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The article highlights the impact of the changes to Environmental Protection Agency's (EPAs) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for lead in the U.S. It states that proximity of the sampler to source emissions and populations, meteorological conditions and background conditions must be considered to assess the potential risks of airborne lead. It notes that the changes in federal regulations will require majority of facilities to reassess their monitoring programs to ensure compliance.

Talks about strategies of the U.S. government for controlling air pollution. Provisions of the 1970 Clean Air Act; Impact of the usage of exhaust air management systems on motorcycle emissions; Initiative of the government to regulate lawn and garden equipments.

The article reports on the proposal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lower standards for particulate matter (PM). The proposed modifications will substantially tighten short-term exposure to high levels of fine PM by almost 50%. Inhalable PM 24-hour standard is also being proposed for reduction to 70 micrograms per cubic meter. Research has demonstrated a link between PM and various cardiovascular and respiratory problems. The Clean Air Act mandates the EPA to undertake a periodic review of air quality standards. Particle standards were last updated in 1997.

The staff of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made recommendations for the agency management to revise the current particulate matter standards for fine particles and the inhalable portion of coarse particles, based on evidence that suggests to EPA scientists that more protection is needed than is provided under current air standards. The air quality standards for PM under the Clean Air Act were first established in 1971. The agency significantly changed the standards in 1987, when they changed the indicator of the standards to regulate inhalable particles smaller than, or equal to, 10 micrometers in diameter. In 1997, EPA again revised the PM standards and established a separate standard for fine particles. EPA released its second draft staff paper on the assessment of PM standards in January 2005 which recommends changing EPA's health-based standards for coarse particles to avoid double-regulating fine particles.

U.S. President George W. Bush administration decision to back away from enforcing certain air pollution rules that determine when power plants must install new emission controls not only may harm the environment, but will severely hamper the bottom line of construction firms and engineers who retrofit those plants. On November 5 the Environmental Integrity Project, headed by former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)enforcement official Eric Schaeffer, said it had learned from senior officials that the agency would drop pending Clean Air Act enforcement actions and not pursue new cases dealing with that statute's New Source Review provisions. Michael O. Leavitt was sworn in as the new EPA administrator.

The article offers news briefs related to environmental regulations in the U.S. The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission will hold three separate public hearing on proposed revision to air quality regulation. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein unveiled a plan for a $9.3 billion bond for water projects. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is sponsoring a free program to dispose of mercury.

The article reports on the proposed revisions made by the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) to the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for lead. The proposal seeks to improve the existing lead monitoring network which requires monitors to be located near large sources of lead emissions an in urban areas with more than one million people. The proposal may serve as a precursor of other things to come with regard to EPA's treatment of non-threshold criteria pollutants as lead is an important criteria air pollutant.

The article presents several state rules related to pollution control industry in the U.S. Formaldehyde is designated as toxic air contaminant (TAC) by the California Air Resource Board and the state law requires to reduce human exposure to state designated TACs. The Water Quality Control Commission in Colorado has adopted lower concentration standards for ammonia in wastewater treatment facilities within the state. Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota signed into law the Minnesota Mercury Reduction Act which will cut mercury emissions.

The article focuses on a proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revise new source review (NSR) requirements to improve industry investment in energy efficient and lower emission technologies. It cites several provisions of the proposal including one that will allow plants to avoid NSR requirements if its emissions were covered in an existing permit. The agency will take comments on the proposal for 60 days after its publication. Environmental groups believe that the proposal favors the plan to increase industry profits.

Introduces the new Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACT) rules to complete the the MACT standard rulemaking process by the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. Impact of the new rules on certain industries; Completion of the series of technology-based national emissions standards under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments; Directives and scope of the new MACT rules.