Archived News

Archived News

CCA's Martin Schlageter in the Los Angeles Times
Sunday, October 28, 2007

The following ran in Letters to the Editor:

We applaud The Times' coverage of the serious health impact of the
growing pollution from ships, trucks and trains in our region. However,
your recent article failed to make clear that the fate of a bill to cut
air pollution from these sources is in the governor's hands. The Ports
Investment Bill was held on the Assembly floor at the request of the
governor. We eagerly await his fulfillment of his promise to address
"the future of goods movement while also reducing environmental
impacts." Today, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the
region's largest fixed source of air pollution. Additionally, the
freight transportation system accounts for an estimated 2,400 premature
deaths in California every year. The bill, by collecting $60 for each
container processed at California's biggest ports, would provide a
much-needed revenue stream to help clean up this polluting system.

Martin Schlageter
Los Angeles
The writer is with the Coalition for Clean Air.

CCA’s Nidia Bautista on Radio Campesina Show
October 8, 2007
Click the link below and then choose October 8th and then the "Despierta ya Campesino" link. Interview takes place in second half.
http://campesina.net/totalcalendar/index.php

Clean Truck Program in survival struggle
Daily Breeze
Originally published Friday, October 05, 2007
Updated Friday, October 05, 2007
By Art Marroquin
Staff Writer
To prove that the stalled Clean Truck Program isn't completely dead in the water, Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor commissioners will convene a joint meeting next week to hear public comment on the plan. A final decision on whether to implement the $1.8 billion program isn't anticipated as officials at both ports try to keep it afloat.

Public to speak about trucks plan
Clean Truck Program hearing expected to draw diverse crowd
By Art Marroquin, Staff writer
Article Launched: 10/04/2007 10:40:59 PM PDT
In an effort to prove that the stalled Clean Truck Program isn't completely dead in the water, Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor commissioners will convene a joint meeting next week to hear public comment on the plan.

Fresno company receives fleet of electric forklifts
By James Olinger BUSINESS STREET - Oct 03, 2007
Fresno, CA – Fresno’s own Electronic Recyclers, Inc. just got a bit more environmentally-friendly. A fleet of 13 electric forklifts is now in operation at ER’s Fresno plant, replacing the previous propane forklifts.

Clean-air rule targets existing diesel-truck fleet
Big rigs in southern California will need to cut certain emissions, under a regulation approved last week
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
and Alison Tully | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
City of Commerce, Calif.
A new air cleanup rule approved Sept. 27 promises faster replacement or retrofitting of the dirtiest trucks on the road: the diesel-powered big rigs that ply southern California's highways by the tens of thousands on their way to and from the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest.

Californians are willing to pay for cleaner air
By Julie Johnson, New America Media
Posted on July 30, 2007, Printed on July 31, 2007
AlterNet
Automakers take note: a majority of Californians are considering buying a hybrid or electric car as their next vehicle. It's not the alluring sleekness of the Toyota Prius driving people to consider spending premium rates on fuel-efficient vehicles; Californians are choosing what will both save money in the long run and be better for the environment.

CCA's Tim Carmichael on KPCC
KPCC
July 9, 2007

CCA Policy Director appears on the second half of this KPCC interview. Listen here

California air board adopts greenhouse gas rules
Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:40PM BST
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The California Air Resources Board approved three new rules on Thursday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the state's effort to fight global warming.

Agency's 3 new rules on warming criticized
Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Friday, June 22, 2007
Sacramento -- State regulators approved the first new rules in California's landmark effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on Thursday, but environmentalists and some Democratic lawmakers complained that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees were acting too meekly to combat global warming.

California air board to consider smog plan faulted by critics
By Noaki Schwartz
San Diego Union Tribune
June 21, 2007
LOS ANGELES – With looming deadlines to clean up the country's dirtiest air, California air regulators are expected to approve a strategy they say will allow the state to meet federal clean air standards.

Critics Oppose Cleanup Plan To Fix Port Trucking System
June 5, 2007
KNBC
WILMINGTON, Calif. -- Drivers from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach along with their families and members of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports met Tuesday to support a plan to fix the port trucking system and put a stop to an epidemic of asthma cases in harbor-area communities.
Port drivers steer toward clean-truck program
By Louis Sahagun and Ronald D. White, Times Staff Writers
LA Times 06/06/07
About 300 drivers of the dirtiest and oldest trucks serving the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex gathered in Wilmington on Tuesday to support a program that would impose stricter pollution standards on harbor vehicles.

AQMD to vote on smog plan
Wide-ranging proposal for the South Coast
Air Basin is to be weighed today. Critics remain skeptical.
Daily Breeze
June 3, 2007
By Kristin S. Agostoni
Staff Writer
The South Coast Air Quality Management District today will consider a sweeping plan to reduce smog and air particulate matter that includes everything from wood-burning fireplace restrictions to a proposal for a high-speed train system.

Gobernador quiere unir fuerzas con Felipe Calderón
Le envía una carta donde lo invita a trabajar contra el cambio climático
Rubén Moreno
ruben.moreno@laopinion.com
04 de junio de 2007
En una carta enviada a Los Pinos y fechada el pasado viernes 1 de junio, el gobernador de California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, invita al presidente de México, Felipe Calderón, a reunirse con él en su oficina de Sacramento para debatir los lazos de colaboración que ambos líderes podrían estrechar con el fin de combatir el calentamiento global.

