• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

All Healthy News

Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Home.

HEALTH BEGINS WITH:
Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Homes.

  • Home
  • About/Contact
  • HEALTH NEWS/TRENDS
  • CLEAN AIR
  • HEALTHY HOME
  • PURE WATER
  • Free Video Reveals

CLEAN AIR

New EPA Standards for Gas Industry Pollution Will Help Existing Air Monitoring Efforts

December 31, 2021 by Staff Reporter

WATCH: New EPA Standards for Gas Industry Pollution Will Help Existing Air Monitoring Efforts

Clean Air Council and its partner organizations are working hard to tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that Pennsylvania, and the entire nation, needs the strongest pollution standards possible to limit methane and smog-causing volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution, as well as hazardous air pollutants (HAP) like the known carcinogen benzene, from being emitted from shale gas drilling sites. The EPA’s recently proposed pollution standard for existing oil and gas facilities is unique in that the proposed rule is asking for more input from the public than usual, particularly in regard to a potential community air monitoring network that could protect communities on the frontlines of the shale gas industry. 

Please consult Clean Air Council’s suggested comment on the EPA’s new pollution standard. Comments are due January 31st. 

The EPA’s proposal for a community air monitoring network could inform residents and regulators about local air pollution in real-time, building off ongoing work that organizations like Earthworks, Protect PT and Clean Air Council are currently engaged in.

Are you noticing unwanted dust, light pollution, or even noise pollution? 

If so, Protect PT has newly launched a mobile App that may be of interest to you. This App can be used on any mobile device at report.protectpt.org 

Here, you can sign in to Protect PT’s observation portal and record your environmental grievances. Our team has put together a real simple and easy way for you to track any pollution and health impacts that could be disturbing your peace. 

Once you log your observation, the app provides resources and suggests next steps for you to take. We hope you enjoy using our new mobile app, and are happy to hear from you! Watch this instructional video describing how to use Protect PT’s local hazard reporting tool.

While Protect PT is engaging with communities in Pennsylvania’s shale fields to protect residents from the damaging effects of the gas drilling industry, Earthworks has led the charge on the use of optical gas imaging (OGI) technology to visualize previously unseen pollution from the oil and gas industry.

Watch this interview with Earthworks Pennsylvania Field Advocate Melissa Ostroff including demonstrations and explanations of OGI recordings at a variety of oil and gas facilities.

Clean Air Council, Earthworks and Protect PT are all working to empower residents impacted by the oil and gas industry to improve public health. Please tell the EPA to finalize a strong rule to limit air pollution from the gas industry that includes a real-time community air monitoring network building off the ongoing efforts of Earthworks, Protect PT and other organizations.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR, Clean Air Council

SAMEA Innovation to Introduce SENSORIIS, a Cellular-Based,

December 31, 2021 by Staff Reporter

LAS VEGAS & PLÉNEUF-VAL-ANDRÉ, France, Dec. 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SAMEA Innovation, SAS is pleased to announce the cellular-based SENSORIIS and SAMEA Innovation entry into the U.S. markets. The SENSORIIS, now shipping in Europe, incorporates an extensive array of 16 sensor measurements. The sensor measurements include Particle PM 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 7.5, 10.0, VOC, True CO2, temperature, humidity, presence via a doppler radar, sound, vibration, air pressure, smoke and lighting conditions including brightness and color temperature. SENSORIIIS will ship in Q2 of 2022 at $499.  

To be introduced at this year’s CES, the SENSORIIS is engineered as a cellular-based autonomous system with no Wi-Fi setup needed. The system can be placed anywhere to measure air quality, with seamless connectivity to the cloud every five minutes, providing near real-time air quality information via a mobile app or web dashboard. There is no router to install, which avoids an unsecure Wi-Fi point by using a secure cellular connection. 

“A company can place the SENSORIIS anywhere in a space, as its battery can last up to two years, and place as many as needed to receive accurate indoor air quality measurements via mobile app or customized dashboards,” said Sebastien Amiot, CEO of SAMEA Innovation.

SAMEA Innovation is utilizing Sequans’ cellular-based sensor technology for the SENSORIIS. “The Sequans communication module in the SENSORIIS is certified for use by cellular carriers in over 200 countries, and it will bring a competitive advantage to SAMEA,” said Amiot.

“Safe and healthy indoor air quality has become an increasingly important issue in many companies that plan to return to work in person following the many challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Installation of precise air quality sensors that can efficiently measure and inform the air quality condition on a real-time basis can help reduce the anxiety and concerns that employees may have about commercial spaces,” added Amiot. 

SAMEA Innovation is exhibiting at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Eureka Park Booth #61013 in the Technology West-Hall G in the France Innovation Section. To learn more, visit www.samea-innovation.com.

