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

New Caltrain electric trains make their debut; first passengers given tour

Today [Aug. 10, 2024], Caltrain debuted its cutting-edge electric fleet, hosting a VIP tour where participants boarded the trains for its historic inaugural service. After nearly a decade of construction, these new trains signify a landmark shift towards a faster, more frequent and environmentally friendly public transportation network along the San Francisco Peninsula. The event … Read more

Case challenging Utah’s Uinta Basin Railway now before Supreme Court

Oil tank cars spotted for unloading at unloading facility

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today [Jun. 24, 2024] that it will consider part of an appellate court decision tossing out the U.S. Surface Transportation Board’s permit for the proposed Uinta Basin Railway. The project is designed to quintuple oil production in Utah’s Uinta Basin and move crude through the Colorado Rockies to … Read more

Outcome of Wabtec/BNSF Railway battery-electric-locomotive pilot-test protocol and the road ahead

Over the past several years I’ve been keeping a watchful eye on the goings-on in the locomotive-and-train-propulsion-power-development-progress arena. There have been numerous postings here at the Air Quality Matters blog since day 1 that have dealt with this area. Here is just a small sampling of those. American high-speed rail building on a roll – … Read more

San Bernardino County welcomes America’s first hybrid hydrogen/battery train

In the very early hours of June 21, 2024, before sunrise, the revolutionary next generation of clean passenger rail vehicles arrived in San Bernardino County. Slated to begin service this fall between the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands, the arrival of North America’s first self-powered, zero-emission passenger train that will meet Federal Railroad Administration … Read more

Purchase-commitment made by American Airlines for 100 ZeroAvia hydrogen-powered engines

Fort Worth, Texas, and Everett, Washington; July 2, 2024 American Airlines today announced that it has entered into a conditional purchase agreement with clean aviation innovator ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero inflight emissions save for water vapor. In addition, American has increased its investment in ZeroAvia. American … Read more

Extensive Port of Long Beach rail-yard-expansion project will improve area air quality

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and officials from across the nation on Thursday [Jul. 18, 2024] attended a historic groundbreaking ceremony for “America’s Green Gateway,” the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, a $1.567 billion endeavor that will define the future of cargo movement at the Port of Long Beach. About 500 people gathered … Read more

Renewable diesel fueling Amtrak California locos. In FY2023, 2M R-D gallons consumed

Emissions-reductions’ the word! Pollutant emissions in California have been on the retreat for quite some time now. And, for good reason. According to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, in 2023 just in the Valley alone, 8,492 tons of fine particulates (PM2.5), 10,383 tons of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 7,179 tons of … Read more

In California, 1 out of 6 new buses, trucks and vans are non-polluting

SACRAMENTO — The sales of new zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks in California in 2023 have doubled from the prior year, now representing 1 out of every 6 new vehicles sold for services that include last-mile delivery, freight transportation, and school buses, according to a report released by the state today [Jun. 6, 2024]. With 18,473 medium- and heavy-duty … Read more