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Clean Air Act

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Mixed Results in New EPA Report on Toxins and Children

We've come a long way from the days when DDT was sprayed on children to kill lice, as in this photo from Germany in 1945.

We’ve come a long way since the days when kids played in clouds of DDT, gas stations sold leaded gasoline, and smoking near youngsters was commonplace. America has made great strides since the 1970s in reducing toxins in the environment that cause health issues in children, according to a new edition of the EPA report, [...]

Obama Vows to Tackle Climate Change in Inaugural Speech

President Obama said the country had a duty to act on climate change in his speech.

Citing “the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms” President Barack Obama put tackling climate change on a list of goals for his second presidential term today. In an inaugural speech that served to set an agenda for the next four years, the president said that failure to respond to [...]

Happy 40th Birthday, Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act turns forty today.

No one likes turning forty, but today the Clean Water Act is celebrating its birthday. On October 18, 1972 the act was signed into law by Congress. Before the Clean Water Act, two-thirds of waterways were deemed unsafe for fishing and swimming, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a look back at the act [...]

Why a Bunch of Kids Are Suing the TCEQ

An oil refinery blow off stack in Texas City, Texas.

Last week, a Travis County district judge ruled in favor of a bunch of kids suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Three environmentally-minded minors and a young adult argued that Texas’ air should be protected under the public trust doctrine much like Texas’ water, and the Judge agreed. In 2011, the youths drafted a [...]

Why an Environmental Group is Going After Austin’s Coal Plant

Ilan Levin, Associate Director of Environmental Integrity Project

One environmental group believes that the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) needs something more than just a chimney sweep to clean up its act. LCRA was served with a notice of intent to sue last week by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), representing the Texas Campaign for the Environment. The environmental group’s notice of intent [...]

Houston Air Quality Improving, But Still Dirty

A new report says Houston's air is getting cleaner, but remains relatively dirty.

The winds of change are cleaner than usual in Texas’ biggest metropolitan area. According to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air 2012 report, Houston’s air quality index has improved slightly from last year, marking the best levels ever recorded in the city since the association first began following them thirteen years ago. The association [...]

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