Wow! California to Ban the Sale of New Gasoline Cars after 2035

This will accelerate the electric-car market. Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman report (gift link, no paywall) in the NY Times:

California is expected to put into effect on Thursday its sweeping plan to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a groundbreaking move that could have major effects on the effort to fight climate change and accelerate a global transition toward electric vehicles.

“This is huge,” said Margo Oge, an electric vehicles expert who headed the Environmental Protection Agency’s transportation emissions program under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. “California will now be the only government in the world that mandates zero-emission vehicles. It is unique.”

The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board, will require that 100 percent of all new cars sold in the state by 2035 be free of the fossil fuel emissions chiefly responsible for warming the planet, up from 12 percent today. It sets interim targets requiring that 35 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state by 2026 produce zero emissions. That would climb to 68 percent by 2030.

The restrictions are important because not only is California the largest auto market in the United States, but more than a dozen other states typically follow California’s lead when setting their own auto emissions standards.

“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said in a statement.

California’s action comes on top of an expansive new climate law that President Biden signed last week. The law will invest $370 billion in spending and tax credits on clean energy programs, the largest action ever taken by the federal government to combat climate change. Enactment of that law is projected to help the United States cut its emissions 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade. Still, it will not be enough to eliminate U.S. emissions by 2050, the target that climate scientists say all major economies must reach if the world is to avert the most catastrophic and deadly impacts of climate change.

To help close the gap, White House officials have vowed to couple the bill with new regulations, including on automobile tailpipe emissions. They have also said that reducing emissions enough to stay in line with the science also will require aggressive state policies.

Experts said the new California rule, in both its stringency and reach, could stand alongside the Washington law as one of the world’s most important climate change policies, and could help take another significant bite out of the nation’s emissions of carbon dioxide. The new rule is also expected to influence new policies in Washington and around the world to promote electric vehicles and cut auto pollution. . .

Continue reading. (gift link, no paywall)

California has 13 years to build up the infrastructure required (charging stations, mainly), and I bet new homes will right now start including a charging capability for electric cars — if I were building a home on spec, I would make sure that was included (competitive advantage over homes that lack that facility). And in fact I imagine new homes will soon be roofed with solar shingles.

D.R. Harris makes great stuff

Today, as yesterday, I turn to D.R. Harris for my my shaving soap, and today it’s Arlington, “a classic blend of Citrus and Fern.” The brush is my Rooney Stye 1 Size Super Silvertip, and it did a great job (partly because I used the LABL method).

Today’s razor, like the RazoRock MJ-80A I used yesterday, is based on the Edwin Jagger/Mühle head design, the difference being that today’s razor head actually is an Edwin Jagger head (though mounted here on an iKon bulldog stainless-steel handle). In comparing the feel and performance of the two razors, yesterday’s and today’s, I would say that the MJ-90A is a little better. In terms of materials, of course, the MJ-90A is significantly better.

Nonetheless, I still got a pleasurable shave and an excellent result. The reason the EJ/Mühle head design is so often cloned and copied is that it is a great design. Three passes easily and comfortably produced a smooth face, and a splash of Arlington aftershave (with a couple of squirts of Grooming Dept Hydrating Gel) finished the job.

The tea this morning is Mariage Frères Sakura Bleu Thé:

The new SAKURA BLUE® label JARDIN PREMIER is a fabulous blue tea with the scent of cherry blossoming. The indigo nuance liqueur recalls the azure skies of the sunny mornings of Tokyo. The cup offers the refreshing fluffy petals that fly away in the spring. A sparkling bottle of blue and silver protects this delicious scented composition.

Mariage Frères uses “blue tea” as their term (note trademark) for Oolong:

Blue Tea ™ is intermediate between black tea and green tea: the leaves have undergone a short oxidation. It is also called Oolong, which means “black dragon” and sometimes “Bohéa,” “Bohé,” or “Bou” by alteration of the word “Wu Yi,” the name of the famous mountain in Fujian province where famous gardens are found and the production of blue teas is renowned.

Oolong is brewed at a lower temperature than is black tea: see these brewing temperatures:

• Black tea: 212 degrees
• Green tea: 175 to 180 degrees
• White tea: 175 to 180 degrees
• Oolong tea: 195 degrees
• Pu-erh tea: 212 degrees
• Purple tea: 175 to 180 degrees
• Herbal tea: 212 degrees
• Rooibos tea: 212 degrees

The Best Diet for Treating Atrial Fibrillation

I don’t suffer from A-fib, and if I did, my pacemaker would be a big help, but I know some who do. This video is striking.