Cleaning the air by lowering diesel’s impact on it

Back on Oct. 23, 2012, Monte Morin in a Los Angeles Times newsstory reporting on the health implications of diesel exhaust, wrote: “A chemical analysis of air samples taken from California’s San Joaquin Valley and an Oakland traffic tunnel show that diesel fuel emissions are more polluting than previously thought, according to researchers.” The European … Read more

Cars as a major pollution-fighting solution: In my lifetime? It’s definitely doable!

I hold on to hope that one day cars will be a significant contributor to the overall effort to clean the air – that they’ll be more a part of the solution than what is right now the case. That’s not expecting too much, right? I will try to answer that question by posing another: Without significant … Read more

Efforts to lower air emissions from marine vessels in Canadian waters laudable

It’s always heartening to learn when new measures are being implemented to reduce emissions. Such is the case with amendments in Canada to cut air pollution levels from vessels navigating Canadian waters. This is on top of other air-emissions-reduction actions already taken. “The amendments bring new requirements into force for vessels under Annex VI of … Read more

U.S. could see cleaner fuels powering cleaner cars by 2017

I cannot imagine there being a single vehicle owner who wouldn’t support a rule stipulating cars run cleaner. If not that, then how about much improved motor vehicle fuel economies – who would not want this? Maybe I’m just a dreamer. Washington Post correspondent Juliet Eilperin on Mar. 29, 2013, wrote: “The Environmental Protection Agency … Read more

Two state governors question Northwest’s role in the export of domestic coal

A comprehensive examination of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions must be undertaken and completed prior to any decision being made on whether or not U.S. Northwest ports can be set up for coal export to China. This, in effect, is what Gov. John Kitzhaber of Oregon and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee expressed in a … Read more

Secondary Organic Aerosols alive and well in fossil-fuel-combusted engine exhaust

In the Nov. 15, 2012 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s “Airborne particles smuggle pollutants to far reaches of globe” news release, Mary Beckman wrote: “Floating in the air and invisible to the eye, airborne particles known as secondary organic aerosols live and die. Born from carbon-based molecules given off by trees, vegetation, and fossil fuel burning, … Read more

Cooking with gas a healthier choice when grilling outdoors?

If there is a more popular summertime institution than out-of-doors cooking I am hard-pressed to think of it. Staying with this train of thought, it turns out there just might be more to this outdoor culinary experience than meets the grill. “When [University of California at] Davis scientists collected air pollution particles in Fresno and then exposed laboratory mice to … Read more

Word on ‘the street’: California’s ‘clear-the-air’ campaign appears to be working so far

The California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) states: “CA’s population reached 24 million people. Total registered vehicles surpassed 17 million and vehicle miles traveled is 155 billion. Cumulative CA vehicle emissions for [nitrogen oxides] and [hydrocarbons] remain at 1970 levels of 1.6 million tons/year despite a rise of 45 billion in VMT over … Read more