California Cannot Run on Electricity Alone

Both the California Senate and Assembly approved Senate Bill 100 for Governor Brown to sign into law, that will set California on a path to 100% renewables and “zero-carbon” sources in electricity by 2045, have demonstrated their lack of understanding of basic math. Our legislatures have no understanding of basic math if they believe (SB100) we […]

California is following Germany’s Failed Climate Goals

Germany was the first major economy to make a big shift in its energy mix toward low carbon sources, but Germany is failing to meet its climate goals of reducing harmful carbon-dioxide emissions even after spending over $580 billion by 2025 to overhaul its energy systems. Germany’s emissions miss should be a “wake-up” call for governments everywhere. Germany […]

The Time for CALTRANS to Restructure Passed Decades Ago!

The engineering and construction (E&C) industries have a common attribute, you’re always working yourself out of a job!  Once you’ve designed the bridge, you need another bridge to design! Over the last few decades, transportation and communications have been greatly enhanced to the point that every E&C firm is faced with huge and very competitive […]

Is Micromanagement of Emissions Beneficial to the California Economy?

Looking back, California’s flagship climate change policy Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Initiative was signed into law in 2006 when California was a minuscule contributor to the world’s greenhouse gases. Statistically, the World is generating about 46,000 million metric tons of GHG’s, while California has been generating about 440 million metric tons, which is […]

We’re Addicted to Prosperity

Our elaborate infrastructures and military that support the prosperity of growing populations are all based on the chemicals, by-products, and fuels manufactured from crude oil. When refined, oil can be turned into an array of products, from cosmetics to shoelaces and bowling balls to milk jugs. In short, oil may be the single most flexible […]

How to Replace the Gas Tax Law if its Repealed

Before the SB1 gas tax, fuel prices in California were already among the highest in the country with State excise taxes at the pump, and State sales tax at the pump, being among the highest in the country. With Californians also bearing the costs associated with compliance with various State environmental regulation laws, Californian’s are […]

Perpetuating Safety in the Workplace

A recent L.A. Times article on May 10th by Kathleen Luppi was a celebration of 100,000 accident free work hours at Christ Cathedral. Another California company has done even better. The Phillips66 Refinery in Wilmington just had a BBQ celebrating more than 2,400,000 man-hours with no OSHA recordables over a 3 year period. Coincidentally, the […]

Look in the Mirror for Climate Change

Until the first steam locomotives were invented in the early 19th Century, man could travel as far as he could walk or as far as his horse would take him.  Life was dirty, smelly, difficult – and short. Life expectancy was short and human misery was assured. There was virtually no military and the only available weapons […]

Legislatures Kill Transparency Pricing at the Pump

Californians now pay as much as $1.00 more per gallon of fuel than the rest of the country. Shouldn’t the motoring public know why? A bill in the California Legislature to do just that was Senate Bill 1074, by state Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa. Called “Disclosure of government-imposed costs,” it would have required gas stations […]

The Public Deserves Transparency of Pricing at the Pump

Fuel prices in California are among the highest in the country, as a result of some of the highest taxes in the country, plus the costs associated with compliance with various State environmental laws, which trickle down to the consumer, resulting in Californian’s paying as much as $1 more per gallon than most folks in […]