Natural-gas powered cars: Who even knows they exist?
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
5/9/07
LOS ANGELES - Imagine paying as little as $1.25 a gallon to run your car.
Not for gasoline. Instead, you would pump a fuel that's readily available, North American-produced and virtually pollution-free. Many motorists could even fill up in their own garages every night just like they would power-up with one of the gas-electric plug-in hybrids still under development.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. to buy cleaner-burning trucks
MSNBC 5/8/07
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. said Tuesday it would invest more than $75 million to buy cleaner-burning trucks for hauling cargo containers from the nation's largest port complex to a proposed rail transfer hub.

Sen. Florez Heated Up Over Ag Burning Ban
By Dale Yurong
05/25/2007 - The Valley's poor air quality is worsened by the burning of agricultural waste. Stricter rules have been put into place, but now the air pollution control board is taking heat from a local state senator.
Click here to see the video clip with CCA's Sarah Sharpe

CCA's Rafael Pizarro on Pollution at the Ports
KNBC - Channel 4
June 5, 2007

San Joaquin Air Proposal Sparks Debate
Written by Jonathan Mumm, News at 10 / KXTV
April 25, 2007

It took over a year of public hearings, workshops, meetings and discussions for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to draft its Proposed 2007 Ozone Plan.

AQMD seeks stories of pollution as part of push for tougher rules
By Andrew Silva, Staff Writer of San Bernardino Sun
April 19, 2007

Hoping to put a human face on its push for tough new smog standards, the region's air-pollution agency on Wednesday asked the public for personal stories about dirty air.

Officials Call For Strong Plan To Fight Smog
Public Invited To Tell How Smog Affects Their Health
NBC4.TV
April 18, 2007

LOS ANGELES -- Southland residents whose health has been impacted by air pollution were asked Wednesday to share their stories in hopes of convincing others to do what they can to improve air quality.

For cleaner US ports, cut truck fumes first?
An L.A. ports coalition hopes its plan to allow only trucking firms that embrace new emissions standards will expand nationwide.
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
April 7, 2007

LOS ANGELES
As Luis Ceja steers his orange Freightliner toward the Port of Long Beach, one of the busiest seaports in the US, every rev of the engine spews more fumes into the air – some of it sucked back into the cab via an open window.

Final SIP Rules Exclude PM Extension Path Proposed by ARB
Inside Cal/EPA
April 6, 2007

Cleaning Up Trucks at California Ports Clears the Air and Improves Truckers' Lives
By Rafael Pizarro, Coalition for Clean Air
April 2, 2007

Those of us who’ve worked on port and freight transport pollution issues couldn’t help but also note the terrible conditions of the port truck drivers. A New Yorker article famously referred to the vehicles they drive as “sweatshops on wheels.”

State drops delay to air cleanup deadline
Extension would risk Valley lives, critics say.
By Mark Grossi / The Fresno Bee
March 21, 2007

The state on Tuesday backed away from a controversial idea to delay the cleanup deadline for dangerous diesel soot and other airborne debris in California, but a Valley legislator won't let the issue drop.

California air board backs off discussion of pollution waiver
By Samantha Young, Associated Press Writer
March 20, 2007

State air quality regulators on Tuesday retreated from plans to win California more time to reach federal air pollution standards related to soot particles and other fine matter that can cause lung disease.

Request withdrawn to move air deadline
By VIC POLLARD , Californian Sacramento Bureau
March 20, 2007

SACRAMENTO -Under orders from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, a top clean-air official Tuesday retracted a controversial request for more time to get tiny soot particles out of the air in the San Joaquin Valley.

Air board seeks later deadline to cut soot. The agency says the state can't meet 2015 target and needs five more years. Critics say it is giving up too easily.
By Janet Wilson, Times Staff Writer
March 20, 2007

Declaring that California cannot meet federal soot reduction standards by a 2015 deadline, the state air board has asked for a five-year extension that critics say will cut short lives and aggravate asthma and other health problems.

State agency seeks more time to meet air pollution standard
By DAVID DANELSKI, The Press-Enterprise
March 19, 2007

Snubbing regional air pollution officials, California's air-quality agency has asked the Bush administration to consider giving Southern California until 2020 to meet federal standards for airborne fine particles, a type of pollution linked to cancer, heart disease and death.

Too early for air standard extension?
State request to EPA irks Florez, local air regulators
By STACEY SHEPARD, Californian Staff Writer
March 19, 2007

State air regulators came under heavy criticism Monday for looking into a possible delay in meeting the deadline for a federal clean air standard that comes due in 2015.

Port Cities Work to Rid Air of Pollutants
Saul Gonzalez
NewsHour Correspondent
March 2, 2007

Air monitoring stations in communities adjacent to California ports record dangerous levels of nitrogen oxide as well as fine soot and sulfur oxides. The NewsHour reports on how port cities are working to combat the pollution.

CCA's Rafael Pizarro on Polluted Ports
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
March 2, 2007

Inside Cal/EPA
March 2, 2007

Hybrid tugboat designed in Seattle
Associated Press
March 2, 2007

SEATTLE — A large tugboat company hopes to give the shipping industry’s grimy workhorse an ecological makeover, adding an electric hybrid system to the tug’s powerful diesel engines.

Container Ships--One of the Most Poorly Regulated Air Pollution Sources in California
By Tom Plenys
March 1, 2007

Huge cargo ships carrying thousands of containers filled with consumer goods across the Pacific Ocean to California ports are one of the most poorly regulated sources of air pollution in the state.

Seattle company aims for hybrid tugs
By Curt Woodward
Associate Press
March 1, 2007

SEATTLE -- A large tugboat company hopes to give the shipping industry's grimy workhorse an ecological makeover, adding an electric hybrid system to the tug's powerful diesel engines.

