Freeway air pollution: appeals court upholds monitoring rules
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's caps on motor vehicle emissions. Environmental groups had argued that the regulations failed to address air pollution faced by the 1.5 million people who live next to Southern California freeways.
The San Francisco-based court ruled that the EPA's approval of limits on the amount of motor vehicle emissions allowed in the region were adequate, and California could therefore move ahead with transportation plans and projects.
A lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2008 had demanded a comprehensive monitoring of air quality along freeways, including the 710, where traffic averages 12,180 vehicles per hour -– more than 25% of them diesel trucks.
Of particular concern were measurements taken by South Coast Air Quality Management District monitors that were far from heavily traveled roadways where cancer risks from diesel particulates are greatest.
Federal policy forbids local air regulators, including the AQMD, from using measurements near a known large pollution source, such as the truck-clogged freeway that serves the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, to calculate regional air pollution amounts.
On Wednesday, coalition leaders vowed to continue working for better air quality monitoring near major highways, and cleaner transportation technologies.
"The purpose of the lawsuit was to make sure money is spent to benefit local communities while improving air quality for all Angelenos. Unfortunately the court didn't see it that way," said Jesse Marquez, executive director of the Coalition for a Safe Environment. "Instead of expanding our highways to accommodate more dirty trucks, we should invest in clean, efficient cargo transportation such as Maglev and electric trains."
-- Louis Sahagun
Er, Lou, this lawsuit wasn't part of a certain conservative effort to keep the EPA from acting on scientificaly proven climate change. Read the article. The plaintiffs wanted to make the rules stronger.
Posted by: meme | April 02, 2011 at 07:58 AM
LOU: While I have no love for Rose Bird or the Ninth Circuit, get your facts straight. Rose Bird was the CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE SUPREME COURT who was recalled by the voters.
She had nothing to do with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Posted by: Bradford Talamon | March 31, 2011 at 05:20 PM
Why are these jerks so in love with putting us in a big box and carting us around. Control, that's why.
Posted by: ELADAVE | March 31, 2011 at 04:06 PM
most liberal court ever, should be called the Rose Bird court.
Posted by: LOU | March 30, 2011 at 09:58 PM