ABOUT SAMEA Innovation, SAS

Established in August 2016, SAMEA Innovation designs and provides wireless systems and connected IoT devices, based on a strong expertise in radiocommunication and electronic design. Our designs support B2B and B2C radio integration, with a focus on improving connectivity, geolocation, and multi-purpose wireless sensors.

For more information, visit www.samea-innovation.com.

Contact:
Marc McConnaughey
Porter Strategies, Inc.
[email protected]

Related Images

Image 1: Samea SENSORIIS Indoor Air Quality Sensor

SENSORIIS Air Quality Sensor

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

  • Samea SENSORIIS Indoor Air Quality Sensor



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR

Nowy Targ, where the most toxic air in Poland is produced by its neighbors | International

December 31, 2021 by Staff Reporter

At the foot of the Tatras, the Alpine mountains of the Carpathians that separate Poland and Slovakia, lies Nowy Targ, in a depression where two rivers converge. A few kilometers to the northwest, other mountains, those of the Gorce National Park, embrace the municipality of 34,000 inhabitants. It sounds like clean air and nature, winter and mountain sports. If it weren’t for the toxic smoke that comes out of the homes, the one that produces the coal that heats them in an endless winter, that suffocates Nowy Targ and makes it the most polluted city in Poland.

On bad days, the pollution is so intense that you can see it, smell it and almost touch it. From the hill where the hospital and the municipal cemetery are located, the city seems to be swallowed up by a thick cloud with an ocher tone of smog -for smoke (smoke) and fog (fog), in English. Only behind Bulgaria, Poland is the most polluted country in the European Union, as collected by Eurostat. Of the 50 European cities with the worst air quality, 36 are Polish, according to the World Health Organization. Nowy Targ has become the worst of the worst.

According to him ranking annual Polish Smog Alert activist movement published on December 9, the city led the ranking in the three categories they analyzed with data from 2020. Among the hundreds of Polish measurement stations studied, theirs registered the highest average annual concentration of PM10 particulate matter (42 mg / m³ ), the highest number of days with unbreathable air (90) and the highest annual concentration of the carcinogen benzopyrene (18 ng / m³, 1,800% above the limit allowed in Poland).

Four days after the ranking made public, the mayor, Grzegorz Watycha, considers it “irritating” and unfair. As he explains, they are on the list because the problem worries them and they have set up a measuring station that other places lack. “We are a bit punished because we want to solve the problem and we are aware,” he insists. Along with the classification, Smog Polish Alert denounced that three days before the City Council had changed the location of the station to a site that, they consider, will collect lower levels of pollution and will make it difficult to assess the annual evolution.

Watycha explains that 60% of the city’s polluting emissions come from outdated domestic boilers that still run on coal today. [en Polonia suponen más del 50% de la polución], in many occasions of very low quality, and even garbage. In one of the coldest cities in Poland, the mayor emphasizes that his neighbors spend twice as much as the Polish average on heating, which can take eight months a year, which complicates the switch to other fuels that are more expensive, like gas. The remaining 40% of the polluted air is attributed to cars and the surrounding towns, “where nothing is done.” The orography of the place, added to the thermal inversion when it is colder in the valley than in the mountains, means that the contamination remains trapped at ground level.

Photogallery

Join MRT to follow all the news and read without limits.

Subscribe

The mayor is concerned about the image that the city projects abroad with this ranking which takes Spanish journalists to sit in his office, who have traveled there as part of the Europa Ciudadana series financed by the European Parliament. Dr. Lidia Kolodziej is anxious about the health of her patients, “especially children, whose respiratory system develops up to seven years.” It does not have local data, but those of the Malopolska region, where Nowy Targ is located, and the Silesia mining region, also highly polluted, collect four times as many cases of early childhood asthma. “I observe very clearly that in the periods of more pollution these children have more respiratory problems, bronchitis and infections,” he explains. “My drama is that instead of being able to prescribe a healthy diet and exercise outdoors, I have to ask them to stay home,” he says in his bright living room, where he has an air purifier.

In adults, he continues, a higher incidence of lung, circulation and heart diseases is observed. There is also a higher prevalence of lung cancer among nonsmokers because of the benzopyrene that is breathed in Nowy Targ, which is a substance also found in cigarettes, he notes. Older people, who are also at risk of developing early dementia, do not pay much attention to it. “They say it is the smell of winter and that it has always been done that way (burning garbage, including plastic).”

Denial, outrage and resignation can be seen on the streets of Nowy Targ. Maria Sieka, 73, who has a kiosk in the main square where she sells souvenirs and bovine garments, he does not believe that the pollution comes from the heaters, but from the cars, but in reality it does not matter much to him: “I am 73 years old and I am not worried; I have asthma and I live very well ”. Julia Janczy, an 18-year-old student, finds the situation in her city “horrible”: “We are in the mountains and in theory we should have fresh air”.

