The House this afternoon passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act — the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill — on a 219-212 vote; the bill now heads to the U.S. Senate. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, was the only Bay Area member to oppose the bill, complaining it’s too watered down.

“We have the opportunity and the responsibility to confront catastrophic global warming with bold action. Congress should seize that opportunity by passing legislation that would end our addiction to fossil fuels, prove our leadership to the world, and build a foundation for long-term prosperity. This legislation falls short of these goals,” Stark — who in January introduced the Save Our Climate Act, which would impose a tax on carbon-based fossil fuels to slow climate change — said in his floor statement today. “Many have said that this vote is a historic one that we will be judged by. In my view, history will judge this legislation as a missed opportunity.”

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, is a House Energy and Commerce Committee member who authored four of the bill’s provisions: to spur development of a more effective electric grid; to encourage electric vehicle use; to fund clean energy job training programs; and to promote water efficiency and reduce energy consumption by codifying the WaterSense program, which promotes voluntary labeling of water-efficient products and services. He was proud as a papa Friday.

“With the passage of this legislation we are one step closer to revitalizing our nation’s economy and cutting our dependence on foreign oil,” he said in a news release. “I am proud to support this groundbreaking bill that will benefit generations of Americans and lay the foundation for our country’s long-term economic prosperity.”

McNerney said he spent more than two decades working on clean energy technology before going to Congress, and this bill will help ensure that clean-energy jobs will stay in America. The bill also is “crucial to our national security,” he said. “For too long, we’ve been dependent on energy from foreign and sometimes hostile countries. When we’re developing new energy technologies here at home, we’ll be safer for it. We’ll also ensure cleaner, healthier air for our children and grandchildren by leading the world in addressing the threat of climate change.”

More reactions to the vote, after the jump…
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The Obama Administration today announced $8 billion in conditional loan commitments for development of green cars, including some which is expected to create up to 650 Bay Area jobs.

The money includes $5.9 billion for Ford Motor Company to transform factories across Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio to produce 13 more fuel efficient models; $1.6 billion to Nissan North America, Inc. to retool their Smyrna, Tenn., factory to build advanced electric automobiles and to build an advanced battery manufacturing facility; and $465 million to Tesla Motors to manufacture electric drive trains and electric vehicles in California.

The first Tesla loan will finance a Southern California factory – with an estimated 1,000 jobs – to produce the Tesla Model S sedan, which is expected to be about $50,000 cheaper than Tesla’s first vehicle, the Roadster. The all-electric car consumes no gasoline, running entirely on electricity from any conventional 120V or 220V outlet; it’ll get the equivalent of more than 250 miles per gallon, which is far better than the 32.7 mpg minimum efficiency required for large sedans. Model S production is to start in 2011 and ramp up to 20,000 vehicles per year by the 2013’s end. This integrated facility expects to create 1,000 jobs in Southern California.

The second part of the Tesla loan will support a Bay Area factory – employing an estimated 650 workers – making battery packs and electric drive trains to be used in Teslas and in other automakers’ cars including the Smart Fortwo city car by Daimler. Early pilot battery pack production is to start in 2011, reaching about 10,000 by 2012 and 30,000 packs in 2013.

These are the first conditional loan commitments reached as part of the Energy Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program; more loans are coming in the next few months to large and small auto manufacturers and parts suppliers up and down the production chain.

“We have an historic opportunity to help ensure that the next generation of fuel-efficient cars and trucks are made in America,” President Obama said in a news release. “These loans – and the additional support we will provide through the Section 136 program – will create good jobs and help the auto industry to meet and even exceed the tough fuel economy standards we’ve set, while helping us to regain our competitive edge in the world market.”

Although he’ll be here to talk about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic stimulus funding for clean energy projects, watch for Energy Secretary Steven Chu to mention the Tesla loan when he visits the Edison Electric Institute’s annual convention Thursday in San Francisco.

UPDATE @ 1:36 P.M.: This makes Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger happy, it seems.

“Today’s announcement is just the sort of sustainable energy policy I have been talking about. It is more important than ever that we secure our nation’s energy independence and lay the foundation for long-term competitiveness, and no time is better to do so than right now when our country is facing tough economic times. California is leading the country’s transition to a clean energy future, and with companies like Tesla based here and the assistance of the Department of Energy’s new program, we are spurring the development of green technologies and jobs – setting the stage for robust 21st century growth.”

UPDATE @ 3:51 P.M.: More love and kisses, this time from Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto.

“I’m extremely pleased that Tesla has been named a recipient of the Department of Energy’s AVTM Incentive Program loan. The new loan will allow Tesla to increase its manufacturing capacity and will create 650 green jobs in the Bay Area alone. I voted to create the AVTM Incentive Program because investing in innovative technologies that decrease our dependence on foreign oil is critical to our long-term energy needs.

