2016 - 2017 Check Before You Burn season ends

The San Joaquin Valley APCD announced today that the 2016 - 2017 Check Before You Burn season has ended.The APCD said that its 14th winter of the program ended with a record improvement of air quality.

The program was implemented to reduce the emissions and harmful effects resulting from the burning of wood in fireplaces and other heating devices.

“We are moving in the right direction thanks to the cooperation of Valley residents and their investments in cleaner devices,” said Seyed Sadredin, the District’s executive director and air pollution control officer. “Together with the increased funding for the Burn Cleaner program, which grants money for the purchase of cleaner devices, Check Before You Burn has had a remarkable effect on winter air quality in the Valley.”

Although the program will not kick in again until November of 2017, the APCD strongly discourages residential wood burning during this time. 

Here's how to get your money back from your dirty VW, Audi, or Porsche

This is a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for all of you unfortunate souls who were mislead into parting with your hard earned dollars by Volkswagen and its Audi and Porsche subsidiaries.

As you recall, the above vehicle manufacturers were caught in the biggest emission scandal ever, rigging certain of their products to bypass mandated federal and California air pollution controls except when the cars were undergoing a required inspection.

The vehicles - cars and SUVs - were marketed as having "clean diesel" technology, thereby misleading those whose concerns for the environment may have led them into purchasing or leasing in the first place.



Under a settlement with California and United States authorities, the company has agreed to provide the following options to the government and/or folks who got caught by this corporate scam:

• Cash payments
• Vehicle buybacks
• Early lease terminations
• Potential emission modifications & extended vehicle warranties
• Environmental remediation
• Promotion of Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) technology

Volkswagen has been running half-page ads in major newspapers across the country with details on how to make a settlement claim. The ads say that the only vehicles affected by this settlement are certain 2009-2016 models of the VW Touareg, Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5, Q7, and Porsche Cayenne.

However, additional vehicles were also part of the emissions scandal. A complete list can be found here: ARB Volkswagen Information

For more information on what settlements are available for which vehicles, please click on the following link or call 1-844-98-CLAIM:

Emissions Scandal Settlement

Bill Moyer on why Scott Pruitt is a bad choice to lead the EPA

Here is a terrific analysis of what it would mean if Scott Pruitt is named director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Kudos to Bill Moyer for putting this together.

Prepare for smoggier, less healthy air if Trump's pick for EPA is approved

Residents of the San Joaquin Valley and the Los Angeles area are well aware of how bad photochemical smog can be. Both areas still fail to meet not only federal but also California standards for clean, healthy air.

However, based upon testimony during his confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate, residents of those areas had better start getting prepared for a return to smoggier days based upon Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's answers yesterday.

Scott Pruitt, Photo by Michael Reynolds / EPA - Fair use

Pruitt, President*-elect Trump's pick to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has long been a friend to the oil and gas industry and a vocal opponent of several ground breaking environmental laws. During his testimony he refused to say that he would support a certain federal waiver that allows California and other states to adopt air pollution regulations that are more stringent than what EPA requires.

This waiver has allowed California to adopt tougher air pollution controls for motor vehicles, for example, as well as adopting stronger air permitting and air pollution control requirements for industrial sources as well. Those more robust regulations have demonstrably resulted in far greater progress in reducing air pollution in California than otherwise would have occurred under EPA regulations alone.

However, Pruitt, who has a history of arguing for state's rights when it benefits industrial concerns, hinted that continuation of the waiver if he is approved to be EPA's leader will not be a given.

Get out the gas masks - the air around here is going to get hard to breathe real soon.