A Dry Cleaner Leads Debate Over Toxic Solvents
By Jamie Reno
Newsweek
Updated: 6:49 p.m. CT Feb 21, 2007

In the second installment of our small-business series about a pioneering dry cleaner in San Diego, we follow its proprietor as he joins the national debate over whether to ban the toxic cleaning solvent, perc.

NGOs Join California Fight Against Polluting Ships
Environmental News Service
Feb. 12, 2007
SACRAMENTO, California, February 12, 2007 (ENS) - The Natural Resources Defense /Council, NRDC, and the Coalition for Clean Air have decided to join an ongoing legal battle to defend a state regulation limiting air pollution caused by ships docking at California's ports.

NRDC, CCA Seek to Join Legal Battle against Polluting Ships Docking at CA
Posted by Patriot on 2007/2/7 11:59:46 (176 reads)
State Rule Limiting Air Pollution is Being Challenged in Court by Shipping Industry
SACRAMENTO (February 5, 2007) -- The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Coalition for Clean Air (CCA) announced today their intent to join the legal battle to defend a state regulation limiting air pollution caused by ships docking at California’s ports.

Get tough on air quality
Sacramento Bee
Letters: Migration, transportation, etc.
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6
- Gordon Greb, Chico
Re "Take a deep breath and feel your lungs weaken," Feb. 4: Thank you for your editorial about two new studies on the health impacts of air pollution. We agree that these studies are making an increasingly compelling case to strengthen air quality standards.

A Greener and Safer Future for Dry Cleaners Because California Acted
California Progress Report
Feb. 4, 2007
Recent state decision will help protect laundry workers and consumers. Safe clothes cleaning choices that don’t use toxic solvents are already popular. There’s good news for people who want to keep cancer-causing chemicals out of the clothes they have dry cleaned.

Plan para reducir contaminación
Iniciativa en la Legislatura busca limpiar el aire en autopistas cercanas a escuelas
Araceli Martínez-Ortega
Corresponsal de La Opinión
06 de febrero de 2007
SACRAMENTO.— Los latinos y particularmente los niños son quienes por lo general viven en los barrios cercanos a las autopistas del estado y de acuerdo a un estudio de la Universidad del Sur de California (USC) son los que más sufren de los efectos de la contaminación en la salud.

A Greener and Safer Future for Dry Cleaners Because California Acted
California Progress Report
February 4, 2007
Recent state decision will help protect laundry workers and consumers. Safe clothes cleaning choices that don’t use toxic solvents are already popular.There’s good news for people who want to keep cancer-causing chemicals out of the clothes they have dry cleaned. California will now be the first state in the nation to ban perchloroethylene (also known as “perc”) by 2023. This solvent is used by most dry cleaners and is a top water and air contaminant in California.

Older women facing threat
Pollution particles add to heart risks
BY KERRY CAVANAUGH, Staff Writer
Daily News
Article Last Updated: 01/31/2007 09:57:59 PM PST
Tiny particles in polluted air - much of it caused by tailpipe emissions - significantly increase the risk of heart disease for older women, according to a newly released federally funded study.
The findings raise new questions about whether Environmental Protection Agency pollution limits are tough enough.

Scrub toxins out of dry cleaning process
10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Press Enterprise
By CANDICE KIM
The message sends a chill up the spine of all small business owners: We're not renewing your lease, and you have to move. That's exactly what local dry cleaner Hans Kim faced in 1999 when his landlord told him to leave because of skyrocketing insurance costs involving dry-cleaning solvents.

Inside Cal/EPA
An exclusive weekly report on environmental legislation, regulation and litigation
from the publishers of Inside EPA
Vol. 18, No. 3 — January 19, 2007

California air regulators enact nation’s 1st statewide ban on toxic dry-cleaning chemical
By Associated Press
Friday January 26, 2007
Boston Herald
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - When a soil test revealed a potentially carcinogenic chemical had seeped into the ground beneath his dry-cleaning store, the cleanup set Thomas De Pippo back $200,000.

California air regulators ban toxic dry-cleaning chemical
By Samantha Young, Associated Press
January 25, 2007
The San Diego Union-Tribune
SACRAMENTO – California air regulators on Thursday enacted the nation's first statewide ban of the most common chemical used by dry cleaners.
By 2023, no more dry-cleaning machines that use the toxic solvent – perchloroethylene – will be permitted in the state.

APL aims to cut fuel emissions from ships to combat air pollution
By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer
Monday, December 4, 2006
SFGate.com
Cargo shipping line APL said Monday it has begun using cleaner-burning fuels and will begin testing technology to reduce harmful emissions from its ships.

Coaltion for Clean Air - Always in Fashion
BTC Elements Blog
November 19, 2007
I checked out The Coalition for Clean Air ’s 4th annual eco-fashion show fundraiser on Thursday. The sassy runway models? About 20 different public officials from the LA area. By far the most entertaining was Burbank Mayor Todd Campbell. He took the runway by storm - jumped, tangoed, somersaulted - all in the name of clean air.

Speaking of Clean Air...
Friday, November 17, 2006, by jwilliams
Curbed
Last night, we joined Curbed Co-editor Marissa for a Fashion Show held by the
Coalition for Clean Air, which featured local politicos as the models. It was quite a
show. We sat next to a Santa Clarita socialite who regaled us with tales of her
sagging boobs part of the night and shouted out "Marijuana! It's marijuana!"
anytime somebody wearing hemp clothing came down the runway. Yes, it was
an open bar.

