryland state legislature.
- Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2007 (HB131 / SB103)) – 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. Passed the
Senate (37-10). Passed the House (123-17).
- Biodiesel Renewable Fuel Act (SB261) – The bill
proposed the formation of a Task Force to review the
feasibility of a B2 mandate. Passed the Senate (44-0).
Passed the House (137-0).
- State-Owned Heavy Equipment and Heating Equipment
– Biodiesel Fuel Requirement (HB745) – Requires the State
to ensure that at least 50% of the heating equipment
using specified heating oil in State buildings and 50%
of the heavy equipment owned by the State using diesel
fuel use, subject to availability, a blend of fuel
containing at least 5% biodiesel fuel; and exempting
specified heating equipment and heavy equipment from
this requirement. Passed Senate (47-0).
Passed the House (140-0).
Click here
for a more detailed discussion on the proposed Maryland
Clean Cities related legislation.
Maryland Joins the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Maryland has recently become a full participant in the
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Six other
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are also full
participants: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, and Vermont. The RGGI is a
cooperative effort by these states to discuss the design of
a regional cap-and-trade program, initially covering
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (primarily carbon dioxide
emissions) from power plants in the region.
Click here for a more detailed discussion on the
proposed Maryland Clean Cities related legislation.
“Renewable Diesel” Threatens Biodiesel Market
Many in the biodiesel industry are under threat by some
large integrated oil companies, which have aggressively
pursued access to a federal tax incentive that was designed
to stimulate an emerging technology. Special interests have
successfully lobbied the U.S. Department of Treasury to
exploit a loophole in a tax credit law for their own
benefit.
Click here for a more
detailed discussion on the proposed Maryland Clean Cities
related legislation.
Environmental Groups Launch Bid to Block Senate Biofuels
Bill
The environmental groups including the: League of
Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Natural
Resources Defense Council and Union of Concerned Scientists,
do not oppose increased use of biofuels. But they do want
the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to adopt
measures that increase fuel economy and include
environmental performance standards for the use of biofuels.
Specifically, the environmentalists criticized the
legislation for failing to include greenhouse gas emissions
standards for biofuels, with the groups calling for a
requirement that any advanced biofuels achieve at least 50
percent reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions.
Click here for a more detailed discussion on the
proposed Maryland Clean Cities related legislation.
Diesel Vehicle Update
- Several Truck Manufacturers Announce EPA SmartWay
Trucks that are certified by EPA's SmartWay program to
improve fuel efficiency.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has
released guidance documents relating to Selective
Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems that are being viewed
as a solution to meet 2010 heavy-duty emission
regulations for oxides of nitrogen as well as to meet
strict light-duty diesel emission standards.
- Nissan Commits to Clean Diesel Engine in Maxima in
2010 that will meet the EPA Tier II Bin 5 emissions
requirements.
- BMW will offer diesel models in U.S. for 2008.
- Chrysler announces new Cummins diesel for 2009 Ram
trucks
- Honda considering both four-cylinder and
six-cylinder diesel models for 2009.
Click here for a
more detailed discussion on the proposed Maryland Clean
Cities related legislation.
Stakeholder News Updates
This space in future newsletters will be used to
highlight stakeholder accomplishments and announcements.
Please forward information to Chris Rice (crice@energy.state.md.us). |
