Particulates

New heavy-duty vehicle standards will make for cleaner truck transport, improve air quality, fight climate change, keep U.S. economy humming

WASHINGTON – Today, March 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced final national greenhouse gas pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles, such as freight trucks and buses, for model years 2027 through 2032. The standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to … Read more

New automobile standards to make for cleaner car travel, improve air quality, protect public health, fight climate change

WASHINGTON – Today, March 20, [2024], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced final national pollution standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027 through 2032 and beyond. These standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, … Read more

Across the nation, communities of color shouldering growing disease burden tied to air pollution

Despite progress toward cleaner air in the US, a new study suggests that communities of color across the nation are shouldering a growing burden of diseases linked to air pollution. A paper published today by researchers at the George Washington University suggests that racial and ethnic disparities in cases of pollutant-linked diseases like asthma increased … Read more

The 411 on dialog exchange and tackling climate change

Who doesn’t enjoy a healthy exchange?! Well, I had one of those just the other day. It was over several days, actually. The topics of the cordial-while-respectful sharing of ideas were advocacy and activism. I never thought there would be so much to talk about having to do with this particular conversation subject matter. You’d … Read more

‘Atrocious Air,’ First Street’s 10th national risk assessment study released

Brooklyn (NY) – Today, First Street released their 10th national risk assessment entitled “Atrocious Air”. The report highlights the contribution of climate change to the increasing risk of exposure to poor air quality today and into the future. These trends are a reversal of hard fought gains in air quality improvement over the past half … Read more

Stricter soot-pollution standards finalized by the fed

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris Administration on Wednesday finalized a significantly stronger air quality standard that will better protect America’s families, workers, and communities from the dangerous and costly health effects of fine particle pollution, also known as soot. By strengthening the annual health-based national ambient air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from a … Read more

Headed for Transportation Technology Center testing are OptiFuel’s RNG loco-tender combo

BEAUFORT, SC – January 12, 2024 – OptiFuel Systems (“OptiFuel”) announced that it will begin testing a prototype 5600 hp Total-Zero™ Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Line Haul Locomotive and 2500 hp Total-Zero™ Powered Tender with 7,500 DGE (diesel gallon equivalent) capacity, in January 2025. The RNG-powered line haul locomotive produces 5100 hp of continuous power … Read more

Diesel-engine maker Cummins Inc. agrees to pay $1.675B in emissions-testing cheat scheme

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Attorney General’s office today [Jan. 10, 2023] released the details of a proposed settlement with diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and California law. Beyond agreeing to pay a $1.675 billion civil … Read more

EPA’s failure to address dangerous oxides of nitrogen pollution prompts lawsuit

OAKLAND, Calif. — Conservation and public health groups filed a lawsuit today [Sept. 28, 2023] challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to review and update air-quality standards that protect people from harmful nitrogen pollution nationwide. Federal law requires the EPA to review the pollution standards every five years and improve them as needed to ensure … Read more

NASA’s U.S. pollution-monitoring instrument produces first images

In Aug. 2023, scientists from NOAA, NASA, and 21 universities from three countries are conducting multiple, coordinated research campaigns to investigate how air pollution sources have shifted over recent decades

On Thursday, NASA released the first data maps from its new instrument launched to space earlier this year, which now is successfully transmitting information about major air pollutants over North America. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that all people have a right to breathe clean air. Data from the TEMPO mission will help … Read more