Marcin Kowalczyk, a 41-year-old attorney, is aware that living in Nowy Targ is “like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.” “I try not to worry, because I have to live here.” “You can tell how some days you feel worse, with less energy, with headaches, and you don’t want to leave home,” says Danuta Duda, 27, a manager of rural accommodation. His guests ask him “what does he smell like, what are the neighbors burning”.

In Poland, about 45,000 premature deaths a year are attributed to pollution. “It is a pandemic in slow motion, it has a gigantic impact on health,” says Javi López, a socialist MEP, who considers the Polish case “a scandal”. As a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Health and Environment, he advocates for the tightening of EU pollution limits in line with the WHO. Anna Zalewska, MEP for Law and Justice (PiS), the ultra-conservative party that governs Poland, nevertheless warns that “any change must take into account the socio-economic possibilities and the cost” for the Member States.

For the Polish government, says Zalewska, pollution is a priority issue. Through the national Clean Air program, it promotes the replacement of more than three million old boilers for more efficient ones with a 10-year budget of 103,000 million zlotys (about 22,000 million euros) and the improvement of insulation in homes. The program receives between 4,500 and 5,000 requests a week and since its launch in 2019 until December 10, it has collected 368,000 requests, according to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Nowy Targ estimates that they have to change up to 1,500 boilers and supplements the national subsidies with municipal aid of 5,000 zlotys. So far they have financed some 150 performances.

Magdalena Cygan, Smog Alert activist in Nowy Targ, who worked closely with him until the publication of the ranking and the complaint that has upset the City Council, believes that both residents and local authorities can and should do more. “People prefer to buy a better car, a television, than to think that another source of heat will be more beneficial,” he complains. Although he has heard from citizens who are considering moving, his plans are to continue working until the cloud that stifles Nowy Targ is eliminated. In the future, you know not immediate, but hope not too far away, you trust that the neighbors can breathe clean air and really enjoy nature.

The Krakow example

In 2012 Polish Smog Alert was born as a small group of activists who, concerned about the air that was breathed in Krakow, began to make noise through social networks. They were joined by scientists, doctors, activists and companies and their actions succeeded in putting pressure on the City Council, as its founder, Anna Dworakowska, recounts.
In 2019, the city banned burning coal and wood in boilers or stoves (Nowy Targ, 90 kilometers away, awaits regional legislation, which sets the date in 2030). The ban was complemented by a program that in the first two years financed up to 100% of the costs of replacing boilers, and that for the most vulnerable neighbors also covers the extra cost of changing the heating source, normally gas. . “For three or four years, day after day, building by building, officials and external workers were informing the inhabitants that they had to change the boilers and offering them solutions,” explains the Plenipotentiary of the Mayor of the city of Krakow for quality more than 20,000 have been replaced and about 500 remain.
According to Piotr Kleczkowski, a professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology, who has analyzed the result of the ban on burning fossil fuels, the city has reduced its pollution levels between 43 and 45% in all the substances analyzed. “It has been a great success and it would be even more so if it weren’t for the rest of the municipalities in the metropolitan area,” he says.

Follow all the international information at Facebook Y Twitter, o en our weekly newsletter.

Disclaimer: This article is generated from the feed and not edited by our team.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR

2021 IN REVIEW: A Year of Change: VCSC has had plenty going on | Local News

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

The year 2021 resulted in some major changes for the Vigo County School Corp., including the closing and repurposing of two elementary schools and a narrowing of high school facility construction/renovation options.

As the year ended, controversy arose over the proposed closing of a third elementary school, Meadows, with a “listening session” scheduled for Jan. 5. A board decision is expected at the Jan. 10 school board meeting.

The district continued to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which lead to controversy over universal masking as the 2021-22 school year began.

Those opposed to required masking spoke up at school board meetings and they conducted a protest in front of the VCSC administration building in August. Many believed masking should be a parent’s decision, and some threatened to take their children out of VCSC schools if the policy didn’t change.

As students prepare to return to school on Jan. 3 after the end-of-year holiday break, district and health officials are closely monitoring another COVID surge as the omicron variant rises nationwide.

The past year “has provided points of pride and memory-making moments, as well as challenging conversations and opportunities for growth,” said Katelynn Liebermann, VCSC interim spokeswoman. “We look to 2022 as our next best year. Our focus continues to be to provide our youngest learners to our graduating seniors with a high quality educational experience.”



Tribune-Star file/Joseph C. Garza Keep the three: Vigo County School Corporation Superintendent Rob Haworth shares the feedback he received from the public on the future of the three county high schools: keep all three. Haworth shared the corporation’s proposed amended strategic plan during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at the VCSC administration building in West Terre Haute.


