Truck traffic to and from Southern California warehouses accounts for as much pollution as refineries, power plants, and other industrial polluters combined.
“In 2021, the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted a first-of-its-kind rule that requires large warehouses to offset pollution from the truck traffic they attract,” writes Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times.
Since then, only 45 percent of warehouses have submitted a compliance report. “The warehouse compliance reports submitted to the air district included annual truck traffic, warehouse size and how these facilities chose to offset emissions.” Of the warehouses that submitted reports, 25 percent chose to pay mitigation fees instead of implementing any changes.
Now, regulators plan to launch a “sweeping enforcement initiative.” According to Briscoe, “Warehouses that fail to register with the agency could face financial penalties as high as $11,710 for each day they fail to come into compliance. The enforcement action will begin with warehouses operating in disadvantaged communities.”
The initiative targets the thousands of massive distribution warehouses that dot Southern California’s Inland Empire, contributing “nearly as much smog-forming emissions as refineries, power plants and other heavy polluters combined, according to air district officials.”
FULL STORY: Air regulators threaten Southern California warehouses with fines
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National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
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Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Planetizen
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service