No clean air progress before the Bush administration leaves office; more record fuel prices; and does the Terminator want to work for President Barack Obama?

Decisions Shut Door on Bush Clean-Air Steps: That screeching noise you heard Friday was the possibility of improving U.S. air quality before the Bush administration leaves office. The first blow came when a federal court issued a ruling essentially scrapping the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule. Act Two was handed down by the Environmental Protection Agency administrator Stephen L. Johnson, who said that the agency finds no legal mandate to address greenhouse gas emissions under current law. On Sunday, outgoing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attacked the Bush administration for inaction on green issues. He also strongly hinted he was interested in serving as a national “energy tsar” should Barack Obama win the presidency in November. (New York Times)

Diesel hits record, gas ticks higher: Another week, another record. This time, it’s for diesel: $4.82 a gallon. The U.S. average price of gasoline as you start your Monday commute is $4.10 a gallon. That a few tenths of a cent cheaper than the all-time high, which was set just last week. (CNN Money)

French rail company makes $1.7 billion profit in 2007: In the United States, we subsidize passenger rail traffic. In France, it makes bug money. French rail company SNCF says they pulled in a whopping profit of over $1.7 billion in 2007, and they expect to improve that position by the end of this year. Governments are again eyeing passenger rail as domestic airlines buckle under the weight of $140 a barrel crude oil. (Autoblog Green)

Mission Possible? LEED Certified Homes for $100K: LEED-certified home construction is great, but everyone knows there’s a fairly steep financial barrier to entry. Now a Philadelphia-based coalition of green developers thinks they can get people into LEED-certified, 1,000 square foot homes at under $100,000. The 100k House Project has been building away at two rigorously green homes since last October. While both will likely sell at about twice their target price, the sponsoring groups believe what they learn will allow them to fabricate highly modern, deeply efficient future LEED homes for $100 per square foot. (Inhabitat)

PG&E’s CEO on T. Boone Plan: Not the Right Way: Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Peter Darbee is not on board for oilman T. Boone Pickens’ so-called “Pickens Plan” for energy independence. Pickens’ proposal leans heavily on natural gas, which — while cleaner than alternatives such as coal — is still a fossil fuel. PG&E is heavily invested in diversified energy production, trying out everything from concentrated solar to wind to biomass power. Darbee says there would not be sufficient natural gas to meet demand. He also confided his fear thatt big solar and wind subsidies scheduled to expire at the end of this year may not be renewed. (Earth3Tech)

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