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Location, Location
- Article from:
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Mother Jones
- Article date:
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July 1, 2008
- Author:
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Copyright informationCopyright Foundation for National Progress Jul/Aug 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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A quick lesson in how offsets can backfire
YOU DON'T HAVE to leave the United States for an object lesson in how an emissions offset system can go wrong. Consider Vernon, California: The tiny city and its neighboring communities have some of the highest air pollution levels in the Los Angeles basin-and it could get worse because of one of the world's first offset initiatives.
In the early '905, Southern California implemented a federally mandated offset program for the toxic air contaminants known as particulate matter. As the demand for pollution offsets increased, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which oversees the program, found itself with a tempting option: Instead of ...