air pollution

Biden Lifts Summer Ban on Smog-Causing E15 Gas

Biden Lifts Summer Ban on Smog-Causing E15 Gas

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would lift a summer-time ban on the sale of E15 gasoline in response to the hike in gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. E15 is a gasoline mix that uses 15 percent ethanol, according to a White House fact sheet. However, it is currently barred from use in the summer because it contributes to smog during warmer weather, The New York Times pointed out. 

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    Historical Redlining Predicts Air Pollution Exposure

    Historical Redlining Predicts Air Pollution Exposure

    The legacy of U.S. racism has permeated the very air of its cities.  In a textbook example of environmental racisim, a new study from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington (UW) found that neighborhoods subject to discriminatory housing practices nearly 100 years ago still have higher levels of air pollution today.  “Racism from the […]

    Chernobyl Radiation Levels Rise After Russian Invasion

    Chernobyl Radiation Levels Rise After Russian Invasion

    Radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear plant spiked above control levels, Ukraine warned on Friday. The announcement came the day after Russian forces captured the infamous plant on Thursday during the country’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported Thursday.  “The control levels of gamma radiation dose rate in the Exclusion zone were exceeded,” the State Nuclear Regulatory […]

    ‘This is What Environmental Justice Looks Like’: Majority Latino Community Wins Victory Against Polluting Metal Shredder

    ‘This is What Environmental Justice Looks Like’: Majority Latino Community Wins Victory Against Polluting Metal Shredder

    A majority Latino neighborhood on Chicago’s Southeast Side has won a major environmental justice victory. On Friday, the city denied a permit for a metal shredder that community members fought with a month-long hunger strike last year. “This is a testament to the love and pride we have for the Southeast Side,” activist Gina Ramirez […]

    Corn-Based Ethanol Pollutes More Than Gas, Study Finds

    Corn-Based Ethanol Pollutes More Than Gas, Study Finds

    For years, corn-based ethanol has been mixed with the gasoline sold at gas stations across the U.S., but a recently published study has found that its carbon intensity is “likely at least 24% higher” than gas, Roadshow by CNET reported. The study, “Environmental Outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard,” was published by the journal […]

    Gas Stoves Are a Bigger Climate Threat Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

    Gas Stoves Are a Bigger Climate Threat Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

    Gas stoves emit methane even when they are not in use, a new study has found, and this makes them a bigger contributor to the climate crisis than previously believed.  The research, published in Environmental Science & Technology Thursday, concluded that the annual methane emissions from gas stoves in the U.S. are equivalent to about […]

    Living Near Fracking Sites Increases Risk of Early Death, Study Finds

    Living Near Fracking Sites Increases Risk of Early Death, Study Finds

    A new study shows that older adults who live near or downwind of unconventional oil and gas developments (UOGD), such as fracking sites and directional drilling, experience higher risks of early deaths. The study, published in the journal Nature Energy by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the first time researchers have been […]

    EPA to Address Air and Water Pollution in ‘Cancer Alley’

    EPA to Address Air and Water Pollution in ‘Cancer Alley’

    After a week-long environmental justice trip to Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana in November, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan announced that the EPA will address residents’ complaints about contaminated drinking water, chemical plants placed close to residences and a school and toxic air, The Washington Post reported. Regan said the EPA will invest […]