"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday cited the BP Whiting Refinery for violating federal air standards by releasing a cancer-causing toxin in waste from 2003 to 2008, which at times reached 16 times the acceptable limit, EPA officials said."

A new look at the data shows that mortality among people exposed to tiny soot particles is twice as high as previously thought.

"A federal judge in Indianapolis has ordered Duke Energy Corp. to shut down nearly 40 percent of an Indiana power plant's capacity as part of an enforcement case that dates back to the Clinton administration."

Scientists in the Houston area are focusing research on the flare stacks at its hundreds of petrochemical plants -- which may be a major overlooked cause of smog.

"China's frenetic construction of coal-fired power plants has raised worries around the world about the effect on climate change. ... But ... China has emerged in the past two years as the world's leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants, mastering the technology and driving down the cost."