The increase in the number of diesel-fueled backup generators in the state of California is both an obstacle to the state achieving its greenhouse gas reduction targets and drives nearly $136 million in annual health costs.
Too often, Americans don’t know enough about the air quality in their communities and the impact it has on their health. A new ProPublica interactive neighborhood map shows, for the first time, the air quality in America’s neighborhoods. It was developed to interpret data from air pollutant monitoring stations into a scale that indicates how polluted the air is and the health effects associated. The higher the Air Quality Index (AQI) value, the greater the level of pollution and the greater health concern.
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Tags: Air Quality, Pollution, Healthcare, Clean Air, Air Quality Index
Air pollution has significant impacts on the environment and the health of human beings. Inhaling pollutants and small particulate matter contribute to cardiovascular disease, respiratory concerns, lung cancer, and onset asthma. The World Health Organization (WHO) has linked over 4.2 million premature deaths from health issues to air pollution. Air pollutants continue to disproportionately affect lower-income communities, leading to poor health for those with no access to health care. Tackling air quality and pollutants needs to be a priority for private companies.
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Tags: Air Quality, Pollution, Clean Air, Particulate Matter
Data centers use comes at a cost to the environment. Data centers use an estimated 200 terawatt-hours each year, more than the annual energy consumption of some small countries. They also contribute to overall global and carbon emissions, with a predicted increase of 20% of global electricity demand by 2030. Essentially, data centers must implement environmental innovations to reduce the carbon footprint of data centers.
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Tags: Emissions, Air Quality, Pollution, Data Center, Data Operations
Understanding the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program
The Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program (Carl Moyer Program) is a California engine retrofit and replacement program implemented through the cooperative efforts of 35 local air districts such as the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The Carl Moyer Program provides grant funding to encourage the voluntary purchase of cleaner-than-required engines, equipment, and emission reduction technologies in an effort to rapidly reduce air pollution.
Over the past 22 years, the Carl Moyer Program has allocated nearly $1 billion towards reducing smog-forming and toxic emissions and continues to provide over $60 million in grant funding each year to clean up older polluting engines throughout California.
The regulatory, technological, and incentives landscape has changed since the inception of the Carl Moyer Program, and California Legislature has recently modified the Program to better serve California. Most recently, Senate Bill (SB) 513 has created new opportunities for the Program to contribute significant emission reductions alongside implemented regulations, advance zero and near-zero technologies, and combine program funds with those of other incentive programs.
The Carl Moyer Program provides funding in five categories of heavy-duty diesel engines:
- Agricultural Vehicles and Equipment - Project examples: repower and or retrofit irrigation pumps.
- Locomotives - Project examples: alternative switchers, idle limiting devices, remanufactured engines, and repower and/or retrofit.
- Marine Vehicles and Equipment - Project examples: repower and/or retrofit commercial vessels, new vessel purchase, and cold ironing oceangoing vessels.
- Off-road Vehicles and Equipment - Project examples: repower, retrofit and replace tractors and other agricultural equipment, construction equipment, airport ground support equipment, forklifts.
- On-road Vehicles and Equipment - Project examples: repower, retrofit or replace heavy-duty trucks, and buses.
There are three forms of funding an applicant may receive under the Carl Moyer Program:
- Up to 100% of the retrofit costs—including installation (installing particle traps or diesel oxidation catalysts)
- Up to 85% of repower costs, including installation. Repowering is the replacement of the in-use engine with a new engine.
- Up to 25% of new vehicle or equipment purchases that are cleaner than the law requires
- Up to 85% of the new equipment (Off-Road category only)
- Up to $45,000 for a new heavy-duty diesel truck On-Road Voucher Incentive Program
How to Start the Process
Local air districts administer Moyer Program grants and select projects to fund. Contact your local air district to find out how you can apply and receive funding.
To find your local air district, learn more information on eligible project categories, or calculate potential grants use these helpful links:
Additional Resources
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A new study from Harvard's school of public health reveals dirty air in the United States can be linked to higher death rates from COVID-19. These scientists discovered that counties with elevated levels of fine particulate matter known as PM 2.5 in the air were linked to a higher likelihood to die from the virus.
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Tags: Pollution, COVID-19, Environment
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Tags: California, CARB, Regulation, Air Quality, Pollution
Metro Ports, an experienced terminal operator and stevedoring company with locations across the country serving the waterfront community with both cargo and passengers handling services announced it purchased a second Tier 4 locomotive engine for its Pier G operations at the Port of Long Beach in California.
Through the $1.2 million investment, Metro Ports anticipates reducing pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and reactive organic gas from their air emissions by more than 4.5 tons over the next 15 years. That represents a significant improvement in air-quality emissions over the local industry standard of currently operating Tier 2 equipment, Metro Ports officials said in a press release.
"The move coincides with the port's clean-air action plan, Metro Ports recognizes its position as an industry leader and seeks to inspire awareness with its early adoption of the newest technology in clean-air equipment," said Metro Ports President Robert Dickey.
The first unit, produced by “National Railway Equipment Company”, was purchased when the technology was still considered experimental. With their recent $1.2M investment, Metro Ports expects to reduce air emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and reactive organic gas (ROG) by over 4.5 tons over the next 15 years. This represents a significant improvement in air quality emissions over the local industry standard of currently operating Tier 2 equipment. The "Tier" number is a classification assigned to operating equipment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), with a higher tier being assigned to cleaner-burning equipment with lower emissions. These improvements are not required by regulatory agencies but a voluntary, proactive step to lead the charge in environmental stewardship.
The new locomotive's addition is a project four years in the making, involving Knoxville Locomotive Works and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which coordinated to procure grant funds through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that were aimed at projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emission. These funds contributed to cover the total $3.2 million cost of the purchase, officials said.
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Tags: Pollution, Ports, Tier 4, Long Beach
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Tags: World Health Organization, Pollution, Healthcare, Environment
It is impossible to ignore the presence of air pollution when it from obvious sources such as smoke from fires or smog from vehicle pollution. Polluted air can also be invisible and with impact to billions of people. The air we breathe can contain toxins from car traffic, coal-fired plants and oil refineries.
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