On March 12, 2018 the U.S. District Court for Northern California ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to move ahead to carry out the 2015 Ozone Standards and designate areas in the country that do not meet the new level. The court gave EPA an April 30th deadline to comply (see April 2018 Emissions Monitor). The […]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period for a controversial science “transparency” rule that environmentalists say limits facts from being involved in the agency’s rulemaking process according to a May 24, 2018 report from The Hill. The comment period for the rule, Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, is being extended to […]

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 90% of people in the world live in areas where particle pollution exceeds the WHO air quality guidelines, and the estimated death toll due to ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution remains high according to a May 2, 2018 Diesel Net report. WHO estimates around […]

British Columbia’s environment ministry has launched legislation aiming to cut carbon emissions in the province by 40 percent from 2007 levels over the next 12 years and by 60 percent by 2040, Minister George Heyman told media according to a May 4th report from OilPrice.com. Now the government will devise a comprehensive climate strategy, to […]

The British government announced on May 22, 2018 it was launching a new plan which aims to reduce air pollution and its costs on society by 1 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) a year by 2020, according to a Reuters report. The new plan comes just days after the European Commission announced it would take Britain […]

On May 15, 2018 the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced approximately $50 million in grants is available for projects designed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) from high-emitting vehicles and equipment. These projects include upgrading or replacing on-road heavy-duty vehicles, non-road equipment, marine vessels, locomotives, or stationary engines operating in Texas. TCEQ […]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given Utah three years to reverse a trend of rising ozone pollution in some of its most populated Wasatch Front counties as well as in its more remote Uinta Basin oil & gas region according to a May 2, 2018 Salt Lake Tribune report. In its April 30, 2018 […]

Permits target new and updated general permits for well sites, midstream processing and transmission of natural gas. On March 30, 2018 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced it is accepting public comments on the draft final general permits (GP) that address methane emissions and other air pollutants from unconventional well sites and midstream […]

EPA is poised to formally publish a final decision to leave its primary air quality standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) unchanged, ending a review process that began six years ago according to a April 17, 2018 Greenwire report. The standards, intended to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety, will remain in their […]

The American Lung Association’s 2018 “State of the Air” report released April 17, 2018 finds ozone pollution worsened significantly due to warmer temperatures, while particle pollution generally continued to improve in 2014-2016. Each year, “State of the Air” reports on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone pollution and particle pollution. The report analyzes […]