Echo

Lower Ontario air emission standards will bring more smog to Midwest

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Ontario’s coal-fired power plants are going off the grid in 2014. Until then, the provincial government has approved maximum air emission limits for the remaining plants. Canadian environmentalists and health officials aren’t pleased, according to a story from Windsor Star reporter Dave Battagello. Activists say the higher limits will “put lives at risk” and worsen the Ontario’s air quality. Windsor, Detroit’s Canadian neighbor, is already one of the most polluted parts of the province, according to the story.

Air

Michigan restaurant owners fume over smoking ban

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By Laura Fosmire
Jan.23, 2010

LANSING, Mich. — The reactions are pouring in: Some restaurant owners are fuming about Michigan’s new smoke-free law that takes effect May 1. “The state has stepped in and said, ‘We know more about the hospitality business than you do.’ Many of them are very upset,” said Andy Deloney, the Michigan Restaurant Association public affairs director. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the bill in December that prohibits smoking in public places such as bars, restaurants, hotels and other businesses. The only establishments exempted are the gaming floors in Detroit casinos.

Air

Smog rules promise better health, jobs

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(MI) The Detroit News – While I welcome comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed health standards for smog, the arguments in a Detroit News editorial are dangerously misleading (“Policies and priorities: If Obama is to fulfill his job creation pledge, he must consider the impact of every action on employment,” Jan. 12). The editorial suggests that we cannot afford protections from pollution that dangerously impacts children and the elderly; that leads to severe and even fatal respiratory problems; and that costs families in higher medical bills. More

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State report: Toeller Building air quality not to blame

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(MI) Battle Creek Enquirer – A comprehensive indoor air quality report released Monday shows that most mold, pollen and debris found in a Calhoun County building meet acceptable levels for employees to breathe. “But you know there is still something in that building making people sick,” Caroline Ross, State Employees United Auto Workers Local 6000 health and safety representative, said Tuesday. More

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Breathe in a healthier state

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(MI) Detroit Free Press – Recently, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill that bans smoking in all public places beginning in May. Michigan joins the ranks of states that have taken a strong step toward protecting the health of their communities by making bars, restaurants and other public places smoke-free. We know that secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease. For example, exposed kids are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear infections and other illnesses. More

Air

Cleaning up air could harm quality of water

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By Yang Zhang and Rachael Gleason

Dec. 18, 2009

Burning coal is dirty business. The fuel is laden with heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic and chemicals that cause acid rain. When power plants burn coal, they release the contaminants into the air. Over the past couple of decades, increasingly stringent air pollution standards have forced power plants to clean up their dirty air.

Echo

Is truck pollution causing asthma in Detroit?

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(MI) The Associated Press – A town-hall meeting in Detroit is taking a look at the effect of diesel pollution in the city. The Alliance for Healthy Air coalition is hosting the Monday evening gathering at St. Stephens Church. Organizers plan to discuss the effects of pollution on health and quality of life of Detroiters. More