Environmental groups chalk up victory. Major So. Cal. polluters could face financial penalties

Los Angeles – In a major win for polluter accountability, a legal settlement announced today will require the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to adopt a rule that could fine polluters for their emissions contributing to the region’s poor air quality. Plaintiffs estimate that a fee rule could result in SCAQMD collecting over … Read more

Multiple illegal imports of HFCs prevented through EPA enforcement actions

WASHINGTON – Today [Jan. 29, 2024], EPA is announcing a settlement with Open Mountain Energy, LLC, a geothermal power generation company, for the attempted illegal import of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which is the latest in a series of enforcement actions EPA has taken recently against importers of HFCs. HFCs are a super climate pollutant with global warming … Read more

CARB, American Honda agree on $8M settlement for SORE air-quality compliance violations

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement agreement with American Honda Motor Corp., Inc. (Honda) of Torrance for $7.9 million for violations of CARB’s small off-road engine (SORE) air quality regulations. This is the third SORE enforcement action against Honda in the past four years. In 2021, CARB testing revealed multiple … Read more

EPA investigation into La. civil rights issue closed; longstanding eco-discrimination effort left unaddressed

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today [Jun. 27, 2023], the Biden administration decided to close several civil rights complaints and an investigation into whether the State of Louisiana failed to protect a community beset by decades of toxic air pollution. For much of the last decade, residents of St. John the Baptist Parish have had the highest … Read more

Technology caused climate anomaly. Tech. should save the day, many say

Technology is what’s responsible ultimately for today’s climate anomaly. Yes, anomaly; that’s what some are calling it. Many are saying that technology is what it’s going to take to resolve it. When we talk about technology applied to changing climate or weather, what we’re really talking about is the concept of geoengineering. Geo what? Geoengineering. … Read more

Campaign underway to discourage diesel-engine tampering

A nationwide outreach and education campaign is underway to discourage tampering with diesel engines, as well as to educate lawmakers about the proposed state legislative policies and practices that may actually encourage it, thanks to the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF). Diesel engines are highly coveted tools of work that power key sectors of our economy … Read more

EPA Announces FY 2022 Enforcement and Compliance Accomplishments

The below Dec. 16, 2022 press release* is from the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) announced the FY 2022 Annual Environmental Enforcement Results report, highlighting increased inspections in the aftermath of the pandemic, reductions in significant noncompliance under the Clean Water Act, and … Read more