YUNÉK, Venezuela − The mist−shrouded mountains rising out of the forest here form one of the world´:s most beguiling frontiers of exploration and research, inspiring Arthur Conan Doyle´:s 1912 fantasy novel "The Lost World" and teams of biologists who still mount expeditions to remote escarpments in hopes of finding species new to science.

But in the savannas below, the tendrils of smoke hanging over the landscape attest to a custom that has set off a fierce debate among scientists in Venezuela and beyond: the Pemón Indian tradition of repeatedly burning grassland and forest to hunt for animals and grow food.

It seemed like it was doomed from the start.
In 2006, early work at the planned site of the coal− fired Desert Rock Power Plant brought out protestors from the nearby community of Burnham. Despite the added jobs the plant would bring to help reduce the Navajo Nation´s stifling unemployment rate, these protestors did not want another coal power plant in the region polluting the skies.

Even back then, with a Republican president in office who supported coal power, it seemed doubtful that the plant would ever get built.

WASHINGTON − A new study further bolsters concerns that pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean from China and other rapidly developing Asian nations may swamp efforts to clean up the air in the Western United States and make it difficult for states and cities to meet federal standards.

The study, based on 100,000 measurements over 25 years and a computer model tracking air−flow patterns, found that during the spring, ozone from Asia reaches Washington , Oregon , California and other states west of the Rocky Mountains.

WASHINGTON — For the first time in the history of the Clean Air Act, the federal government has reached settlements that will require a glassmaker and a cement company to add pollution controls at all their plants across the country.

Lafarge , the nation's second largest maker of Portland cement, and Saint−Gobain Containers, the second largest manufacturer of glass containers for beverages and foods in the U.S., agreed to add up−to−date pollution control devices, accept emissions limits and pay penalties to settle complaints that they violated the law.

LOS ANGELES − Parts of the country that haven´t worried about air pollution may soon be in the fight California has faced for decades: cleaning up smog.

Stricter rules proposed Thursday by the Obama administration could more than double the number of counties across the country that are in violation of clean air standards. That would likely have a big impact on other parts of the nation since California already sets stringent standards for cars, ships and trucks.

WASHINGTON − The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a stricter new standard for smog-causing pollutants on Thursday that, if adopted, will impose large costs on industry and local governments but will also bring substantial health benefits to millions of Americans.

The proposed standard would replace one set by the Bush administration in March 2008, which has been challenged in court by environmental advocates as too weak to adequately protect human health and the environment.

WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2009 (ENS) − Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the United States: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases, concludes a scathing report issued today by Physicians for Social Responsibility.

"Each step of the coal lifecycle − mining, transportation, washing, combustion, and disposing of postcombustion wastes − impacts human health," warns the report, entitled "Coal´s Assault on Human Health."

WASHINGTON, DC, November 17, 2009 (ENS) − For the first time in nearly 40 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to strengthen the nation's sulfur dioxide air quality standard to protect public health.

Power plants and other industrial facilities emit sulfur dioxide, SO2, directly into the air where it forms fine particles and acid rain. Exposure to SO2 can aggravate asthma, cause respiratory difficulties, and result in emergency room visits and hospitalization. People with asthma, children, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to exposure to this gas.