In an analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data, two economists at Carnegie Mellon conclude that average fine particulate matter increased 5.5% between 2016 and 2018, after having fallen 24.2% over the previous seven years. The cost: 9,700 premature deaths, valued by actuaries at $89 billion.
Karen Clay and Nicholas Muller wrote the paper published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research say three main factors caused this increase in particulate pollution: more wildfires, economic growth that has put more vehicles’ on the road a boosted industrial carbon emissions, and weaker pollution controls under the Trump regime. "Because of these large increases and the large exposed population in California, we find that nearly 43% of the increase in deaths nationally from 2016 to 2018 occurred in California," they wrote.
Julia Conley at Common Dreams reports:
Since taking office in 2017, President Donald Trump has completed 10 regulatory rollbacks involving efforts to improve air quality and has slashed nine regulations on fossil fuel extraction industries.
Trump's repeal of a rule requiring state authorities to track vehicle emissions on highways, his decision to change how oil and gas refineries monitor pollution, and his rollback of a rule limiting industrial pollution are among the decisions that have led to worsened air quality [...]
"This is happening at a time when the EPA has disbanded its scientific panel reviewing fine particle air pollution," tweeted Washington Post reporter Christopher Ingraham.
Meanwhile, the Independent Particulate Matter Review Panel on Monday released their consensus recommendations on National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. EPA chief Andrew Wheeler had dismantled the 20-member panel a year ago. But last week, the Union of Concerned Scientists got them all together again to offer their findings. Their consensus? Current particulate pollution standards don’t protect public health and welfare. It will be most interesting to see what the remaining seven-member Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) will say when it meets Thursday to discuss the consensus recommendations.
TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES
QUOTATION
“It was nicer that way. knowing that something called rights existed. The right to health care, to good and to schooling for our children [...] For us things were good; for others they were bad. [...] Besides, once we learned about the existence of rights we also learned not to bow our heads when the bosses scolds us. We learned to look them in the face.”
~~Manlio Argueta, One Day of Life (1991)
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2008—There Is Just One America:
Barack Obama in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday, was making his closing argument, offering his vision of one America and affirming his view that we are all in this together:
With the challenges and crises we face right now, we cannot afford to divide this country by race or class or region; by who we are or what policies we support. There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation - we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from.
It's amazing—despite all of McCain's "Country First" bluster, it's actually Barack Obama who seems to have a better understanding of the great promise of this nation.
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Another crazy day, this time with Secret Surprise Guest, Steven Andrew! Greg Dworkin and Joan McCarter recap Trump's creepiness, gaslighting on the quid pro quo, a renewed gov't shutdown threat, and the latest Gop craze, "Storming the SCIF!"
RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!)