The half-rumbling, half-whirring grind of a diesel bus is unmistakable. For a lot of Rochesterians, it’s the sound of public transit. But the next era of RTS buses could be much quieter and cleaner. The transit agency plans to begin a process for buying five electric buses in the late summer or early fall, says […]
air pollution
Posted inNews & Opinion
Breathe easier, Rochester
Each year, the American Lung Association ranks the air quality of the country’s largest metro areas. And this year’s State of the Air report has good news for Monroe County. The Lung Association gave the county high marks on its air quality. The county received an A grade for ground level ozone, and a B […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Regional cap and trade program tightens limits
Cap and trade advocates got some good news this morning: the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has announced plans to permit fewer carbon emissions from power plants in 2014. RGGI, as the initiative is commonly known, is made of Northeastern states that banded together to impose stricter regulations on power sector greenhouse gas emissions. The […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Doing or undoing a slow burn
Amid snowy tree branches and slush-dappled parked cars, the aroma of wood smoke makes its way down many Rochester streets. Even if you don’t burn wood yourself, you get a taste of the season and all its associations — like that “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” thing. The romance invites itself into your […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Full of holes
Now that spring is breaking out, what’s not to love about “Clear Skies”? One thing, maybe: George W. Bush has slapped the term on his latest attempt to sell Americans on “market-based” environmental cleanup and the virtues of fossil fuels. Nothing new here for Bush; he let oil and markets rule the big skies […]