JOSEPH C. GARZA

High schools

On Dec. 27, the district narrowed options for a high school project to two proposals calling for a combination of new construction of academic facilities and renovation of non-academic spaces; polling shows voters are unlikely to approve a referendum calling for three new high schools, said Rob Haworth, VCSC superintendent.

Haworth will present his final recommendation during a second hearing in mid-January, at which time the board will be asked to make a decision on whether to go forward with a project and referendum to be placed on the May ballot.

The school board will be making a decision with long-term consequences, Haworth has said. He described it as a “generational decision,” one that benefits not only students and educators, but also the community’s ability to attract and retain people and new business.

Option 1 would use a $160 million referendum for new academic spaces and $100 million through existing debt service and short term bonds for renovation projects of non-academic spaces over time.

But by using existing debt service, the high school renovations would take more time and might be in competition with other VCSC schools that need projects, Haworth said. “That is a longer march to get your high schools where you want them.”

Option 2, which involves a $260 million referendum, calls for new academic spaces at all three high schools as well as renovated non-academic spaces. All three schools would be done at the same time.

Option 2 represents one cohesive project, Haworth said. It also “leaves us room to use (existing) debt service for other school projects as needed.”

School closings, repurposing

The district closed two elementary schools, Deming and West Vigo, and repurposed them. Deming is now an early learning center, while West Vigo is the new home of the administration building, formerly located at 686 Wabash Ave.

The 2020 strategic plan called for the closing of a third elementary school, and an elementary consolidation committee has recommended closing/repurposing Meadows Elementary. The third school closure has brought more vocal opposition.

A protest took place Dec. 11 in downtown Terre Haute and a large group of parents, educators, students and more attended the Dec. 13 Vigo County School Board meeting, most in opposition to the closing. A petition also is circulating. Families and educators went door-to-door Dec. 22 to pass out flyers and place signs in several locations.

Meadows parents cite a lack of transparency in the process, and they’ve also asked for more information regarding net savings from last year’s school closures and projected savings from the closure of Meadows.

The elementary closings are part of VCSC efforts to reduce operating costs and bring the number of schools in line with enrollment, which has been declining over many years.

In recommending Meadows, the consolidation committee took into account enrollment; age and condition of the building; and the ability to move students to neighboring schools “in a fashion that worked best for families,” officials have said.

Meadows students would be redistricted to Davis Park, DeVaney, Franklin and Lost Creek elementary schools, with most going to Davis Park.

Improved teacher pay

The district also improved teacher pay, raising the minimum to $39,000 this year and $40,000 next year for beginning teachers. The agreement with the Vigo County Teachers Association brings back a salary schedule, or steps, with each step carrying a $1,000 pay increase.

The agreement provides most returning teachers a $4,000 boost in pay over two years, most of it on the salary base, but some of it a stipend in 2021-22 as teachers are placed on the new salary schedule.

Statewide, K-12 schools received a significant boost in state funding from the Legislature during the 2021 budget-writing session, with the expectation that teacher minimum pay would be raised to $40,000 a year for beginning teachers.



2021 IN REVIEW: A Year of Change: VCSC has had plenty going on

Tribune-Star file/Joseph C. GarzaHow the buckets work: Donna Wilson, chief financial officer of the Vigo County School Corp., explains school funding during the school corporation’s meeting at Lost Creek Elementary on Nov. 4.


JOSEPH C. GARZA

ESSER funding

The Vigo County School Corp. has been awarded $47 million in federal COVID relief funds, with funds to-date spent on such areas as Chromebooks, COVID stipends for staff, virtual school costs and building improvements to address air quality.

Funds also have been used to address learning loss, including after-school remediation and tutoring as well as summer school. ESSER III requires that at least 20% be dedicated to learning loss.

Broken down, the district has been allocated $3.4 million through the CARES Act, which passed in 2020. This year, it learned it would receive $13.6 million from ESSER II and $30.5 million from ESSER III.

Much of the original CARES spending, when the pandemic first began, was used for Chromebooks and to address other immediate needs.

Broad overall uses for ESSER II and III include accelerated learning, supporting educators, sustainable innovation, updating technology and other infrastructure.

Other ESSER uses include providing mental health supports; projects to improve indoor air quality of schools; and facility improvements to reduce transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards.

ESSER funding also will be used for HVAC improvements. “If we are successful in the [proposed facility] referendum, those funds could be used at more schools across the district. If we are not, many of the funds would be devoted specifically to our high schools to address HVAC needs,” Bill Riley, former VCSC spokesman, stated in October.



2021 IN REVIEW: A Year of Change: VCSC has had plenty going on

Tribune-Star file/Joseph C. Garza Old pipes, big problems: Vigo County School Corporation Superintendent Rob Haworth talks about the time a fire suppression supply line had failed and pushed water into a hallway of the band area at Terre Haute South during a tour of the facility on Tuesday, Nov. 16. A 15-foot hole had to be dug into the ground to reach the pipe and repair it.


