NOx, PM levels dive in latest EPA air quality report

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff 

The federal government’s latest annual report on air quality trends, “Our Nation’s Air – EPA Celebrates 50 Years!,” documents pollution reduction progress from 1970-2019, emphasizing gains during the last few years. The combined emissions of Environmental Protection Agency-designated criteria pollutants and their precursors dropped 7 percent from 2017 to 2019. That metric reflects three-year declines in the emissions levels of nitrogen oxides, -10 percent; particulate matter 2.5, -1 percent; sulfur dioxide, -16 percent; carbon monoxide, -6 percent; and, volatile organic compounds, -3 percent. 

Read More

‘Back-to-Basics’ EPA agenda clouds myriad Obama regulations

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff 

A Pennsylvania coal mine was the backdrop for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s announcement of an agency agenda true to Trump administration objectives. “Back-to-Basics means returning EPA to its core mission: protecting the environment by engaging with state, local, and tribal partners to create sensible regulations that enhance economic growth,” he affirmed.

Read More