Reduction of diesel pollution urged
By Mark Grossi / The Fresno Bee
11/15/06 03:48:17
Diesel pollution creates health problems and causes premature death in California as industries transport $400 billion of freight to the rest of the country, says a study released Tuesday by the nonprofit Pacific Institute and air advocacy groups.

CCA’s Sarah Sharpe discussing the harms of dry cleaning on KFCF radio.
(MP3 audio file - size 13 MB)

Should state haul big oil and auto giants to court?
By Stuart Leavenworth -
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, October 1, 2006
Sacramento Bee
Ten years ago, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was enhancing his movie career with "Jingle All the Way," his future environmental adviser Terry Tamminen was working as a pool-cleaning expert, water cop and would-be Bard of the Bay.

In Governor's Race, It's the Democrat Under Attack Over Conservation
By Michael Finnegan, LA Times Staff Writer
September 28, 2006
Schwarzenegger's battle to outmaneuver Angelides on the environment has led to an odd role reversal for the two major-party rivals. Californians, especially the millions living along the coast, have long used the environment as a gauge to judge candidates, traditionally favoring Democrats over Republicans on the issue. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's battle to outmaneuver Democratic challenger Phil Angelides on the environment has led to an odd role reversal for the two major-party rivals.

More area buses receive exhaust filters
Bonnie Eslinger, The Examiner
Sep 27, 2006
Mayor Gavin Newsom tests a filter on a Muni bus by placing a white handkerchief on the exhaust pipe Tuesday on Treasure Island. More than 1,700 diesel buses from 13 Bay Area transit districts are being retrofitted with the new diesel exhaust filters.

Replacing Old Valley School Buses
KFSN-TV
September 22, 2006
Dozens of school buses around the valley still use diesel fuel and studies have shown those fumes creep into buses and children breath them in. Sarah Sharpe, Coalition for Clean Air stated, "I rode the bus in Fresno Unified for ten years.... The kids nowadays are probably riding the same buses I rode, which is unfortunate and unhealthy." The Valley Air District Board has pledged to help school districts find the money to replace their bus fleets.

School bus fix en route
Smog-belching vehicles to be replaced by 2016
Zachary K. Johnson
Record Staff Writer
Published Friday, Sep 22, 2006
MODESTO - While the wheels of the school bus go round and round, the diesel engines
pushing some buses forward emit soot and chemicals studies say contribute to air
pollution and cause health problems for the students riding inside.

Stakeholders Press ARB for More Concessions in Perc Phaseout
Inside Cal/EPA
Sep 22, 2006
Environmentalists are calling on air board staff to further tighten a revised plan to phase out the controversial dry cleaning chemical perchloroethylene (perc), arguing the latest proposal still jeopardizes the health of citizens adjacent to dry cleaning shops. Meanwhile, dry cleaning industry representatives argue ARB staff should consider exempting from costly hazardous waste management rules dry cleaners who switch to alternative chemicals.

Container Fees Suggested for Local Ports to Combat Pollution
California Apparel News
September 13, 2006
A bill that would charge a $30 fee per 20-foot container entering the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is awaiting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature. Senate Bill 927, passed by the Assembly on Aug. 30 and the Senate on Aug. 31, would use the annual $500 million the fee is expected to generate to clean up the air and improve the transportation infrastructure around the ports, as well as to beef up port security.

Saving Lives in a Post 9/11 Era and Preserving Economic Stability of California’s Ports
Why Governor Schwarzenegger Should Sign SB 927
CaliforniaProgressReport.com
September 11, 2006
By Tim Carmichael, President – Coalition for Clean Air
The governor has a rare opportunity to sign Senate Bill 927 that could both save lives and invest in a strong economic future for California by providing necessary funding to improve our largest ports.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the busiest in the nation. But the tremendous trade growth at the ports comes at a terrible cost: it is the largest single source of toxic diesel pollution in the greater Los Angeles region.

Community Activists Resurrect Container Fee Bill
Last Minute Blow By Assembly Democrats Reversed
Harbor Independent News - Random Lengths
By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor
Left to its own devices, the Democratic leadership of the State Assembly was prepared to let Long Beach State Senator Alan Lowenthal's container fee bill SB 760 die a quiet death, thus blocking a key component in funding the long term struggle to clean up deadly port air. But those who are dying for lack of it-including five mothers who volunteer with the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (LBACA)-would not let it happen.

Legislature passes port cargo fee
Governor will now decide whether to sign the controversial proposal, which imposes a surcharge on containers, into law.
By Michael Gardner and Donna Littlejohn
Copley News Service
SACRAMENTO -- Testing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's resolve to curb smog, make a dent in gridlock and improve security, lawmakers have sent him controversial legislation that would impose a fee on containers shipped through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Sen. Lowenthal Pushes Industry to Help Fund Mitigation of Port Pollution
As Long Beach's state senator, Alan Lowenthal has led the fight to make sure that global trade is not hazardous for the region's health.
Metro Investment Report
A veteran member of the California State Senate, Alan Lowenthal has fought tirelessly for his constituents in Long Beach. Prominent among their concerns is, and has always been, the twin ports of L.A. and Long Beach and their effect on not only traffic but also on public health. Sen. Lowenthal has promoted many legislative efforts, most recently SB 927 (formerly SB 760), which would have imposed a fee on all shipping containers. Though SB 927 was recently suspended, MIR was pleased to speak with the senator about: November’s bond measures, the challenges of port growth, and the need for environmental mitigation of pollution.

