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.

Washington Makes Cleaner Air a Bigger Priority

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 30, 2014   

SEATTLE - It's a big week for renewing Washington's commitment to cleaner air.

Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order putting the state's focus on reducing carbon emissions from vehicles, phasing out the use of power generated from out-of-state coal and encouraging energy efficiency. He also appointed a Carbon Emissions Reduction Task Force, made up of corporate, conservation, labor, health and government representatives, to come up with recommendations by mid-November.

Task force member Renee Klein, president and chief executive of the American Lung Association's Mountain-Pacific Region, said Inslee expects some spirited debate.

"The governor said that he didn't put together a roomful of people who are all going to nod 'yes' on the same issues, because that's not what he's looking for, in my opinion," she said. "I think what we agree on is, we have this common understanding that we have to act, and we have to act pretty soon."

The Legislature committed in 2007 to make some carbon-reduction changes, but the economy and state budget crunch put many of them on hold. Inslee said it's his aim to get them back on track.

Meanwhile, a report released today from the American Lung Association, analyzing some types of air pollution such as ozone and particulate matter, said nearly half the U.S. population lives in areas where the air is unhealthy at times

Still, the picture today is better than it was 10 years ago, said Janice Nolen, an assistant vice president for national policy at the Lung Association.

"Cleaning up power plants, cleaning up diesel, cleaning up cars, cleaning up SUVs - things like that have made a huge difference in reducing pollution across the nation," she said.

In the West, the report said, wildfires are responsible for poor air quality in some counties. Its recommendations include improving the air-quality monitoring network, reducing carbon pollution from power plants and tailpipe emissions, cutting wood smoke and adopting the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal for ozone standards.

The report, "State of the Air 2014," is online at stateoftheair.org. Inslee's executive order is at governor.wa.gov.


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