Reply #1: what a piece of propaganda shit [View All]

[gristy]

Any wonder why there were no ADDITIONS to the list??

Since those designations had been made in December with 2003 data, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change and Nuclear Safety, asked the EPA to review its list based on 2004 information.

The agency said the review indicated that certain areas now have air that is free of dangerous levels of soot, which comes from power plants, car exhaust, diesel-burning trucks, wood-burning stoves and other sources.

About 5 million people live in these areas and now benefit from cleaner air, the agency said. Soot can penetrate deeply into the lungs, causing respiratory illnesses and heart disease.

EPA's decision also is considered a boon for local officials working to attract development and jobs to their areas.

"These counties will be able to enjoy the benefit of these improvements, both in terms of improved public health and in terms of greater job-creation potential," said Voinovich, who referred to the designations as "economy-strangling limits."

The states with counties now in compliance with the clean-air rules for soot are Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and California.