Container Tax Is Right Way to Pay For Port Upgrades
Los Angeles Business Journal
August 21, 2006
By TIM CARMICHAEL
A new, reliable and continuous funding stream is needed to upgrade security and keep the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex a safe place to do business. These funds would protect neighboring San Pedro Bay communities from pollution and safeguard the thousands of employees who make their living at the harbor.

Cargo fee not likely to get vote
But effort to add $30 charge isn't over, says bill author Lowenthal.
Los Beach Press Telegram
August 18, 2006
By Kristopher Hanson, Staff writer
LONG BEACH - An effort to tack a $30 fee on cargo container traffic at local ports to reduce air pollution, improve security and build infrastructure is near death today after legislators in Sacramento refused to put the measure up for a vote this week.

“Cargo on the Move Through California:
Evaluating Container Fee Impacts on Port Choice”
California Progress Report
August 18, 2006
This newly completed study, Cargo on the Move Through California: Evaluating
Container Fee Impacts on Port Choice by professors James Corbett of the University of
Delaware, and James Winebrake of the Rochester Institute of Technology found that a
container fee at California’s three largest ports would have minimal to no impact on
business. Most significantly, the study finds that a $30 container fee at the Long Beach and
Los Angeles ports would not adversely affect business.

Cargo fee remains a viable option to reduce pollution
Daily Breeze
August 16, 2006
Opponents of the idea of California imposing a fee on cargo containers to fund pollution mitigation and reduce congestion contend such a fee would be a drag on economic growth, especially at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Environmentalists Back Bill to Curb Port Pollution
KPCC News
Radio Interview
08/15/2006
Every year, millions of containers move through Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A bill backed by State Senator Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach would impose a fee of $30 per container to mitigate air pollution and traffic…
Click here to listen
Audio is in RealAudio format.
Get the free RealAudio player

El Este de LA, presa del asfalto
Esta comunidad padece las consecuencias de estar rodeada de cuatro autopistas
LA OPINION
by Rubén Moreno
August 15, 2006
El rugir de los motores puede escucharse con claridad en cualquiera de las calles aledañas al cruce de las autopistas, pero la densidad del tráfico es tan alta que el zumbido de la circulación se llega a apreciar hasta en las cuadras más retiradas.

Study says shipping fee won't undermine business
Press Enterprise
August 15, 2006
A proposed $30 fee on each container of foreign-made goods imported through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach would raise millions for transportation and air-quality projects without significantly hurting business, according to a new study from a pair of environmental organizations.

Study: Port fee's impact would be slight
Daily Breeze
By Donna Littlejohn
August 15, 2006
Results of a report commissioned by environmentalists argues that a proposed assessment on cargo would not harm business. Coinciding with state legislation that would establish a new cargo fee at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a study was released Monday that environmentalists said shows the fee would have "minimal to no impact" on business and would not divert too many ships away from the local ports.

La ‘reina’ de los retrasos
La encrucijada de autopistas ubicada en ELA, la más transitada en todo el mundo
LA OPINION
by Rubén Moreno
August 14, 2006
Como si fueran los garabatos trazados por un niño de pocos años, la estampa que forman desde el aire las autopistas que atraviesan el condado constituye, metafóricamente, un entresijo de venas y arterias por las que a diario circulan millones de vehículos que hacen bombear el corazón financiero de la metrópoli.

Debating Container Fee for Ports
BY Mark Lacter
LA Biz Observed
August 14, 2006
Would a $30 container fee for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have much impact on shipping? A study released today by the Coalition for Clean Air suggests it wouldn't. The study, funded by the coalition and the Natural Resources Defense Council, found that ship diversions resulting from a container fee would be less than 1.5 percent. The coalition is pushing legislation by State Sen. Alan Lowenthal that would impose the $30-per-container fee as a way of financing infrastructure and environmental clean-up projects. Lowenthal has been trying to link the legislation with a November bond measure that would finance work on the badly congested Long Beach (710 Freeway). Opponents of the bill, which include the California Association of Port Authorities and the California Chamber of Commerce, say the fee would have a devastating impact on the California economy.

L.A.'s big import: Overseas pollution
25% of particulates from China
BY BRENT HOPKINS
LA Daily News
July 31, 2006
The brilliant scarlet tones of a smoggy Los Angeles sunset may look pretty, but air quality experts maintain they actually herald a new Red Menace. More than 6,000 miles from the City of Angels, Chinese factories produce toys, shoes, household goods, tools and all manner of everyday necessities.

Gas stations repeatedly cited for air pollution
By Mike Lee
San Diego Untion Tribune
July 30, 2006
Most drivers filling up at a gas station lately probably focus on the pump's fast-rising money counter. But the pump is doing more than selling gasoline – it's fighting air pollution.

Many leaders drive guzzlers
Large vehicles are popular with state lawmakers -- but so are hybrids.
By Jim Sanders
Sacramento Bee
July 29, 2006
While California legislators lament air pollution and the rising cost of gasoline, nearly two dozen drive gas-guzzling vehicles purchased and fueled at taxpayer expense, records show.
Twenty-two legislators drive trucks, large cars or sport-utility vehicles that average about 20 miles per gallon of gasoline, or less, on state highways.

Flashing Lights
Danger: Polluting School Bus Ahead
by Erin Coughlin
E Magazine Online
July 2006
Every day millions of parents put their children on big yellow school buses, trusting that they will be healthy and safe on their route to school. The fact is, however, that the 24 million kids who ride buses an average of an hour and a half every day are also being exposed to high levels of diesel exhaust that can affect their health. Of the 450,000 public school buses used in the U.S. today, the overwhelming majority, 390,000, are diesel.

