US Air Quality Report: Western States and People of Color Disproportionately Affected.

98% of Californians live in communities with unhealthy levels of smog or fine particles, according to a new report by the American Lung Association. Greater Los Angeles remains the smoggiest metropolitan area in the nation, while the Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Visalia tied for the country’s worst year-round levels of fine particle pollution. The report highlights the daunting challenge facing environmental regulators trying to tamp down air pollution and move the world’s fourth-largest economy away from diesel-powered trucks, ships, and trains. The California Air Resources Board is poised to vote on two pivotal measures that would significantly curtail pollution from trucks, buses, and locomotives operating within the state.