Air quality in California improving, but challenges remain- 4/18/13
Cooking Up Air Pollution - 2/20/13
Distribution centers add to Valley pollution 2/16/13
Cap & Trade in the news 11/13/12
Unequal Exposure 11/6/12
Diesel fumes more polluting than gas, new CA study finds - 10-23-12
Foundation awards grants to groups for treating diseases caused by port emissions - 7/19/12
Diesel engine exhaust linked to increased risk of lung cancer - 6/12/12
US Court Tosses EPA Diesel Engine Rule That Helped Navistar - 6/12/12
Air officials try to counter bad report card - 4/17/12
American Lung 2012 Air Quality Report - 4/25/12
Long-delayed diesel study published - 3/2/12
L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Celebrates Milestone in Clean Truck Program at Port of Los Angeles
Senate bill would allow other ports to mimic L.A.'s Clean Trucks Program
Greenhouse gases climbing, federal reports finds
Valley study links ER visits with bad air days
Environmental groups, state regulators win major smog case over home developers
Obama Halts Enviro Regs, Will Brown?
CARB fines two cargo ships $53,000 each for using illegal fuel
Terminal operators at ports of L.A. and Long Beach agree to cut diesel emissions

Report: Air quality in California improving, but challenges remain

4/18/13

A new report out from the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association finds that air quality statewide has improved over the past 12 years.

To listen to CCA's Bill Magavern discuss this further, see here.

Cooking up toxic air pollution

2/20/13 - Sun Sentinel

When UC Davis scientists collected air pollution particles in Fresno and then exposed laboratory mice to them, they found that one of the most toxic sources was the backyard grill.

Along with particles from vehicle and wood-burning emissions, particulates from residential cooking had the greatest measurable impacts on mice lung function.

Distribution centers quietly add to Valley pollution

2/16/13 - Fresno Bee

Hazardous waste, treated human sewage and farm chemicals are part of a dumping ground culture surrounding the San Joaquin Valley, but other deadly health risks slip under the radar.

Through a legal loophole, a company with global sales of $4 billion opened its West Coast distribution center in Visalia last year without having to follow a rule that curbs air pollution, much of it generated by traffic.

CA Companies Will Soon Pay to Release Greenhouse Gases

11/13/12 - KSEE 24 News

A first push of it's kind to reduce pollution will force some California companies to shell out extra cash. Essentially the state is telling company officials if they want to pollute, then they have to pay up.

Elizabeth Jonasson, Coaliton for Clean Air says, "Reducing green house gases is definitely important for our planet, for the Valley, for our way of life. It's critical that we do do our part to reduce climate change."

People in poor, non-white neighborhoods breathe more hazardous particles

11/1/12 - Environmental Health News

Tiny particles of air pollution contain more hazardous ingredients in non-white and low-income communities than in affluent white ones, new research shows. The greater the concentration of Hispanics, Asians, African Americans or poor residents in an area, the more likely that potentially dangerous compounds such as vanadium, nitrates and zinc are in the mix of fine particles they breathe.

Diesel fumes more polluting than gas, new California study finds

10/23/12 - Los Angeles Times

A chemical analysis of air samples taken from California's San Joaquin Valley and an Oakland traffic tunnel show that diesel fuel emissions are more polluting than previously thought, according to researchers.

Foundation awards grants to groups for treating diseases caused by port emissions

7/19/12 - Daily Breeze

Four Harbor Area groups on Thursday were awarded $350,000 worth of grants aimed at treating asthma and cardiopulmonary diseases caused by emissions spewed from the Port of Los Angeles.

Diesel engine exhaust linked to increased risk of lung cancer

6/12/12 - Los Angeles Times

The world’s most prestigious cancer research group on Tuesday classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans and concluded that exposure is associated with increased risk of lung cancer.

