The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a second-straight Spare the Air alert for today because of elevated levels of smog expected as a result of high temperatures and light winds in the region.
The air district also issued an air quality advisory because of possible smoke from wildfires elsewhere in Northern California like the Walker Fire in Plumas County that may drift into the Bay Area, mostly at higher elevations.
A Spare the Air alert had also been issued for Thursday because of excessive smog, and Friday’s alert is the 14th so far in the summer season.
On Spare the Air days, the air district encouraged people to find alternatives to driving solo, such as carpooling, taking public transit or working from home.
Pollution from smog, or ozone, can cause throat irritation, congestion, chest pain and other medical problems. Outdoor exercise on Spare the Air days is only recommended in the early morning hours when smog concentrations are lower, according to the air district.
QUESTION: Do you pay attention to Spare the Air alerts?
Not even a little bit, except to make fun of it and occasionally run my meat smoker.
They are a joke like the rest of the liberals ideas to rule the hard working tax paying populace. PS. There was wind movement yesterday. Plus I am a life long asthmatic.
Take a guess….
Nope.
No, not really.
Landscapers continue with their leaf blowers regardless around here and should be cited. It’s Gas fumes and toxins being emitted.
They especially harm children and the elderly. Why don’t City Councils see this?
@Aunt Barbara…. My Pappy had a saying, “That’ll help as much as pissin’ in the ocean”.
Aunt Barbara:
What would you like city council to do? BAAQMD is a sovereign agency with little or no accountability. There are already noise ordinances. If you’re asking that they ban the use of these machines, you’re going to be disappointed. Such a ban would disproportionately affect landscape maintenance companies. Give that a little thought.
Not since I escaped the bay area. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District would cease to exist if it didn’t impose Spare the Air alerts periodically.
Govt creates an empire and the naves will work to satisfy the emperor. Don’t know about you but I don’t need a taxpayer funded govt agency to tell me when the air is bad.
I am a Bay Area Latte’ Sippin’ Liberal. I *always* spare the air… electric mower, electric blower, electric weed whacker, ride my bicycle to work, and minimal driving. It’s just the socially responsible thing to do.
That Jerky in the smoker sure smells good.
Nope, go about my regular day. Just don’t do any hard aerobic exercise. The BAAQMD is a self licking ice cream cone. They would never fine any voter running a two cycle engine or wood burning fireplace. Just make up regulations and self promotion
I don’t pay much attention to the summer STA alerts, because they have no teeth – the Air Board has no enforcement policy. I do pay attention to the winter alerts because those affect me directly, since I have an EPA approved wood stove, but am barred from using it even though the Feds say it is a very low emission device. My stove emits fewer parts per million of the harmful particles in an hour than most diesel trucks driving the roadways, but I’m prevented from heating my home without PG&E’s help because my lobby isn’t as strong as the business lobby. (Yes, there is science that proved smoke is harmful, all you deniers!)
To quote John Wayne: “Not one bit”.
As far as I can tell, no one pays any attention to these. No one. I like that about us.
No. If I have places I need to be, errands to run, I can’t just stay home. Carpooling? How does that work when I have personal business to attend to? Public transit? Yeah, no. It takes a lot longer to get where you’re going, if transit goes anywhere near where I need to be.
Nope..
I drive an EV to SF every day.
Wife drives EV too.
Both been EV’ing for 5+ years.
But when HOV tags end Dec 2021 no more EVs for us.
Even if the rebates continue, no tags, no EVs
Joe