~ Bluewater Network ~

Campaign
Highlights

Plug-in Hybrids

100+ MPG Vehicles

Sustainable Alternative Fuels

California Clean Cars Law

EPA Fuel Labels

CAFE Standards

Legal Actions

Global Warming Solutions
Fighting air pollution and climate change by promoting
clean fuels and technologies for automobiles.

Clean Transportation

One of the most important steps in stabilizing our climate is to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from cars and trucks. Transportation accounts for over 30 percent of global warming pollution in the U.S. and 40 percent in California.
Dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas pollution can be achieved by increasing the fuel efficiency of our vehicle fleet and using sustainably produced alternative fuels, including electricity, biodiesel, ethanol, and hydrogen. Bluewater Network is working to make this happen.

A fundamental achievement in this regard is California's passage of the world’s first law to reduce global warming pollution from passenger vehicles. This trailblazing law—AB 1493 or the California Clean Car Law—requires automakers to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from cars sold into California by nearly 30 percent by 2016. Bluewater Network conceived, drafted, and worked with other advocates to pass this law, which has already been adopted by 11 other states.

Bluewater Network also helps to educate policy makers about the benefits of efficient technologies and renewable fuels, and helped bring to light the fact that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation overestimate the average fuel economy of passenger vehicles, misleading Congress and consumers.

Read about Bluewater’s past victories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.

Read the Latest News:
March 2007:
December 2006: New EPA Fuel Mileage Labels Applauded Friends of the Earth-Bluewater Press Release

Read our Growing List of Victories:
2006
Acting on a formal petition by Bluewater Network, the Environmental Protection Agency recently released new regulations that will improve the accuracy of fuel mileage labels on window stickers for new cars. The revised stickers are based on tests that take into account significant changes in American driving habits such as higher speed limits on highways, more aggressive driving, greater use of air conditioning, and an increased share of time spent idling in traffic.

Bluewater wins legal ruling declaring that the Bush Administration is in violation of a 1992 law designed to reduce dependence on foreign oil, global warming, and air pollution. The Court ruled that the Department of Energy's refusal to impose an alternative fuel vehicle purchasing requirement on private and municipal fleets was illegal. In passing the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (“EPAct”) after the first Gulf War, Congress intended to replace 30% of petroleum vehicle fuel with less polluting alternative fuels vehicles by 2010.

2004
Persuaded US EPA to consider changing outdated and inaccurate fuel-economy test and reporting procedures for passenger cars and light-duty trucks, for the first time in nearly two decades.

Convinced Senators McCain and Hollings and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to ask the General Accounting Office to prepare an assessment of the costs of global warming on National Parks and all federally managed lands and shorelines. The report will include the evaluation of expenses of mitigation efforts and the costs of loss of resources.

Read the Following to Learn More:

The California Climate-Friendly Car Law (AB 1493): landmark law to minimize greenhouse gas pollution from cars, trucks, & SUV's

Study Demonstrating Climate Benefits of Alternative Fuel Vehicles (in presentation format): analysis commissioned by Bluewater Network showing the economic and greenhouse gas benefits of alternative fuel vehicles such as plug-in hybrids, natural gas and propane vehicles; Executive Summary
California Climate-Friendly Car Law: full text of the law

Fuel Efficiency and Alternative Fuels

March 2007 Letter to California Energy Commission: Friends of the Earth- Bluwater Network’s comments on Sustainability Principles in the State’s Alternative Fuels Plan.

February 2007 Alternative Fuels Lifecycle Assessment: Report commissioned by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission.

Get Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Will solutions to global warming bankrupt our economy?

Are human activities a significant contributor to global warming?

Does it take more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than the energy value of the ethanol itself?

Plug-In Bay Area www.pluginbayarea.org

Plug-In Partners www.pluginpartners.org

CalCars Plug-In Hybrid Project www.calcars.org

California Clean Cars Campaign: a project Bluewater helped to start, is working to ensure successful implementation of California's law to cut vehicle global warming pollution.

California Air Resources Board, Climate Change site: links to information concerning AB 1493, AB 32, and global warming (http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/cc.htm)

"Climate Change 2007: The Scientific Basis": latest reports on global climate change from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

US Environmental Protection Agency's global warming site: government agency website presenting information on global warming

Worldview of Global Warming: photographic documentation of climate change worldwide

Find and Compare Car Fuel Mileages: information provided by the Department of Energy on the fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution for passenger cars and trucks

National Renewable Energy Laboratory: The Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy research and development

AB 1007, California's state plan to increase the use of alternative fuels

California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Renewable Energy Action Project, a national grassroots coalition founded by Bluewater Network, Climate Solutions, and the Environmental & Energy Study Institute to create a diverse, yet unified voice of support for renewable energy development.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Biofuels Program: program seeking ways to cost-effectively produce ethanol and other fuels and chemicals from biomass resources

Sign Our Petition...

You can make a difference today!

Urge auto makers to manufacture flexible fuel plug-in electric vehicles to increase fuel efficiency up to 100 mpg or more!