Air

Anything related to air quality, air pollution, or the atmosphere

"Trump Spares Power Plants From Mercury Emissions Clampdown"

"The Trump administration is reopening a loophole to allow more mercury emissions from some coal-fired power plants, provoking swift denunciations from public health advocates who said the rollback will leave children at further risk of exposure to the brain-damaging element."

Source: E&E News, 02/24/2026

EPA Enforcement Falls to Record Low Under Trump 2.0

The enforcement of environmental laws suffered a dramatic collapse during the Trump administration’s first year, several studies have found. Even the most serious violations, typically referred to the Department of Justice, are left unpursued because of DOJ staffing declines. The latest Backgrounder has the details, a look at the administration’s rationale for the decline and the implications for the environment and public health.

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"E.P.A. Plans to Loosen Mercury Rules for Coal Plants, Documents Show"

"The Environmental Protection Agency plans this week to loosen restrictions on coal-burning power plants, allowing them to emit more hazardous pollutants including mercury, a powerful neurotoxin that can impair babies’ brain development, internal agency documents show."

Source: NYTimes, 02/20/2026

Thermal Drone Footage Shows Musk's AI Power Plant Flouting Clean Air Rules

"Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is continuing to fuel its data centers with unpermitted gas turbines, according to a Floodlight visual investigation. Thermal drone footage shows xAI is still burning gas at a facility in Southaven, Miss., despite a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling reiterating that doing so requires a state permit in advance."

Source: Floodlight, 02/18/2026

Senate Dems Say Trump EPA Curries Corporate Favor By Weakening Air Rules

"Ozone and particulate matter air pollutants cause over 100,000 premature deaths per year and affect the health of millions of Americans. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said last month that his agency would stop considering those costs when drafting new regulations."

Source: Inside Climate News, 02/18/2026

"Black Residents Win Key Ruling in ‘Cancer Alley’ Environmental Racism Case"

"Lawyers for residents say that zoning that concentrates pollution in Black districts is a violation of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery."

Source: Capital B, 02/13/2026

Citing National Security, Trump Kills Fenceline Monitoring at Coke Ovens

"The administration ended a program that documented excessive levels of a carcinogen at industrial facilities across the country. Environmental groups who say the move leaves polluted communities behind have filed suit."

Source: Inside Climate News, 02/12/2026

Geopolitical Tensions Cloud Major Climate Threat Of Black Carbon In Arctic

"The increase in marine Arctic traffic, which received increased attention as U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for the United States to take over Greenland, has come with a heavy environmental cost: black carbon, or soot, that spews from ships and makes the ice melt even faster. "

Source: AP, 02/11/2026

TVA Says It Now Doesn’t Want To Close Two Coal-Fired Plants

"The nation’s largest public utility says it now would prefer to keep operating two coal-fired power plants it had planned to shutter, changing course before a meeting of its board, which has a majority of members picked by the coal-friendly Trump administration."

Source: AP, 02/11/2026

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