Over 16000 Illinoisans have urged the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to formally adopt its proposed Mercury & Air Toxics Rule to cut health-harming pollution from coal-fired power plants. On August 4, over 90 concerned citizens and health experts gathered outside of EPA Region 5 headquarters to call on the agency to adopt the strongest possible rule to protect public health. All told, over 800000 Americans have submitted public comment in support of the rule—more than any other rule in the agency's history.
For more than forty years the Clean Air Act has protected public health from dangerous toxic air pollution. Now this lifesaving law is under attack by some Members of Congress. Join the fight to protect the air we breathe by visiting LungUSA.org.
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, held a hearing entitled, "Oversight: Review of EPA Regulations Replacing the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR)," on June 30, 2011.
Ben speaks on the Senate Floor about the pivotal role that the Clean Air Act plays in safeguarding public health and our environment, and about the EPA's critical role in enforcing the Act.
Senator Carper, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, and Senator Sanders, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy, held a hearing titled 'The Clean Air Act and Jobs." The hearing reviewed the effect of the Clean Air Act and job creation in the United States.
On March 8, 2011, US Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) spoke on the Senate floor about the dangers that the House Republican budget poses to the health of American children through rollbacks to the Clean Air Act.
On March 2, 2011, US Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) delivered remarks at a Senate hearing examining the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget about his legislation to ensure polluters, not taxpayers, pay for the cleanup of Superfund sites. Lautenberg also defended the Clean Air Act against Republican attacks.
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) addresses the Senate, using American Lung Association poll data, to explain how HR 1 cuts to the EPA and the Clean Air Act would be "toxic to public health."
February 3, 2011 19:17 Clean Air Issues in the 112th Congress (PDF) Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS) Although air quality has improved substantially in the United States in the 40 years of EPA's Clean Air Act regulation, many issues remain unresolved, and, in recent months, members of Congress from both parties have raised questions regarding the cost-effectiveness of, and authority for, EPA actions. This report focuses on three general areas of likely interest to the 112th Congress: greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations, emissions from power plants (including interstate pollution and mercury emissions), and air quality standards. EPA regulatory actions on GHG emissions using existing Clean Air Act authority have been the main focus of congressional interest in clean air issues in recent months. Although the Obama Administration and EPA spokespersons have consistently said that they would prefer that Congress pass legislation to address climate change, EPA has begun to develop regulations using its existing authority. On December 15, 2009, the agency finalized an "endangerment finding" under Section 202 of the Clean Air Act, which requires it to regulate pollutants for their effect as greenhouse gases for the first time. Relying on this finding, EPA finalized GHG emission standards for cars and light trucks on April 1, 2010. The implementation of these standards will, in turn, trigger permitting requirements and the imposition of Best Available Control ...
This week, energyNOW! begins with a look at the report of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The report blames the April 2010 spill on systemic problems within the offshore oil industry and predicts that it could happen again without reforms on the part of both the industry and government regulators. Tyler Suiters sits down with one of the co-chairmen of the commission, former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, who explains why the panel found it was not the failure of just one rogue company, but of several players and an industry that lacks the proper safety standards, technology and oversight to prevent or deal with such a catastrophe. But the offshore oil industry takes great issue with the report's conclusions. Susan McGinnis interviews Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute. He says investigators overlooked the industry's safety record in the Gulf of Mexico for the past 65 years, and the measures it takes to ensure safety. He says API plays a key role in setting safety standards and is respected both within and outside the industry. Many of API's standards, Gerard says, are recommended by the commission as safety measures going forward. On "Energy Then," we look at oil boom technology that was introduced during World War II. It's basically the same containment technology that was used to keep oil from spreading in the Gulf and is still in use today. "Plugged In" brings you the latest figures from the ...