“Tesla was chosen through a competitive application process and this loan is a testament to their creative work to advancing electric vehicle technology throughout the past decade. Tesla is building the cars of the future and reinventing the American automobile industry right here in Silicon Valley.”

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced it’s providing more than $74 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic stimulus plan to expand home weatherization aid programs in California.

This is only 40 percent of California’s eventual share: The state received 10 percent in March for training and ramp-up activities, and it’ll get the other half after demonstrating successful implementation of its plan to weatherize more than 50,000 homes, thus lowering energy costs for low-income families, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating green jobs. In the end, California’s funding is expected to exceed $185 million, of which up to 20 percent can be spent to hire and train workers.

The Weatherization Assistance Program will be available to families making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, about $44,000 a year for a family of four; these families will see an estimated average of 32 percent for heating bills and savings of hundreds of dollars per year on overall energy bills, according to the Energy Department. States will spend about $6,500 to weatherize each home.

In California, more than 50 non-profits, local governments and community groups will do the work, using national auditing tools to examine homes and determine what’s needed; the state will also require that a third party inspect all weatherized properties, measuring performance based on the work’s quality and speed. And the state will follow the recommendations of the California Green Collar Jobs Council by employing members of the California Conservation Corps, YouthBuild, and other youth employment groups; outreach for the program will be done by canvassing neighborhoods, local advertising, and cooperating with landlords and property managers.

California was among 15 states with funding announced today; more than $453 million is being delivered across the nation.

This just in, via an e-mail from the Impact Fund — renowned environmental justice activist Luke Cole of San Francisco has died in a car accident while abroad:

We have lost a champion for justice. Our dear friend and Board member, Luke Cole, was killed in a car accident while on a sabbatical in western Uganda on June 5. Details of the accident are sketchy, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for his surviving wife Nancy Shelby who was injured to an unknown degree.

Luke was one of the founders of the environmental justice movement, and the Executive Director of the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. No date has yet been set for a memorial.

Per the CRPE’s Web site, Cole has represented community groups across the nation in their struggles for environmental justice, and taught seminars at the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University; and UC-Hastings Law School.

Stark co-authors mental-health bill: Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, was joined by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, and Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., today in introducing the Healthy Transitions Act of 2009, which he says will help millions of young adults with mental illness who fall through the cracks when moving from youth into adulthood. This bill is a response to last year’s Government Accountability Office report (requested by Stark and then-Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore.) which found that the nation’s estimated 2.4 million young adults with serious mental illness have a hard time finding services to aid them during their transition to adulthood because services that are available for mental health, housing and employment are not always suited for and directed to their age group. The bill would offer planning grants to states to develop coordination plans and implementation grants to execute those plans, as well as create a committee to coordinate federal programs helping mentally ill adolescents and young adults; to provide technical aid to states; and to report back to Congress.

Woolsey to testify on oil spills: Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, will be among those testifying Thursday at a House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing entitled “A New Direction for Federal Oil Spill Research and Development,” examining current federal efforts to prevent, detect and mitigate spills. Woolsey will speak on behalf of her new Federal Oil Spill Research Program Act of 2009, which aims to strength spill-response efforts and streamline development of new equipment and cleanup/containment methods. Also testifying will be officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the California Department of Fish and Game.

Honda, Lofgren and Lee tidbits, after the jump…
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Assemblyman Jerry Hill said he’s temporarily shelving his bill to crack down on pollution at the Port of Oakland, at least until the Legislature’s Select Committee on Ports holds a hearing by the end of next month on pollution controls being implemented by the ports of Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles.

“One thing has remained the same since I served on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District: the Port of Oakland continues to drag its feet when it comes to cleaning up the air,” Hill, D-San Mateo, said in a news release today. “This hearing will review the steps California ports are taking to control pollution and highlight areas of improvement that need to be made.”

Hill said research has found truck pollution alone at the Port of Oakland brings health costs of $153 million as well as 18 early deaths per year; West Oakland residents are exposed to three times more diesel particulate matter than other Bay Area residents.

The Port of Oakland commissioners recently adopted a Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan which Hill said didn’t include meaningful commitments to achieve clean air goals such as improvements recommended by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, local environmental, labor and community groups.

Statewide, goods movement pollution already accounts for a quarter of the diesel pollution in the air. The Air Resources Board recently estimated that, if left unregulated, ports alone will constitute the largest source of pollution in the state by 2020—larger than the combined impact of every car on the road in California. Controlling pollution from ports and the rest of the goods movement system is vital to the state’s ability to attain federal and state health-based air quality standards.

