Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
A quick assessment of all of my prior blogposts reveals 31 out of 64 deal with air quality or air pollution issues as it relates to transportation. That’s nearly half. If you’re wondering why such a high concentration, what I can tell you is the majority of the world’s air pollution is transportation sourced. As it … Read more
Number 10 in the Clean Air Technologies Series. When it comes to powering a locomotive, electricity wins hands down, or does it? Before going any farther, a brief review of 20th century U.S. transportation history is in order. I was born in the age of the diesel loco. Steam as locomotive propulsion power, although reaching a zenith right around … Read more
A segment of the Jan. 13, 2013 installment of the CBS 60 Minutes television program covered robotics. Given that I have now had plenty of time to digest what I have watched, my take is, robots, with their ranks apparently increasing, I can only imagine the effect on the electric grid supply and the environment. The presumption, of … Read more
During the summer of 1984, I booked a roundtrip flight from California to Maryland and back. I remember riding an Amtrak San Joaquin from Fresno (in the San Joaquin Valley) to Richmond (located on the east side of San Francisco Bay). At the Richmond station, one can make a cross-platform switch to BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit … Read more
Continuing the discussion from Jan. 7, 2013, Editor Jim Wrinn in the Sept. 2011 issue of Trains writes: “By 2050, 100 million more Americans will live here. Will we plan ahead or just deal with the crisis?”1 Considering what was written, the vehicle in which these statements appear and keeping it all in perspective, one … Read more
In my collection of resource materials, I found a book that I had completely forgotten about. The book is titled: “30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth.”1 Energy savings idea number 27 on page 57 has to do with: “Auto Savings.” On that page near the top in italics is the … Read more
In America a half-century ago, transportation ate up approximately 10 percent of household income. Those days and times are gone for good, but, then again … At any rate, according to renowned architect, a founding member of Congress for the New Urbanism and book author Peter Calthorpe in “The New Transit Town: Best Practices in Transit-Oriented … Read more
In “Trains prove their worth in helping improve air,” I offered, “In the final analysis if the growth in passenger train ridership is to continue, then additional service will be necessary. ….Electrified California high-speed rail service, on the other hand, expected to break ground later this year, when built and operational, will provide a viable alternative to meet … Read more
In “CATS: Decline in smog-forming emissions from California cars a bright spot,” I credited improvement in state motor vehicle smog-forming emissions to “initiatives such as the state’s Smog Check and other programs.” California’s Smog Check Program, by the way, went into effect in 1984. Moreover, noted in “Planning for a Better Future: California 2025: 2010 Update,” a Public Policy … Read more
Number seven in the Clean Air Technologies Series. In a 1952 “Key Events in the History of Air Quality in California” entry, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) revealed, “Dr. Arie Haagen-Smit discovered the nature and causes of photochemical smog. He determines that nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the presence of ultraviolet radiation from the sun forms smog (a … Read more