• Air

EPA IG Investigating Trump Team’s Clean Car Rule Replacement

• Clean Car Rule
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Inspector General
• SAFE Rule
• smog
• tailpipe

The internal watchdog (Inspector General or IG) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced they had opened an investigation into the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule, Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman reported in the New York Times last week.

Why This Matters: As Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, told the NYT, “this is really serious…It’s rare for E.P.A.’s inspector general to conduct an investigation of the agency’s rule-making.”

• Air

Senate Dems Propose Major Clean Cars Push As Court Rejects Challenge to Clean Car Rollback

• #cleancars
• #ClimateFriday
• Clean Car Rule
• smog

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Sen. Jeff Merkley  of Oregon, on Friday announced a $450 billion/10 year “Clean Cars For America Climate Proposal”  to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century by making clean cars and charging infrastructure accessible and affordable to all Americans.  Meanwhile, an appeals court in Washington, D.C. rejected on procedural grounds a challenge to the Trump Administration’s announced decision that it intends to replace the Obama clean car rule because the case is not ripe until the new rule is put in place.

Why This Matters:  It is impressive that the Senate Democrats’ proposal to speed the adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. unites auto workers, environmental groups and the auto companies all in support of speeding the development and adoption of cleaner cars.

• Air

Air Pollution Can Equal Smoking a Pack of Cigarettes Each Day

• air pollution
• ozone
• smog

This week, the largest-of-its kind study was published in JAMA and reveals that long term exposure to air pollution can have the same effect on human lungs as smoking a pack of cigarettes each day. The study was conducted between 2000–2018 and included 5780 participants in 6 US metropolitan regions followed up for a median […]

• Green New Deal

Los Angeles Mayor Pledges Green New Deal for the City

• carbon emissions
• climate change
• electric vehicles
• Green New Deal
• Los Angeles
• smog

It was Green Day in California on Monday because, in addition to Beto O’Roarke’s climate policy rollout, the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, announced a Green New Deal for Los Angeles — a bold plan to deal with carbon emissions in the city, with particular focus on green buildings and zero-emission cars, which would remake the city which is known for both its traffic and its smog. 

• Air

Colorado Determined to Clear Its Air

• air pollution
• clean air
• Colorado
• Denver
• ozone
• smog

Last summer, prior to the election for Governor in Colorado, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the state an extension to meet the National Air Quality Standards — claiming that rapid growth was making it too difficult to come back into compliance.  Yesterday, the new Governor revoked the request and has pledged to move aggressively to get ozone air pollution under control.