Environment 7-31
New state rules requiring tankers off the California coast to burn cleaner fuel will only marginally benefit Santa Barbara’s air quality, concluded Air Pollution Control District chief Terry Dressler. He noted that the new rules do little to address the chief air polluter, nitrogen oxide, and that the best way to improve air quality would be for the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce stricter guidelines on emissions from ocean-going vessels (/airquality731)
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Santa Barbara residents were among those throughout the state to feel the 5.4-magnitude, Chino Hills-centered earthquake on 7/29. Rolling waves were felt for longer than 10 seconds in Santa Barbara. At press time, there were no reports of injuries or major structural damages, either in Santa Barbara or in areas to the south. (/earthquake731)
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As fire season rages on, Santa Barbara County Fire is helping other counties-including Monterey, Siskiyou and Humboldt- battle blazes. County personnel have been dispatched to more than 40 out-of-county fires this year alone. One wildland firefighting strike team of 19 firefighters and five brush engine companies left on 7/26 to help with Yosemite National Park’s Telegraph Fire. Santa Barbara County itself has thus far experienced 46 brushfires.
