SB 459: Tackling railroad emissions

According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, NOx pollution (which forms smog) from railroad operations in southern California exceeds the emissions from 350 of the largest oil refineries, power plants, chemical plants and other industrial facilities combined — and rail traffic in southern California is expected to triple over the next twenty years. Railroads, though, are regulated mainly by the federal government, which has failed to crack down on these pollution sources. SB 459 (Romero) would have allowed the South Coast AQMD to impose an emissions fee on railroads in southern California to fund measures to mitigate the impact of railroad emissions.