Push for clean ports
Your Views - Letter to the Editor by Martin Schlageter
The Press-Enterprise
July 14, 2006
As stated in your editorial, "Healthy ports?" (Our Views, July 10), the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have finally embarked on a plan to begin cleaning up the air pollution that sickens and kills thousands of Californians annually.

Batalla por una vía sin acabar
By Rubén Moreno, La Opinion
July 11, 2006
Aunque no fue hasta 1984 que quedó registrada como la interestatal 710, la autopista que une el puerto de Long Beach con el Este de Los Ángeles comenzó tan pronto como en los años 60 a verse envuelta en avatares y discrepancias que en pocas ocasiones le fueron favorables.

Detailed port pollution plan will be released
By Felix Sanchez, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
June 27, 2006
LONG BEACH - A comprehensive bid to reduce air pollution from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles using financial incentives, tariffs, lease agreements and conversion of existing equipment to new technology and cleaner- burning fuels will be unveiled today.

Shipping Line Acts for Cleaner Air at L.A. Harbor
By Dan Weikel, LA Times Staff Writer
May 27, 2006
Maersk, with the busiest container terminal, breaks with the industry by saying all of its vessels calling at state ports will use low-sulfur fuel.

Maersk will use cleaner fuel
Long Beach Press-Telegram staff & wire reports
May 27, 2006
LONG BEACH — Maersk Line cargo ships bound for the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland will begin using a cleaner burning fuel when they are docked or near land, a move that should reduce the impact of harmful ship emissions near those communities, the ocean carrier said Friday.

State moves closer to perc ban
Central Valley Business Times
May 26, 2006
Don’t buy any new cleaning equipment that uses perchloroethylene, or "perc," the California Air Resources Board cautions Central Valley and California dry cleaners.

State regulators move to phase out dry cleaning solvent
Sacramento Bee - The Associated Press
May 26, 2006
SACRAMENTO (AP) - California air regulators have voted to develop a plan to phase out a hazardous dry cleaning solvent. Thursday's move by the state Air Resources Board could make California the first state to ban perchloroethylene, or "perc," the primary chemical used in dry cleaning.

State Ready to Phase Out Dry-Clean Solvent
By Janet Wilson, LA Times Staff Writer
May 26, 2006
California is poised to become the first state to phase out the main chemical used by dry cleaners, following a unanimous vote by the state's Air Resources Board on Thursday to develop a plan to eliminate perchloroethylene — or "perc."

Exigen se prohíba químico en tintorerías
Por Andrea Carrión Diario
Hoy Internet
19 de mayo, 2006
Quienes trabajan en tintorerías tienen un tema bastante controvertido en común: el uso del 'perc' en el lavado al seco. La mayoría utiliza este disolvente porque lo considera "el más efectivo" del mercado. Otros, tras constatar su carácter cancerígeno, han optado por métodos alternativos.

Valley deserves protection from toxic chemical
By Debbie Davis and Sharah Sharpe
May 24, 2006
"The state Air Resources Board acknowledges that there are cost-effective nontoxic, nonsmog-forming alternatives to perc," said Luis Cabrales, Coalition for Clean Air's Campaign and Outreach Associate. "We urge the board to replace the current proposal with an expeditious phase-out of perc dry cleaning."

Ginger Rutland’s commentary
Listen to journalist Ginger Rutland’s commentary “Do Away with Dry Cleaning” aired in Sacramento’s NPR affiliate.
Listen Now...
(mp3 file - 1 MB)

Sacramento Bee Editorial: Phasing out 'perc'
Time to end use of dangerous chemical
Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, May 18, 2006
Perchloroethylene, the dry cleaning solvent commonly known as perc, is one nasty chemical.
For those exposed to high levels of perc, the biggest risk is cancer. The chemical can also cause irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, mouth, throat and lungs as well as headaches, dizziness, nausea, fainting, coughing, fluid buildup in lungs and damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, liver and reproductive system. And it is a major water contaminant.

CCA's Martin Schlageter on KPCC’s AirTalk
Martin Schlageter, CCA’s Campaign and Advocacy Director, interviewed on KPCC’s AirTalk, April 27 around the ARB’s plans to Reduce Ports Air Pollution.
Listen Now...
(mp3 file - 28 MB - Large File)

L.B. air some of the dirtiest in the nation
By Felix Sanchez
Long Beach Press Telegram
April 28, 2006
Environment: Agencies pushing for measures to cut truck, port pollution.
LONG BEACH — Don't take a deep breath to prepare to hear this news: The air in the Long Beach, Riverside and Los Angeles metropolitan area is the most polluted in the United States, according to a report released by the American Lung Association on Thursday.

California air board approves plan to reduce shipping pollution
Florida Ledger
April 20, 2006
California's smog-fighting agency on Thursday approved a sweeping plan to reduce air pollution caused by the ports, rail lines and roadways that move goods around the state.

Board approves pollution fight
By Felix Sanchez
Long Beach Press Telegram
April 21, 2006
A multi-pronged bid to cut pollution spewed into the California air by ports, rail lines,
roadways and other cargo hauling systems got unanimous approval by the California Air Resources Board on Thursday.

California air board approves plan to reduce shipping pollution
The Mercury News
April 20, 2006
California's smog-fighting agency on Thursday approved a sweeping plan to reduce air pollution caused by the ports, rail lines and roadways that move goods around the state.

