[Source: Los Angeles Times] The state Legislature has rejected a controversial measure that would have shifted the political balance of Southern California’s air-quality board by adding three state-appointed “environmental justice” members to represent low-income communities suffering from pollution. The legislation to expand the South Coast Air Quality Management District board from 13 to 16 members fell 11 votes short of passage in Read More…
Tag: CARB
California climate change laws: More electric cars, solar power expected under tough new rules
[Source: The Mercury News] California is already a world leader in developing environmental policies that address climate change. But under a landmark bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday requiring far steeper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than anything the state has ever attempted, the next 15 years will likely see big changes for Read More…
Manufacturers fear impact of new emissions target
[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] The passage this week of Senate Bill 32 to implement stricter greenhouse gas emissions standards creates uncertainty for businesses and may lead to more businesses leaving California, said Dorothy Rothrock, president of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association. That organization, along with other business groups and the oil industry, has Read More…
California’s low carbon fuel standard compliance rate is 98 percent
[Source: California Air Resources Board] The California Air Resources Board’s report on the state of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program for the compliance year 2015 indicates a compliance rate of 98 percent, with a total of 5.49 million credits generated in the year. These credits are roughly the same as removing 1 million Read More…
Don’t put AQMD under CARB’s thumb
[Source: Orange County Register] A 20-year study released last week by the USC Environmental Health Centers found “that millennial children in Southern California breathe easier than ones who came of age in the ’90s, for a reason as clear as the air in Los Angeles today,” in the school’s summary. It’s a major achievement for Read More…
EPA rejects Southern California smog-fighting program as ineffective
[Source: Los Angeles Times] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rejected part of a smog-reduction plan by Southern California air quality regulators, saying it has failed to cut pollution from oil refineries and other big emissions sources as required by federal law. The EPA says an emissions-trading program administered by the South Coast Air Quality Read More…
Air pollution reduction program ruled illegal
[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…
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…
Is California a climate model?
[Source: The Sacramento Bee] Tom Steyer was on stage at the United Nations climate summit one recent afternoon, grinning at a small crowd. Many people in the audience had already heard the billionaire environmentalist “promoting California as an example” of leadership on climate change, the event’s moderator said. Still, Steyer came to dish some more. Read More…