clean air

Clean Air and Active Transportation Groups Seek $50M for CA E-Bike Program

Sacramento, CA – Today, a coalition of environmental, public health, and active transportation organizations have sent a letter to California state budget leadership requesting an additional $50M for the California Air Resources Board’s Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. The coalition argues this funding will “…help the state transition to clean transportation in order to meet its ambitious climate goals.”

The coalition submitting this request includes: Active San Gabriel Valley, California Bicycle Coalition, Coalition for Clean Air, Environment California, Safe Routes Partnership, and the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR).

E-Bikes: A Great Climate Investment for California

Callifornians are eager to begin replacing car trips with e-bike trips. The conversion of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) from auto to active transportation can dramatically improve air quality for children and elderly in our polluted cities. It’s also a climate-transportation win-win.

“The Coalition for Clean Air is proud to be a part of a coalition advocating to increase funding for the Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. We believe this program will reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, lower VMT, promote equity, and improve quality of life for Californians if properly administered and funded,” said Sofia Rafikova, Policy Advocate at the Coalition for Clean Air.

Photo by Himiway Bikes on Unsplash

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LA nearing third straight week of clean air

From LA.curbed.com

 

It will be up to Angelenos to retain some of the car-free habits they’re developing right now

 

By Elijah Chiland

Amid a rainy March in which millions of Angelenos are observing orders to stay at home, sight lines in the city are getting a bit clearer, and its notorious smog is nowhere to be found.

For nearly three straight weeks, air quality maps tracking the region’s scores on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index have been nothing but green—the color that denotes the cleanest air.

According to the California Air Resources Board, the last time the ozone level in the Los Angeles area reached unhealthy levels was in February. Over the summer, the region saw unhealthy ozone levels every day for more than two straight months.

“We’re seeing very clean air all around California,” says Bill Magavern, policy director with the Coalition for Clean Air. “This time of year we usually have better air, especially with the rain, but the drop-off in traffic has definitely reduced emissions.”

It’s a small silver lining to a pandemic that’s shut down businesses, closed schools, and put strain on LA’s healthcare system.

Magavern points out that this could even aid those afflicted with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The European Public Health Alliance warned last week that residents of cities with poor air quality are “more at risk” from the disease, which can cause severe respiratory issues

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