Southern California board votes to require large warehouses to cut emissions

(KYMA, KECY/ CNN) - A southern California air quality board voted over the weekend to require large warehouses to drastically cut diesel emissions from the thousands of trucks that service them.

It's an apparent first-of-its-kind regulation to reduce pollution in America's smoggiest region.

Toxic fumes have sharply increased, along with the growing presence of warehouses throughout the southern California region and inland empire.

That's where companies like Amazon and Walmart run large-scale distribution operations.

The new rule requires warehouses bigger than 100,000 square feet to reduce nitrogen and diesel pollutants. They can do that by such measures as using zero or near-zero emissions trucks and handling equipment, along with solar panels.