Joining the EPA's war on soot

Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, did not produce the record some had hoped for, as she was continually held back from her ambitious regulatory plans by business and political opponents. And even her last major action — she announced last week that she is leaving her post — is overdue but still welcome. The EPA is demanding of local governments a 20% reduction in soot emissions. If it is successful in producing those results, the new standards will save thousands of lives and reduce the nation's healthcare costs by billions of dollars. The new rule is particularly important to Southern and Central California, where cleaning up soot emissions will be particularly challenging.

December 28, 2012