Environment - Air
Research Examines the Financial, Health Costs of Coal Mining
The costs of illness and premature deaths in Appalachia related to coal mining far outweigh economic benefits the industry brings to the region, said Michael Hendryx, Ph.D...
Air Quality Measures Consistently Cost Less than Predicted
In December 1970, the Clean Air Act became law. A triumph of bipartisanship, the statute has delivered cleaner, healthier air to millions of Americans and has proved to be one of the most cost-effective regulatory programs in American history...
Duke Energy Chief Participates in National Ad Campaign Supporting Carbon Cap
Duke Energy is joining the Environmental Defense Action Fund (EDAF) in a national advertising campaign that supports a "smart cap" on carbon emissions ...
CGA Announces 2008 Safety Award Winners
The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) recently announced its 2008 Safety Award winners...
States Leading on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a draft regulation to create a registry for reporting greenhouse gas emissions. This draft...
Company and Four Senior Managers Sentenced for Environmental, Worker Safety Crimes
On April 24, Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. of Phillipsburg, N.J., was sentenced to pay a fine of $8 million for committing numerous environmental and worker safety crimes ...
DuPont, Lucite Agree to Pay $2 Million for Clean Air Violations
DuPont and Lucite International Inc. have agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to settle Clean Air Act violations at a sulfuric acid plant in Belle, W.Va., EPA, the U.S. Justice Department and the state of West Virginia announced....
Study Finds Environmental Education Programs Lead to Cleaner Air
A first of its kind study funded by EPA shows that environmental education programs are an effective tool in helping to improve air quality in North America. "This study shows a valuable connection between better environmental education and cleaner air in our communities," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "With the right information, people can make a real difference in the places where they live, work, play and learn." ...
April 6-12 is National Cell Phone Recycling Week
EPA is launching National Cell Phone Recycling Week April 6-12 in a joint effort between the agency’s Plug-In To eCycling program and leading cell phone manufacturers, retailers and service providers to increase national awareness about the importance of cell phone recycling....
Active Agenda: Mindfulness
Thomas Edison's observation above helps to explain why some people do not recognize the Active Agenda project. The free nature of the project creates...
Obama Proposes $10.5 Billion EPA Budget for Increased Environmental Protection
On Feb. 26, the Obama administration proposed a budget of $10.5 billion for the EPA, an increase of $3 billion from 2008 funding levels and the largest in the agency’s 39-year history. This increase will further ensure the protection of public health and the environment for all Americans, EPA said. ...
EPA Ordered to Reconsider 2006 Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter
On Feb. 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered EPA to review and reconsider its 2006 decision on the national ambient air quality standards for particulate matter, a development the American Lung Association called a “critical victory” in the fight for healthy air in the United States....
BP Agrees to Pay Nearly $180 Million to Settle Clean Air Violations
BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to spend more than $161 million on pollution controls, enhanced maintenance and monitoring and improved internal management practices to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Texas City, Texas, refinery, EPA and the U.S. Justice Department announced. The company also will pay a $12 million civil penalty and spend $6 million on a supplemental project to reduce air pollution in Texas City....
EIP, Sierra Club Sue EPA for Failing to Properly Regulate Air Pollution From Nitric Acid Plants
The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit Feb. 4 against EPA for violating its duty to review and update its emission standards for nitric acid plants, which produce chemicals used in the fertilizer and explosives industries....
Coal-Fired Power Plant to Spend $135 Million to Settle Clean Air Violations
Kentucky Utilities (KU), a coal-fired electric utility, has agreed to pay a $1.4 million civil penalty and spend approximately $135 million on pollution controls to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act, the Justice Department and EPA announced....
Report Outlines Obama’s Options in Addressing Bush’s Last-Minute Rules
The Center for American Progress released a new report detailing the last-minute rules rushed out by the Bush administration, including regulations that impact worker health and safety. The report claims these “midnight rules” actually represent deregulatory actions that weaken or eliminate safeguards protecting health, safety, the environment and the public’s general welfare....
EPA: Flexible Air Permits Enable Increased Pollution Prevention, Economic Competitiveness
EPA is finalizing changes and clarifications to air quality permitting rules to encourage greater use of flexible air permits. According to EPA’s assessment, flexible air permits can provide significant environmental and economic benefits while reducing administrative workload for permitting authorities and facilities....
EPA Revises Air Permit Policy for Aggregating Facility Changes
EPA has issued a final rule under the New Source Review (NSR) program that revises the agency’s policy on aggregation. Under the new rule, a facility should only group together, or aggregate, emissions from multiple related changes into one single project if those activities are substantially related....
New Technology Offers Faster Leak Detection at Industrial Facilities
EPA is issuing a final amendment to the leak detection and repair requirements allowing the use of optical gas imaging technology to locate emission leaks. ...
PVC Manufacturers Agree to Reduce Air Pollutants, Strengthen Control of Hazardous Wastes
The Justice Department and EPA announced that Shintech Inc. and its subsidiary, K-Bin Inc., agreed in a settlement to spend $4.8 million to comply with the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at their manufacturing facilities in Freeport, Texas. These actions will reduce harmful chlorofluorocarbon emissions and improve hazardous waste management at these facilities beyond the requirements imposed by environmental laws....
Nurses Unveil Web Site Highlighting Bush Administration’s Last-Minute Regulatory Changes
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) launched a new Web site, http://www.SendBushPacking.com, to call attention to some of the Bush administration’s last-minute regulatory changes that could impact healthcare services and workplace safety....
National Demolition Association Hosting Landmark Construction and Demolition Recycling Symposium in 2009
The National Demolition Association, the trade organization for the global demolition industry, is planning for an inaugural International Symposium on the State of C&D (Construction & Demolition) Recycling, to be held in Chicago in the fall of 2009....
EIP: Mercury Pollution Up at Most of the 50 Worst U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants
In the wake of a February 2008 appeals court decision striking down weak regulations proposed by EPA, a new report from the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) finds that the top 50 most-polluting power plants in the United States emitted 20 tons of the dangerous neurotoxin mercury into the nation's air in 2007...
Attack of the Toxic Air Handler
When you apply that proposition to the air circulating through buildings, you may think there's no problem because the air is filtered or cleaned by the...
EPA, DOJ and State of Illinois Reach Agreement with Crane Composites on Clean Air Act Violations
The Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Illinois have reached an agreement with Crane Composites, a fiberglass panel manufacturer formerly known as Kemlite Inc., on alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at the company's plastics manufacturing plant in Channahon, Ill....
