The Air District is issuing an air quality advisory due to wildfire smoke from the Gifford Fire in the Bay Area for today, August 12. Smoke from the Gifford Fire in Central California is expected to move over the Bay Area on Tuesday. Conditions can change rapidly and the amount and location of smoke at ground level is hard to predict. The public can check for real-time smoke pollution levels in their local area with the U.S. EPA’s Fire and Smoke Map. Smoky, hazy skies may be visible, and the smell of smoke is possible, especially at higher elevations, on Tuesday.
The Air District has reached an agreement with Argent Materials, Inc., that resolves violations at the company’s aggregate recycling facility in East Oakland. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Argent will install and operate a fenceline air monitoring system at both yards of its East Oakland facility to enhance transparency and provide continuous air quality data to the Air District and the community.
The deadline to apply to the Air District’s Clean HEET Program has been extended to September 30, 2025. Clean HEET grants are currently available to help offset the cost of switching from wood-burning or pellet-burning stoves, fireplace inserts, or open-hearth fireplaces to an electric heat pump. A decommission-only option is also available for homeowners to remove existing open-hearth fireplaces or older, uncertified wood-burning stoves or inserts.