Plan to cut pollution at ports approved
Incentives offered to reduce smog
Monterey Heraldr
April 21, 2006
California's smog-fighting agency on Thursday approved a sweeping plan to reduce air pollution caused by the ports, rail lines and roadways that move goods around the state.

EPA Looks to Nix Rural Clean Air Protections
By Michelle Chen
The New Standard
April 21, 2006
While the government claims that soot from agribusinesses and mines poses no significant public health threat, public-interest groups say that regulators are manipulating science to fit industry's agenda.

Pollution Plan on Haulers Nears OK
By Janet Wilson
LA Times Staff Writer
April 20, 2006
The state air board is set to vote today on emission reduction goals for ships, trucks and trains. But critics say the proposal lacks teeth.

The earth needs maid service, Environmental orgs need your help
by Dena Seif in Variety
March 9, 2006
With Earth Day approaching and spring around the corner, environmental orgs are offering opportunities for volunteers to get involved in creating a cleaner, healthier L.A.

Dockworkers' Union Calls for Cleaner Air at Seaports
The effort to reduce smog stemming from seaports, among the biggest polluters in the nation, gained an ally on Monday when the union representing thousands of West Coast dockworkers promised to help significantly reduce toxic emissions.

Guerra a la contaminación
Buscan soluciones para limpiar el aire del Sur de California
byJazmín Ortega in La Opinion
January 31, 2006
En las comunidades cercanas a los puertos de Los Ángeles y Long Beach se paga el precio del éxito comercial. Casos más severos de asma, mayor incidencia de cáncer, enfermedades cardiacas y muertes prematuras ha sido la factura cobrada a las comunidades de San Pedro y Wilmington, para que ambos puertos sean el tercer complejo portuario en el mundo.

Prevén reducción de gases contaminantes
Las metas impuestas por el gobierno de California para reducir la emisión de gases relacionados con el efecto invernadero, conocidos en inglés como gases GHG, podrían cumplirse fácilmente si se mantienen las medidas de junio del año pasado, cuando el gobernador Arnold Schwarzenegger firmó la orden ejecutiva S305 para cumplir con normas internacionales establecidas en el Protocolo de Kyoto.

Professor named chief of air board
Three months after his last appointee was rejected by the state Senate as too pro-business, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday named a highly respected Berkeley air pollution expert as chairman of the California Air Resources Board.
Bee Capitol Bureau
December 23, 2005

The Greening of Ships
Can California stop air pollution out at sea?
LA Weekly
December 16-22, 2005

LBReport.com
We Post Pix Of Senator Alan Lowenthal, Councilmembers Reyes Uranga & Bonnie Lowenthal Modeling Enviro-Friendly Fashions To Benefit Coalition For Clean Air

Los Angeles Times' coverage of CCA's Fashion Show
Dec. 1st., 2005

Municipal LA's Next Top Model
CCA's Always In Fashion Fundraiser

Clean Air Group Calls on Pols for Fashion Show
Top elected officials in California become "Supermodels" for a night, wearing eco-friendly clothes and accessories on the runway, at the Coalition for Clean Air's "Clean Air. . .Always in Fashion" event on Nov. 17, 2005.

Key air quality bills remain before the governor

September 30, 2005
by Tim Carmichael

Only by signing a broader portfolio of legislation to protect our health and our environment will Californians have a fighting chance to breathe safely.

Letter from CCA's President: Climate, race and poverty

September 22, 2005

Hurricane Katrina, its impact, and the response highlight some of the greatest challenges for humanity – global warming, race relations, and inequities between rich and poor.

Governor says "Time for action, not for talk" but appoints oil-industry lobbyist and slashes environmental budget

August 16, 2005

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger angered environmentalists this summer when he named oil industry lobbyist Cindy Tuck as the state’s leading smog fighter. In addition, the governor vetoed millions of dollars worth of environmental protections from the budget.

Port pollution must be reduced

June 11, 2005

by Tim Carmichael and Margaret Gordon in the Oakland Tribune
The Bay Area was under a microscope last weekend as world leaders visited for World Environment Day. However, one of the most serious challenges to our health, usually invisible, may have escaped their eyes: toxic air pollution from seaports and cargo movement.

Coalition for Clean Air invites you to join us for a televised special event.

"The Impact of the November Initiatives"

Speakers will include Fabian Nunez, Zev Yaroslavsky, Wendy Greuel and environmental leaders

Thursday, October 5, 2006

THE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE THEATER
9786 Pico Boulevard, at Roxbury Drive
Complimentary Parking via Pico Boulevard

Seating is free, but limited to RSVP guests only. Please RSVP by October 2th to (310) 475-5738

Click here to read and print the flyer

Tim Carmichael, President of CCA testimony on the Governor’s Strategic Growth Plan in front of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, January 24th, 2006

There are many details to be worked out but the BIG question is whether the leadership of California is genuinely interested in investing in a sustainable future for our great state or if this is merely about some short-term band-aid fixes. The California environmental community strongly supports investing in California’s future. We recognize that investments of this magnitude, if done correctly, can offer significant benefits to the quality of life, a strong economy, and a healthy environment.

The Coalition for Clean Air is continuing to strengthen its Board of Directors by adding geographic, ethnic, and professional diversity. In 2005, CCA added six wonderful new Board members who will help further its mission to restore clean, healthful air to all Californians. Learn more about them.

Awards Luncheon

Coalition for Clean Air 35th Anniversary Awards Luncheon
Join us on May 31st in The Crystal Room of The Millennium Biltmore Hotel as we celebrate our 35th anniversary and honor several outstanding men and women who have dedicated themselves to help Californians breathe cleaner and healthier air.

