Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Over the past two years, Congress has passed several much-needed laws and allocated over a trillion dollars to grow and update infrastructure and clean energy technology in the United States to combat climate change and lower consumer energy costs. However, these projects cannot become a reality under the current regulatory structure, which takes several years … Read more
Helena, MT – A judge ruled in favor of Montana youth climate plaintiffs today, declaring the state is violating its own constitution by not protecting the right to a clean environment. Held v. Montana was the first-ever youth climate case to go to trial in the U.S. and now is the first victory, setting a … 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
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif.― The Bureau of Land Management late Wednesday ordered an oil company to permanently close and remove 11 long-dormant oil wells inside the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a unique landscape in central California famous for its vibrant springtime wildflower displays and rare wildlife. The order was part of a legal agreement … Read more
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29) — A new nationwide survey of American voters’ attitudes reveals a significant divide between voters’ attitudes about the best short-and long-term solutions for reducing traffic, versus the actual priorities of their state and local transportation agencies. In 2021 The Washington Post estimated that highway widening and expansion consumed more than a … Read more
Editor’s note: It is my hope that the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP-28) to be held in Dubai late this fall yields some constructive talks with consensus reached, all of the delegates attending come to agreement and work at putting climate on a path to stabilization will be forthcoming in time and is sufficiently … Read more
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) released a notice of intent announcing the first in a series of funding opportunities to monitor and reduce methane emissions, one of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis, from the oil and gas sector and … Read more
BONN and GENEVA – According to ERA5 data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record and the month is on track to be the hottest July and the hottest month on record. These temperatures have been related to heatwaves in large parts … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO, July 12, 2023—An overwhelming majority of Californians say that extreme weather events are a problem in their part of the state, including about one in three who say they are a big problem. A majority of Californians think the use of electric vehicles (EVs) helps address climate change; half of the state’s residents … Read more
I once had this conversation with a state transportation planning official (albeit a short conversation) having to do with criteria and what would be justification for installing a city-served, citywide rail-based public transit system such as a light-rail operation. The transportation planner’s position was, in effect, that population density is what mattered. I took that … Read more