FAA chief must be a watchdog independent from industry

By  Justin T. Green Special to The Times The Federal Aviation Administration — a crucial part of ensuring passenger safety in our country — has been without a permanent leader for more than a year. Meanwhile, there have been repeated near collisions between airliners, and aviation disasters have only been narrowly averted. These close calls

Study shows traffic-related air pollution in Irvine weakens brain function

Anna Aldrich, University of California, Irvine The brains of wild type (WT) and Alzheimer’s (APP) mouse models were analyzed after exposure to purified air (Con) and ultrafine particulate matter (PM) for the presence of astrocyte cells. These were visualized by staining them green (left column), with potentially harmful and activated astrocytes appearing in red (middle

Sustainable air travel is within reach

By  Rachel King Special to The Times Boeing and NASA just announced a billion-dollar partnership to build the aircraft of the future. The new slender-winged jets, which could burn 30% less fuel than planes today, may zoom through the skies as soon as the 2030s. Improved fuel efficiency is good news, considering that air travel

SeaTac might have to clean up its act

People who live around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are suing the Port of Seattle, Alaska Air, and Delta Airlines for allegedly polluting the air with toxic chemicals. We’ll hear from Steve Berman, the lawsuit’s lead attorney, UW researcher Dr. Elena Austin and citizen scientist/former SeaTac resident Kent Palosaari about the airport’s impact on the environment.

VIDEO: Surprise appearance by Port Commissioner Fred Felleman highlights recent Quiet Skies Puget Sound meetup

The agenda for Wednesday night’s (April 26, 2023) Quiet Skies Puget Sound (“QSPS”) informal meetup at the Quarterdeck in Des Moines – including discussing how local elections matter for airport noise and pollution issues, as well as a review of last week’s bombshell filing of a class action lawsuit against the Port of Seattle – took an

California becomes the first state to adopt emission rules for trains

April 27, 2023 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California approved Thursday a first-in-the-nation, ambitious rule limiting rail pollution to aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state’s latest move to establish itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The rule will ban locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increase