The state is exceeding its 2011 fuel standard so far.  California adopted a policy that requires the transportation fuel mix to reduce the carbon intensity from 0.25 in 2011 to 10 percent by 2020, and it has already reached 6 percent in 2012.  So far, so good!

According to a recent UC Davis report, “Since California’s low carbon fuel standard went into effect in 2011, low-carbon transportation fuels have displaced roughly 2.14 billion gallons of gasoline and 77 million gasoline gallon equivalents of diesel.  This prevented the emission of about 2.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equal to removing half a million vehicles from the road.”  This is good news for our lungs and for the planet.

Low carbon fuels include biofuels from waste and plant materials, natural gas, electricity used in plug-in vehicles, and hydrogen used in fuel cell vehicles.  About 78% were ethanol generated from corn, other grains and sugarcane.  12% came from natural gas and bio-based gases, 9% came from biodiesel and renewable diesel, and 1%  from electricity.

Companies have the option to either invest in low-carbon fuel technologies or use the carbon credit market to buy greenhouse gas emission reduction credits from other companies that can produce transportation fuels that mitigate emissions at lower cost.  Read the article released from UC Davis News Service.

“I believe in doing everything to ensure that environment is a healthy place for everyone.  We have to pass it on to new generations, so we should do all we can to protect it.”

In Davis, the Fast & Easy Chevron station on Research Park Drive used to offer “Flex fuel.”  The station averaged about 10 customers a day, until the Stockton supply company went bankrupt and stopped its supplies in 2009.

This month the south Davis station has resumed selling biodiesel called B5 because it contains 5% biomass.  They also offer E85 ethanol fuel, which is 85% ethanol from grain alcohol produced from crops such as corn.  They are hoping to gain past and new customers.
Manager Javed said, “I believe in doing everything to ensure that environment is a healthy place for everyone.  We have to pass it on to new generations, so we should do all we can to protect it.”
Read more here.