Publication Items

Airborne Lead Violations Still Occur in 14 States [1]

The culprits often are one or more significant lead emitters such as smelters, iron or steel foundries, waste incinerators, utilities, or lead-acid battery manufacturers. Piston-engine planes using leaded aviation gasoline are another source.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Air [4]
Pollution [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Airborne Lead Violations Still Occur in 14 States [1]
Deadlines for Plans To Reduce Regional Haze Finally Established [7]

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.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [8]
Air [4]
Health [9]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Pollution [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Deadlines for Plans To Reduce Regional Haze Finally Established [7]
Secret EPA Watchlist Yields Megastories for NPR, iWatch News, ... and You? [11]

There are 464 facilities on the list of Clean Air Act violators. The Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News and National Public Radio got the list using the FOIA and published a powerful feature package: "Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities." But they did not tell all the stories. They left some for you.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [5]
Air [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Secret EPA Watchlist Yields Megastories for NPR, iWatch News, ... and You? [11]
Proposed Rule To Target Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mileage [13]

By Sept. 28, 2011, EPA and the US Dept. of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say they will jointly release proposed standards designed to significantly increase fuel mileage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars, light trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles in model years 2017-2025.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [14]
Air [4]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Pollution [5]
Transportation [15]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Proposed Rule To Target Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mileage [13]
EPA Begins Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data [16]

The system, proposed during the first months of the Obama administration, was delayed when it faced heavy opposition from industry groups and Republicans. In response, EPA reduced the number of businesses that need to report their emissions.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [5]
Climate Change [14]
Air [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about EPA Begins Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data [16]
EPA May Finally Release Final Ozone Standards [17]

The standards were initially scheduled to be released in August 2010, then October 2010, after EPA determined that the ones approved during the George W. Bush administration weren't grounded in science, didn't protect public health with an adequate margin of safety, and didn't protect the environment.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [5]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Health [9]
Environmental Health [8]
Air [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about EPA May Finally Release Final Ozone Standards [17]
Natl Air Toxics Report Gives Perspective, Despite Many Info Gaps [18]

Every U.S. resident is at elevated risk of cancer from certain toxic substances in outdoor air, and about one-quarter of all residents are possibly at risk for noncancer health effects, according to EPA's update of the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) released March 11, 2011.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [5]
Chemicals [3]
Air [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Natl Air Toxics Report Gives Perspective, Despite Many Info Gaps [18]
House De-Funds Greenhouse Gas Registry [19]

As part of the continuing resolution (HR 1) the House approved largely along party lines an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) to cut an additional $8.5 million from the budget for EPA's Greenhouse Gas Registry.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [14]
Air [4]
Government [20]
Pollution [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about House De-Funds Greenhouse Gas Registry [19]
Radon an Issue in Drinking Water as Well as Indoor Air [21]

The President's Cancer Panel singled out radon, a radioactive gas found in water systems and leaching from soil into houses via foundation cracks, as one of America's "grossly underestimated" environmentally caused cancer risks.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [22]
Chemicals [3]
Air [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Radon an Issue in Drinking Water as Well as Indoor Air [21]
EPA Asks for Comment on School Siting Guidelines [23]

This guidance would provide insights and reduce threats when competing forces — such as land availability, cost, timing, vehicle and utility access, zoning, and developer cooperation — drive decision makers to build a school at a site that may pose a toxic threat to the children and staff.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [5]
People & Population [24]
Health [9]
Air [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about EPA Asks for Comment on School Siting Guidelines [23]

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