Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
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
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 – 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
It’s been over 10 years and it’s about time we had this talk. Air quality, quality of life, quality assurance, quality control, quality this, quality that and quality the other. Quality – more or less – connotes a condition or a state, as in the condition or state of some thing. Take quality of life, … Read more
Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicles or PZEVs for short, seem to be one of those “oddball” classes of vehicles. PZEVs have internal combustion engines but their engines produce no what are referred to as evaporative emissions. Hybrids, unlike PZEVs, emit exhaust but the amount of emissions emanating from the exhaust is comparatively much lower than that coming … Read more
Pollution: What’s it good for?! Some might think I’m just blowing smoke or I’m full of it or hot air. Me?! Well, I’ve got news! Pollution is a serious matter. Every year in the world, air pollution – just one kind – claims 7-8 million lives. That’s not nothing! The World Health Organization, meanwhile, in … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Conservation organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seeking to halt the unlawful drilling of multiple oil and gas wells in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The agency rushed the approval of the well permits in the Mount Poso oil field near Bakersfield without allowing … Read more
WASHINGTON – Today [Jun. 21, 2023], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that establishes the biofuel volume requirements for 2023 to 2025. This final rule builds on the RFS program’s progress over the previous two years and reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen the … Read more
Helena, MT — Trial in the landmark youth-led constitutional climate lawsuit Held v. State of Montana drew to a close today [Jun. 20, 2023], marking the end of a week and a half of expert testimony and firsthand, often emotional, accounts from the 16 young Montanans who filed the lawsuit three years prior. The proceedings concluded … Read more
There is much debate over how best to achieve net-zero emissions. While I don’t have the definitive answer, I surely have an opinion. Keep in mind that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide are still rising. But, understand also that transportation contributes significantly to that increase. The biggest atmospheric-GHG contributor within the transport sector, meanwhile, is … Read more