[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] A controversial program to give local refineries and major manufacturers more flexibility in reducing air pollution has been ruled illegal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, officials disclosed late Wednesday. The federal agency said the program fails to meet national clean air standards. The South Coast Air Quality Management District Read More…
Tag: air pollution
Southern California air quality board is sued over adoption of industry-friendly smog rules
[Source: Los Angeles Times] Community groups and environmentalists filed suit Wednesday over Southern California air quality regulators’ adoption of oil industry-backed smog regulations, saying the measures are so weak they violate state law and will hurt public health. The lawsuit seeks to negate the South Coast Air Quality Management District board’s vote in December that Read More…
State Senate leader wants to add seats to air quality board
[Source: Orange County Register] The leader of the state Senate plans to introduce legislation this week to expand the number of seats on the board that regulates Southern California air quality and counter Republican-led efforts to make pollution rules more business-friendly. Senior staff in the office of Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Read More…
Republican-led AQMD board fires longtime executive
[Source: Southern California Public Radio/89.3KPCC] The board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, now dominated by pro-business members, voted 7-6 Friday to remove Barry Wallerstein, its longtime top executive. The action suggests the AQMD may be taking a more conservative approach to battling the L.A. Basin’s air pollution, which is among the worst in Read More…
AQMD board ousts executive officer
[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] The governing board of the Southern California Air Quality Municipal District voted 7-6 to fire Barry Wallerstein, its executive officer since 1997, amid concerns from its new Republican majority that the agency needs to be more business friendly. The board appointed Chief Financial Officer Michael B. O’Kelly as the agency’s Read More…