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Obama Administration withdraws proposed rulemaking on strengthened ozone standards

Green Car Congress

In a statement released this morning, President Barack Obama said he has requested that US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson withdraw the agency’s draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) rulemaking. The Clean Air Act established two types of national air quality standards.

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Research shows clean fuel-use for ships off California coast extremely effective in reducing sulfur dioxide pollution

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Data collected during a major 2010 state-federal atmospheric research project show that the first-in-the-nation regulation requiring ocean-going vessels to use clean fuel when near the California coast has been extremely effective in reducing sulfur dioxide pollution from ships, according to the California Air Resources Board (ARB).

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EPA proposes retaining current NAAQS for particulate matter

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The current 24-hour standard was issued in 2006. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to retain, without changes, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) including both fine particles (PM 2.5 ) and coarse particles (PM 10 ). concentrations.

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EPA waives requirements for gasoline pump vapor recovery

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However, as required by the Clean Air Act, automobile manufacturers began installing onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) technologies in 1998, making gas stations’ systems increasingly redundant. Since 2006, all new automobiles and light trucks (pickups, vans and SUVs) are equipped with ORVR systems.

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EPA proposes waiving Federal requirements for stations to capture gasoline vapors when vehicles refuel beginning in 2013

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a proposed rule under the Clean Air Act (CAA) that would waive requirements beginning in 2013 for systems used at gas station pumps to capture potentially harmful gasoline vapors while refueling cars. The CAA requires states to implement Stage II gasoline vapor recovery.

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EPA Proposes Transport Rule to Cut Pollution from Power Plants in 31 States and DC; New Approach for Pollution Reduction

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing regulations employing the “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act to reduce interstate transport of upwind state emissions from power generation that contribute to air quality problems in downwind states. standards established in 2006 and the 1997 annual PM 2.5

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MIT study finds air quality co-benefits of US carbon policies can significantly offset costs, depending upon the policy

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Selin and colleagues compared the health benefits to the economic costs of three climate policies: a clean-energy standard, a transportation policy, and a cap-and-trade program. In 2011, 231 counties in the US exceeded the EPA’s regulatory standards for ozone, the main component of smog.

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