Hey, I actually wrote Totalenergies about this very news and asked them how they could cowtow to this type of coercion. Got a note saying they received it, no other reply.
Let's all be climate Cassandras/budget watchdogs - and not leave these tall orders on Sammy's shoulders alone. Thank you for penning another good one, Sammy.
Unfortunately the gubernatorial debate hosts Wed 4/22/26 did not raise water stakes questions. And these 60, 30, 15 second responses was very infantilizing. Legacy media is not calling this out; is this default acceptable to those journalists?
Yes, my brain blew up when I saw this story. Stop this bribe now! This is madness. The lesson from the Straits of Hormuz must be Get Off Fossil Fuels Now.
Thank you for reporting on this. It makes me feel sick to my stomach but I appreciate what you're doing to report on it. I'll be at my local No Kings Protest with that John Oliver quote on my sign.
And still, in spite of all this horrible climate news, some 20,000 Dems are going to buy brand new gas-burning cars today. They did it yesterday and they'll do it tomorrow and every day going forward. They will then spend hundreds of billions on gasoline to fuel them for ten years. How can we expect to beat these horrible Republicans while funding them with billions of dollars every year? And how can we expect to kill the internal combustion engine industry while people on our side literally buy millions of new gas cars every year? These are serious questions that I want answers to.
Are YOU a liberal/progressive/democrat? Do YOU drive a gas car? What hell are you waiting for?
I did. It was a wonderful breath of fresh air. I wrote a very hurried LTE in response:
To the editor:
The internal combustion engine (ICE) is a culprit we can dispense with fairly quickly, and when we do, major changes in pollution and global politics will occur. Prior to 2011, when the Leaf and Volt came to market, there were no mass market EVs available. Since then, for over 15 years, car buyers have had the choice to buy a car that can be powered by clean, renewable electricity instead of gasoline. Last year, only 10% of American buyers chose the clean EV option, while in China, over 50% of new car buyers go electric, and in Europe it ranges from 30% to 60%, and it’s now 100% in Norway.
The ICE industry is gradually dying. In 2017, 86 million ICE vehicles were sold globally. In 2022 that number dropped to 69 million, and it’s fallen more since then. Last year, 26% of all vehicle sales were electric. China, Europe, along with California and ten other states, will not allow the sale of new ICE vehicles after 2035. The legacy auto industry knows this and have responded by attempting to build compelling EVs that can be sold at a profit. So far, there has been modest success, at best. Tesla, on the other hand, is growing fast. Their full self driving is extremely good, easily better than 99% of human drivers, and their cybercab is nearing production. Fully-autonomous and very cheap door-to-door transportation options will transform all transportation.
Given that, the most effective tool available is to hurt the sale of new ICE vehicles. Estimates vary, but a general consensus is that some 600-800 million new ICE vehicles will be made between now and when the ICE industry is finally, and permanently, dead. When someone buys a gas-burning car, the factory makes another. Never buy a gas car again. Research which EV will serve your daily needs, figure out where you'll charge it, then save up and get it done as quickly as possible. This needs to be your top priority.
Trump to the petrio crooks, give me x billions, I will protect you. And sadly ,Newsom, in paying pg&e to continue operating Diablo Canyon, and sustaining CPUC's punitive rates for solar users adds to the sabotage.
Trump has despised wind farms ever since one was built off the coast of his golf course in Scotland. Now he’s shutting down wind farms across the US and boosting fossil fuels, including reopening drilling along the California coast. Since he’s so enamored with “drill baby drill”, let’s plant an oil rig offshore from his precious golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Hey, I actually wrote Totalenergies about this very news and asked them how they could cowtow to this type of coercion. Got a note saying they received it, no other reply.
Appreciate your reporting and candor.
Thank you for reading!
Let's all be climate Cassandras/budget watchdogs - and not leave these tall orders on Sammy's shoulders alone. Thank you for penning another good one, Sammy.
Thanks very much, Claudia!
Unfortunately the gubernatorial debate hosts Wed 4/22/26 did not raise water stakes questions. And these 60, 30, 15 second responses was very infantilizing. Legacy media is not calling this out; is this default acceptable to those journalists?
Yes, my brain blew up when I saw this story. Stop this bribe now! This is madness. The lesson from the Straits of Hormuz must be Get Off Fossil Fuels Now.
I've been watching the Nat Geo series "Gathering Storm" (https://www.natgeotv.com/za/shows/natgeo/a-gathering-storm)
and wondering how many of those NOAA and weather scientists are now laid off since filming in 2020...
A sad thought :-(
Thank you for reporting on this. It makes me feel sick to my stomach but I appreciate what you're doing to report on it. I'll be at my local No Kings Protest with that John Oliver quote on my sign.
Thank you for reading! Glad you appreciated the John Oliver quote as much as I do.
And still, in spite of all this horrible climate news, some 20,000 Dems are going to buy brand new gas-burning cars today. They did it yesterday and they'll do it tomorrow and every day going forward. They will then spend hundreds of billions on gasoline to fuel them for ten years. How can we expect to beat these horrible Republicans while funding them with billions of dollars every year? And how can we expect to kill the internal combustion engine industry while people on our side literally buy millions of new gas cars every year? These are serious questions that I want answers to.
Are YOU a liberal/progressive/democrat? Do YOU drive a gas car? What hell are you waiting for?
I'm assuming you saw: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/opinion/electric-vehicles-solar-gas-prices.html
I did. It was a wonderful breath of fresh air. I wrote a very hurried LTE in response:
To the editor:
The internal combustion engine (ICE) is a culprit we can dispense with fairly quickly, and when we do, major changes in pollution and global politics will occur. Prior to 2011, when the Leaf and Volt came to market, there were no mass market EVs available. Since then, for over 15 years, car buyers have had the choice to buy a car that can be powered by clean, renewable electricity instead of gasoline. Last year, only 10% of American buyers chose the clean EV option, while in China, over 50% of new car buyers go electric, and in Europe it ranges from 30% to 60%, and it’s now 100% in Norway.
The ICE industry is gradually dying. In 2017, 86 million ICE vehicles were sold globally. In 2022 that number dropped to 69 million, and it’s fallen more since then. Last year, 26% of all vehicle sales were electric. China, Europe, along with California and ten other states, will not allow the sale of new ICE vehicles after 2035. The legacy auto industry knows this and have responded by attempting to build compelling EVs that can be sold at a profit. So far, there has been modest success, at best. Tesla, on the other hand, is growing fast. Their full self driving is extremely good, easily better than 99% of human drivers, and their cybercab is nearing production. Fully-autonomous and very cheap door-to-door transportation options will transform all transportation.
Given that, the most effective tool available is to hurt the sale of new ICE vehicles. Estimates vary, but a general consensus is that some 600-800 million new ICE vehicles will be made between now and when the ICE industry is finally, and permanently, dead. When someone buys a gas-burning car, the factory makes another. Never buy a gas car again. Research which EV will serve your daily needs, figure out where you'll charge it, then save up and get it done as quickly as possible. This needs to be your top priority.
Paul Scott
Santa Monica
Trump to the petrio crooks, give me x billions, I will protect you. And sadly ,Newsom, in paying pg&e to continue operating Diablo Canyon, and sustaining CPUC's punitive rates for solar users adds to the sabotage.
Trump has despised wind farms ever since one was built off the coast of his golf course in Scotland. Now he’s shutting down wind farms across the US and boosting fossil fuels, including reopening drilling along the California coast. Since he’s so enamored with “drill baby drill”, let’s plant an oil rig offshore from his precious golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The golf course origin story never ceases to amaze me...