Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Many of you reading are familiar with the effort in America to get the very first high-speed train endeavor built and then placed into service. There are so many advantages to constructing and using high-speed rail, not the least of which is helping clear the air, literally! But, for all of the good they’re capable … Read more
SACRAMENTO— California hit an important milestone in its shift away from polluting fuel sources, with clean fuels replacing over 50% of the diesel used in the state in the first quarter of 2023. California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which requires fuel producers to reduce the carbon intensity of fuel sold in the state, is … Read more
On Thursday, NASA released the first data maps from its new instrument launched to space earlier this year, which now is successfully transmitting information about major air pollutants over North America. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that all people have a right to breathe clean air. Data from the TEMPO mission will help … Read more
AMHERST, Mass. – A University of Massachusetts Amherst cancer epidemiology researcher will explore for the first time how women’s breast tissue is affected by exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances that have been widely used in consumer products with non-stick, water- and stain-resistant coatings. “Our overall goal is to understand if PFAS contribute to … Read more
If you drive a car, SUV or pickup truck, how do higher gas prices affect your driving habits – if at all? In America right now, gas prices are some of the highest they’ve been in recent history, if not the highest they’ve ever been. Across the country, according to one source, the price for … Read more
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today [Aug. 21, 2023] that it is pulling the plug on its reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, commonly referred to as smog and starting a lengthy, slow full review. As a result of today’s decision, if the EPA doesn’t pick up … Read more
We all have to eat, right? What we put in our bodies intentionally or enters via an involuntary process as is the case with breathing, all has an influencing effect in terms of the way our health or physical well-being shakes out over time. So, why is it that, generally speaking, we seem to treat … Read more
Lots of exciting developments on the U.S. passenger-train front. Before year’s end, Brightline service will be inaugurated between Miami and Orlando International Airport. Top speed on the section between West Palm Beach and the latter, 125 miles per hour. This will be the second such domestic operation whose passenger trains will travel that fast. Quite … Read more
As an environmental journalist more broadly and an air-quality (and climate) correspondent more narrowly, on matters dealing with such issues, only the facts will do. Anything less and it’s nothing more than hearsay. Therefore, I am obliged to stay informed on matters dealing with such issues, which would be impossible without me first doing my … Read more
“Since the 1970s, U.S. scientists and environmental regulators made significant strides in reducing air pollution by cleaning up tailpipe and smokestack emissions. Yet levels of two of the most harmful types of pollution, ground-level ozone and fine particulates, have decreased only modestly in recent years. Both still contribute to the premature deaths of more than … Read more