Railroad testing of liquefied natural gas as potential locomotive fuel forthcoming

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), in a company news bulletin, announced it will commence with the testing later this year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on a limited quantity of locomotives. The pilot program is being conducted to evaluate the practicability of LNG as a viable diesel fuel alternative. “‘The use of liquefied natural … Read more

Cleaning up the San Joaquin Valley’s ‘low down and dirty’ air

It is obvious I have done quite a lot of writing on air quality matters in the San Joaquin Valley. The Valley is where I live and, sadly, it is among this nation’s most notorious or worst offender areas for polluted air. Both childhood and adult asthma numbers here seem disproportionately high compared to other regions. These … Read more

Air (and its repair) in the care of the many

On Nov. 19, 2012, in “Air pollution: The enormity of it all,” I wrote: “More importantly, with the pollution already present, the very same that is causing a number of health issues for those people adversely affected by such, how does society effectively mitigate the impact, so that the numbers in this regard do not increase … Read more

Global greenhouse gas emissions reduction a work in progress

Today’s thread: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Being that on the world stage California contributes a sizable chunk of GHG emissions, I would like to think the state is among an amalgamation of front-lines leaders making progress on the fight against global greenhouse gas emissions. I believe California is and that is good. To understand the magnitude of the Golden … Read more

Word on ‘the street’: California’s ‘clear-the-air’ campaign appears to be working so far

The California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) states: “CA’s population reached 24 million people. Total registered vehicles surpassed 17 million and vehicle miles traveled is 155 billion. Cumulative CA vehicle emissions for [nitrogen oxides] and [hydrocarbons] remain at 1970 levels of 1.6 million tons/year despite a rise of 45 billion in VMT over … Read more

eMission control – Focus: Airways

Global air travel is not receding. In fact, in several places triple-digit percentage increases are not uncommon. Katherine Rowland in OnEarth magazine in “Infographic: Flying the Friendlier Skies,” writes: “In emerging economies, the growth has been dramatic: between 2007 and 2010, passenger volume in China increased by almost 50 percent — another 84 million fliers. … Read more