See the invitation and buy tickets

2006 honorees are:

Dean Florez, California State Senator, 16th District

Eric Garcetti, President of the Los Angeles City Council

Andrea Hricko, Director, Community Outreach and Education, Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center (USC/UCLA)

Kip Lipper, Consultant, Office of the Senate President pro Tem, Don Perata

Dr. Alan Lloyd, Secretary Emeritus, CA Environmental Protection Agency

Earth Day Volunteers
Earth Day is just around the corner and the Coalition for Clean Air will be very busy spreading the good news on how individuals, organizations and public officials can do their part to clean the air we all breathe. Join us as a volunteer and help us spread the good news. We will be participating in the following events and we welcome you to participate at our booth. Click Here for more info.

The Coalition for Clean Air has a New Home in Los Angeles: The Fine Arts Building.
We are now more centrally located - right next to several public transportation lines and the 110 Freeway. so next time you visit us, feel free to take the train (red or blue line to the 7th and Metro Station), hop on the bus of take the Dash.
See the announcement
See where we are located

Fashion Show 2005
On November 17, the Coalition for Clean Air held the California Market Center's Fashion Theater for its third annual fashion show. The show featured elected officials-- from city councilmembers to senators-- as models for a collection of eco-friendly clothing, all in support of our work to restore clean, healthful air to California. The Fashion Commentator was Joe Lockhart, Former Press Secretary to President Clinton. Click here to see a slide show of the event.

Letter from CCA's President: Climate, race and poverty

September 22, 2005

Hurricane Katrina, its impact, and the response highlight some of the greatest challenges for humanity – global warming, race relations, and inequities between rich and poor.

Coalition for Clean Air President Tim Carmichael is awarded "Environmentalist of the Year" by faith-based environmental groups

Clear and Present Danger

September 23, 2005

Read about the state of the air in Los Angeles in the LA Weekly's issue focusing on smog.

Port pollution must be reduced

June 11, 2005

by Tim Carmichael and Margaret Gordon in the Oakland Tribune
The Bay Area was under a microscope last weekend as world leaders visited for World Environment Day. However, one of the most serious challenges to our health, usually invisible, may have escaped their eyes: toxic air pollution from seaports and cargo movement.

Central Valley Air Quality Coalition Action Day

May 9, 2005

United in their determination to take the fight for clean air directly to state leaders, on May 9th approximately 100 community members and advocates from the San Joaquin Valley and around the state traveled to Sacramento and met with legislative offices.

An eye on the Central Valley

en Español

May 23, 2005

Whatever you think about your job, chances are it does not require you to breathe in rancid, lethal toxic chemicals every day. That is, unless you are a port worker, truck driver, or a farm worker in the Central Valley. Read one farm worker's story here.

32 California Counties Fail American Lung Association¹s Annual State of the Air Clean Air Test

April 28, 2005 Oakland, CA

Thirty-two of California¹s 52 counties with air quality monitoring stations received failings grades in the American Lung Association State of the Air: 2005 report released today.

A step backward in port pollution

en Español

By Tim Carmichael and Maura Dwyer

Long Beach Press Telegram

The amount of air pollution blowing inland every day from the Long Beach/Los Angeles ports is astoundingly equal to the amount of air pollution generated daily by three million cars. Despite knowing this, the Long Beach City Council just lost a major opportunity to protect Long Beach residents' health from such dangerous air pollution.

Schwarzenegger putting China interests over California

The Schwarzenegger administration is fast-tracking a plan to expand the number of trucks, ships and trains carrying cargo and major air pollution around the state – a move that community-based groups and environmental organizations such as the Coalition For Clean Air are calling a disaster waiting to happen.

CCA visits Central Valley environmental advocates

As part of CCA efforts to build a more inclusive and more effective environmental movement among statewide and local organizations, personnel from our Outreach, Communications and Community Engagement (OCCE) department met with environmental advocates in California's Central Valley at the beginning of March.

Bush's “Trade Pollution for Lives” Act Stalls in the Senate, But Administration Cuts Protection from Mercury Anyway

A Senate committee last month handed President Bush a setback by failing to pass his key environmental initiative, designed to allow pollution trading instead of protecting public health. In an effort to obfuscate the intent of the act, the administration has misleadingly titled the act the “Clear Skies Act.”

Calling on California's leader to prioritize clean air

Armed with knowledge about the growing public health urgency to clean up California's air, the CCA board and staff converged onto the state Capitol in Sacramento for the annual CCA legislative day on March 8.

A step backward in port pollution

en Español

By Tim Carmichael and Maura Dwyer

Long Beach Press Telegram

New evidence links heart damage to air pollution
Researchers have found a strong correlation between smog and air pollution and potential heart damage.

The Struggle to Breathe
Every day, thousands of children in California suffer with asthma, whether on playgrounds in Fresno, baseball fields in Rancho Cucamonga, or parks in Santa Ana. Here, read the story of two young brothers living with asthma in Long Beach, near the nation's largest port complex and the polluted I-710 freeway.

Clean Air- Always in Fashion
With songs like Joan Jett’s I Love Rock N’Roll blaring in the background, over thirty of California’s "supermodel" elected officials strutted down the runway in December at the Coalition for Clean Air’s second annual fashion show, “Clean Air- Always in Fashion.”

Photos now here!

New Constituencies for the Environment
The Coalition for Clean Air is embarking on a new effort to develop and support new constituencies for the environment and strengthen the environmental movement in California overall.