With Governor Newsom having acted on all the bills the Legislature sent him this year, it’s time to assess the results. Several bills that we supported to reduce harmful pollution are now law, but lawmakers failed to act on some key ambitious measures, leaving unfinished business for next year. WINS AB 970, authored by Assemblymembers … Read more
Imagine opening your windows one morning, only to be greeted by the sights and smells of an oil refinery. For many people who live in Southern California, this is daily life. More than half of California’s oil refining capacity is in Southern California. In Los Angeles County, several refineries are clustered in and around the … Read more
2021 has dawned as a significant moment for air quality. After four years of the pro-polluter Trump Administration, President Joe Biden has pledged to put environmental justice at the front of his climate policy. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a bold state budget plan that, if passed, will invest $1.5 billion in to … Read more
It’s no surprise that more containers coming into California ports means worse air quality. What is unexpected is that dirtier locomotives are making a comeback, replacing cleaner, newer models in the state. Data from the California Air Resources Board show that this is the case. The Federal Government ranks engines by ‘tiers’. The higher the … Read more
We’re honored to present our next Clean Air Hero award to Francisco Posada, a senior researcher at The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Posada’s work was instrumental in breaking the 2015 “dieselgate” Volkswagen emissions scandal, removing 600,000 polluting vehicles from the road in the U.S. and millions more worldwide and leading to a multibillion-dollar … Read more
California always makes headlines for its dedication to clean energy. Just last month Governor Brown signed SB 100, setting a target for emissions-free electricity generation by 2045. The state’s resilient commitment to climate science is heard around the world. But these stories mask a painful truth: the state had a historically bad summer of air … Read more
California is pushing the envelope when it comes to environmental policy. The state is pioneering a community-driven regulatory and environmental policy scheme. The idea is ambitious, and to be successful, the state must find new ways to bring in the public. This new strategy is part of major legislation AB 134 & AB 617, both … Read more
On Friday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) took an important step toward cleaning up the freight industry in Southern California. In a highly anticipated vote that had been delayed for months, the Governing Board directed its staff to go ahead with drafting regulations for limiting emissions from railyards and warehouses. The Board, … Read more