Emphysema is considered a smoker’s disease. But it turns out, exposure to air pollution may lead to the same changes in the lung that give rise to emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) according to an August 13, 2019 report from NPR. A new study published August 13th in The Journal of the American […]

Denver and nearby counties of northern Colorado’s urban corridor failed to meet federal ozone pollution standards, and the state will have to come up with a new plan to clean up the air, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on August 8th according to an August 9, 2019 Associated Press report. The move was expected […]

An August 24, 2019 Trinity Consultants report offers insight into what controls may be required of Colorado facility and engine owners within EPA’s serious non-attainment area. What’s About to Happen? Among the various impacts from the new classification are lower emission thresholds for permitting requirements for new or modified sources, and more stringent controls for […]

The Trump administration is readying a plan to end direct federal regulation of methane leaks from oil and gas facilities, even as some energy companies insist they don’t want the relief according to an August 14, 2019 Bloomberg report. A draft proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency would prevent the federal government from directly targeting […]

Obama-era ozone standards that sparked years of litigation will largely remain in place after federal judges on August 23rd rejected a variety of legal challenges according to an Energy and Environmental News report. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld most of EPA’s 2015 thresholds for ground-level ozone, which set […]

The Trump administration is narrowing a long-standing federal practice of letting polluters do penance for their environmental violations, often in exchange for lower fines according to an August 21, 2019 Energy and Environmental News report. Jeffrey Bossert Clark, head of the Justice Department’s environment division, outlined the policy change in an August 21st memo, specifically […]

On June 25, 2019, EPA released a pre-publication draft of a proposed rule allowing sources subject to Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act to voluntarily limit their emissions and avoid MACT according to a July 12, 2019 Environmental Law and Policy Monitor report. The proposed rule, which […]

The number of unhealthy air days in major cities across the United States has risen sharply over the last two years, even as emissions of key pollutants continue to slip, according to a July 17, 2019 Reuters report regarding data released by an Environmental Protection Agency report – Our Nation’s Air – on July 17th. […]

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are introducing competing bills that aim to put a tax on carbon according to a July 26, 2019 report from The Hill. The push to regulate greenhouse gas emissions come as both Democrats and Republicans face pressure from their constituents, and in some cases the fossil […]

July was a busy month for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approvals and proposed approvals of state, territory or local air district implementation plans and/or updates to plans designed to meet or make progress toward attainment of national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). On July 26, 2019 EPA announced its approval of Oklahoma’s State Implementation Plan […]