EPA institutes new oil-refinery-emissions rules, tougher standards set

It seems there can’t be oil refining without pollution being released into the air on account of it. The trick is to minimize the amount of air pollution created from oil-refining processes and this cannot happen unless mitigation measures are put into effect to achieve that end. Which is why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency … Read more

What navigating the VW-diesel-vehicle-recall road ahead may look like

Vehicle-emissions testing is a subject here that comes up every once and again. Vehicle-emissions testing has lately been in the spotlight on account of the controversy surrounding diesel-vehicle-exhaust-emissions rigging in the 11 million Volkswagen diesel-powered motor vehicles affected worldwide, which the company has admitted to. A big problem is how all of the fallout connected … Read more

Drought does or does not make air pollution worse; which is correct and why?

Rain influences air pollution. Wind does also. So, why wouldn’t drought? Seems logical it would. I read where the effects of the drought in the western U.S., at least in the San Joaquin Valley of California, have made air pollution worse. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Executive Director and Air Pollution Control Officer … Read more

TIFFS: Rail’s inability to meet 2015 safety system deadline could mean far worse air

Number 14 in the Transport-in-a-Fine-Fix Series. The reality is that U.S. railroads will not be able to have a safety system known as positive train control (PTC) completely installed and operational on between 70,000 and 80,000 route-miles of track by this coming Dec. 31st, and that could mean a potential industry shutdown. It appears as … Read more

In-lab or on-road: Best new diesel-vehicle emissions-testing protocol?

On-the-road under real-world driving conditions or in the laboratory under non-real-world driving conditions, which is the best method for measuring emissions from new diesel vehicle exhaust systems? – that is the question. Auto manufacturers may tend to favor in-lab testing programs while all people who are affected by vehicle emissions in a health context might … Read more

America reduces energy-sector pollution, but room for improvement still

Rarely, it seems, the news is of a positive nature as it has to do with air pollution and the energy sector. But, there are times when news in this regard is encouraging. The Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) “New Report: U.S. Power Sector Continues to Reduce Air Pollution Emissions in Advance of EPA’s Clean … Read more

Of smoggy, smoky, sooty air/school-district response: What, are they kidding?! An update

Since posting “Of smoggy, smoky, sooty air/school-district response: What, are they kidding?!” also on Sept. 9, 2015 the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an Air Alert. You can view the “Officials issue an Air Alert to extend through Friday: Public asked to reduce vehicle emissions during period of poor air quality” news … Read more

Of smoggy, smoky, sooty air/school-district response: What, are they kidding?!

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in the city of Clovis, California in Fresno County, was a day like few others I’ve known – high temperatures with smoggy, smoky and sooty air. And, it wasn’t limited to just Clovis. Whether it was Clovis, northwest Fresno or central Madera County, yesterday skies were a putrid-looking gray and the … Read more

TIFFS: In future, more driving with fewer cars a possibility, researcher concludes

Number 13 in the Transport-in-a-Fine-Fix Series. Up till now, I have only looked at the numbers on American driving in the aggregate – total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) among all types of vehicles occupying U.S. roads. This has been both done for VMT for each person within the population (or per-capita) and total VMT. What … Read more

Time again to ‘gear up’ for National Drive Electric Week Sept. 12-20

It’s that time of the year again. Time to test drive an electric car or plug-in hybrid vehicle. “National Drive Electric Week, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, is based on the idea that nothing beats learning the ropes from existing owners and ride-n-drives in clean, quiet and powerful plug-in vehicles for converting gasoline-car drivers … Read more