Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The two oldest modes of mechanized land transportation are also two of the best – still – even after all these years. Not surprisingly, it is the train and bicycle we are talking about here. The latter, about 180 years1 in the making and the former, 20 years the bicycle’s senior; about a generation difference.2 … Read more
As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, news outlets are providing media coverage, and the way the eclipse is being covered, well, this is just about tantamount to the moon covering the sun – not a beat missed. It seems as if there isn’t a person on this … Read more
The wait has been long but a wait well worth it. The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District, or SMART for short, has announced that beginning on Aug. 25, 2017 SMART passenger train service will commence, stating that it has been granted the all-clear from the Federal Railroad Administration in regards to rail passenger service being … Read more
High-speed trains have been part of the landscape, a fixture, if you will, since 1934, with Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) model GG1 electric locomotive whose top speed was 100 miles per hour and for a non-electric, Union Pacific’s M-10001 diesel-electric trainset, its maximum velocity, a reputed 120 mph. Certainly not to be overlooked were the many … Read more
Now I know I’m not gonna win any popularity contests by my writing this or earn any awards, for that matter. But, because the Air Quality Matters blog is all about “discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related,” nothing here in this regard is off limits; nope, not even this. So, with that … Read more
Picture what it’s like living next to or very near a busy expressway, freeway, highway, motorway or turnpike for your entire life or if not that, then a goodly proportion of it. I would assume some of you reading this can directly relate. The sound of trucks barreling past all hours of the day and … Read more
On Oct. 1, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it established a new uniform standard for both primary and secondary ozone, set at 70 parts per billion (ppb) each. The standard was lowered from the one set in 2008 by 5 ppb. This national ozone standard is averaged over a period of eight … Read more
Transportation: Is it all it can be? Not even. How do I know? Consider the evidence: Motor vehicle over-reliance. The consequent attributed casualties to vehicle crashes galore. Tailpipe exhausted emissions in excess and the impact of such on health and wellbeing. Also, congested and gridlocked traffic is way, way overboard. Need I say more? We’ve … Read more
Air pollution. Who can deny its existence? Not you, not I, no one! Air pollution, though not something you can hold or feel, it is nevertheless real. However, big-picture-wise, air pollution gets paid hardly any mind at all – barely registering a blip on the planet’s radar screen of most-pressing issues. It seems as if the … Read more
The effective reduction of air pollution will hinge on three factors: technology, science and policy. Not surprising since it is through technological innovation, scientific discovery and policymaking, mainly, that pollution in our air is present. It’s not rocket science, you know. So, let’s take rocket development, since I brought rockets up, for example. And, in … Read more