Air Pollution

Making Older Coal Power Plants More Efficient Without Making Them Cleaner
At the center of the EPA's newly proposed Affordable Clean Energy rule is doing away with a permitting process known as New Source Review that requires coal power plants to add scrubbers and other expensive pollution control equipment when upgraded.

Extreme Heat Is an Inequality Issue
The Guardian sounds the alarm about deadly heat exposure in poor communities around the world.

'Affordable Clean Energy Rule' Proposed to Replace Clean Power Plan
On Tuesday, EPA released its new rule to regulate emissions from existing power plants, essentially leaving it to the states to determine appropriate emissions levels rather than setting actual standards each state has to meet like the current rule.

Rollback of a Different Kind, Ordered by the EPA, Will Benefit Air Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, acting at the behest of the new acting EPA administrator, will keep Obama-era regulation limiting air pollution from heavy trucks in place.

The Greening of California's Republicans?
One finding from a new statewide survey, "Californians and the Environment," suggests that the environment is becoming a more bipartisan issue, but that finding is still subject to interpretation. What isn't is the top environmental issue: water.

Los Angeles (and Climate Change) Seriously Threaten Air Quality at Mono Lake
With water levels habitually low, officials from the Eastern Sierra say they are "headed for a showdown” with L.A.

Study: Air Pollution From Cars and Trucks Causes Diabetes
A new study builds an even stronger case for setting pollution controls at PM 2.5 to prevent increased risk of diabetes. The EPA's clean air regulations set a threshold much less restrictive than that level.

Minneapolis Looking to Rehabilitate Green Zones
Areas of the city historically overburdened with air pollution and brownfield sites will be targeted with local food programs and policies to create and bolster green spaces.

A Departing Blow to Clean Air on Pruitt's Final Day
Friday may have been disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's last day in office of the agency in charge of protecting the nation's environment, but he still managed to roll back a regulation to create lasting air pollution far greater than VW did.

California to Invest $1 Billion in Electric Trucks, Buses, Charging Infrastructure
The investment comes not from the state legislature but from two regulatory bodies, the Air Resources Board and the Public Utilities Commission, authorizing the expenditure of VW settlement funds and utility ratepayer funds, respectively.

Can Density Prevent Diabetes?
In Australia, a new study will determine the best ways to make high-density developments healthy places to live.

Another EPA Rollback, Tailor-Made for Gov. Walker and Southeast Wisconsin
Politics and economics win over public health in Racine County as the EPA exempted the area around the Foxconn's massive facility from meeting stricter ozone pollution standards, saving the company from investing in smog-reducing equipment.

Electric Buses Slowly Gain Momentum in U.S. Transit Systems
Industry experts project growth for electric buses, which could have big impacts on air quality and emissions in cities around the world.

Exhibition Offers a Taste of Air Pollution
A London art exhibit lets visitors experience a simulation of the polluted air from five cities around the world.

Downtown Won't Kill You
Despite the stress and pollution of urban life, even the most dense, traffic-clogged cities may be as healthy as streetcar suburbs.

California Has 8 of the 10 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
Despite ever-stricter air-quality regulations and dropping emissions, the American Lung Association once again finds the state to have some of the worst air in the nation.
Getting the Politics of Cordon Tolling Right
With Mayor Jenny Durkan's announcement that Seattle will pursue cordon area congestion pricing coming five days after New York dropped its plan, a Washington State pro-business publication looks at the difficulties in getting the politics right.

Paris Considers Free Public Transit
Paris' Socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, wants to make transit free to get people out of their cars in the city of 2.2 million.
EPA Loses Court Ruling After Failing to Identify Smog Nonattainment Regions
As a result of a federal court ruling on March 12, the Environmental Protection Administration will be compelled to do what it should have done by October 1: Identify regions of the country where the air quality violates smog standards.

Study: L.A. County's Urban Oil Wells Are Too Close to Homes and Schools
The Department of Public Health recommends taking action to better protect residents from oil operations that are sometimes only a few feet from where people live, work, eat, play and study.
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