US Court Tosses EPA Diesel Engine Rule That Helped Navistar

6/12/12 - Dow Jones Newswires

A federal appeals court on Tuesday vacated an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would have allowed Navistar International Corp. (NAV) to sell heavy-duty diesel truck engines that fail to meet the latest pollution standards for engine exhaust.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled the EPA did not have good cause to issue an interim regulation in January that would have allowed Navistar to pay fines in order to continue to sell the noncompliant engines.

The court said Navistar's business plight was not a proper justification for the EPA to issue the rule without following normal administrative procedures.

Air officials try to counter bad report card

4/17/12 - The Bakersfield Californian

No one likes getting a bad grade, even if it's for air quality.

Next week, the American Lung Association plans to release its annual State of the Air report, which issues letter grades to counties nationwide.

So on Tuesday, a group of California air pollution officials sent out its own annual evaluation that details efforts made to clean the air in the state's 35 air quality management districts.

American Lung Association Releases 2012 Report on Air Quality

4/25/12 - Sacramento Bee

13th annual State of the Air 2012 report shows continued progress, challenges

The American Lung Association released the State of the Air 2012 today, an annual report on air quality which lists both the cleanest and most polluted areas in the country. This year's report shows that although California still has some of the worst air in the nation, continuous progress in reducing ozone and particulate pollution has resulted in the state's air quality at its cleanest since the Lung Association's annual report began 13 years ago. The findings reinforce the effectiveness of California's progressive clean air laws and investments and the importance of the Clean Air Act.

Long-delayed diesel study published

3/2/12 - iWatch News

A much-anticipated government study of more than 12,000 miners — whose publication was delayed by litigation from a group of mining companies — has found that exposure to diesel engine exhaust significantly increases the risk of lung cancer.

L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Celebrates Milestone in Clean Truck Program at Port of Los Angeles

January 4, 2012 - California Newswire

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Delivering on his promise to reduce pollution at the Port of Los Angeles and protect public health, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today marked a major milestone in the Clean Truck Program. The program required all trucks at the Port of Los Angeles to meet the toughest environmental standards in the nation by January 1, 2012.

Senate bill would allow other ports to mimic L.A.'s Clean Trucks Program

December 20, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

A New York senator has introduced a bill that would allow seaports across the country to mimic the Port of Los Angeles' version of the Clean Trucks Program, including a rejected provision aimed at limiting the types of drivers entering port terminals.

Greenhouse gases climbing, federal reports finds

November 11, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Greenhouse gases are building at a steep rate in the atmosphere, the nation's top climate agency reported, renewing concern that global warming may be accelerating.

Valley study links ER visits with bad air days

October 19, 2011 - The Bakersfield Californian

Children's asthma-related emergency room visits rise in the San Joaquin Valley at a similar rate as fine particulate levels do -- even on days where air quality is considered in the moderate range.

Environmental groups, state regulators win major smog case over home developers

October 4, 2011 - San Jose Mercury News

In an environmental case that is expected to have implications across the Bay Area and California, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up a lawsuit from the National Association of Home Builders that challenged whether air pollution officials in California can charge developers fees to offset the smog that is caused from new subdivisions and other housing developments.

Obama Halts Enviro Regs, Will Brown?

September 5, 2011 - Fox & Hounds

At the end of last week, President Barack Obama ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to defer new, strict standards on ozone emissions. The lack of job growth brought about the decision. If the need for jobs trumps the implementation of new environmental regulations for the president, does the same apply to California and our governor?

CARB fines two cargo ships $53,000 each for using illegal fuel

September 5, 2011 - Autoblog Green

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has fined two shipping companies for failing to switch from bottom-of-the-barrel bunker fuel to clean-burning, low-sulfur fuel when sailing within 24 miles of California's coast, as required by state law adopted back in 2008.

Terminal operators at ports of L.A. and Long Beach agree to cut diesel emissions

August 16, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Seven terminal operators at the ports will undertake cleanup projects under a settlement reached with California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris.