Neighbors in Hacienda Heights concerned over lead-smelting plant expansion plans leave meeting frustrated

[Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune] More than 150 people attended a chaotic meeting Thursday night to hear about plans for a 25 percent increase in the recycling of toxic lead batteries at Quemetco’s facility in City of Industry, the lone lead-smelting plant remaining in Southern California. Many were frustrated over a workshop format chosen by Read More…

California vs. Trump ‘will be a giant case’ over air rules, could end up in Supreme Court

[Source: The Sacramento Bee] California and like-minded states are girding for a legal battle with the Trump administration on whether those states have gone too far in controlling greenhouse gases from automobiles, a prospective case that legal scholars say — barring a last-minute settlement — is sure to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The Environmental Read More…

NASA satellite helps collect 15 years of Southern California air pollution data

[Source: Melanie Turner/ California Air Resources Board, Office of Communications] A new scientific study using satellite technology provides clear evidence that California’s tough clean air programs are working to reduce emissions of fine particle pollution throughout the state. Scientists from Emory University, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Air Resources Board worked together to Read More…

OSU-designed wristbands detect environmental pollutants

[Source: KTVZ.COM news sources] Chemical-sampling wristbands made of silicone are already known as an easy-to-use method of measuring a person’s exposure to environmental pollutants. Invented at Oregon State University, the colorful wristbands absorb chemicals from the air and skin. A new OSU study shows that the wristbands are also very good at linking external chemical exposure—the Read More…

Air quality board orders new rules to reduce emissions

[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] Local air quality regulators on May 4 ordered the development of new rules targeting warehouses, rail yards, the San Pedro ports, airports and new development. The governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced it voted 7-6 to direct staff to write rules aimed at reducing smog-forming Read More…

Southern California air quality officials will craft rules governing warehouse, rail yard pollution

[Source: Los Angeles Times] Southern California air quality officials voted Friday to craft rules governing warehouses, distribution centers and rail yards in a controversial bid to combat transportation emissions in the nation’s smoggiest region. The governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District moved to begin devising rules to regulate freight facilities as Read More…