Tag Archive for: Air Pollution

ICAPCD Issues Notices of Violation to Protect Public Health

/in , , /by /The Desert Review (Imperial Valley)by Kayla Kirby

The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District issued Notices of Violation to California Department of Water Resources, California Natural Resources Agency, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service for failure to implement adequate dust control on the Salton Sea playa on the Species Conservation Habitat project site near Westmorland, California.

In addition, as landowners of the project site, the Imperial Irrigation District and United States Bureau of Land Management were also issued NOVs, according to a press release.

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Calif. Democrats Decry Federal Inaction in Congress’ First Hearing on Salton Sea in 23 years

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

In a congressional hearing Thursday that starkly illuminated partisan divides, California Democrats called on the federal government to provide greater assistance in remedying environmental and public health crises at the Salton Sea. All but one GOP members were absent, and the one who did attend criticized the organizers for holding the hearing.

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Opinion: A Greater Sense of Urgency Needed for Crises at the Salton Sea

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Brandon Dawson

The Salton Sea presents one of California’s most pressing ecological and environmental justice crises. The shrinking sea threatens habitat for millions of fish and birds, and as the sea’s shoreline recedes, a pollutant-laced dust spills into nearby communities and threatens the health of 650,000 people living nearby.

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Extraordinary Heat, Rare Summer Snow Brought Unprecedented West Coast Firestorms

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by Rong-Gong Lin II and Joseph Serna

The West Coast had just experienced a record-shattering heat wave when news came last week of a rare late-summer snowstorm in Colorado. To those still sweltering in California, Oregon and Washington, it sounded like a dream come true. In fact, it was an omen of a greater disaster to come.

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California’s Pollution Regulators Go Toe-To-Toe With Trump. Watchdog Says They Come Up Short

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Mackenzie Hawkins

A California environmental advocacy group urged the state’s air pollution regulator and agriculture department to do more for minority communities in an annual report card it published last week.

That report card, compiled by the California Environmental Justice Alliance, issued environmental justice grades to eight agencies, with a statewide C average.

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Imperial County Hits IID, Feds with Violation Notice for Salton Sea Air Pollution

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sun by Mark Olalde

The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District on Tuesday hit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Imperial Irrigation District with notices of violation for ongoing pollution at a long-stalled Salton Sea restoration project.

The violations allege that the federal agency and the water district have only made sporadic attempts since 2016 to complete work at the several-hundred-acre Red Hill Bay site, “causing numerous instances of elevated levels of airborne dust.”

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Opinion: California Needs Clean, Healthy and Safe Local Energy Systems – Microgrids

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Steve Weissman and Barry Vesser

With climate change-amplified wildfires and power shut-offs becoming commonplace, all Californians are worried about how to stay safe and keep the lights on. Thousands have already purchased dirty, dangerous and noisy fossil fuel generators that exacerbate air pollution and climate change.

New research suggests that polluted air is linked to higher COVID-19 death rates. And coronavirus is expected to be with us through the 2020 fire season. Is it a good idea to add tons of dangerous particulate matter to the air we breathe during a pandemic that attacks the respiratory system? Of course not.

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9 States Sue EPA for ‘Blanket Waiver’ As Nation Fights Pandemic

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Jennifer Bjorhus

Nine states have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for curtailing enforcement of rules on air and water pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the pullback puts the public at even greater risk.

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San Diego is Shrinking Carbon Footprint During COVID-19 Shutdown

/in , /by /KPBS-FM-TVby Erik Anderson

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down Southern California in mid-March, squeezing the life out of the region’s economy. But there may be a silver lining.

The pandemic response got people out of their cars.

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Coronavirus is Stalling Air Quality, Pollution Rules, Even in Eco-Minded California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Tony Barboza

As experts warn that exposure to pollution can increase the risk of dying from COVID-19, an array of powerful industries is pressuring California regulators to delay or roll back air quality and climate regulations due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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