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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.

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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.

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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.

EPA Moves to Revoke Obama-Era Air Pollution Rules

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Friday, August 30, 2019   

CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Trump administration unveiled plans yesterday to roll back Obama-era protections designed to combat air pollution and climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency wants to revoke the Methane Waste Rule, which requires oil and gas companies to install technology to capture excess methane gas rather than burn it or vent it into the atmosphere.

Paul Billings, national senior vice president for public policy at the American Lung Association, says the technology also reduces toxic compounds linked to smog.

"When you capture the methane pollution, you also capture volatile organic compounds which can be toxic, and these also help form ozone," says Billings.

Studies have shown that communities close to oil and gas operations report higher rates of respiratory illness and low-birthweight babies.

Nevada is home to a small number of oil and gas operations, but that could change as the Bureau of Land Management under President Donald Trump is preparing to open up large tracts of public land for fossil-fuel leases.

EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler said the old rules were a duplicitous and unnecessary burden on the oil and gas industry.

Billings notes that the Trump administration has taken many steps that benefit industry over public health and the environment, including proposals to roll back regulations on tailpipe emissions and on pollution at power plants.

"This is just the latest in a long string of rules that jeopardize public health at the behest of polluters that are looking to escape meaningful oversight," says Billings.

The rule change will soon be published in the Federal Register, which will kick off a 60-day public comment period on
Regulations.gov.


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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

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


Social Issues

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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

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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

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

Environment

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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 …

Social Issues

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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

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

 

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