I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum at 10am PT today discussing how to improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure in California.
Electrical vehicle purchases in the state dropped significantly in the second half of last year, for the first time in a decade. It’s likely this is just a blip, but some potential EV buyers say that they’re holding off because of concerns over public charger access and reliability.
The situation may be improving though: California approved a $1.9 billion dollar investment in EV charging infrastructure last month, which will bring 40,000 new chargers online – including in rural areas.
On the show, I’ll talk about what California needs to do to meaningfully expand its EV charging infrastructure ahead of its 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars. Joining me on the panel will be:
- Russ Mitchell, Automotive Editor, Los Angeles Times, who covers the automotive industry.
- Terry Travis, managing partner, EVNoire, a Mobility Consulting Group that works to integrate and amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion in the electric transportation sector.
Tune in on KQED 88.5 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT!
I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum this morning at 10am discussing lawsuits against the oil industry and its deceptive practices related to climate change.
Most recently, 18 California children sued the EPA for failing to protect them from climate change. The lawsuit is one of many efforts to hold the fossil fuel industry to account that reporter Dharna Noor highlighted in her series for the Guardian US called “Big Oil Uncovered.” We’ll discuss the strategies oil and gas companies are using to delay or avoid action on climate change — and the people and policies who are taking them to task.
Tune in on KQED in Northern California or stream live at 10am PT!
Being a pedestrian isn’t easy in California’s car-centric culture, so what can be done to improve walkability? I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum today at 10am PT to discuss, as part of Forum’s “In Transit” series where I’m a regular guest.
Much of the infrastructure in the state is built with cars in mind, and that means that walkers and wheelchair-users can confront serious safety risks in a state where an average of three pedestrians are killed every day. How is the state is addressing pedestrian safety issues, and what do you notice when you don’t use a car?
Joining me on the show will be Tim Weisberg, deputy director, marketing and public affairs, California Office of Traffic Safety.
You can stream live or tune in on KQED in Northern California.
This morning at 10am PT, I’ll be joining KQED’s Forum to discuss how California can make our roads and pathways safer for bicyclists. Biking is a more climate-friendly and healthy way to get around, but sharing space on California’s roadways with vehicles is notoriously dangerous and sometimes deadly. What can be done to make biking safer and encourage more people to ride?
Joining me on the panel will be:
- Jared Sanchez, policy director, California Bicycle Coalition
- Darwin Moosavi, deputy secretary for environmental policy and housing coordination, California State Transportation Agency
- Anthony Molina, chair, Fresno County Bike Coalition
Stream live at 10am PT or tune in at 88.5 FM KQED in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Then at 6pm PT, I’ll be hosting State of the Bay on KALW, where we’ll start by interviewing State Senator Scott Wiener about his bill SB 58 to decriminalize psychedelics in California.
Then I’ll interview former Oakland Athletics vice president Andy Dolich, author of Goodbye, Oakland, about the future of the team and sports in Oakland, given the team owners’ apparent decision to relocate to Las Vegas. Can Oakland find a way to keep their last major sports franchise from leaving?
Finally, we’ll hear all about the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s new satire, Breakdown.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
Can California become a global center for lithium production for EV batteries? How sustainable is the global battery supply chain? I’ll be a guest on KQED Forum today at 10am PT to discuss, as part of the show’s “In Transit” series.
Today, Australia, Chile and China are the top three sources of worldwide lithium production. But California’s Imperial Valley contains a vast underground reserve near the Salton Sea, with enough lithium potentially to meet all of U.S. future demand and more than one-third of global demand.
Along with me to discuss this potential will be Eduardo Garcia, Assemblymember, representing California’s 36th State Assembly District in eastern Riverside County and Imperial County.
Tune in on KQED radio or stream live at 10am PT!
I’ll be on KQED Forum today at 10am discussing the latest self-driving technology, how it’s being legislated, and what will drive its future.
In San Francisco, self-driving taxis with no human operator are already driving around city streets. Google-owned Waymo expanded to L.A. last month, and General Motors’s Cruise has applied to widen its testing to cities across California. What will the impact of this deployment be on drivers, the environment and public safety?
Joining me on the show will be:
- Christopher Beale, studio engineer, producer and reporter, KQED – reported for Bay Curious a piece, “You’re Not Imagining It: There Are More Driverless Cars in SF Now”
- Trish Blinstrub, political director, Teamsters Joint Council 7
Tune in on KQED Radio or stream live at 10am!
Trucks are by far the largest source of air pollution from vehicles in California, generating about 80% of carcinogenic diesel soot and 70% of smog-causing pollution, according to the Air Resources Board. And their impacts are unequal: communities of color and low-income communities situated near ports, distribution centers and warehouses — particularly in the Inland Empire — are more likely to bear the health costs.
As part of KQED Forum’s “In Transit” series this morning at 10am PT, I’ll discuss the scope of the problem and new efforts by the state to decarbonize the trucking industry. Joining me on the panel will be:
- Rachel Uranga, reporter covering transportation and mobility, Los Angeles Times
- Amparo Muñoz, former policy director, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) – and co-author of the letter urging Gov. Newsom to “Declare a Public Health State of Emergency in the Inland Empire”
Tune in or stream live!
Aviation is responsible for over two percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. We discussed options for California to address the challenge in a Berkeley Law policy report released last year, called Clean Takeoff.
I’ll be on KQED Forum today at 10am PT to discuss the report and what to do about “greening” flying. This will be the first in Forum’s new series “In Transit,” where I’ll talk about key environmental challenges and opportunities facing California’s transportation sector over the coming year.
Hope you can tune in or stream live!
I’ll be a guest on today’s KQED Forum at 10am PT, discussing California’s plans to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The new regulations announced last week by the California Air Resource Board formalize Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2020 executive order which proposed banning the sale of cars that run on fossil fuels.
This move is a much-needed step to address climate change. The show will cover what it means for the world’s fifth largest economy and the state that invented car culture to go electric, and they’ll open it up to listener questions: are you ready to get an electric car or will you be hanging on to your gas-powered car as long as you can?
Joining me on the panel will be:
- Russ Mitchell, Automotive Editor for the Los Angeles Times
- Margo Oge, Former director, US EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality; Author of “Driving the Future: Combating Climate Change with Cleaner, Smarter Cars”
You can stream it live or tune in via KQED in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Last week, President Biden made a major environmental announcement that his administration will be largely restoring Obama-era vehicle fuel economy standards through 2025, which had been rolled back under the Trump administration. It’s a big deal because 30% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation.
Beyond restoring the standards, the president directed his agencies to develop more stringent standards beyond 2025 model years, for light- as well as medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The goal should be 50% of new vehicles sales as zero emission in 2030.
To discuss the announcement, I appeared on KQED Forum on Tuesday and KTVU Channel 2 News in the San Francisco Bay Area last week. The radio audio is linked above and I’ve included the KTVU video below.
