Industrial Emissions

A state appeals court has ordered Southern California's largest oil refineries to install technology that will reduce unhealthful smog emissions. The Western States Petroleum Assn. sued to overturn the new regulation by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, arguing that the rule would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, was not feasible at some plants and would provide little to no public benefit. In an opinion issued last month, Judge Earl Johnson Jr.

Chanting "Si, se puede!" and "Justice ... now!," a group of 40 adults and children gathered Thursday outside Palace Plating in South Los Angeles to announce the filing of a new lawsuit seeking to close the World War II-era metal finishing plant. At a news conference before the small company's closed gates, neighborhood activist and plaintiff Martha Sanchez said the suit was part of "an intensified campaign to get rid of this company from our community."

The California Chamber of Commerce, perhaps Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's closest political ally, may split with the governor over his commitment to drastically cut greenhouse-gas emissions. In an executive order signed last year, Schwarzenegger set firm targets for reducing carbon dioxide pollution beginning in 2010. At the same time, he asked the California Environmental Protection Agency to work with other government departments to develop strategies for meeting the goals.

China must sharply improve environmental protection or it could face disaster after two decades of breakneck growth that have poisoned its air, water and soil, the country's top environmental official said Saturday.

Dealing a sharp setback to the Bush administration, a federal appeals court Friday threw out a controversial regulation in the federal government's clean-air program that would have allowed older factories, refineries and power plants to install new equipment without using the most modern anti-pollution devices. The U.S.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top environmental advisors, in a report on how to combat global warming, are recommending that the state require power plant operators and other heavy industries to report the amount of greenhouse gas they emit. The report, which is expected to be released by the Schwarzenegger administration today, is the first step in fulfilling the governor's pledge last year to enact firm targets for reducing carbon dioxide pollution beginning as early as 2010.

Democratic lawmakers unveiled legislation Monday aimed at controlling industrial emissions of greenhouse gas, setting up a possible showdown with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- and the federal government -- over how far the state should go in trying to combat global warming.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday threw his political weight behind a drive to curb greenhouse gas emissions but cautioned that the fight to reduce global warming should be done in a "sensible and deliberate way" to protect jobs.

Criminal charges have been filed against a petroleum company blamed for causing oily ooze to coat a Los Angeles street and forcing the evacuation of 130 downtown residents three months ago. Irvine-based St. James Oil Corp. was named in a nine-count criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court for alleged violations stemming from the Feb. 20 incident in the 1200 block of South Olive Street. St. James officials could not be reached for comment.

A coalition of national and community environmental groups has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to overturn a new rule that allegedly allows refineries and other industrial plants to emit higher levels of noxious chemicals when starting up, shutting down and experiencing equipment malfunctions, without informing area residents. The groups filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. late Monday. The new EPA rule took effect in April.