air

October 4, 2024

Washington, D.C. â€” Today, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected large corporations and big polluters’ request to halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants.

August 29, 2024

Detroit, Michigan - A groundbreaking settlement was reached today following a civil rights complaint filed against the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regarding the department’s disproportionate licensing of hazardous waste facilities in predominantly Black and Brown, lower-income communities, and its approval of a significant expansion of the U.S. Ecology North hazardous waste facility.

May 7, 2024

Denver, CO - Yesterday, the Colorado Legislature passed two important bills to reduce ozone pollution following a compromise that led to the oil and gas industry dropping a number of dangerous ballot measure proposals in exchange for the abandonment of three stronger ozone-related bills.

March 29, 2024

Washington, D.C – In response to legal action by Earthjustice, Environment Integrity Project, the National Parks Conservation Association, and Sierra Club, the Environmental Protection Agency published notice of a proposed consent decree that includes deadlines for the agency to take action on 33 states’ plans to reduce haze pollution that harms air quality in national parks and wilderness areas.  

February 23, 2024

People exposed to higher levels of fine particulate matter, or soot, are more likely to experience Alzheimer’s disease, new research released this week finds.

February 21, 2024

Today, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments from polluting states and industry groups seeking to stop implementation of EPA’s Good Neighbor Plan.

February 15, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Today, congressional Republicans continued their efforts to prioritize polluters over people by holding an Energy and Commerce Committee legislative hearing on a new version of the “Smoggy Skies Act,” legislation to gut the Clean Air Act's public health protections. 

February 14, 2024

Washington, D.C. –  At a U.S.

February 7, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM2.5) -- commonly known as soot -- which will lower the annual standard from 12 mcg/m3 to 9 mcg/m3. Soot pollution is shown to increase the risk of asthma, heart attacks, stroke, cancer, and premature death, and nationally, this new standard is expected to prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths, 290,000 lost workdays per year, and result in as much as $43 billion in net health benefits in 2032.

February 7, 2024

Today, the EPA released updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM2.5), taking a positive and long-awaited step toward addressing a dangerous and deadly air pollutant responsible for over 100,000 deaths in the United States every year.

January 10, 2024

Yesterday, the EPA proposed to move forward with a Trump-era policy that narrows the scope of what the agency can examine when they review air operating permits, reducing the depth and quality of EPA’s review of air permits.

December 20, 2023

The Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club filed notice today of their intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to ensure that areas in 11 states and two U.S. territories have effective plans for cleaning up sulfur dioxide air pollution.