Clean Mobility stations selling locally-sourced biofuels on West Coast

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FRESNO, Calif. –  A new wave of gas stations is hitting the West Coast.

Propel Fuels is launching its Clean Mobility Centers in Fresno. The stations will offer both E85 and biodiesels ranging from B5 to B99 that will be locally-sourced from producers in Central California.

"We think the Clean Mobility Center represents the gas station of the future. We recognize that America's needs are changing when it comes to gas stations. People are using alternative forms of transportation and people want to use things other than oil to fuel their vehicle," said Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels.

Any flex fuel vehicle can use the E85, while the biodiesel blend works on vehicles that run on diesel, although not all automobile manufacturers approve it, so it may void your warranty. Propel Fuels has partnered with Calgren Renewable Fuels in Pixley, Calif., to supply the ethanol blend and Community Fuels in Stockton, Calif., for the biodiesel.

"We are able to work with existing partners who produce ethanol and biodiesel very close and very local, local resource, really keeping it in the local community and keeping that economic activity domestic here in the United States," said Horton.

Opened in 2009, Calgren has produced 55 million gallons of ethanol per year, enough to meet 10 percent of all of California's ethanol needs.

"It's a good thing because Propel and folks like them are increasing the amount of renewable fuels that we use in our gas tanks. It cleans up the air, we're a clean burning fuel, it reduces are dependence on foreign oil and it allows us to bring jobs into our state and frankly our whole country," said Lyle Schlyer, president of Calgren.

Customers like the idea of purchasing fuel that comes from the United States.

"Before knowing that this place was here, I only bought my gas that was manufactured in the United States so that was something I did anyway. And this is a great alternative, I feel more comfortable about buying gas that is made here that goes toward our economy versus being imported from somewhere else," said customer Nicole Kelley.

But there are some drawbacks. Even though it’s cheaper than gas, E85 has about 30 percent less energy than gasoline so you get lower fuel economy using it. That means more trips to pump.

"We really try and keep that discount really large so people aren't penalized so it's a good value proposition for the customer," said Horton

Denny Lauris notices he's not getting as great as gas mileage, but says filling up on E-85 is helping keep costs down.

"It's a huge difference in cost. It makes a big difference especially on a bigger vehicle it saves me about $12-15 dollars a tank," said Denny Lauris.

For people who aren't driving there's a bicycle repair center, free air, and information about transit. Even if you don't have a car that's compatible with the biofuels you can still fill up on standard gasoline, and carbon offsets for all of the fuels are available for purchase at the pumps. The fossil fuels used at the stations come from a industry supplier, so they’re not necessarily local.

Propel has more than 35 locations throughout the states of California and Washington and are planning to open more than 200 over the next two years.

Michelle Macaluso is part of the Junior Reporter program at Fox News. Get more information on the program here.

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13 all-white bathrooms with clean and classic style

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Bathrooms are the smallest rooms in the house for most of us. They also require the most cleaning and upkeep. That's part of why white is so seductive in a bathroom: It creates a sense of space, and it looks clean and bright.

But there are other reasons to love the all-white bathroom. Like a gallery, it showcases whatever else you put in it, whether that's art, flowers, books, towels or rubber duckies.

Plus, it's a classic. No one can argue with a white bathroom. At worst, it's inoffensive. At best, it's elegant, clean, simple and beautiful.

Modern Bathroom by Sag Harbor General Contractor S.M. CONTRACTING INC

This simple white bathroom gets its modern flair from the floating vanity, the wall-size mirror and the total lack of flourish. All the clean, straight lines help highlight the view.

Eclectic Bathroom by New York Interior Designer Tara Seawright

As soon as you add beadboard to a white bathroom, you are going to get a touch of the marine. That, along with the tooled legs of the vanity and the recessed cabinets, gives this contemporary bathroom a classic look.

Modern Bathroom by Brooklyn Architect Sean O'Brien Architecture

Picking a warm white and adding natural accessories like this basket and these touches of wood and browns make even an empty white room like this feel welcoming and cozy.

Modern Bathroom by San Francisco Architect Todd Davis Architecture

This is nearly identical to the bathroom above, but the tones are gray, and the lack of personal touches makes it seem cold and sterile in comparison. Some of the difference is due to the style of architectural photography, but tone makes a huge difference.

Modern Bathroom by Oakland General Contractor Mueller Nicholls Cabinets and Construction

Natural wood glows against white. And natural light is white's best buddy.

Traditional Bathroom by Charleston Architect Frederick + Frederick Architects

White doesn't have to mean unadorned. Carrara marble floor tiles, a subtle wallpaper and that chandelier add a luxurious and opulent feel to this not-so-simple white room.

Traditional Bathroom by Victoria Interior Designer The Sky is the Limit Design

This bathroom is also adorned with Carrara marble tile, but it is much more of a blank slate.

Modern Bathroom by San Francisco Architect Sutro Architects

It must be said yet again: Color takes on new power against white.

Contemporary Bathroom by Montreal Interior Designer Esther Hershcovich

So does art. This bathroom is a gallery that you happen to be able to shower in.

Contemporary Bathroom by Other Metro Interior Designer carde reimerdes

This tiny eclectic bathroom can afford to mix and match styles and eras, because the color brings it all together.

Traditional Bathroom by Poughkeepsie Architect Daniel Contelmo Architects

A classic, creamy white bathroom adorned with every possible molding and flourish. Even though it is all white, it has a feminine plushness.

