Air pollution monitoring to increase for Oregon communities
November 24, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two of Oregon’s most economically disadvantaged and racially diverse communities — one in Portland and the other on the south coast — are getting a boost in their fight against air pollution.
Iran to close schools in Tehran over of high air pollution
November 22, 2022 GMTTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — All schools in the Iranian capital of Tehran will close for a day because of dangerously poor air quality, the country's state television reported on Tuesday.
Primary schools have been closed for the past two days in Tehran, which has over 10 million residents, but now, increasing pollution is forcing the closure of all schools on Wednesday, the TV said.
Indian capital battles dangerous levels of air pollution
November 4, 2022 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities on Friday shut factories and construction sites, restricted diesel-run vehicles and deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control haze and smog enveloping the skyline of the capital region.
More kids to ride in ‘clean’ school buses, mostly electric
October 27, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with several tribes and U.S. territories, are receiving roughly $1 billion in grants to purchase about 2,500 “clean” school buses under a new federal program.
EU Commission proposes tougher pollution rules
October 26, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm sought on Wednesday to toughen up pollution restrictions to ensure that harmful pollutants are eliminated by 2050 to potentially save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Doctors say ‘fossil fuel addiction’ kills, starves millions
October 25, 2022 GMTExtreme weather from climate change triggered hunger in nearly 100 million people and increased heat deaths by 68% in vulnerable populations worldwide as the world’s “fossil fuel addiction” degrades public health each year, doctors reported in a new study.
EPA: Racial disparity in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’
October 13, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said it has evidence that Black residents in an industrial section of Louisiana face an increased risk of cancer from a nearby chemical plant and that state officials have allowed air pollution to remain high and downplayed its threat.
Northern Colorado air quality downgraded by EPA
September 16, 2022 GMTStricter air quality regulations are coming for northern Colorado businesses after the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday downgraded the area to a category for “severe” violators of ozone standards.
BP reaches $2.75M deal over Indiana refinery pollution
September 15, 2022 GMTTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Oil titan BP reached a $2.75 million settlement Thursday over air pollution from its largest refinery after environmentalists complained of repeated emissions violations at the Whiting facility in Indiana.
EPA denies Cheniere Energy request for LNG pollution waiver
September 6, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday denied a request by Cheniere Energy, a leading U.S. producer of liquefied natural gas, to exempt two Gulf Coast plants from a federal air pollution rule.
Air pollution notice issued for Colorado’s Front Range
September 5, 2022 GMTDENVER (AP) — Colorado health authorities issued an advisory on Monday for unhealthy levels of ozone pollution in the Front Range urban corridor along the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains.
Ozone levels were expected to reach levels that could cause respiratory problems in sensitive individuals, the Colorado Department of Public Health said .
California heat wave sparks fears of power outages, fires
September 1, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California was in a state of emergency Thursday as a brutal heat wave brought the threat of power outages and wildfires.
Temperatures will continue to reach triple digits in many areas of the state through Labor Day, forecasters said, prompting concerns that people will turn up the air conditioning and strain the state's electrical grid.
Supreme Court climate ruling could impact nuclear waste case
August 29, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on climate change could have implications for a range of other issues, including a case involving nuclear waste storage and a proposal requiring companies to disclose how climate risk affects their businesses, advocates across the political spectrum say.
Top California environment official leaving state government
August 12, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jared Blumenfeld, California's top environmental regulator and a key climate adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom, will leave the administration at the end of the month, Newsom announced Friday.
Politicians, energy experts, advocates on climate bill
August 11, 2022 GMTCongress is expected on Friday to pass a major bill that includes close to $375 billion in spending related to fighting climate change. The bill, called the Inflation Reduction Act, will infuse cash, subsidies and tax breaks into various sectors of the economy, all aimed at making green energy much cheaper.
Conservation groups sue over coal mines in Colorado, Montana
July 28, 2022 GMTDENVER (AP) — Conservation groups filed lawsuits against state environmental agencies in Colorado and Montana this week targeting coal mines in the two states.
Two groups sued Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality on Monday over an approved expansion of the Rosebud Mine, a coal strip mine near the Wyoming border.
Biden vows ‘strong’ climate action despite dual setbacks
July 16, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is promising “strong executive action” to combat climate change, despite dual setbacks in recent weeks that have restricted his ability to regulate carbon emissions and boost clean energy such as wind and solar power.
Central Valley air advisers resign over pollution program
July 15, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Three members of an advisory group tasked with helping a Central Valley air district reform a flawed pollution credit program resigned Thursday, saying not enough was being done to right past harms to public health.
Environmental justice advocates slam Supreme Court ruling
July 1, 2022 GMTThe Supreme Court decision to limit how the Environmental Protection Agency regulates carbon dioxide emissions from power plants could make an already grave situation worse for those affected most by climate change and air pollution, advocates say.
EXPLAINER: Why Court’s EPA-climate change ruling matters
June 30, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's climate change ruling on Thursday is likely to hinder President Joe Biden's plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade and to make the U.S.
