Air Pollution

WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House on Friday took another swipe at the government's ability to control air pollution, passing a bill that would delay or scrap rules to reduce mercury and other harmful air emissions. The 249-169 vote sent the legislation to the Senate, where Environment and Public Works Committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) vowed to defeat it. "Let me be clear: This is a train we must stop," Boxer said after House passage. "I will do everything I can to block the rollbacks being pushed by House Republicans and polluters.

No one would deny that smoking is a serious health risk. Decades of research have established that it causes a range of diseases, from emphysema to lung cancer. Secondhand smoke poses many of the same health risks. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that scientists are discovering that some of the same problems are caused by outdoor air pollution. To effectively reduce air pollution in New Jersey, actions should focus on the largest sources of toxic emissions in the state - motor vehicles.

It was as if a time tunnel had opened to 1970, spilling headlines from that year onto today's pages: The federal government proposed strict new regulations for smog reduction last week, something that first happened in 1970. And, just as in 1970, nearly all reaction was pessimistic. Environmental activists declared that thickening smog was choking the skies and becoming a menace to life. Corporate leaders decreed the new goals to be wild-eyed idealism, requiring impossible technology and sure to bankrupt industry.

Irked by the power of "faceless bureaucracy," the Pennsylvania General Assembly has declared legislative war on the state's clean air program and on the federal Clean Air Act. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a resolution directing Gov. Casey to withdraw the state from the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC), a regional group that coordinates the attempts of 12 Northeastern states to meet increasingly stringent federal air pollution standards. That resolution now goes to the Senate for a vote.

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future today filed a federal suit against a Marcellus Shale natural gas operator for allegedly violating air pollution laws. The environmental organization claims Ultra Resources Inc. of Houston is emitting large amounts of nitrogen oxides at its well sites in Tioga and Potter Counties. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Penn Future also filed a formal request with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for all records of air pollution at drilling sites across the state.

In order to resolve most conflicts, a certain level of trust must be present. One of the main reasons that the trash-to-steam issue has been such a difficult one to resolve is that the concerned residents do not have any trust in the city administration and in what it is telling them. The administration says it will impose strict air pollution regulations on the trash-to-steam plant it proposes to situate in South Philadelphia. But the residents know that the city cannot be trusted to implement existing air pollution laws.

So what if OPEC saddles us with higher oil prices? And if air pollution is growing unbridled? Ann Grez and her mount Autumn rode out such gloomy thoughts as well as yesterday's cloudy skies with a jaunt along Kelly Drive near the Strawberry Mansion Bridge. Both know the price of hay and oats is still reasonable and besides, the exhaust actually makes the flowers grow.

Los Angelization. That West Coast import of urban sprawl, traffic congestion and air pollution has arrived in the Delaware Valley. But where is Los Angelization taking us, and how do we even begin to deal with it? For starters, we must recognize that Los Angelization is not a static state. It gets worse. Much worse. Just look at what is happening to Los Angeles itself. Highway speeds averaging 35 miles per hour in 1984 will, if nothing is done, deteriorate to about 19 miles per hour in 2010.

Even before the lecturers began speaking last week, they knew that 57 percent of the audience members had graduate degrees, that 71 percent were women and that their average age was mid-50s. They also knew what the audience thought about the controversial issue of helping terminally ill patients commit suicide. The panelists knew all this because of the innovative video and computer equipment that is being used at the Franklin Institute's new interactive Musser Choices Forum - sort of a high-tech version of the New England town meeting.

