After a 5-year review, the EPA is leaving US standards for fine particle air pollution unchanged, even though recent studies suggest that tightening them could save thousands of lives yearly.
Vehicles are a major source of particulate air pollution.
Deliris/Shutterstock
Scientists who were appointed to advise the EPA on air pollution kept meeting independently after the agency dissolved their panel. They say current regulations aren’t strict enough.
Many migratory birds, like these sandhill cranes, rely on wetlands for feeding, resting and shelter.
Wyman Meinzer/USFWS
A 2006 Supreme Court ruling created widespread confusion about which wetlands and other waters are federally protected. The Trump administration’s latest action isn’t likely to clear things up.
Bottled water distribution in Glenwood, Iowa, where massive spring flooding along the Missouri River disrupted drinking water treatment, April 3, 2019.
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Jason West, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Barbara Turpin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Air quality in the US has improved greatly since 1990, but a new report finds progress stalling in some cities. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is rolling back air pollution controls.
Fine particle pollution in Denver exceeded federal health standards on March 6, 2019, triggering a citywide alert.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Are health risks from air pollution less serious than we think? Mainstream scientists call this a fringe view, but it’s getting high-level attention at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Industrial facilities like this oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington are significant air pollution sources.
Walter Siegmund/Wikimedia
An air pollution expert with years of experience advising federal regulators describes how the Trump administration is speeding up reviews and reducing scientific input.