And you thought you had a bad-air day – Part 2: Lessons from the past

Progress, quality-of-life and standard-of-living matters are front and center in Part 1. In this, the second – and last – installment of this two-part air-quality series, I am going back in time – figuratively speaking, of course – to find reasons on how, when and maybe why this whole air pollution dilemma came to be. … Read more

Conferees fail to reach consensus at San Joaquin Valley clean air workshop

Nothing like a lively debate to get the heart racing and blood pumping. On November 7th, I attended a Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) public workshop for the county of Fresno in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The purpose of this gathering, attended by a hundred or so people, was to discuss and present ideas about how to shrink … Read more

Landmark California program could have huge emissions-reductions impact

In the United States, transportation accounts for about 28 percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In California’s San Joaquin Valley, GHG emissions are estimated to be as high as 40 percent. Compared to other sectors, emissions from transportation have been increasing more rapidly. “In fact, between 1990 and 2006, growth in U.S. transportation GHG … Read more