“While the recession is putting new pressures on our ports, we still have to prepare for a future of greener operations,” said Ports Select Committee Chairwoman Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach.

(Sorry the audio and video are a bit out of sync…)

“My administration has already taken unprecedented action towards this goal. It’s work that begins with the simplest, fastest, most effective way we have to make our economy cleaner, and that is to make our economy more energy efficient. California has shown that it can be done. While electricity consumption grew 50% in this country over the last three decades, in California, it remained flat. Think about this — I want everybody to think about this — over the last several decades, the rest of the country, we used 50% more energy. California remained flat — used the same amount — even though they were growing just as fast as the rest of the country, because they were more energy efficient. They put in some good policy early on, that assured that they weren’t wasting energy. Now, if California can do it, then the whole country can do it.”

In a joint statement issued this afternoon, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento vowed to begin seriously addressing California’s water woes, particularly the Delta crisis:

Here is the statement:

Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) made the following joint statement today regarding legislative progress on legislation to aid California’s water infrastructure:

“We are working together with the Governor to make 2009 the year that we get a major series of water agreements done in California. We have already convened bipartisan and bicameral legislative meetings with the goal of having a comprehensive fix to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta on the table this legislative session, along with funding for water supply reliability and infrastructure investments.

The Governor has sounded the siren on this issue for a number of years and we’re prepared to work together to get it done. We have legislative engagement from Democrats and Republicans, from Senators and Assembly Members alike. And we will break the logjam on water resources in this state and solve the issues once and for all.”

Save Mount Diablo will lead three guided hikes on portions of the Concord Naval Weapons Station typically inaccessible to the public.

The military has declared the land surplus and the city is in the midst of a planning process on how to use the 5,000-acre mothballed base. Save Mount Diablo is an environmental group that lobbies for open space preservation.

Here are some details of the hikes or for more details, click here to link to Save Mount Diablo’s web site:

Save Mount Diablo will lead walks in three separate areas of the Concord Naval Weapons Station on three weekend days.  Since World War II the Weapons Station has been locked away. As development filled Central Contra Costa County, the Station fences protected thousands of acres and many species of sensitive wildlife. All hikes are on paved roads. We’ll see sections of Mt. Diablo creek and hike into the foothills for views of the Weapons Station and of Central County.

The Concord Naval Weapons Station - Inland Area (5,028 acres or about 8 square miles) has been surplused and its future uses are being planned. This is a rare opportunity to see the CNWS up close.  

Walks are limited to 30 people, start at 7:15 am and return at noon to BART station Signed waiver and RSVP required - no exceptions!

Saturday April 18, 7:15am -Bailey Road South (4 miles roundtrip, 300′ elevation gain)  RSVP with waiver form and other info by Tuesday, April 14, photo ID on the day

Sunday May 10, 7:15 am - Northern Foothills (4.5 miles roundtrip, 580′ elevation gain)  RSVP with waiver form and other info by Tuesday, May 5, photo ID on the day

Saturday May 30, 7:15 am - The BART Station Hills (4.5 miles roundtrip, 175′ elevation gain)  RSVP with waiver form and other info by Tuesday, May 26, photo ID on the day

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton

Former windmill guru Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, introduced three bills this week designed to squeeze more efficiency out of the nation’s electrical grid and train young people for green jobs.

The Smart Grid Advancement Act (HR 1774) requires utility companies and states to develop a plan for the use of technology that allows appliances such as refrigerators to reduce their draw on the electricity grid during peak use hours.

The shift would spread out demand for electricity and reduce costs associated with the construction of high-capacity plants required to meet the peak demand hours,  McNerney said during a call-in press conference with reporters this morning.

The Vehicles for the Future Act (HR1730) requires public utility commissions to develop plans for the installation of fee-based electrical charging stations for plug-in hybrid or electric cars.

“The average electric vehicle is a much more efficient way to move cars up and down the highway,” McNerney said. “It is the equivalent of 75 cents a gallon (of gas.) But the utilities need a way to know who is plugging in in order to charge the appropriate person.”

The GREEN Act (HR 1775) seeks $100 million for the creation of college and career school training programs in green energy jobs.  The federal Department of Education would award the funds throughout the nation in a competitive grant program.

“The smart grid and vehicles of the future are more long-term but the GREEN Act will have a more immediate impact because it will allow schools to develop programs right away to start teaching,” McNerney said. “They will be able to hire teachers and get programs going right away so that workers will be available to put in projects like solar panels, windmills or geothermal projects.”

McNerney is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

To become law, the bills must pass out of McNerney’s committee, the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and be signed by the president.