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Friday, July 26, 2024

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Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

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Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

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There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Nurses voice support for new EPA light/medium vehicle air pollution rules

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Thursday, March 21, 2024   

The Environmental Protection Agency has set new air pollution standards under the federal Clean Air Act for cars and light/medium vehicle models from 2027 through 2032 and beyond.

Ohio ranks 36th among states for average exposure of the public to particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less, according to America's Health Rankings. Experts believe the change will trigger a massive switch to hybrid or all-electric passenger cars over the next decade.

Cara Cook, director of programs at the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, said nurses are seeing firsthand the effects of tailpipe pollution on community health, as more people end up in hospitals and doctor's offices suffering from asthma and other diseases linked to breathing in dangerous air pollutants found in soot and smog.

"Research shows that traffic pollution is linked to premature death, lung cancer and asthma," Cook pointed out. "What we're seeing among nurses is that they're increasingly concerned about the transportation sector as a leading source of pollution."

According to the EPA, the new air-quality standards will prevent more than 7 billion tons of carbon from being emitted and save the country $13 billion in health care costs related to improved air quality. Experts said they expect the rule to be challenged in court by the fossil fuel industry.

Chris Harto, senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports, said the move is a historic step toward cleaning up the transportation sector, bringing the nation closer to the Biden administration's goal of a 60% reduction in emissions from new vehicles by 2030 and increasing quality of life for people living in areas with high levels of vehicle traffic.

"They will deliver over $1 trillion in consumer savings, eliminate billions of tons of climate pollution and save thousands of lives," Harto asserted.

The Biden administration said once fully implemented, the new standards will save the average driver an estimated $6,000 in reduced fuel and maintenance over the life of a vehicle.

Disclosure: The Partnership Project contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, and the Environment. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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