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Smog in Your Throat?
Houston joins Los Angeles in having 'severe' smog problem |
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03 Oct 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:31 AM on 03 Oct 2008 Houston has received the dubious honor of becoming the second U.S. city to have a "severe" smog problem, as classified by the U.S. EPA. Los Angeles is its partner in grime. The downgrade from a "moderate" to "severe" smog problem gives Texas' largest city nine extra years to meet federal air-quality standards. Both Houston and L.A. have, however, taken re ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, Los Angeles, news, placemaking, Texas, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Mad About Poo
EPA slipping up on pollution control from factory farms, report says |
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24 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:07 AM on 24 Sep 2008 The U.S. EPA has failed to control pollution from factory farms and has also been sluggish in determining risks to human health from huge concentrated animal-feeding operations, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. In recent years, the GAO said, consolidation in the livestock industry has spawned more and more factory farms that have also expanded i ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, air pollution, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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The Longest Yard
EPA requires emissions cuts by lawn mowers and speedboats |
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04 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:11 PM on 04 Sep 2008 Gas-powered lawn mowers and speedboat engines will be cleaner under new regulations announced Thursday by the U.S. EPA. By 2011, engines in new lawn and garden equipment must emit 35 percent less smog-forming emissions, and recreational watercraft must cut emissions 70 percent by 2010. "EPA's new small engine standards will allow Americans to cut air pollution as well as grass," ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, progress, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Heart Monitor
Court tosses federal rule that limited air-pollution monitoring |
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19 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:01 PM on 19 Aug 2008 States can enact tougher-than-federal monitoring requirements for air pollution from factories and power plants, after a federal appeals court tossed out a U.S. EPA rule keeping them from doing so. Primary plaintiff Sierra Club celebrated the victory; defendants were the U.S. EPA and the American Petroleum Institute, which should seem like an odd pair, but somehow just doesn't surprise ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, litigation, news, Sierra Club, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Down the Interstate
Court strikes down federal clean-air rule that would have actually cleaned air |
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11 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:33 AM on 11 Jul 2008 One of the rare Bush administration clean-air policies favored by enviros has been struck down by a federal appeals court. The Clean Air Interstate Rule would have required 28 Eastern states to reduce soot-causing, smog-forming emissions that easily spread on the wind. The U.S. EPA estimated that the rule would prevent 17,000 premature deaths per year, tens of thou ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, Department of Justice, insanity, news, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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The Smog Days of Summer (and Spring, and Fall)
EPA says climate change could worsen smog levels, extend smog season |
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11 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:38 AM on 11 Jul 2008 In a draft report released Thursday, the U.S. EPA said smog levels could increase significantly in many areas of the United States due to climate change, especially in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. Smog is mainly a summer phenomenon in most places, caused by sunlight reacting with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compo ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, climate, climate change impacts, news, scientific research, US EPA (all these topics) |
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White-Out House
White House tries to keep EPA from showing how greenhouse gases could be regulated |
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30 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:29 PM on 30 Jun 2008 The White House is trying to block the U.S. EPA from releasing a document that shows how the Clean Air Act could be used to regulate greenhouse gases, reports The Wall Street Journal. The draft document, a formal response to a Supreme Court decision that greenhouse gases are pollutants and can thus be regulated under the Clean Air Act, must be OK'd by the White Hou ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, jackassery, news, politics, regulation, US EPA, White House (all these topics) |
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For Specious Skies
EPA plans to loosen air-quality rules near national parks |
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16 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:45 AM on 16 May 2008 Photo: Wolfgang Staudt Call us crazy, but rewriting the Clean Air Act to ease the way for new coal plants near national parks seems to fly in the face of that whole "clean air" thing. But sure enough, the U.S. EPA plans to make a change allowing the government to calculate the average annual emissions of power plants near parks and wilderness areas, instead of tracking (and po ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, coal, energy, jackassery, national parks, news, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Hey, I'm a CO Too!