JOSEPH C. GARZA

Updated strategic plan

As part of its updated strategic plan proposal, the Vigo County School Corp. wants students to graduate from high school with at least 30 hours of one of the following: dual college credit, industry credentials or career certifications that “add greater value” to a diploma, Haworth has said.

The goal is to have that in place for the Class of 2027, or this year’s seventh graders. The Vigo County School Board has not yet acted on the updated strategic plan.

The 30 hours are important, according to Haworth, because “labor economists say that two-thirds of U.S. citizens need industry-recognized certifications, industry and business credentials or college degrees to thrive.”

Other components of the updated plan include:

•A proposed new FITE [fabrication, innovation, technology and engineering] Center, a career-focused center serving students in collaboration with local labor, industry and higher education.

• An international residency program that would bring high school students from other countries to Vigo County schools.

• A statewide online school that would help the district increase enrollment and revenue. The district would use its own curriculum and teachers to deliver instruction online.

Details of the full strategic plan, titled “Uncommon,” can be found at tinyurl.com/vcscuncommon.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at [email protected] Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR

CDTA enhances COVID-19 safety measures for employees and customers

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The CDTA has announced that all buses are now equipped with a commercial-grade air purification system that uses Photohydroionization (PHI-Cell®) technology to clean the air. This technology said officials along with normal, daily deep clean disinfectant procedures will offer the highest quality of disinfectant for Operators and passengers. 

44% of eligible New Yorkers have gotten COVID booster/additional dose

According to United Safety and Survivability Corporation which produces this device eliminates over 99% of germs, microbes, viruses, bacteria, and volatile organic compounds in the air and on surfaces, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Officials say this type of technology has been used in the medical community for decades.

In addition, CTDA said customers can also access contactless payment options with the navigator mobile application that offers a variety of fare products, real-time schedule information, and trip planning. Real-time occupancy data is now available on all fixed-route buses.

Customers can check bus arrival times and view the vehicle capacity prior to boarding, with color-coded indicators: not crowded (blue), some crowding (yellow), or crowded (red). Customers can also view this information on CDTA’s website.  

DEC: Greenhouse gases down, more work needed to meet state goals

All customers are required to wear a mask while riding with CDTA as part of the federal mask mandate in order to keep customers, operators, and the public safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. CDTA has also installed protective barriers in the operator compartment during the summer of 2020 on all buses. The barriers are designed to protect operators and improve the safety and security of the entire system.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR

Kronos Air 5G Model 5 home air purifier uses washable plate filters & runs silently » Gadget Flow

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

Stop harming the environment—and your wallet—by using disposable HEPA filters. Instead, switch to washable, replaceable filters by using the Kronos Air 5G Model 5 home air purifier. Developed to tackle super polluted areas, it runs completely silently. It sends the air in your home through 5 stages of purification, ensuring the cleanest air possible. With patented TPA technology, this gadget has an air quality indicator and an aerodynamic design. Moreover, its eco-friendly design paired with its smart control operation make it an impressive device. Cleaning dust, smoke, dander, bacteria, pollen, viruses, odors, germs, and more from your air, it offers great filtration performance. Furthermore, it measures and displays the air quality in your room to adjust its fan speed based on how dirty your air is. Finally, it cleans and removes particles as small as 14.6 nanometers.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR

European Commission develops first EU-wide proposal on cutting methane emissions in energy sector – Clean Air Task Force

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

BRUSSELS – A little over a year since announcing its pioneering Methane Strategy, the European Commission has today released its legislative proposal to cut methane pollution in the EU. Specifically, this proposal tackles methane in the energy sector, an area that offers the quickest and easiest routes to reducing methane emissions. This ‘Methane Regulation’ focuses on cutting methane emissions from the gas, oil, and coal sectors. Clean Air Task Force welcomes the progress made by this proposal as EU-wide action on methane pollution is sorely needed.

“After more than a year and a half of meetings, proposals and comments, today’s legislative proposal is a welcome step forward to cut methane in the EU,” said Jonathan Banks, CATF’s International Director, Methane. “Today’s legislation makes strong progress on domestic methane emissions, but more is still needed to cut methane emissions from imported gas, something we will be emphasizing as the legislative process moves forward.”

The EU imports over 80% of its fossil gas and 90% of its oil. Therefore, the EU’s methane pollution problem extends beyond the borders of the EU. The Commission’s proposal includes measures on transparency and visibility on methane emissions from imports and leaves open the possibility for future action to cut methane from imports. However, the importance of methane emissions from imported oil and gas is something that should be fully addressed in this legislation.

