Retired Caltrain diesel loco, gallery car fleets heading to Peru

Caltrain will send its retired diesel fleet to the Municipality of Lima, Peru to continue operating passenger service. An official solicitation process was initiated to find a new home for this long-serving equipment. Lima, Peru expressed its desire to acquire all of the retired fleet. Following negotiations with the government of Lima, Caltrain has finalized … Read more

If the past is any indication, expect US to withdraw a second time from the Paris Climate Accord

I’m fairly confident I’m not sharing information here that you don’t already know. And, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there aren’t certain (meaning some) United States Environmental Protection Agency protections in a second Trump presidential term, that get watered down; some protections maybe even eliminated. So where does that leave air quality? Here … Read more

Air fare extraordinaire revisited

On Feb. 13, 2017 I introduced the “Air fare extraordinaire” idea. The “idea” was to present fare (information) about air that’s “extraordinary,” meaning, that which is out of the ordinary or not your typical fare, in other words. I thought it was time for an “Air fare extraordinaire” revisit. So today’s “idea” has to do … Read more

SoCal’s policy of cleaning up mega-warehouse pollution approved by EPA

LOS ANGELES, CA — Today [Sept. 11, 2024], the Environmental Protection [Agency] (EPA) approved the inclusion of Southern California’s Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR) in the state’s air plan. This innovative policy is addressing the region’s notorious smoggy skies by cutting pollution from the trucks traveling to and from warehouses, electrifying warehouses, and creating local … Read more

Valley Link: Project could markedly improve air quality in northern San Joaquin Valley

Interstate 580 between Castro Valley and the Altamont Pass can look like a parking lot at times. Much of the thoroughfare’s traffic is comprised of commuters traveling to San Francisco Bay Area-based destinations from points in the San Joaquin Valley. There is more or less a stub of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system … Read more

On fifth annual Int’l. Day of Clean Air, investments in clean-air solutions called for

Nairobi, 7 September 2024 – The world marked the fifth annual International Day of Clean Air for blue skies today with calls for investment in clean air solutions now, as air pollution causes increasing public health, environmental, and economic harms. More than 99 percent of humanity is now breathing polluted air, leading to more than 8 million annual deaths, … Read more

In California, more than half of ride-hailing trips replace more sustainable transport options: Study

More than 50% of ride-hailing trips taken by surveyed riders in California replaced more sustainable forms of transportation — such as walking, cycling, carpooling, and public transit — or created new vehicle miles, according to a study from the University of California, Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. The study was conducted to help guide development … Read more

To accelerate switch to zero-emissions school buses, California launches a $.5B funding effort

‌SACRAMENTO – California is launching a new statewide funding program that will put 1,000 new, zero-emission school buses on the road, furthering the state’s lead in having the most clean buses in the nation. “California is showing the nation and the world how to move from ambition to action,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “This is … Read more

In fiscal year 2024, MTS ridership jumped by 10 percent

San Diego – The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) today [Aug. 22, 2024] announced that ridership increased more than 10% over the past year as more and more residents opt to use the transit system to get around. During the last fiscal year (July 2023 – June 2024), the transit agency logged 75,663,343 passenger … Read more

Analysis looks at air pollution from LNG export terminals and potential health and environmental impacts

Washington, DC — A new analysis, Permit to Kill, released today [Aug. 14, 2024] by the Sierra Club and Greenpeace USA shows that permitted emissions from both currently operating and planned LNG terminals are estimated to have a major price tag for communities’ public health. The briefing, which adds to the mounting body of evidence showing that … Read more