Political left showing its true colors So, in recent days, President Obama has tried to force the Catholic Church to violate its beliefs by providing coverage for abortion, sterilization, and contraception ("Religious objections ignored," Monday), and he used Jesus as a prop at the National Prayer Breakfast last week to support government-imposed wealth redistribution. In addition, the liberal left has successfully bullied a private charitable foundation into a spineless decision to continue to fund the nation's largest provider of abortion services ("Komen changes funding decision," Saturday)

Dozens killed in India rains LUCKNOW, India - Monsoon rains destroyed mud huts and flooded wide swaths of northern and eastern India, killing at least 48 people in recent days and leaving hundreds of thousands marooned by raging waters, officials said Monday. Those stranded took shelter atop trees, hills, and rooftops in the eastern states of Orissa and Bihar and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The rains were holding up rescue efforts, officials said. All 31 people killed over the weekend in Uttar Pradesh state died when the roofs of their mud houses collapsed, Relief Commissioner K.K. Sinha said.

WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House on Friday took another swipe at the government's ability to control air pollution, passing a bill that would delay or scrap rules to reduce mercury and other harmful air emissions. The 249-169 vote sent the legislation to the Senate, where Environment and Public Works Committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) vowed to defeat it. "Let me be clear: This is a train we must stop," Boxer said after House passage. "I will do everything I can to block the rollbacks being pushed by House Republicans and polluters.

WASHINGTON - Faced with a natural gas drilling boom that has sullied the air in some parts of the country, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed for the first time to control air pollution at oil and gas wells, particularly those drilled using hydraulic fracturing. The proposal, issued to meet a court deadline, addresses air pollution problems reported in some places where new drilling techniques have led to a rush to obtain natural gas that was once considered inaccessible.

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future today filed a federal suit against a Marcellus Shale natural gas operator for allegedly violating air pollution laws. The environmental organization claims Ultra Resources Inc. of Houston is emitting large amounts of nitrogen oxides at its well sites in Tioga and Potter Counties. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Penn Future also filed a formal request with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for all records of air pollution at drilling sites across the state.

When West Philadelphia resident Candice Cheatham was pregnant with her daughter Micaiah, now 7 months, her nurses never mentioned the dangers of mercury poisoning. But Cheatham did some research and learned that mercury spewing from power plants could work its way into the fish she normally ate, which could lead to birth defects. So, she adjusted her diet. "A lot of this information wasn't given out," Cheatham said. "I was never told, and [mothers] that aren't educated didn't know.

New Jersey will use $5 million from settlements with three coal-fired power companies operating in the Midwest to reduce local use of a dry-cleaning chemical identified as a likely carcinogen. Perchloroethylene is a known central nervous system depressant. Replacing dry-cleaning machines that use it costs $45,000 to $60,000. There are about 1,700 in the state. The Department of Environmental Protection offers businesses $25,000 with the option of more if they convert to a greener, "wet-cleaning" system.

Camden Iron & Metal Inc., and the mountain of crushed scrap at the foot of the Platt Memorial Bridge in South Philadelphia, is inching closer to a move to Eddystone. But not without concerns from some neighbors about traffic, noise, possible pollution, and chemicals associated with metal shredding and recycling. The Eddystone Borough Council on Wednesday asked the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority not to release a $31.1 million state grant to help Camden Iron develop a pier on the Delaware River until public health and environmental risks are assessed.

The region's refineries are behemoths, enriching the economy, but also ranking among the region's top air polluters. They emit a brew of contaminants, from chemicals that cause cancer to those that help make smog. They've had difficulty meeting emissions limits, chalking up 143 "formal enforcement actions" in the last five years and more than $12 million in penalties. All the companies are under federal consent decrees to upgrade their equipment. Last Sunday's explosion and fire at Sunoco's Marcus Hook oil refinery was one of those signature events, like a spill, a reminder of the potential for major accidents at such facilities.

Beijing's pollution levels dropped yesterday to less than half of the previous day's, the lowest reading since authorities began pulling cars off the road and shutting down factories to address athletes' concerns about air quality ahead of the Olympic Games. A cooling wind and some rain helped sweep away pollutants and gave Beijingers a respite from the sultry heat and humidity that had cloaked the city for days. The polluted skies over the Olympic host city have been one of the biggest worries for Olympics organizers.