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Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness; opening statements and first witness in NY trial; SCOTUS hears Starbucks case, with implications for unions on the line; rural North Carolina town gets pathway to home ownership.

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The Supreme Court weighs cities ability to manage a growing homelessness crisis, anti-Israeli protests spread to college campuses nationwide, and more states consider legislation to ban firearms at voting sites and ballot drop boxes.

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Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

State, Federal Protections Improving Wyoming Air

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Monday, April 24, 2017   

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Air quality in Wyoming is getting better, according to the American Lung Association's latest report card. Casper and Cheyenne both earned good grades for year-round particulate pollution, and Casper was among the cleanest cities for short-term particle pollution.

Ronni Flannery, healthy air director with the American Lung Association in Wyoming, said while some 125 million Americans continue to experience dangerous levels of air pollution, it's clear that rules limiting toxic emissions are paying off.

"The state has enacted several strong proactive measures over the years to help reduce emissions from oil and gas operations,” Flannery said. "So I think we can safely say that more needs to be done."

Flannery said she hopes the report sends a clear message to leaders to fully fund, implement and enforce rules that limit the release of toxins to ensure healthy air for all Americans. In March, the Trump administration took steps to block the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan designed to rein in pollution from coal-fired power plants, claiming it constituted government overreach.

Flannery noted that even though the state is making progress, residents still are exposed to high levels of pollution, which can put them at risk for asthma attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. She said while all Wyomingites are at risk, some populations are more vulnerable than others.

"And those would include children - so infants and young adults up until 18 when their lungs are still developing,” she said. "Kids are more active, they're outside breathing more air."

She added that some counties saw bigger spikes in particulate pollution largely because of longer wildfire seasons across the West. Flannery said these tiny particles - from forest fires, power plants and diesel engines - lodge deep in the lungs and can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes.


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