Supreme Court limits EPA in curbing power plant emissions
June 30, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
Dutch government to rein in flights at Schiphol Airport
June 24, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The Dutch government said Friday it will cut the maximum number of flights allowed each year at the country's busiest aviation hub, Schiphol Airport, in an attempt to reduce noise and air pollution.
Protesters want Murphy to deny future fossil fuel projects
June 23, 2022 GMTTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Hundreds of protesters marched on New Jersey's Capitol on Thursday, urging Gov. Phil Murphy to deny permits to any future project that involves the burning of fossil fuels.
Environmentalists and advocates of environmental justice listed a litany of proposed projects around the state that they want the governor to reject, including power plants and transport facilities for liquefied natural gas.
Westlake Chemical plants in LA, KY to cut air pollution
June 9, 2022 GMTWESTLAKE, La. (AP) — Three subsidiaries of a Texas-based petrochemical company on Thursday settled allegations that they violated federal and state pollution control laws.
The U.S. Department of Justice, in a news release, said Westlake Chemical Corporation agreed to make upgrades and perform compliance measures estimated to cost $110 million to resolve the complaint involving two facilities in Lake Charles, Louisiana and one in Calvert City, Kentucky.
Cruise liners try to rewrite climate rules despite vows
June 7, 2022 GMTThe trade group representing the cruise ship industry unsuccessfully pushed international authorities to water down new environmental regulations despite its members’ climate commitments, experts in marine air pollution warn.
Study finds cleaner air leads to more Atlantic hurricanes
May 11, 2022 GMTCleaner air in United States and Europe is brewing more Atlantic hurricanes, a new U.S.
EU governments may be liable for harmful pollution levels
May 5, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European Union citizens may be able to claim damages from governments if their health has been affected by excessive air pollution, a top court adviser said Wednesday.
In her opinion, Advocate General Juliane Kokott said that “an infringement of the limit values for the protection of air quality under EU law may give rise to entitlement to compensation from the State."
EPA probes environmental justice in Louisiana projects
April 9, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating whether Louisiana’s health and environmental agencies discriminated against Black residents in connection with air pollution from existing and proposed facilities between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Alaska air pollution holds clues for other Arctic climates
March 24, 2022 GMTFAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — In the pristine expanse of Alaska’s interior lies a dirty secret: some of the most polluted winter air in the United States can be found in and around Fairbanks.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough, which includes Alaska’s second largest city, routinely exceeds limits set by the U.S.
EPA plan would limit downwind pollution from power plants
March 11, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a plan that would restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can’t control.
Biden restores California’s power to set car emissions rules
March 9, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is restoring California's authority to set its own tailpipe pollution standards for cars, reversing a Trump administration policy and likely ushering in stricter emissions standards for new passenger vehicles nationwide.
Chevron Phillips agrees to cut pollution at 3 Texas plants
March 9, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. will pay $118 million for upgrades and compliance measures at three Texas petrochemical plants and pay a $3.4 million civil penalty over allegations that it violated the Clean Air Act, according to a proposed settlement announced Wednesday.
Air pollution settlement will average $3,500 per household
March 3, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Precision Castparts Corp. has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused its metal casting facility in Southeast Portland, Oregon, of polluting nearby homes with toxic metals.
Flint votes to challenge state permit for new asphalt plant
February 10, 2022 GMTFLINT, Mich. (AP) — The city of Flint will challenge a state permit granted for a new asphalt plant after residents complained that they will be unfairly forced to bear any air pollution.
Critics say the Ajax Materials project would be another heavy industry in the economically distressed neighborhood.
Idaho lawmaker panel OKs bill to end vehicle emissions tests
February 8, 2022 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would eliminate vehicle emissions testing in Idaho’s most populated region was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday.
EXPLAINER: How China got blue skies in time for Olympics
February 8, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — The blue skies greeting Olympic athletes here this month are a stark change from just a decade ago when the city’s choking air pollution was dubbed an “Airpocalypse” and blamed for scaring off tourists.
Rally in Serbia draws attention to country’s air pollution
January 30, 2022 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Hundreds of people rallied in Serbia on Sunday to draw attention to the country's high air pollution and demand that authorities take action to improve air quality.
The protest in central Belgrade was the latest in a series of gatherings organized by increasingly visible environmental movement in the Balkan country.
EPA acts to curb air, water pollution in poor communities
January 27, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of enforcement actions Wednesday to address air pollution, unsafe drinking water and other problems afflicting minority communities in three Gulf Coast states, following a “Journey to Justice” tour by Administrator Michael Regan last fall.
Los Angeles City Council approves phaseout of oil drilling
January 26, 2022 GMTThe Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a measure to ban new oil and gas wells and phase out existing ones.
The council directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance to prohibit oil and gas drilling in Los Angeles, change zoning laws to make drilling illegal and study how to legally phase out existing wells.
Ohio settles Volkswagen emissions case for $3.5 million
January 25, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio has settled an environmental lawsuit with Volkswagen over the company's 2015 emissions scandal for $3.5 million, state Attorney General Dave Yost announced.
