article thumbnail

State Air Regulations Can Go Above and Beyond National Standards 

Legal Planet

States and local air quality regulators have the legal authority to set particulate matter (PM), ozone, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions standards and adopt regulations for these pollutants when they are already in attainment of the national ambient air quality standards ( NAAQS ) set by the U.S.

article thumbnail

How Will EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Carbon Rule Impact Public Health?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Burning gas and coal leads to carbon dioxide emissions and air pollutants. Air pollutants contribute to all of the leading causes of death, such as heart disease, strokes, cancer, and respiratory illness. Now we have increasing evidence air pollution contributes to dementia as well.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Truck Loopholes 101 – When Emissions Regulations Don’t Match the Real World

Union of Concerned Scientists

The EPA is getting ready to finalize a critical regulation limiting emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NO X ) and soot (or particulate matter, PM 2.5 ) from new heavy-duty trucks. State regulations have strict inducements, so the degree to which EPA aligns with such parameters is important. Limits on mal-maintenance/tampering.

article thumbnail

Emerging Local Legal Pathways for Building Electrification: Air Pollution and Land Use Regulation in New York City & Brookline, Massachusetts

Law Columbia

This week’s advancements offer two new models for local governments looking to require or promote building electrification: air pollution and land use regulation. 2317, which would amend the City’s building code to limit greenhouse gas emissions from new and renovated buildings to 50 kilograms of carbon dioxide per million BTUs.

article thumbnail

Changes to California’s Electric Truck Proposal Could Reap Huge Climate and Air Quality Gains

Union of Concerned Scientists

This new regulation would apply to delivery vans, big rigs, box trucks, and buses. This new regulation would apply to delivery vans, big rigs, box trucks, and buses. Regulate more tractor trucks, including the smaller fleets. and 33 percent of NOx emissions from all on-road transportation in the state.

article thumbnail

Plug-in Hybrids: Are They Really a Solution to Reducing Emissions?

Union of Concerned Scientists

It’s immediately clear how fully-electric battery electric vehicles (BEVs) can help reduce emissions; eliminating gasoline and tailpipes in favor of increasingly clean electricity helps limit both climate change and air pollution. Plug-in hybrids are a bit more complicated.

article thumbnail

California Needs to Focus on Electrifying Big Rigs

Union of Concerned Scientists

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is currently considering one of the most critical rules for air quality and climate change in many, many years. Regulating big rigs will have big impacts. emissions, and just under 15 percent of climate-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the state’s on-road vehicles.