For the first time since 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing an update to the federal air quality standard for fine soot – a long-awaited step to reduce deadly air pollution. The current standard, which has been in place for more than a decade, limits the average annual amount of fine particle pollution to 12 micrograms Read More…
Newsroom
California Air Resources Board Adopts Updated Scoping Plan
After conducting a series of workshops over the last year and a half, the California Air Resources Board approved an updated version of their scoping plan in December 2022. The plan itself is essentially a roadmap on how the fourth largest economy in the world will achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and reducing GHG’s by 48% by Read More…
Toxics Release Inventory List Now Includes Nine Additional PFAS
The EPA announced in early January which PFAS, also called forever chemicals, were added to the list. Nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, have been added to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list. Under the TRI, facilities that use quantities of any of the nine PFAS greater than a specific Read More…
California and the Midwest face ‘high risk’ of electricity shortages in next five years
[Source: CNBC NEWS] America’s electrical grid is being pushed to the breaking point, and California, parts of the Midwest and parts of the South-Central United States are at “high risk” for energy shortfalls, says the not-for-profit organization charged with managing and evaluating the grid. “High risk” regions, marked in red on the map, may see Read More…
California approves far-reaching strategy for tackling climate change. So, what’s next?
[Source: CalMATTERS] California’s air board today unanimously approved a sweeping state plan to battle climate change, creating a new blueprint for the next five years to cut carbon emissions, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and speed up the transition to renewable energy. Called a scoping plan, the 297-page strategy could serve as a roadmap for other Read More…
Will California keep up its climate momentum?
[Source: CalMATTERS] California has climate action on the mind. This week state lawmakers, senior officials in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration and prominent environmental leaders are representing California at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada — an appearance that could make a splash on the world stage as Newsom continues to tout his climate credentials. Read More…
South Coast AQMD finalizes most ambitious strategy to cut pollution
[Source: South Coast Air Quality Management District] Today (Dec. 2, 2022), the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) Governing Board approved the 2022 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP or Plan) that lays a path for improving air quality and meeting federal air pollution standards by 2037 for the South Coast Air Basin Read More…
In historic move, Los Angeles bans new oil wells, phases out existing ones
[Source: The Los Angeles Times] The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to phase out all oil drilling in L.A. and ban new wells, a historic move in a city that was built by a once-booming petroleum industry and whose residents have suffered with decades of environmental consequences as a result. In a 12 to Read More…
The smallest US businesses are laying off the most workers
[Source: The Business Times] Layoffs and discharges are starting to pile up at America’s smallest firms. Some 305,000 workers lost their jobs in October at businesses with less than 10 employees, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS). That’s up by 137,000 from the previous month. It was the biggest Read More…