EPA: Clean up air pollution from New Orleans-area plant
December 14, 2021 GMTCHALMETTE, La. (AP) — Federal regulators have announced plans to make Louisiana and a suburban New Orleans fuel plant clean up emissions that have violated air quality standards since at least 2013.
Vehicle emission declines decreased deaths, study finds
December 13, 2021 GMTResearchers say that thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars have been saved in the United States by recent reductions in emissions from vehicles.
Harvard University researchers who study the environment and public health examined the impact of declines in emissions from vehicles over a decade.
Minnesota lake ice shrinking as climate change warms winters
December 12, 2021 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota lakes have lost nearly two weeks of lake ice over the past 50 years as climate change diminishes the state's winters, officials from Minnesota’s natural resources and pollution control agencies said Friday.
LG&E agrees to $750K civil penalty in air pollution case
December 2, 2021 GMTLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville Gas & Electric Co. has agreed to pay a $750,000 civil penalty and permanently limit emissions from its Mill Creek Station coal-fired power plant in Kentucky, the U.S.
Rally in Belgrade demands end to alarming air pollution
November 28, 2021 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people rallied in Belgrade on Sunday to demand an end to Serbia's alarming levels of air pollution. The rally came a day after another environmental protest in which demonstrators blocked bridges and roads in different parts of the country and scuffled with riot police.
Pakistan’s Lahore becomes world’s 3rd most polluted city
November 23, 2021 GMTLAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Lahore on Tuesday became the world’s third most polluted city as increasing smog has engulfed Pakistan's cultural capital, an air quality monitoring company said.
The bad air has sickened hundreds with respiratory and other illnesses.
New Delhi’s air still ‘very poor’ despite emergency measures
November 18, 2021 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Air pollution remained extremely high in the Indian capital on Thursday, a day after authorities closed schools indefinitely and shut some power stations to reduce smog that has blanketed the city for much of the month.
EXPLAINER: Why India has repeated air pollution problems
November 17, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — New Delhi struggles with pollution year-round, but the problem becomes acute during fall and winter months. On Wednesday, the concentration of tiny pollution particles was nearly 30 times above the level deemed safe over a 24-hour period by the World Health Organization.
Schools close as smog-laden India capital considers lockdown
November 17, 2021 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Authorities closed schools indefinitely and shut down some coal-burning power plants Wednesday to reduce air pollution in India's smog-shrouded capital and neighboring states, as the country weighs an unprecedented and more far-reaching step: a lockdown in New Delhi.
Smog chokes Indian capital as air pollution levels soar
November 14, 2021 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Sky obscured by thick, gray smog. Monuments and high-rise buildings swallowed by a blanket of haze. People struggling to breathe.
In the Indian capital, it is that time of the year again.
Indians celebrate festival of light amid COVID-19 fears
November 5, 2021 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Indians across the country began celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, on Thursday amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and rising air pollution.
Diwali is typically celebrated by socializing and exchanging gifts with family and friends.
Gift helps U-Michigan put emphasis on environmental justice
October 11, 2021 GMTANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan said it plans to expand environmental justice efforts after a $11.1 million gift.
The school will establish the Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment, a scholarship fund and new faculty positions in the College of Engineering and School for Environment and Sustainability.
Pollution charges: Louisiana Firestone plant to pay $4M
October 1, 2021 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A major manufacturer of synthetic rubber, Firestone Polymers LLC, has agreed to pay $4 million in fines and an environmental project and make numerous improvements to settle a long list of state and federal air pollution complaints at its plant in southwest Louisiana.
Report: No cover-ups at Colorado air-pollution division
September 24, 2021 GMTDENVER (AP) — Whistleblower allegations that the state health department's air pollution division interfered with staff efforts to properly enforce federal air quality standards are unsubstantiated, according to an independent report released Friday by the Colorado attorney general’s office.
BC-The Conversation for September 23, 10am, ADVISORY
September 23, 2021 GMTHere's a look at what The Conversation, a non-profit source of explanatory journalism from experts in academia, is offering today.
AP members may find The Conversation content on AP Newsroom or through AP webfeeds.
UN health agency sets higher, tougher bar for air quality
September 22, 2021 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The harmful health effects of air pollution kick in at lower levels than previously thought, the World Health Organization said Wednesday as it set a new standard for policymakers and the public in the first update of its air quality guidelines in 15 years.
Prince William unveils finalists for environmental prize
September 17, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — Prince William announced 15 inaugural finalists Friday for the Earthshot Prize, his ambitious global environmental award that aims to find new ideas and technologies to tackle climate change, air pollution and the Earth’s most pressing challenges.
Iowa, Nebraska companies fined for diesel emission tampering
August 31, 2021 GMTLENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Two companies from Iowa and Nebraska have been fined for tampering with emission controls for hundreds of customers, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday.
The companies — Midwest Truck Products of Cantril, Iowa; and South Central Diesel Inc.
State finds Chemours out of compliance with GenX air permit
August 28, 2021 GMTFAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina environmental regulators announced this week that a plant that for years discharged so-called “forever chemicals” into the air and water is not currently in compliance with its air permit.