The EU has been instrumental in driving international action on methane through the recent Global Methane Pledge, spearheaded by the EU and the US, with more than 100 countries committed to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030. But the EU needs to keep the pressure on and match their international ambition to the ambition in its legislative proposals. With strong imports standards, the EU can drive further changes internationally and, consequently, send a clear signal to its trade partners.

Adding requirement on methane reduction from imports will be needed to ensure that the EU legislation is ambitious enough to serve as an example to the many states around the globe currently drafting their own policy on methane.

“We’re hoping that the European Parliament will use this initial proposal as a jumping off point for a more ambitious piece of legislation that takes into account the entire oil and gas supply chain,” said Alessia Virone, CATF’s EU Affairs Manager. “Methane pollution isn’t an issue that allows for slow and steady progress. Cutting methane is the only climate action we can take right now that will significantly slow down global warming in the next two decades.”

The proposed Methane Regulation includes four key domestic measures for the oil and gas sectors that, together, should efficiently reduce domestic methane emissions in the EU:

  • Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV): Methane emissions inventories have so far been the object of demonstrated low bias: global anthropogenic fossil methane emissions are up to 40% higher than reported. The proposal includes mandatory reporting of source-level methane emissions estimated and, within two years, measurements of site-level methane emissions. It also establishes a verification system.
  • Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR): Methane leaks are widespread in the oil and gas industry, as illustrated by the #CutMethaneEU campaign. The Commission’s proposal includes all the main requirements for efficient LDAR: mandatory LDAR every 3 months, with clear deadlines for repair and resurvey, and up-to-date technology requirements open to future innovation. To strengthen the proposal, LDAR could be made monthly instead of quarterly.
  • Ban on routine venting and flaring: Natural gas flaring (controlled combustion of natural gas) and venting (direct release of natural gas into the atmosphere) have devastating environmental and health impact. It also represents an economic loss for companies, as the gas vented or flared could have otherwise been available for productive use. While the European Methane Strategy only mentioned that the Commission would consider a ban on venting and flaring, CATF is happy to see that the proposal explicitly bans venting and routine flaring, with a list of specific exceptions that are primarily driven by well-defined safety concerns.
  • Abandoned and Unused Oil and Gas Wells: Europe counts many abandoned and unused wells which were improperly closed and continue to emit methane. For some of these wells, no owner can be identified and held accountable. CATF welcomes the inclusion of monitoring and reporting obligations for these wells as well as the obligation for Member States to implement a mitigation plan to remediate, reclaim and permanently plug their inactive wells.

The energy sector is the second largest emitter of methane, after agriculture, but deserves particular attention as the International Energy Agency estimates that 75% of its emissions can be mitigated using existing technology and at marginal cost. That makes it the lowest hanging fruit in climate policy.

Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C requires rapid and sustained reductions of emissions from methane and other non-CO2 short-lived climate pollutants, along with rapid and sustained reductions in CO2 emissions. This was the conclusion of the IPCC’s special report onGlobal Warming of 1.5 °C. It also is the conclusion of UNEP & Climate & Clean Air Coalition’s Global Methane Assessment. The science is incredibly clear that methane reductions are a crucial and pressing piece of the climate effort.

Press Contact

Rowan Emslie, Communications Director, EU, [email protected], +32 476-97-36-42

About Clean Air Task Force

Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a non-profit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid global development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. We work towards these objectives through research and analysis, public advocacy leadership, and partnership with the private sector. With nearly 25 years of nationally and internationally recognized expertise on clean air policy and regulations and a fierce commitment to fully exploring all potential solutions, CATF is an environmental advocacy group with the bold ideas needed today to solve the climate crisis.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR, Clean Air Task Force

Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

The Hub 12/24/2021: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News

Passengers board NJ Transit Bus Route 408 to Millville at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden on Dec. 10, 2021. The route operates between there and Philadelphia and Millville with a stop in Glassboro, the southern terminus of the proposed Glassboro Camden Line. (P. Kenneth Burns/WHYY) Image Source: WHYY.

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

✨⛄Happy Holidays from the Clean Air Council to you and your family! ⛄✨

WHYY: Update On A Long-awaited South Jersey Project – The Glassboro-Camden Line was first proposed in 1996, 25-years ago. After multiple studies and roadblocks, the project is slowly becoming a reality and is expected to be completed as early as 2027. 

WIRED: The US Is Discouraging States From Building New Highways – The Federal Highway Administration encourages state and local governments to fix existing roads and highways instead of building new ones. Such fixes include building bike lanes, walking paths, and other environmentally sustainable projects over the construction of new roads and bridges.

New York Times: Amtrak Funding Could Modernize Aging Rail System – The $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed last month by President Biden could provide billions for Amtrak to fix bridges and tunnels on the northeast corridor between Washington and Boston. Additional money can help fuel Amtrak’s expansion across the country.

