Air

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Obama administration officials on Friday proposed to update the federal government's 42-year-old exposure limits for silica dust, a move the Labor Department said would prevent 700 deaths and 1,600 new cases of silicosis every year. The proposal would provide new protections for 2.2 million American workers, cutting in half the legal limit for dust exposure on the job."

"DENVER -- Colorado regulators looking at new air quality rules for oil and gas drillers are getting more time to set the rules."

"WASHINGTON — As part of the climate change agenda he unveiled this year, President Obama made a commitment to significantly reduce the federal government’s dependence on fossil fuels. The government, he said in a speech in June at Georgetown University, 'must lead by example.' But just two miles from the White House stands the Capitol Power Plant, the largest single source of carbon emissions in the nation’s capital and a concrete example of the government’s inability to green its own turf."

"Federal judges today upheld U.S. EPA's ozone air standard in a challenge from public health groups that said the agency ignored a scientific consensus pointing to a stricter limit."

"With a massive freight yard expansion backed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel poised to bulldoze the northeast corner of Englewood, a new analysis suggests the project would substantially increase lung-damaging pollution in a neighborhood already plagued by high rates of asthma."

"Listen to Harvey Gebhard talk about grilling and you can almost smell the smoke. Gebhard is the CEO of the Lone Star Barbecue Society, a group that organizes charity cook-offs."

"In a win for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the legality of a controversial Obama administration effort to regulate air pollution that crosses state lines."

"Kish, the visible form of mill's pollution, 'invaded' homes, leaving residents to worry about health effects."

"TAYLORVILLE, Ill. -- A Nebraska company dropped plans to build a $3.5 billion coal-based power plant in central Illinois, saying it instead will focus on developing natural gas-fueled and renewable facilities elsewhere."