Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
If you drive a car, SUV or pickup truck, how do higher gas prices affect your driving habits – if at all? In America right now, gas prices are some of the highest they’ve been in recent history, if not the highest they’ve ever been. Across the country, according to one source, the price for … Read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors took a major step toward bringing high-speed rail service to California by approving the release of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to industry for the nation’s first 220 mph electrified high-speed trainsets. Today’s action is the first part of a two-step procurement process. … Read more
California’s high-speed train program is a long-fought victory in the Golden State. Years in the making, it was won at the ballot box on Nov. 4, 2008. So let’s try to get a sense of why it would not have made much sense to begin construction in either the Los Angeles region or the San … Read more
In 1978, when I moved from Maryland to California (now my permanent home), there were only a smattering of railroads across the U.S. that served the commuting public. Caltrain – before it was called “Caltrain” (providing such service between San Francisco – also known as the City by the Bay – and San Jose – … Read more
Lots of exciting developments on the U.S. passenger-train front. Before year’s end, Brightline service will be inaugurated between Miami and Orlando International Airport. Top speed on the section between West Palm Beach and the latter, 125 miles per hour. This will be the second such domestic operation whose passenger trains will travel that fast. Quite … Read more
SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and transportation nonprofit CALSTART recently launched Cal Fleet Advisor, a free assistance program to help owners and operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and fleets make the transition to zero-emissions. Applications for the program are now being accepted. In April, CARB approved the Advanced Clean Fleets rule, which puts in … Read more
“Since the 1970s, U.S. scientists and environmental regulators made significant strides in reducing air pollution by cleaning up tailpipe and smokestack emissions. Yet levels of two of the most harmful types of pollution, ground-level ozone and fine particulates, have decreased only modestly in recent years. Both still contribute to the premature deaths of more than … Read more
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29) — A new nationwide survey of American voters’ attitudes reveals a significant divide between voters’ attitudes about the best short-and long-term solutions for reducing traffic, versus the actual priorities of their state and local transportation agencies. In 2021 The Washington Post estimated that highway widening and expansion consumed more than a … Read more
LAS VEGAS (Jun. 28, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) received a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant award. The award will fund the final design and construction of two Brightline West intercity passenger rail stations and associated facilities in … Read more
Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicles or PZEVs for short, seem to be one of those “oddball” classes of vehicles. PZEVs have internal combustion engines but their engines produce no what are referred to as evaporative emissions. Hybrids, unlike PZEVs, emit exhaust but the amount of emissions emanating from the exhaust is comparatively much lower than that coming … Read more