ENVIRONMENT

Volume Jumps at 2nd AQMD Air-Pollution Credit Auction: Five times the volume of trades occurred in the auction, held Jan. 27, according to environmental consultants Dames & Moore’s Air Trade Services and Cantor Fitzgerald, a brokerage firm. The two companies sponsor and administer the trading. Under the South Coast Air Quality Management District program, Southern California businesses can buy and sell credits to emit specified amounts of air pollutants. Companies that more than meet district clean-air standards receive credits they can sell to other companies. The next auction is July 28.