Clean Air Act under attack -- Philadelphia health leaders urge Senate to protect public health WHAT: This fall marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, one of America's most effective and beneficial pieces of public health legislation. Studies show that the benefits of the Clean Air Act outweigh the costs 42-to-1. Yet the Clean Air Act is under attack by US Senators who wrongfully seek to restrict the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. A vote on a bill to delay EPA from protecting Americans from harmful pollution could come as soon as mid-November. WHEN: November 15, 2010, 10:00 am WHERE: Thomas Jefferson University, Dorrance H. Hamilton Building, Room 213, 1001 Locust St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 WHO: Doctors, health professionals and environmental leaders speak up and urge Senators Arlen Specter and Robert P. Casey, Jr. to protect the Clean Air Act from attacks in the US Senate. SPEAKERS: Katie Feeney Global Warming Policy Analyst, Clean Air Council Dr. Walter Tsou Former President, American Public Health Association, 2005 Former Health Commissioner, Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health, 2000-2002 Jeanette MacNeille Speaking as a person affected with asthma Kevin Stewart Director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association (ALA) of the Mid-Atlantic Joseph O. Minott, Esq. Executive Director, Clean Air Council ### Clean Air Council is a member- supported, non-profit ...
Burning garbage is a common practice in many rural Alaskan communities. However, air pollution from burning waste is hazardous to human health, especially for elders and children. This video explores solutions to reduce impacts of solid waste burning. For more information about protecting air quality in Alaska's Native Villages, go to www.epa.gov For more about EPA: www.epa.gov We accept comments according to our comment policy: blog.epa.gov Disclaimer: The US Government does not promote or endorse any non-Government or commercial content appearing on this page.
Many people in rural Alaska use wood stoves to heat their homes and bath houses. This video summarizes the health impacts from wood smoke and provides step-by-step instructions for how to burn "small, dry, and hot" to save fuel and keep the air clean. For more information about protecting air quality in Alaska's Native Villages, go to www.epa.gov For more about EPA: www.epa.gov We accept comments according to our comment policy: blog.epa.gov Disclaimer: The US Government does not promote or endorse any non-Government or commercial content appearing on this page.
Diesel is used in rural Alaska to produce electricity and fuel boats, vehicles and planes. This video explains how to minimize exposure to diesel exhaust and maximize the efficiency of diesel engines. For more information about protecting air quality in Alaska's Native Villages, go to www.epa.gov For more about EPA: www.epa.gov We accept comments according to our comment policy: blog.epa.gov Disclaimer: The US Government does not promote or endorse any non-Government or commercial content appearing on this page.
This video summarizes five of the major air quality challenges for rural Alaska Native Villages: Diesel emissions; indoor air quality; road dust; solid waste burning; and wood smoke. For more information about protecting air quality in Alaska's Native Villages, go to www.epa.gov/region10/tribal/air/alaska.html For more about EPA: www.epa.gov We accept comments according to our comment policy: blog.epa.gov Disclaimer: The US Government does not promote or endorse any non-Government or commercial content appearing on this page.
A personal video emphasizing why I support the Clean Air Act and why the EPA's ability to protect the environment and keep our air clean needs to be maintained.
The late 1960's proved to be the decisive period for air pollution amelioration efforts. The changes were radical and took place with amazing rapidity. Essentially, the general public itself become aware of and involved in the air pollution question and in the process changed the nature of the anti-pollution movement fundamentally and irrevocably. Public opinion shifted dramatically during the 1960's. Polls showed that air pollution was a minor problem (number 9 of 10 listed national problems) in 1965 but had become the most important problems in the public mind by 1970 (The New York Times 1969). The new attention on environmentalism was triggered by many events: the publication of Rachael Carson's influential Silent Spring, Senator Edward Muskie's 1964 Committee hearings on air pollution around the US and several well publicized ecological disasters. In 1966, some 80 people died in a four-day smog event in the New York City area. Legislation followed closely the wave of public interest. The 1963 Clean Air Act established national policy and set uniform standards for air quality. This was amended by the Air Quality Act of 1967, which set enforcement mandates for the earlier laws and established the National Air Pollution Control Administration that was tasked to enforce air quality standards and administer air pollution research programs. In 1969, the landmark National Environmentalist Protection Act (NEPA) was passed, whose purpose was "restoring and maintaining ...