WHYY: Highest Number Of Fatal Crashes Involving Cyclists And Pedestrians In New Jersey – According to New Jersey’s state police data, the death of cyclists and pedestrians accounted for a third of the traffic deaths this year. The data shows record numbers since 1989 with over 20 cyclists and over 200 pedestrians being killed.

TransportationToday: $15 Million Federal Grant To Improve Benning Road In DC – The District’s DOT received federal funding of $15 million for improvements on Benning road. This funding will help to address safety concerns and also improve pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure within the corridor. 

Image Source: WHYY

Article tags: the hub, transportation



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR, Clean Air Council

Hundreds of emissions sources found across Europe

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

In 2021, Clean Air Task Force has inspected more than 250 oil and gas facilities in 11 countries with a special infrared camera designed to detect methane emissions. This report provides an overview of all our findings. In total, we documented a shocking 433 methane emitting sources across Europe’s oil and gas network. Our new EU methane report has all the details.

After many years of slipping under the radar, the crisis of methane pollution is finally becoming a climate priority. Recent studies by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have highlighted the impact of methane pollution and the need to drastically reduce energy-related methane emissions by the end of this decade to keep international climate goals in reach. Most recently at COP26, more than 100 countries publicly committed to reducing global methane emissions by 2030.

“Cutting methane emissions is the best way to substantially reduce warming in the next two decades,” said Jonathan Banks, CATF’s International Director, Super Pollutants. “The quickest, easiest and cheapest way to make headway is by cleaning up the oil and gas sector. It’s not rocket science; it’s basically just plumbing.” 

Methane pollution predominantly comes from three sectors – energy, waste and agriculture. While all three will need intervention, targeting cuts in the energy sector is rapidly rising up the policy agenda. That is because the majority of currently available solutions could be implemented easily and at a low cost. The IEA estimates fossil fuel operators could achieve 75% reductions with existing technologies, and 40% of those would come at zero net cost. This is the low hanging fruit of climate policy.

In 2020, the European Union began a multi-year process to develop legislation aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and other sectors by announcing its Methane Strategy. Currently, there is no EU-wide policy to reduce methane emissions and many member states lack detailed domestic legislation. Limited regulatory standards and lack of coordination results in a lack of consistency in operational practices to address venting, flaring, and fugitive emissions across member states.

In this new report, CATF outlines our observations of methane pollution from oil and gas infrastructure within the EU. This report is based on trips to over 250 oil and gas sites spread across 11 member states between February and September 2021, utilizing special optical gas imaging technology that allows us to make invisible methane pollution visible. This is the first multi-country survey of oil and gas facilities in Europe, and the takeaway is clear: methane pollution is widespread.

This is a problem across the entire oil and gas value chain: from upstream, to transportation and storage, up to the point of distribution to the consumers. Our documentation shows emissions at every stage, including in areas near population centres. In total, we observed 433 sources of emissions. The emissions we observed predominantly came from storage tanks, emergency relief stacks, unlit flares, and other miscellaneous leaks from piping equipment. We also observed various types of failures resulting in methane pollution directly from the wellhead in three oil and gas producing countries (Austria, the Netherlands, and Romania), with Romania illustrating a significant problem.

“Everywhere we point this camera, we find evidence of methane pollution – it doesn’t matter which country or which part of the oil and gas network it is,” said James Turitto, CATF’s Campaign Manager, Super Pollutants. “When we first started raising this issue in Europe, we were repeatedly told that this was not a problem here. Nobody can reasonably claim that now.”

While several of the oil and gas operators that own these assets are part of Oil and Gas Methane Partnership and/or have made commitments to address methane pollution, rhetoric does not always match action on the ground. Currently, companies can self-report methane emissions, but there is no clear legal obligation to reduce emissions. EU oil and gas companies often deflect responsibility by raising the issue of methane emissions from global oil and gas producers and exporters. While methane released from oil and gas imported by Europe is a major problem, and one that must be addressed by a strong import standard, the industry will not address problems within the EU at anywhere near the scale that is necessary if there is no policy framework to compel them, nor can the EU impose standards on imported fuels if it fails to impose domestic measures.

We are in a race to pass smart policy, push companies to implement it, and build regulatory institutions that can enforce the rules.

  • Upcoming EU legislation must set up a comprehensive Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) program – which would take little time to implement and would be extremely cost-effective. Strict deadlines to enact this program will be crucial to ensure accountability and quick action. The EU must also set up and implement a robust and accurate system for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of methane emissions.
  • The prevalence of venting shows the need to implement a ban on routine venting and flaring, with very limited exceptions – only for safety reasons, emergencies, or circumstances where capture for sale and reinjection would not be technically possible or extraordinarily costly. This is an urgent measure that would drastically reduce emissions and improve air quality.
  • In addition, the EU should establish a separate program on methane mitigation for abandoned oil and gas wells to ensure they are found, properly plugged, and remediated.  Such a program could lead to substantial reductions in methane emissions from abandoned wells as well as employment opportunities.

