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AQMD News |
 HOPE’s
“Powerful Women Leading the Way in Energy, Water and the
Environment” luncheon at AQMD
Join AQMD Board Members Tonia Reyes Uranga, a Long Beach
Councilwoman, and San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie
Gonzales and others from around the region as they discuss
the importance of local energy, water and environmental
boards. The luncheon,
sponsored by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality
(HOPE), will be held on
Friday, November 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at AQMD
Headquarters in Diamond Bar. Reservations
to
lpringle@latinas.org are required.
More
(PDF, 155 KB)
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 U.S. Senate approves funding for diesel reduction
projects in Southland
October 30, 2009
– The U.S. Senate has passed the Interior Appropriations/EPA
spending bill that includes a $5 million grant to AQMD to
fund diesel emission reduction projects. The bill, part of
U.S. EPA’s Diesel Emission Reduction Program, now goes to
President Obama for his signature.
More
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 Governor
approves SB 827 lifting permit moratorium
October
13, 2009
–
Now that Governor Schwarzenegger has signed Senate Bill
827 (Wright), hundreds of Southland businesses and public
utilities forced to delay plans to expand, modernize or
relocate can move forward after Jan. 1, 2010. SB 827
authorizes AQMD to begin issuing more than 1,200 air
pollution permit applications frozen by a state court
decision in November 2008.
More |
Recent
News Coverage
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Air Quality
Headlines |
 International
News: Ice atop Mt. Kilimanjaro rapidly melting away
November 4, 2009
– A new
study (PDF, 140 MB)
published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences shows a 26 percent decline since 2000 in the ice
atop Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. But the study authors
reached no consensus on how much of the melting may be due
to human activity or other climatological influences.
More
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 National
News: How would you use mobile technology to protect the
environment?
November 4, 2009
– Cell phones and smart phones can be invaluable in
providing information when and where you need it. This week,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency poses the question
… when and how would you use mobile technology to make a
purchase, spend more time outdoors or make a decision that
could affect the environment?
More
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 National
News: Solar power goes mobile
November 4, 2009
– The new start-up company GreenTow has developed a solar-power trailer, equipped with a
block of solar panels and peak electrical capacities ranging
from 8.4 kilowatts to 15 kilowatts. The trailers are
currently in use in Colorado national parks and by the
construction industry.
More
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 State
News: California considers pay-as-you-go auto insurance
November 3, 2009 –
Proposed regulations released by the state’s Insurance
Commissioner are designed to use per-mile pricing to
encourage Californians to drive less, thereby easing air
pollution and relieving traffic congestion. A
pay-as-you-drive study last year by the Brookings
Institution concluded that driving would drop by 8 percent
nationwide if all motorists paid for car insurance by the
mile.
More
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 International
News: Study links city “walkability” and air pollution
exposure
November 3, 2009 –
A new
study published in the journal Environmental Health
Perspectives compared a neighborhood’s walkability with
local levels of air pollution and found that some
neighborhoods might be good for walking, but have poor air
quality. The study indicates neighborhood design is an
important consideration for improving pollution levels and
providing opportunities for daily physical activity.
More
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 International
News: Smart meters to top 250 million worldwide by 2015
November 3, 2009 –
A new report by Pike Research has forecast that by 2015,
more than 250 million smart meters will be installed
worldwide. Smart meters can read and report electricity
usage and prices at intervals as short as 15 minutes, giving
consumers a way to conserve power when it becomes scarcest
and most expensive.
More
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 Regional News: ‘Clean coal’ plant planned for
California
October 30, 2009
– BP and GE have announced plans to jointly build a
250-megawatt coal-fired power plant near Bakersfield in Kern
County. The proposed plant is designed to capture and store
90 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions. The plant is the
first of at least four planned Integrated Gasification
Combined Cycle plants in the world.
More
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 International
News: Study shows lung damage in mice from engineered
nanoparticles
October 29, 2009 –
A study investigating the potential public health
risk posed by multi-walled carbon nanotubes -- which are
being developed for use in energy-efficient batteries,
futuristic electronics and new drugs -- showed mice that
inhaled engineered nanoparticles had damage to the lining of
their outer lungs, a precondition for developing
mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure.
More
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 State
News: Be safe: know the facts about indoor air
purifiers!
October 29, 2009
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Some devices advertised as “air purifiers” or air
cleaners emit large amounts of ozone, which when inhaled can
pose serious health risks. Until October 18, 2010,
manufacturers may still sell in California indoor air
cleaners that generate potentially harmful levels of ozone.
Get the
facts (PDF, 326 KB)
about indoor air cleaners and learn
more (PDF, 388 KB)
about the state’s indoor air cleaner regulation.
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Local Clean Air Events |
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2nd Annual Affordable Green Building Conference –
November 12, 2009
Learn more about available grants and rebates, affordable
sustainability, water conservation, energy efficiency and
much more at the Riverside Housing Development Corporation’s
2nd Annual Affordable Green Building Conference
on November 12. The event will take place at Toro, 5825
Jasmine Street in Riverside from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Attendance is free, but reservations are required.
More |
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Inaugural Energy Summit: Energy, Economics & the Environment –
November 6, 2009
Join top experts from around the region as they discuss
topics related to our region’s energy demands and impacts of
green technology on our region and our future at the
Inaugural Energy Summit: Energy, Economics & the
Environment sponsored by the Green Valley Initiative. The
event will be held on November 6 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
at the Doubletree Hotel, 222 N. Vineyard Avenue in Ontario.
Click
here for details and to register.
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Did you know... |
 that
if all Californians replaced five light bulbs with
compact-fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), it would be
equivalent to taking 275,000 cars off the road? Replace
standard incandescent light bulbs with CFLs and save on
lighting costs. Also, unplug electronics, battery chargers
and other equipment when not in use. If all Californians
unplugged electronics when not in use, it would be
equivalent to taking 120,000 cars off the road. |
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