clean air act

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    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 […]

    Koch vs. California: These Groups Want Pruitt to Undo the State’s Right to Regulate Auto Emissions

    Koch vs. California: These Groups Want Pruitt to Undo the State’s Right to Regulate Auto Emissions

    By Ben Jervey A coalition of conservative groups, many with close ties to the Koch brothers, is calling for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to strip California of its right to set stricter greenhouse gas limits for personal vehicles. Not satisfied with Pruitt’s decision to rewrite the Obama-era emissions standards—which had been […]

    Why California Gets to Write Its Own Auto Emissions Standards: 5 Questions Answered

    Why California Gets to Write Its Own Auto Emissions Standards: 5 Questions Answered

    By Nicholas Bryner and Meredith Hankins Editor’s note: On April 2, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the Trump administration plans to revise tailpipe emissions standards negotiated by the Obama administration for motor vehicles built between 2022 and 2025, saying the standards were set “too high.” Pruitt also said the EPA […]

    Scott Pruitt: California Can’t ‘Dictate’ National Emissions Policy

    Scott Pruitt: California Can’t ‘Dictate’ National Emissions Policy

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt had fighting words for California in an interview with Bloomberg News Tuesday, deepening a rift between the Trump administration and the Golden State over the future of Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks. The EPA faces an April 1 deadline to determine if the emissions […]

    Two Major Climate Change Lawsuits Move Forward

    Two Major Climate Change Lawsuits Move Forward

    By Ken Kimmell A major front in the climate change debate has moved to the courtroom, as I’ve previously discussed. Last week, plaintiffs in two separate cases won significant procedural victories—one against major fossil fuel companies, and a second against the Trump administration. Here are the latest developments and their implications. Bay Area vs. Big […]

    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 […]