(Washington, D.C.-1/26/06) EPA denied petitions from five state and local governments and one private business requesting the agency to reconsider its decision on findings of "nonattainment" for EPA's health-based national air quality standards for fine particle pollution. The nonattainment designation applied to counties or parts of counties when monitors detected air quality that violates the fine particle, or PM2.5 standards.

The petitions include:

1. State of West Virginia – pertaining to the inclusion of part of Mason county in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH nonattainment area and to the inclusion of part of Pleasants county in the Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH area.

(Washington, D.C.-01/18/06) Baxter International Inc., General Motors Corporation, IBM Corporation, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and SC Johnson are the first corporations to achieve voluntary greenhouse gas reduction goals set through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Climate Leaders program. These companies will be recognized today along with 11 other corporations that are announcing greenhouse gas reduction goals and 13 corporations that are joining the program at a meeting in California.

"By achieving their greenhouse gas reduction goals, these leading companies are proving that doing what is good for the environment, is also good for business," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "EPA is working hand-in-hand with business to voluntarily reduce their climate footprints in cost-effective ways. Together, the United States is making great progress toward President Bush's goal of reducing the nation's greenhouse gas intensity by 18 percent over 10 years."

EPA enforcement actions in fiscal year 2005 resulted in legal commitments by companies, governments and other regulated entities to reduce a projected 1.1 billion pounds of pollution and require that they spend a record $10 billion to come into compliance with environmental laws. This is an increase of $5 billion over last year. EPA’s criminal enforcement program helped successfully prosecute some of the largest environmental crimes in history in FY 2005, with judges imposing significant sentences and large criminal fines. Most annual measures of the agency’s enforcement and compliance activity surpassed or kept pace with previous years, indicating continued progress in deterring violations of the nation’s environmental laws.

In December 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act into law, setting forth federal guidelines for power plants and other industrial facilities in order to control air pollution. This December marks the 35th anniversary of the law -- and an opportunity to reflect on its successes and failures.

Without a doubt, the Clean Air Act has made America a cleaner, healthier place. Despite 35 years of rapid economic expansion, levels of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead and other pollutants have decreased, showing growth and environmental protections aren't mutually exclusive.

Catawba Valley could be off EPA's sanction lists in 2008
LENOIR - The 10 Catawba Valley governments that banded together three years ago to improve air quality have adopted policies that lay out their methods to save energy and reduce emissions.
Caldwell County, which adopted its policy Dec. 19, was the last, said Ron Hancock, a Western Piedmont Council of Governments planner advising the governments on conservation and air-quality issues.
Many of the plan's measures -- installation of low-energy lighting systems and proper insulation in county buildings, for example -- are things the county and its fellow governments have been doing for the past five years, since the state and federal governments began warning them about poor air quality.

(Washington, D.C. -- Friday, December 23, 2005) In light of a recent court opinion, EPA is reconsidering an additional aspect of its Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR requires 28 States and the District of Columbia to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) from power plants. Today's action will not delay implementation of the rule, which will achieve the largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade. EPA issued the final CAIR on March 10, 2005.

EPA has decided to grant an industry petition asking EPA to reconsider and provide an opportunity for public comment on an additional issue related to the CAIR. The petition asks EPA to examine the impact of a recent D.C. Circuit Court decision, New York v. EPA, 413 F.3d 3 (D.C. Cir. 2005), on analyses used in developing CAIR to identify highly cost-effective emissions reductions.

(Washington, D.C.-Dec. 21, 2005) The United States has reached a settlement with DaimlerChrysler Corporation (Chrysler) to repair defective emission controls on nearly 1.5 million Jeep and Dodge vehicles from model years 1996 through 2001, the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The agreement also settles allegations that the company violated the Clean Air Act (CAA) by failing to properly disclose defective catalytic converters installed on the affected vehicles. In settlement, Chrysler has agreed to:

Extend the warranty on the catalytic converters installed on approximately 700,000 of the vehicles involved, and for another 300,000 vehicle owners, send notification of the catalytic converter problem which will be covered under the original emissions system warranty under the CAA;

To accomplish goals as diverse as preventing the transmission of the avian flu virus to curing athlete's foot, Cupron, a small American company with a research base in Israel, has developed a valuable new technology out of a very old element - copper oxide.

Copper's anti-microbial properties have been known for more than 5,000 years. Ancient Egyptians used copper pipes to transport water safe of parasites; shipbuilders used copper to keep algae from encrusting ships, and French vintners use copper to fight fungus on grapevines.

Cupron decided to take the uses one step further and introduce copper into clothing and textiles, that, according to the company, will lead to healthier living.

(Washington, D.C.-Dec. 9, 2005) Based on recent analyses of health risks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a rule to reduce emissions of perchloroethylene (perc) from dry cleaners.

"Risks from most dry cleaners across the country generally are low, and our proposed requirements would make them even lower," said Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator for air and radiation. "But based on what we now know about the risks from perc dry cleaners, a small group of dry cleaners located in apartment buildings requires closer examination. We are asking the public for additional information that could help us develop strategies to reduce these risks more quickly."

(Washington, D.C.-Nov. 30, 2005) EPA today awarded $410,000 to 41 student teams for the 2005-2006 academic year to research and develop sustainable designs through the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) competition. Sustainable development maintains economic growth while protecting the natural systems of the planet, thus preserving natural resources for future generations. The P3 student design competition was launched in January 2004, and several 2004 winners' designs have been successfully implemented into business practices.

"In an era of rising energy costs, the results of the first year of the P3 competition should make people sit up and take notice! They not only demonstrated that companies can reduce their bottom line by sustainable practices, but also the marketability of new conservation tools," said George Gray, assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development. "In last year's competition, four student projects became new businesses with clients, two of them marketing energy monitoring systems. Other designs explored biodiesel production, solar thermal heating systems, green roofs, and stormwater management. We look forward to seeing the results of the competition for the 2005-2006 awards announced today."