Browse > Home / Bell Gardens, City of Commerce, East Los Angeles, General News, Montebello, Monterey Park, Southeast Los Angeles, Vernon / State Considers Railyard Pollution Regulations

State Considers Railyard Pollution Regulations

Commerce will provide transportation to meeting to ensure residents are heard.

By Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou, EGP Staff Writer

The city of Commerce and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice are organizing a trip to a Sept. 25 California Air Resources Board, CARB, meeting in Diamond Bar where regulations on railyard emissions will be discussed. The city will provide bus transportation for the meeting, which starts at 8:30 am.

Environmental advocacy group East Yard held a BBQ at Bristow Park in Commerce on Sunday where they distributed information to local residents about the diesel pollution issues related to CARB’s proposed railyard emission reduction measure.

Some residents in the area who say they are affected not only by emissions from the railyards but also from freeways and truck traffic, are eager to have their voices heard by politicians and decision-makers.

“I hope there will be enough people and politicians to enforce [emission reduction laws] on the railroad companies… I do believe our kids deserve a better environment,” says Gerardo Carlos, 48, a Bell Gardens resident.

The railroad companies currently have a voluntary agreement with CARB to reduce railyard emissions, but CARB representatives said at a workshop held Sept. 15 in Commerce that if they are to adequately address the residents’ exposure to asthma and cancer risks, additional measures are needed to reduce diesel emissions further.

CARB released a list of recommendations on Sept. 9 that includes upgrading trains, changing railyard activity, electrifying rails, developing better ways of tracking emissions, supporting locomotive research programs, and seeking changes in federal laws that would better protect residents from diesel pollution caused by railyards.

These recommendations were presented to the community at the workshop CARB held at the Commerce City Council Chambers on Tuesday. CARB representatives also took questions and comments from residents, environmental justice and clean air advocacy groups, and representatives from the South Coast Air Quality District, which supports stronger emissions regulations. Railroad company representatives also participated in the workshop.

People interested in attending the board meeting and providing input to the board on Friday, Sept. 25, should arrive at the meeting by 8:30 a.m. The address for the meeting is 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765-4182. The agenda can be found at the CARB website: http://www.arb.ca.gov/board/meetings.htm

CARB’s railyard activities representative Harold Holmes can be reached at (916) 324-8029 or hholmes@arb.ca.gov to obtain a draft of the recommended regulations, a revised technical options report, and any additional information. A recording of the Sept 15 workshop on the recommendations can also be obtained by contacting CARB.

To reserve a spot on a bus to the meeting, contact East Yard’s Isella Ramirez at iramirez@eycej.org or (323) 318-2141.

Print This Post Print This Post

Posted by admin · Filed Under Bell Gardens, City of Commerce, East Los Angeles, General News, Montebello, Monterey Park, Southeast Los Angeles, Vernon 

September 17, 2009  Copyright © 2009 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.

Comments

One Response to “State Considers Railyard Pollution Regulations”

  1. ela mom on September 22nd, 2009 9:34 am

    ELA has been the dumpring ground for every pollution causing industry for as long as I can remember. Freeways, trains, trucks, factories, etc. Commerce is blaming ttrains and thats good, but what about all th big polluting trucks that go in and out of the city to the big businesses there? I haven’t heard much from them about controlling the air pollution from all their industry. Between Commerce and Vernon, where they want to load us up with more air pollution from another dirty power plant justso they can give cheap energy to the big businesses there-we all have a bigger chance to get cancer-

Feel free to leave a comment.... but for your safety, please do not post personal information such as home addresses and phone numbers. If you would like to contact us directly or give us your contact information another way, you can call our office number at (323) 341-7970 or email us at editorial@egpnews.com.