Published on SEJ (https://www.sej.org)

Home > Air

Anything related to air quality, air pollution, or the atmosphere

"How The US Freight Rail Industry Got Dirtier Than Coal Power Plants" [1]

"U.S. railroads together produced about 485,000 tons of nitrogen oxide in 2024, compared to 452,000 tons emitted by U.S. coal-fired power plants, according to a Reuters calculation of reported annual fuel consumption multiplied by the EPA’s 2023 weighted-average emission rates."

Air [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Infrastructure [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Transportation [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Reuters [12], 12/16/2025

"‘Hail Mary Pass’: EPA Faces High Bar In Bid To Ditch Soot Rule" [13]

"The Trump administration faces steep odds in persuading a federal court to throw out landmark EPA regulations targeting a pollutant that claims thousands of lives each year, according to specialists in environmental law."

Air [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [14]
Pollution [8]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: E&E News [15], 12/08/2025

"Democrats Slam Trump’s Rollback Of Fuel Economy Rules" [16]

"Congressional Democrats slammed President Donald Trump’s proposed rollback of auto efficiency standards Wednesday, while Republicans wholeheartedly supported the move."

Air [2]
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [18]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Transportation [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: E&E News [19], 12/08/2025

Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026 [20]

Explore our 10th annual Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, as we scour the beat to identify 15 top stories to put on your radar for 2026. Our updated format for the special report provides a quick read and a broad scope — with insights on climate change and environmental justice, bird and insect declines, data centers and deep sea mining, deregulation and PFAS and much more. Get started here [20].

SEJ Publication Types: 
SEJ News [21]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [22]
Agriculture [23]
Air [2]
Biodiversity [24]
Chemicals [25]
Climate Change [17]
Disasters [26]
Economy & Business [18]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [28]
Fish & Fisheries [29]
Forests [30]
Government [31]
Health [32]
Infrastructure [6]
Journalism & Media [33]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Military [34]
Natural Resources [35]
Policy [36]
Pollution [8]
Science [37]
Technology [38]
Waste [39]
Water & Oceans [40]
Wildlife [41]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
Alaska and Hawaii [42]
California [43]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [44]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [45]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [46]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [47]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [48]
Northwest (OR WA) [49]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [50]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [51]
International [52]
Visibility: 
Public [10]

Trump Loosens Gas Mileage Rule for Cars, Gutting Biden’s Climate Policy [53]

"President Trump on Wednesday threw the weight of the federal government behind vehicles that burn gasoline rather than electric cars, gutting one of the country’s most significant efforts to address climate change and thrusting the automobile industry into greater uncertainty."

Air [2]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [54]
Economy & Business [18]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Transportation [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NYTimes [55], 12/04/2025

"Trump Expected to Significantly Weaken Fuel Economy Rules" [56]

"The Trump administration is expected on Wednesday to propose weakening automobile fuel efficiency standards that were set under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to spur the sale of electric vehicles, according to three people familiar with the plan."

Air [2]
Chemicals [25]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [54]
Economy & Business [18]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Technology [38]
Transportation [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NYTimes [57], 12/03/2025

Citizen Pollution Monitors Face Industry Pushback, Legal Threats [58]

A steep decline in the enforcement of environmental laws means the monitoring of pollution by citizens is more important than ever. But as the latest TipSheet notes, some states have passed laws that severely constrain the use of citizen monitoring or the sharing of findings. Get the backstory, along with top reporting angles and resources for finding monitoring in your area.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [59]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [22]
Air [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [28]
Government [31]
Health [32]
Journalism & Media [33]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Science [37]
Water & Oceans [40]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [50]
Visibility: 
Public [10]

Orphans and Zombies — Reporting on Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Across the Country [60]

For more than a century, oil and gas companies have been drilling — and abandoning — wells across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands to potentially leak pollutants into the air, water and soil. Climate and environment reporter Martha Pskowski looks at how funding and regulatory issues are impacting efforts to identify and plug these wells, and offers resources for drilling into their story.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [61]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [23]
Air [2]
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [18]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Government [31]
Health [32]
Journalism & Media [33]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [35]
Policy [36]
Pollution [8]
Technology [38]
Water & Oceans [40]
Wildlife [41]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [44]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [45]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [46]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [47]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [51]
Visibility: 
Public [10]

"Mumbai Families Suffer As Datacentres Keep The City Hooked On Coal" [62]

"As Mumbai sees increased energy demand from new datacenters, particularly from Amazon, the filthiest neighbourhood in one of India’s largest cities must keep its major coal plants"

Air [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [14]
Pollution [8]
Public [10]
Asia [63]
Source: Guardian [64], 11/26/2025

"Trump Exempts Coal Used In Steelmaking From Clean Air Act Rule" [65]

"President Trump is exempting coal used in steelmaking from Biden-era Clean Air Act regulations for two years."

Air [2]
Chemicals [25]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [11]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [46]
Source: The Hill [66], 11/26/2025

Pages

The Society of Environmental Journalists
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 558-2055
Email: sej@sej.org
© 2025 The Society of Environmental Journalists. All Rights Reserved.
All graphics © SEJ, unless otherwise stated.
Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-us-freight-rail-industry-got-dirtier-coal-power-plants [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [10] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [12] https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2025/12/15/nation-world-news/how-the-us-freight-rail-industry-got-dirtier-than-coal-power-plants/ [13] https://www.sej.org/headlines/hail-mary-pass-epa-faces-high-bar-bid-ditch-soot-rule [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [15] https://www.eenews.net/articles/hail-mary-pass-epa-faces-high-bar-in-bid-to-ditch-soot-rule/ [16] https://www.sej.org/headlines/democrats-slam-trump-s-rollback-fuel-economy-rules [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [19] https://www.eenews.net/articles/democrats-slam-trumps-rollback-of-fuel-economy-rules/ [20] https://www.sej.org/publications/sej-news/top-environment-and-energy-topics-watch-2026 [21] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/sej-news [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/military [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [42] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii [43] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [45] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [46] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [47] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [48] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [49] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [50] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [51] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [52] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [53] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-loosens-gas-mileage-rule-cars-gutting-biden-s-climate-policy [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [55] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/climate/trump-fuel-economy-car-rules.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6E8._p81.y_pYqDhNbWcn&smid=url-share [56] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-expected-significantly-weaken-fuel-economy-rules [57] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/climate/trump-fuel-economy-rules.html [58] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/citizen-pollution-monitors-face-industry-pushback-legal-threats [59] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [60] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/orphans-and-zombies-reporting-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-across-country [61] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [62] https://www.sej.org/headlines/mumbai-families-suffer-datacentres-keep-city-hooked-coal [63] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [64] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/24/mumbai-datacentres-coal-air-pollution [65] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-exempts-coal-used-steelmaking-clean-air-act-rule [66] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5620584-donald-trump-clean-air-act-coal-steel/ [67] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=1 [68] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=2 [69] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=3 [70] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=4 [71] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=5 [72] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=6 [73] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=7 [74] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=8 [75] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air?page=204