Remove Air Pollution Remove Fossil Fuels Remove Nitrogen Oxides Remove Regulations
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Good News—and Bad—about Fossil Fuel Power Plants in 2023 

Union of Concerned Scientists

And fossil fuel power plants may not stick to their retirement schedules for a variety of reasons. In 2021 alone, the plants slated for retirement emitted more than 28,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NO x ), 32,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), according to EIA data.

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Diesel is the Reason for the Sneezin’: Cleaner Holiday Deliveries are on the Horizon

Union of Concerned Scientists

But while greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced, a delivery fulfilled by a diesel-burning truck may lead to increases in emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and lung-damaging particulate matter. The number of available electric truck models in the US and Canada has surpassed 180.

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Why the Bay Area’s Zero-Emission Appliance Rule is a Big Deal

Legal Planet

Several cities in California, including Los Angeles and in the Bay Area, have outlawed new gas hookups, but these are the first regulations that would effectively ban the sale of gas appliances. Furnaces and water heaters are even bigger polluters, with major contributions to outdoor air pollution in the Bay Area.

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Ask a Scientist: Gas Plants Disproportionately Harm Marginalized Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

First, there’s air pollution. Gas plants and infrastructure emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) during combustion, which degrade local air quality. Exposure to NOx and other gas infrastructure air pollutants has been associated with respiratory illnesses and an increase in childhood asthma rates.

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Clean Fleets Rule Slated to Deliver Healthier Air for Californians

Union of Concerned Scientists

In the coming years, Californians will begin to see a massive switch away from highly polluting fossil-fueled trucks to zero-emission electric trucks. Additionally, the rule phases out the sale of fossil-fueled trucks in 2036. The rule will apply to commercial, federal, state, municipal, and drayage fleets.

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California Ready to Take Giant Leap Toward Zero-Emission Trucks

Union of Concerned Scientists

In late April, California air regulators are poised to pass one of the most meaningful regulations to reduce pollution from commercial trucks, vans, and buses. The Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule, which I’ve blogged about in detail before, will phase out fossil-fueled trucks over the next several decades.

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Statement on Thorold City Council’s Unanimous Vote Against a New Gas Plant in Niagara

Enviromental Defense

Respected bodies like the International Energy Agency have been clear – there is no room for new fossil fuel infrastructure if we want to hold warming to 1.5 Along with their contribution to larger climate change impacts, gas plants also cause local air pollution – mainly nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.