EPA needs to pay attention to carbon monoxide, says judge |
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08 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:58 PM on 08 May 2008 Carbon dioxide gets all the press, but the U.S. EPA is way behind on its legal obligation to update the nation's carbon monoxide regulations -- and it needs to get crackin', a federal judge ruled this week. Federal law requires a reassessment of carbon-monoxide standards every five years, but the EPA last took a look at the standards in 1994. While carbon monoxide is not considered to b ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, litigation, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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If the Leaders Lead, the Lead Standards Will Follow
U.S. EPA to tighten standard for airborne lead |
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02 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:24 AM on 02 May 2008 Compelled by court order to review its 30-year-old standards for airborne lead, the U.S. EPA proposed a new, tougher standard this week that would cut allowable lead levels by over 90 percent. True to form, though, the agency proposed a range of standards that exceeded the maximum limit of what its scientific advisers recommended as necessary to protect public heal ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Diesel Do
EPA announces tough air-pollution standards for shipping industry |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:08 PM on 14 Mar 2008 The U.S. EPA Friday announced tough new diesel pollution standards for the shipping industry (perhaps to distract us from Wednesday's announcement of not-so-tough ozone standards.) The new standards for diesel trains and ships will begin to be phased in in 2015; when in full effect, they'll require a 90 percent reduction in soot emissions and an 80 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emi ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, business, news, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Bush Whacked
President Bush interfered to weaken U.S. ozone standards |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:39 AM on 14 Mar 2008 President Bush interfered at the last minute to weaken the recently announced U.S. ozone standards, according to EPA documents. On Wednesday, the EPA set both the "public health" standard (how much ozone is in one place at one time) and the "public welfare" standard (consideration of the long-term effect of ozone) at the same level. Before Bush interfered, the agency planne ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, George Bush, health, jackassery, news, ozone, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Gasp!
EPA lowers ozone limit, but ignores scientific advisers' calls to lower it more |
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12 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:34 PM on 12 Mar 2008 Photo: iStockphoto In an effort to clear up smog, the U.S. EPA on Wednesday lowered the permissible amount of ozone in the air, a move that will require 345 counties around the country to clamp down on pollution over the coming years. But the agency ignored the calls of its own scientific advisers for a steeper pollution cut. The EPA will lower the ozone standard to 75 parts ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, news, ozone, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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A Thorn in Our Sulfide
U.S. EPA considers regulating hydrogen sulfide, industry not into the idea |
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11 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:29 PM on 11 Dec 2007 It may be shocking to learn that a gas with the odor of rotten eggs is actually not good for you, but sure enough: the U.S. EPA is considering regulating hydrogen sulfide, a nasty-smelling gas that emanates from oil refineries, paper mills, landfills, CAFOs, and any other place where organic material containing sulfur decomposes. Hydrogen sulfide is known to be dead ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, jackassery, news, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Fear to Tread
Alt-fuel industry recycles rubber tires, contributes to air pollution |
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18 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 12:12 PM on 18 Sep 2007 A decade-old industry that recycles old rubber tires into fuel is chipping away at the stockpile of 1 billion retired tires in the U.S. But the laudable recycling effort is balanced by a negative impact on air pollution, as the U.S. EPA's clean-air regulations for burning solid waste include a loophole loosening requirements for facilities that "recover energy." Now a r ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, litigation, news, politics, recycling, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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All In a Day's Work
EPA sued over ship emissions, smacked over 9/11 cleanup |
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06 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:08 AM on 06 Sep 2007 The Environmental "Protection" Agency faced two major slams yesterday, from east and west. In Washington, D.C., the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office issued a report scolding EPA for its post-9/11 cleanup efforts, saying the agency's approach to toxic indoor contamination in buildings near the site is misdirected and ignores New Yorkers' health concerns. The report & ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, Government Accountability Office, Hillary Clinton, litigation, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Refine! Be That Way!
