skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

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

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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.

Michiganders Can Sound Off on Smog Rules

play audio
Play

Monday, February 2, 2015   

LANSING, Mich. - Ground-level ozone, or smog, is the single most widespread air pollutant in the U.S. and is linked to severe respiratory issues and health experts are urging the government to crack down on it.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, says even at levels below the current ozone standard of 75 parts per billion, this byproduct of tailpipes and smokestacks poses serious threats especially for children, the elderly and anyone with breathing problems.

"It exacerbates people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and it causes not only just these attacks, but can cause premature death and other morbidity," says Benjamin. "It's a significant problem and we can address it by reducing the amount of ozone that's produced."

In November the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its proposal to tighten the standard from 75 parts per billion to as low as 60 parts per billion.

A series of hearings held in different U.S. cities wraps up this week with testimony in California. Written comments will be accepted through March 17.

The American Petroleum Institute says it is both costly and unnecessary to update the regulations but Paul Billings, senior vice president for advocacy and education with the American Lung Association, says the decision should come down to the evidence available.

"The law requires these standards be set based on science, at what levels of air pollution harms health, so health and cost feasibility are not part of the decision," Billings says. "You want your doctor to tell you what makes you sick, not what it'll cost to cure you."

Pulmonary physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico Dr. Dona Upson, who testified at a hearing last week, says the scientific evidence and public health benefits of a strong rule speak for themselves.

"The EPA's analysis has shown that setting a standard at 60 parts per billion would prevent up to 7,900 premature deaths, 1.8 million asthma attacks in children and 1.9 million missed school days each year," says Upson.

The regulations haven't been updated since 2008. The agency plans to issue a final rule this fall.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

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…

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 …

 

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