The forthcoming EU Methane Legislation represents a major opportunity to set the world on a path towards deep and rapid methane reductions. The evidence collected within the EU in 2020 only add more impetus to the policy agenda. As one of the architects of the Global Methane Pledge, comprehensive action to clean up domestic methane emissions by 2030 will be a good start and help to provide a playbook for dozens of countries around the world. The EU can become a global leader on this issue by pioneering import standards on top of those domestic measures.



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR, Clean Air Task Force

Clean Air Council » Blog Archive » Coalition of Environmental Organizations Appeal Permit Allowing Unlawful Levels of Air Pollution in Southwestern PA

December 30, 2021 by Staff Reporter

Coalition of Environmental Organizations Appeal Permit Allowing Unlawful Levels of Air Pollution in Southwestern PA

Photo courtesy of Mountain Watershed Assn

ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA (November 5, 2021) – Yesterday, a coalition of environmental organizations appealed a decision by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) to grant a permit for the construction of a new gas-fired power plant that would be a major source of air pollution affecting a number of southwestern Pennsylvania communities. Mountain Watershed Association (MWA), represented by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), along with Clean Air Council and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), represented by themselves and EIP,  appealed the air pollution permit for Invenergy’s Allegheny Energy Center, a large gas-fired power plant proposed for Elizabeth Township, Allegheny County. The permit would allow the proposed 639-megawatt power plant to emit hundreds of tons of noxious pollutants and millions of tons of climate pollutants annually. 

The groups object to the permit because it would allow unlawfully high levels of air pollution in  Pennsylvania communities that already suffer from some of the worst air quality in the United States. The groups’ other objections include that ACHD’s permit allows for an excessive and unnecessary number of startup and shutdown events. During these events, emissions of air pollution from the plant can spike significantly higher than normal, putting communities at further risk. Shockingly, the permit issued by ACHD allows for these increased pollution events to occur 365 days per year. The objections are detailed in the Notice of Appeal.

Local resident Cathy Anderson said, “My family and my community are relieved to hear this permit is being challenged. We’ve long worried that too many area families would be impacted by yet another major pollution source. Our valley communities have suffered from dangerous pollution for decades and we certainly do not need more risks to our health.”

“More than 200 individuals showed up to the public hearing during a pandemic to oppose this air pollution permit,” said Lisa Hallowell, Senior Attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project. “ACHD’s decision to issue this problematic permit despite such strong local opposition is unacceptable, especially given the weakness of the permit’s pollution limits and controls in comparison to other facilities.” 

“Southwestern Pennsylvania residents deserve clean air,” said Joseph Otis Minott, Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council. “The permit ACHD issued to this proposed power plant lacks the emissions stringency the law requires and does not do enough to protect the community’s health.”

“This large, gas-burning plant would be a major new source of air pollution for a community already overburdened by pollution from industrial sources,” said Angela Kilbert, Staff Attorney at PennFuture. “The unlawful pollution limits proposed by ACHD in the permit for this facility are not protective of our communities, and this plant is not in the best interests of residents across the region.”

“Another major concern with the proposed facility is its proximity to low-income environmental justice communities,” said James Cato, Community Organizer at Mountain Watershed Association. “They will be forced to shoulder many of its worst air quality impacts. Years ago, this facility was proposed in a more affluent area, and approval was denied. Now they’ve shifted the plant closer to people already at a higher risk for environmental harms.”



Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: CLEAN AIR, Clean Air Council

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 354
  • Go to page 355
  • Go to page 356
  • Go to page 357
  • Go to page 358
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 362
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Reduce 99.9% of airborne SARS-CoV-2 Virus

Vollara ActivePure Technologies


News from the EPA

Increased Ventilation for IAQ Conflicts with Climate Goals, but ActivePure Offers a Timely Solution

Only 52 vehicle upgrade grants issued through Newcastle Clean Air Zone — despite almost 3,000 applications

Safestart Environmental™ Teams Up with AirAnswers® Air

Chicago Ronald McDonald House Earns IAQ Verification

EGAT launches air purification tower to overcome PM2.5

How local agencies are working for cleaner air

ASHRAE guide puts educators in command of classroom indoor air quality – ion

Air Purification Atwater | Cosmic Comfort

Local HVAC experts help homeowners know when it’s time to replace their AC

Harris Tours LA Clean-Energy Incubator, Touts Improved Job Training

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About/ Contact
Copyright © 2023 · ALL HEALTHY NEWS . Log in