Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The below Oct. 15, 2020 press release is from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road are piloting a new technology to filter and purify air inside rail cars using an electrical field to generate a wave of … Read more
The below Oct. 15, 2020 news release is from the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) today released its 2020 Sustainability Report: Building Resilience. The annual report details ongoing efforts to advance the nation’s largest and greenest infrastructure project and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. In the past year, the … Read more
So, who isn’t familiar with the expression freedom of choice? Or, its close relative: The freedom to choose? Or another: It’s all about choice? Or yet another: The choice is (y)ours? Choice or the ability to choose is humankind’s most powerful tool. That’s a very profound construct! And something no one should ever forget! When … Read more
In video footage, CBS transportation reporter Kris Van Cleave on special assignment covering a topic that I think gets too little attention in the grand scheme of things, high-speed railroading and high-speed trains, spoke with authorities in their particular areas of expertise on some of the finer points regarding Amtrak’s new Acela trains which the … Read more
The below Sept. 25, 2020 news release is from the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority. In an action at their September 24 meeting, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) approved a request from the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority to reallocate $400 million in Measure BB funds that had … Read more
The summer of 1943 was a season that Los Angeles citizens would do well to always remember. For it was during this time that the L.A.-area’s first major smog episode occurred. According to the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (CARB), associated fallout from this event included, among other things, upset stomachs and “burning … Read more
Astounding it is how on a gallon of diesel a ton of railroad-hauled freight on average can be transported a distance of approximately 470 miles. Pretty remarkable stuff! Even more remarkable, substituting diesel with electric propulsion and the fuel-efficiency numbers for train-hauled freight (and passengers) look even better, and even more impressive still, when that … Read more
The below Aug. 28, 2020 press release is from the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board. The California Air Resources Board late yesterday [Aug. 27, 2020] approved a multi-pronged regulation that will dramatically reduce smog-forming emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks. The “Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Regulation” will require manufacturers to comply with tougher emissions … Read more
The Clean Air Car Race, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in August, had a lasting impact on the auto industry, government regulations, and the students and faculty who took part. By Mary Beth Gallagher, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, MIT MIT News The year 1970 was a milestone for efforts to combat air pollution. On April … Read more
The below Sept. 10, 2020 news release is from the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Today [Sept. 10, 2020], the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (Authority) Board of Directors unanimously approved the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the approximately 50-mile project alignment section referred to as the “Central Valley Wye” part of the … Read more