TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of April 26 – 30, 2021
TOP STORIES
@AirNow is Celebrating Air Quality Awareness Week, May 3 – 7, 2021!
We are pleased to offer an Air Quality Awareness Week Social Media Challenge. This exciting challenge encourages people to do things like explore air quality tools online and to get outside and post a photo or video with a caption, ‘Enjoying clean air!’” and “Show us an image of you doing your favorite outdoor activity.” We’re using the hashtag #AQAW2021 Thank you for supporting this celebration each year. This year’s theme is, “Healthy Air – Important for Everyone!” We’ll be supporting that theme with daily topics:
- May 3 – Wildfires and Smoke
- May 4 – Asthma and Your Health
- May 5 – Citizen Science and Air Sensors
- May 6 – Environmental Justice and Air Quality
- May 7 – Air Quality Around the World
The AQAW 2021 website will go live on Monday, May 3rd – www.airnow.gov/aqaw
Politico – What Regan wants: Inside Michael Regan’s Mind
The Hill – Senate confirms Janet McCabe as deputy EPA chief
Reuters – EXCLUSIVE White House backs 2030 milestone on path to net zero grid
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
The Results Are In – Census Bureau Announces 2020 Apportionment Counts
Axios – Interior to restore tribal lands and management in rollback of Trump-era actions
AP – Democrats move to reinstate methane rules loosened by Trump
Cronkite News – Tribal officials outline infrastructure gap ‘big as the Grand Canyon’
Indian Country Today – Alaska legislators consider state recognition of tribes
Seattle Times – Washington Legislature approves caps on carbon pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, giving big win to Inslee, environmentalists
Nature Communications – Wildfire smoke impacts respiratory health more than fine particles from other sources: observational evidence from Southern California
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
NY Times – Halting the Vast Release of Methane Is Critical for Climate, U.N. Says
Reuters – Biden administration offers $8.25 billion in loans for power grid
Grist – AOC’s plan for a 1.5 million-strong Civilian Climate Corps explained
TeenVogue – Climate Change in Florida Is Forcing a Response From Republican Politicians
E&E – Interior to study massive solar project on Nev. Tribal land
The Guardian – ‘Insanely cheap energy’: how solar power continues to shock the world
The Washington Post – Biden closes landmark summit with a message: Climate action equals jobs
The Washington Post – The Technology 202: Researchers warn misinformation on Facebook threatens to undermine Biden’s climate agenda
Washington Examiner – Nickelodeon airs Earth Day segment teaching children about ‘environmental racism’
Toxics/Mobile Sources
Washington Post – EPA moves to give California right to set climate limits on cars, SUVs
U.S. EPA – EPA Administrator Regan Establishes New Council on PFAS
LA Times – Newson bans new California fracking permits starting in 2024
Wall Street Journal – Why New Induction Cooktops Are Safer and Faster Than Gas or Electric
USA Today – Honda to phase out gas cars, aiming for 100% electric vehicles in North America by 2040
Reuters – Supreme Court seeks U.S. government views on VW emissions case
Indoor Air Quality
Climate Control News – Reset IAQ standards
Contracting Business – Fredrich introduces IAQ solutions to combat pathogen and pollutant threats
WTVD-TV – IAQ could be one of the pandemic-inspired changes that sticks around long after COVID-19 is gone
FacilitiesNet – How to Improve IAQ With Effective Air Filtration
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins