Southern Calif. air regulators OK plan to phase out rail-yard diesel

By Alex Nieves | 08/05/2024 01:38 PM EDT

The rule is the first passed by a local air quality district to regulate locomotive emissions.

Freight train cars sit in a Union Pacific rail yard.

Rail yards account for around 9 percent of the Southern California basin’s smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions, according to South Coast Air Quality Management District staff. Ashley Landis/AP

DIAMOND BAR, California — Southern California air quality regulators approved a first-in-the-nation rule Friday that will require the region’s freight operators to phase out diesel locomotives and equipment at rail yards.

The move is the latest step by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to implement aggressive emissions reduction policies, as the region — home to 17 million people in the greater Los Angeles area — attempts to tackle pollution that often ranks among the worst in the nation.

SCAQMD voted in June to phase out gas-powered water and space heaters, and last year became the first air district to ban commercial gas-fired ovens used by companies like Frito-Lay and Bimbo.

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SCAQMD board members passed the rail yard “indirect source” rule on a 12-0 vote, capping off years of debate on an issue that has been a top priority for environmental justice groups.

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