EPA rejects stricter emissions standards for U.S. refineries |
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24 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Refine! Be That Way! EPA rejects stricter emissions standards for U.S. refineries Following a review of the refinery pollution rules it issued in 1995, the U.S. EPA has decided not to improve the 12-year-old rules because the analysis found that "the risks to human health and the environment are low enough that no further controls are warranted." As the EPA sees it, they could do two things: nothing, or mayb ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, Big Oil, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Johnson Stiffens Smog Rules
Current U.S. ground-level ozone standard deemed insufficient |
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22 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Johnson Stiffens Smog Rules Current U.S. ground-level ozone standard deemed insufficient Smoggy air could get cleaner if a new U.S. EPA standard passes muster. Agency head Stephen Johnson has proposed lowering the allowable amount of ground-level ozone from 80 to 84 parts per billion to 70 to 75 ppb, since "the current standard is insufficient to protect public health." But the agency will hold a 9 ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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The Err Up There
EPA relaxes clean-air requirements for ethanol-fuel plants |
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16 Apr 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| The Err Up There EPA relaxes clean-air requirements for ethanol-fuel plants Before last week, plants turning corn into liquor (yes, please) were allowed to emit 250 tons of emissions per year before triggering clean-air regulations, while those processing corn into ethanol fuel could emit only 100 tons annually. Just doesn't seem fair, does it? So the U.S. EPA did the logical thing, announcing that ethanol- ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, ethanol, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Particulate Shot
EPA sued over particulate standards |
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20 Dec 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Particulate Shot EPA sued over particulate standards The U.S. EPA has gotten itself sued once again this week, this time by 13 states and the District of Columbia that are pissed off about lenient soot-emission standards. The backstory: EPA analysis has found that reducing soot emissions by a relatively small amount could prevent 24,000 premature deaths a year. Nonetheless, this fall, the agency rejected the near-unanimous advi ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Where We're Going, We Don't Need Science
U.S. EPA shifts pollutant-review process, mixing policy with science |
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08 Dec 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Where We're Going, We Don't Need Science U.S. EPA shifts pollutant-review process, mixing policy with science The U.S. EPA continues to suck Big Oil's dipstick: Yesterday, the agency announced that its air-pollutant reviews, formerly conducted solely by staff scientists, will now incorporate recommendations from its political appointees. Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock insisted the shift will bring "air rule-making int ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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And I'll Blow Your Case Down
U.S. Supreme Court hears opening arguments in Clean Air Act case |
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02 Nov 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| And I'll Blow Your Case Down U.S. Supreme Court hears opening arguments in Clean Air Act case Fans of respiration held their collective breath yesterday as the Supreme Court began hearing a case about Clean Air Act violations. The case addresses claims by Duke Energy and other companies that the U.S. EPA got lawsuit-happy in the Clinton era, trying to force poor, helpless utilities to add poll ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, environmental justice, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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A Refine Mess
Bush admin plans to relax air-pollution regulations on ethanol refineries |
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18 Oct 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| A Refine Mess Bush admin plans to relax air-pollution regulations on ethanol refineries President Bush has been hyping the environmental benefits of ethanol in recent months, even as his administration has been preparing to relax air-pollution regulations for new ethanol refineries. The U.S. EPA plans to increase the amount of toxic pollution refineries can emit -- from 100 tons a year to 250 tons -- before they are required to ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Johnson Resists Lobbying of Special-Interest 'Science' Groups
EPA chief spurns scientific advice, rejects stricter particulate controls |
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22 Sep 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Johnson Resists Lobbying of Special-Interest "Science" Groups EPA chief spurns scientific advice, rejects stricter particulate controls Yesterday, U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson -- rejecting the near-unanimous recommendation of his agency's own scientific advisory council, as well as the pleas of health and environmental advocates -- failed to strengthen the Clean Air Act's standards for maximum annual soot-pa ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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I Found My Thrill on News-Bury Hill
EPA proposes easing air-pollution rules for oil refineries and other plants |
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11 Sep 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| I Found My Thrill on News-Bury Hill EPA proposes easing air-pollution rules for oil refineries and other plants The Bush administration EPA has had some trouble with the whole protecting-the-environment thing, but it has mastered one important skill: burying news. Latest exhibit: On Friday, just before a weekend that everyone knew would be saturated with 9/11 remembrances, the EPA proposed easing air-pollution requirements for ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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