clean air act

U.S. Air Pollution Falling More Slowly Than EPA Data Suggests

U.S. Air Pollution Falling More Slowly Than EPA Data Suggests

U.S. air pollution isn’t declining as fast as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has claimed, a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed. To track the levels of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, two pollutants that contribute to smog formation, an international research team used satellite pollution measurements backed up […]

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    Court Rules Pruitt Broke the Law for Smog Rule Delay

    Court Rules Pruitt Broke the Law for Smog Rule Delay

    A federal judge ruled Monday that Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), broke the law for failing to implement his agency’s ozone pollution rule. Judge Haywood Gilliam of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said Pruitt violated the Clean Air Act for failing to announce by […]

    Judge Allows Trump to Waive Environmental Laws to Build Border Wall

    Judge Allows Trump to Waive Environmental Laws to Build Border Wall

    A federal judge in San Diego ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can waive a slew of environmental laws and other regulations to build the president’s highly vaunted U.S.-Mexico border wall in California. Federal laws waived by the Department of Homeland Security for construction of a border wall include the Endangered Species Act, the Clean […]

    Trump EPA Withdraws Clean Air Policy Opposed By Fossil Fuel Companies

    Trump EPA Withdraws Clean Air Policy Opposed By Fossil Fuel Companies

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing the “once-in always-in” policy for the classification of major sources of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. As Reuters pointed out, the move on Thursday is “part of President Donald Trump‘s effort to roll back federal regulations and was sought by utilities, the petroleum industry […]

    New Bill Would Block EPA From Regulating Greenhouse Gases

    New Bill Would Block EPA From Regulating Greenhouse Gases

    Republican lawmakers have proposed a bill to curtail the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to address climate change. The “Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2017” (HR637) would amend the Clean Air Act so that: “The term ‘air pollutant’ does not include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride.” The […]

    A Preventable Chemical Plant Explosion May Be Closer Than You Think

    A Preventable Chemical Plant Explosion May Be Closer Than You Think

    Phil Radford Last Thursday, President Obama issued an Executive Order mandating that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the departments of Labor and Homeland Security to develop plans for new safety measure at chemical plants like the one in West, TX, that exploded in April, killing 17 people and injuring hundreds. That West, TX, tragedy […]

    The Hidden Hazards in Your Laundry Basket

    The Hidden Hazards in Your Laundry Basket

    Amy Mathews Amos I did something on vacation this spring that I normally never do: I sent my clothes to the laundry. Usually I pride myself on packing so wisely that I can last a week out of a carry-on bag, and I’m typically not staying in a place swanky enough to actually “do” laundry. […]

    How Big Oil Uses the Republican Party to Subvert American Democracy

    How Big Oil Uses the Republican Party to Subvert American Democracy

    Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock In a surprise move, the eight Republican members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee yesterday blocked a floor vote on President Obama’s nominee, Gina McCarthy, as U.S. EPA Administrator. In doing so the Republican senators broke their earlier promise to move McCarthy’s nomination if she […]