Contemporary Bathroom by New York Photographer Vanni Archive/Architectural Photography

Check out the gold-tone fixtures, a cool and unexpected choice that might go Las Vegas against anything but bright white.

Contemporary Bathroom by Austin Interior Designer Mark Ashby Design

If you have a view like this, it is best highlighted with a white frame.

Related:

• Ideas: Browse beautiful fireplaces
• Houzz bathroom remodeling guides
• Help: Find a local general contractor

Houzz is the leading online platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish -- online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals around the world. Samantha Schoech is a contributor to Houzz.

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EPA tries hard to keep nominee Gina McCarthy 'clean' before confirmation hearings

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  FILE -- Feb. 21, 2013: Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency, speaks at a climate workshop sponsored by the Climate Center at Georgetown University in Washington.AP

It's as brazen a defiance of the law as Washington has seen, and the perpetrators are going to get away with it unless things change quickly.

The Environmental Protection Agency has bobbed and weaved, defied court orders, made a mockery of the FOIA process and spent barrels of ink redacting its clearly public records ... all to keep Gina McCarthy clean until she can be confirmed in the Senate to become the agency's next administrator.

The Environment and Public Works Committee will vote this week on McCarthy's nomination. Senators should not act on her nomination until she orders the veil lifted and lets Americans know her record with regard to President Obama's war on coal and efforts by the administration to build outside support for a carbon tax.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute and a others have been after EPA since last fall for emails about its coordination of outside support for President Obama's energy and environment agenda.

There is a culture of secrecy at EPA characterized by widespread use of email aliases and illegal use of private email and messaging accounts to conduct agency business outside of the public's view.

CEI's Christopher Horner has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for former Administrator Lisa Jackson's emails on coal and carbon. When he found out she also had a fake name account -- Richard Windsor was her handle -- he FOIA-ed those records, too.

When he found out that Jackson and top staffers, including McCarthy, communicated through IMs and texts, he FOIA-ed those. 

EPA has responded with emails that were either irrelevant or comically redacted. Or it has missed deadlines or declined to produce documents despite court orders. Finally, as CEI alleged in a suit this week, it simply refused to acknowledge the requests.

As a result, we've learned little about Jackson's thoughts and deeds and considerably less about McCarthy's. 

Virtually none of the 9,000 emails EPA has turned over -- almost all heavily redacted -- are from McCarthy. Which is odd since the search was for coal and carbon and McCarthy now heads EPA's Air and Radiation Office.

This experience also told us there is a culture of secrecy at EPA characterized by widespread use of email aliases and illegal use of private email and messaging accounts to conduct agency business outside of the public's view-- and that McCarthy is an active enabler of and participant in that culture.

Something must be up. When the Richard Windsor account was revealed, Jackson's senior counsel quit. When it became clear her emails would have to be turned over, she quit. When Region 8 Administrator Jim Martin was caught using private email for public business, he quit.

That's a lot of quitting and a lot of obfuscating, and the Senate should demand answers before it moves on McCarthy.

Brian McNicoll is Senior Director of Communications for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

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EPA to unveil plan to clean up tailpipe pollution that critics say would raise gas prices

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The White House is planning to unveil a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency that aims to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions, a plan officials say will lead to cleaner air but also higher gas prices.

The so-called Tier 3 standards would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent and reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, by expanding across the country a standard already in place in California. It would go into effect in 2017.

The oil industry, Republicans and some Democrats have pressed the EPA to delay the rule, saying it would be unwise to impose such a standard while many are still struggling in a bad economy. An oil industry study says the rule could increase gasoline prices by 6 to 9 cents per gallon.

The EPA says the potential increase in gas prices would be slight, estimating the rules could increase gas prices by less than a penny per gallon and add $130 to the cost of a vehicle in 2025. Additionally, the agency argues the plan will yield billions of dollars in health benefits by slashing smog- and soot-forming pollution come 2030.

For states, the regulation will make it easier to comply with health-based standards for the main ingredient in smog and soot. For auto makers, the regulation allows them to sell the same autos in all 50 states.

Environmentalists hailed the proposal as potentially the most significant in President Obama's second term.

The Obama administration has already moved to clean up motor vehicles by adopting rules that will double fuel efficiency and putting in place the first-ever standards to reduce the pollution blamed for global warming from cars and trucks.

"We know of no other air pollution control strategy that can achieve such substantial, cost-effective and immediate emission reductions," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Becker said the rule would reduce pollution equal to taking 33 million cars off the road.

But the head of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Charles Drevna, said in an interview Thursday that the refiners' group was still unclear on the motives behind the agency's regulation, since refining companies have already spent $10 billion to reduce sulfur by 90 percent. The additional cuts, while smaller, will cost just as much, Drevna said, and the energy needed for the additional refining could actually increase carbon pollution by 1 to 2 percent.

"I haven't seen an EPA rule on fuels that has come out since 1995 that hasn't said it would cost only a penny or two more," Drevna said.

A study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute estimated that lowering the sulfur in gasoline would add 6 to 9 cents per gallon to refiners' manufacturing costs, an increase that would likely be passed down to consumers at the pump. The EPA estimate of less than 1 cent is also an additional manufacturing cost and likely to be passed on.

A senior administration official said Thursday that only 16 of 111 refineries would need to invest in major equipment to meet the new standards, which could be final by the end of this year. Of the remaining refineries, 29 already are meeting the standards because they are selling cleaner fuel in California or other countries, and 66 would have to make modifications.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rule was still undergoing White House budget office review.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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