skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Lawmakers Assert AZ Authority to Regulate Clean Air

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 17, 2011   

PHOENIX - Arizona lawmakers are using a states'-rights argument to claim authority to regulate air pollution, specifically greenhouse gases and particulates. But Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter, says air pollution is clearly a federal matter because dirty air doesn't stop at state lines.

"There have been a number of studies that air pollution here hits other states, and air pollution from other states also comes to Arizona."

The bill is titled the "Freedom to Breathe Act" but Bahr says it's more like a "license to pollute." She says lawmakers are on shaky constitutional ground with the measure because the federal Clean Air Act has been consistently upheld in courts since its creation during the Nixon administration.

The bill has passed the state Senate and awaits action in the House of Representatives. Bahr says lawmakers need to remember the human toll that results from inhaling particulates.

"It's hard to breathe on days when the air quality is poor. It triggers asthma attacks and emergency rooms see a lot more children (and) the elderly."

In the past, Bahr says, state lawmakers have been unwilling to take action to fight air pollution.

"The Arizona Legislature has historically waited until there's a crisis before acting to protect air quality. Usually, it is the result of a lawsuit that is forcing compliance with the Clean Air Act."

The state is under the gun to adopt a plan to reduce air pollution in metropolitan Phoenix or face the loss of federal highway funds among other penalties.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021