Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Conservation and community groups sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security today [Apr. 11, 2023] over their plans to rebuild Puerto Rico’s centralized electric grid back to the fossil fuel status quo instead of investing in the distributed renewable energy Puerto Ricans need. “Fossil fuel power plants produce pollutants that … Read more
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new proposed federal vehicle emissions standards that will accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future and tackle the climate crisis. The proposed standards would improve air quality for communities across the nation, especially communities that have borne the burden of polluted air. Together, these proposals … Read more
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
Over the past decade, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have become increasingly popular, in part due to their perceived environmental benefits. But to what extent do reduced tailpipe emissions benefit human health and the climate? According to a new paper by scholars at Resources for the Future (RFF), these vehicles provide sizable benefits determined by … Read more
U.S. vehicle travel miles (VMT), for two consecutive years (2021 and ‘22), rebounded some, this after VMT during 2020 retreated to 2.903 trillion, down from 2019’s record high of 3.262 trillion miles driven. Total miles driven during 2021 and 2022 were 3.14 trillion and 3.169 trillion, respectively, according to U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), … Read more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today unanimously rejected a challenge to the most recent update of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which protects millions of Americans from dangerous air pollution that blows across state lines from upwind coal-fired power plants. Today’s decision means those protections will remain … Read more
Living in areas of the United States with higher levels of air pollution is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a preliminary study released today, February 23, 2023, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from … Read more
The Environmental Protection Agency agreed today [Feb. 21, 2023] to meet deadlines for reducing smog in parts of California and Texas that have some of the nation’s worst air pollution. Today’s agreement followed a lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Environmental Health challenging the EPA’s failure to ensure that San Diego County … Read more
Okay, I’ll say it: Intermodal connectivity is fundamental to successful high-speed rail operation in California’s San Joaquin Valley on what is now known as the Interim Initial Operating Segment (IOS), a 171-mile-long double-tracked, fully grade-separated high-speed railroad corridor to serve the needs of passengers traveling end to end or on any portion thereof in between, … Read more
I’m sure almost no one saw this coming: One of the wettest January’s in the San Joaquin Valley on record. In Fresno County alone, nearly 4 inches of rainfall fell. That’s more than a third of the county’s average annual rainfall total of 10.99 inches. All told, the 2022-‘23 season – which runs from Oct. … Read more