Environmental Health

Deadlines for Plans To Reduce Regional Haze Finally Established

On Nov. 9, 2011, EPA signed a consent decree that requires the agency to receive from and approve a State Implementation Plan for DC, VI, and 43 states that don't have a fully approved one. Each state can determine how it wants to reduce haze. In some cases, the plan will rely on actions already taken, such as reductions in emissions from power plants or vehicles.

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"Canada's Chronic Asbestos Problem"

"Most of the world, including the medical community, agrees that asbestos is desperately dangerous. The World Health Organization reports that more than 100,000 people die every year from lung cancer and other respiratory diseases due to asbestos exposure. And many more will die, because 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in their workplaces today and every day.

Source: Toronto Globe & Mail, 11/22/2011

"Obama Gets Another Energy Headache as Agency Delays Drilling Vote"

"The Obama administration controls the tie-breaking vote on a plan to begin drilling for natural gas in the Northeast, shining a spotlight on its efforts to find a middle ground on the use of hydraulic fracturing to tap deep shale rock formations for energy.

Source: Greenwire, 11/22/2011

Groups: "EPA Could Save 35,700 Lives by Limiting Soot, but Won't"

"Stronger national standards on fine particulate matter could prevent 35,700 premature deaths and save Americans $281 billion per year, according to a new report. Earth Justice, the American Lung Association, and Clean Air Task Force published the report in conjunction with a petition they filed yesterday against the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to meet its deadline to revisit the standard."

Source: Mother Jones, 11/18/2011

"Europe Bans X-Ray Body Scanners Used at U.S. Airports"

"The European Union on Monday prohibited the use of X-ray body scanners in European airports, parting ways with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which has deployed hundreds of the scanners as a way to screen millions of airline passengers for explosives hidden under clothing."

Source: ProPublica, 11/17/2011

Special Report: "Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities"

A special joint investigation by National Public Radio, the Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News, the Investigative News Network, and others shows that hundreds of U.S. facilities have been violating their Clean Air Act permits for years without running into federal or state enforcement. In many cases, the pollution has made people sick, and sometimes local communities have taken up the job that federal and state agencies have failed at.

NPR Series Portal

Source: iWatch/NPR/INN, 11/17/2011

Dangerous Lead Levels Found in Nearly 2/3 of New Orleans Homes: Tulane

"A new study says nearly two-thirds of New Orleans homes and yards have “dangerous” levels of lead, according to federal standards, a finding the authors believe may be linked to the extensive renovation and demolition of homes after Hurricane Katrina."

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 11/15/2011

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