Climate change is a pressing concern as the world deals with heat waves and poor air quality caused by recent wildfires.

To safeguard the health and well-being of North Carolinians, advocates are urging people to voice their opinions before next Tuesday, as the Environmental Protection Agency is set to consider new standards for coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, aiming to reduce harmful pollutants.

Kirsten Minor, health manager for the nonprofit CleanAIRE NC, emphasized the new regulations are about creating a safer environment for North Carolinians.

"Power-plant pollutants, which come from the burning of coal, natural gas and oil, are actually linked to nine of the 10 causes of death in North Carolina as a result of air pollution," Minor outlined. "That does include cancer, heart disease, COVID-19 and stroke."

She explained adopting the proposed standards in 2030 alone could prevent 13,000 premature deaths and more than 300,000 asthma attacks, and decrease emergency room visits, school and work absences.

The EPA's proposed rules aim to reduce pollution and mitigate climate change through stricter carbon pollution standards for plants, based on their technology. The proposals could also lead to a decrease in harmful air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

Minor argued it is crucial as the pollutants disproportionately affect some communities.

"Most fossil-fuel power plants are actually located in low-income or BIPOC communities," Minor pointed out. "Which is why it's an environmental injustice issue those communities that live closest to that power plant are disproportionately impacted by these air pollutants."

Minor added the proposal would also generate up to $85 billion in climate and public health benefits over the next two decades. One way people can submit their comments is by visiting CleanAIRNC.org.

Indiana residents now have a new way to track pollution from coal plants across the state.

The Sierra Club's new online national dashboard shows how rollbacks of federal pollution rules could increase harmful emissions from Indiana's dozen coal plants.

Robyn Skuya-Boss, director of the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the data highlights risks for both rural and urban communities.

"Whether you're living in a larger city or in a small community, you could be being impacted," Skuya-Boss pointed out. "Some of the worst air quality in the nation is located in southern Indiana because there's such a high concentration of super-polluting coal plants."

The dashboard allows users to zoom in on specific plants and track pollutants like mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide. Utilities and state officials said they follow current environmental laws and balancing energy needs and emissions limits can be complex.

Skuya-Boss stressed Indiana families deserve to know when air pollution may threaten their health.

"I think when people are tuned into those bad air quality days, what you start to see is that you can kind of get a sense of how impacted your community is by air pollution issues," Skuya-Boss observed.

Environmental groups said the dashboard also gives Hoosiers a tool to demand stronger action from state regulators and lawmakers.

Air pollution in Washington is getting worse, according to a new report citing transportation emissions as the primary culprit.

Eight of the 12 Washington counties surveyed received an "F" grade for particle pollution, including King and Pierce counties. Yakima and Seattle ranked the eighth- and ninth-worst cities in the country.

Transportation emissions account for nearly a quarter of total air pollution and about 40% of Washington's greenhouse gas emissions.

Laura Kate Bender, assistant vice president of nationwide healthy air for the American Lung Association, said more Americans live in polluted areas now than any time within the last 10 years.

"After decades of progress to clean up the air from policies under the Clean Air Act, we're now starting to see an uptick in pollution levels once again," Bender pointed out. "It shows that we really need to double down on protections that are limiting emissions from vehicles, not roll them back."

Congressional Republicans just voted to rescind the federal waivers that allow California to set emissions standards for vehicles that are stricter than national ones, arguing the rules hurt consumers and the trucking industry.

The report marked the seventh straight year of an increasing health threat from particle pollution nationwide. Particulate matter is a mixture of tiny solids or liquid droplets suspended in air. Small particles can lodge deep in the lungs and cause health problems, including cancer and asthma attacks. Bender added smoke from wildfires, driven by climate change, adds to the problem.

"Those conditions are being made worse by changing temperatures," Bender noted. "Climate change means more extreme heat, and more extreme heat can lead to more ozone pollution, and those are both results that show up in this year's report."

Congressional Republicans are considering revoking the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for new electric vehicle purchases. The House infrastructure committee is also debating new registration fees which would charge people who drive electric cars more than those who drive gas-powered vehicles.


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California has some of the dirtiest air in the nation, according to the American Lung Association's new State of the Air report.

Researchers looked at ozone pollution and both short and long-term particle pollution. Thirteen counties got an "F" grade in all three categories. Pollution in the counties mainly came from vehicle emissions and smoke from wildfires.

Laura Kate Bender, assistant vice president of nationwide healthy air for the American Lung Association, said climate change is contributing to the counties' poor air quality.

"Those conditions are being made worse by changing temperatures," Bender pointed out. "Climate change means more extreme heat, and more extreme heat can lead to more ozone pollution, and those are both results that show up in this year's report."

Five of the seven counties with the most yearly air pollution in the nation are in California. The three most polluting counties are in the Central Valley, with Los Angeles County and the Bay Area not far behind. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives just voted to rescind the federal waivers allowing California to set strict emissions standards for vehicles, arguing the rules hurt consumers and the trucking industry.

The report also found 46% of Americans live in places getting failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. Bender stressed more Americans live in polluted areas now than any time within the last 10 years.

"After decades of progress to clean up the air from policies under the Clean Air Act, we're now starting to see an uptick in pollution levels once again, and it shows that we really need to double down on protections that are limiting emissions from vehicles, not roll them back."

The House infrastructure committee is also considering highway funding fees to charge people who drive an electric car more than those who own a gas-powered vehicle.


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