Clean Air Journal

On April 30th, EPA took the next step in the Clean Air Act process to implement the national air quality standards for ozone that were issued in 2015.  After designating most of the U.S. as meeting the standards in November 2017, the Agency is now completing nearly...

This is the last Monday Morning Digest for 2018 as the session wrapped up last Thursday. I hope these posts have been informative and helpful. Below is the final rundown of bills this session: Enrolled Bills HB40: Amend Ala. Code 32-9-20: extends length restrictions...

I am doubling up this week and catching you up on the past two weeks of bills that affect health and the environment in Alabama during the 2018 legislative session. Signed into law this week HB53 was delivered to the Governor at 1:06 PM on March 22, 2018. Existing law...

Hello! We are Team Leggo My Eggo 11’s, and through our Environmental Factors of Public Health class at UAB, we had the unique opportunity to work with Gasp on a service learning project. Gasp provided us with an air monitor, called an AirBeam, which allowed us to...

Not much movement or activity last week, but there are a few public hearings this week. SB273 passed the Senate and was read for the first time in the House. The Agriculture and Forestry Committee offered the first substitute to HB370. Hearings this week are as...

We have some good news this morning! HB362 was lost in the House, which is good news for the places in Alabama we love protected by Forever Wild. SB85 passed the House and was forwarded to the Governor on February 27th, which allows Alabama to make a meaningful...

Working at Gasp has been really eye-opening because I’ve met some passionate Birmingham citizens. Last semester, I went to my first city council hearing and witnessed more than 50 people advocate the need for a non-discrimination law in the workplace. Each person at...

Good news for transit advocates: SB85 passed the House! Our friends at Alabama Arise have been actively supporting this bill, and their Executive Director, Kimble Forrister, had this to say about the House vote on February 22nd: Creating the Alabama Public...

Raise Money for Gasp with Planet Fundraiser! Gasp is proud to be an official Planet Fundraiser Cause! The simplest way to support Gasp is by getting the free Planet Fundraiser app. Simply make everyday purchases at businesses listed in the app, submit a picture of...

Because of President's Day yesterday, we are doing the Monday Morning Digest on Tuesday this week. There wasn't much movement on any of the bills last week, but several are pending their third readings in the second house, so they could be on their way to becoming law...

A few bills moved out of the House and into the Senate and vice versa this past week (see the table below for updates). The major bill to watch that was introduced and gained momentum last week is HB362 (the state government also offered an amendment). This...

Not a lot happened last week. You can see updates in the table below. Just to hit the high points, SB33 and SB85 are on the calendar and pending their third reading. Here are the new bills affecting the environment, energy and public transportation (also in the table...

We are a group of students in UAB’s School of Public Health, and we had the opportunity to work with Gasp for a service learning project during the 2017 Fall semester. Gasp is implementing a citizen scientist program that will empower communities by allowing them to...

Exposure to air pollution increases risk of birth defects A new study in the Journal of Pediatrics Researchers looks at the relationship between birth defects in about 200,000 infants born between 2006 and 2010 in Ohio and fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5)...

Plan Poses Huge Risk to Coastal Economies, Businesses and Marine Life in Previously Undeveloped Waters. WASHINGTON, DC. — The Trump Administration is ignoring sound science and broad public input in an exhaustive recent review, in its proposed Five-Year Plan for...

Report: What's in the Air? A look at the EPA's 2014 National Emissions Inventory As we know the air is majority of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. But we humans contribute a lot of negative pollution to the air harming us currently. It is wise to be aware of the...

Pollution Linked to 9 Million Deaths Worldwide KENNETH PAIK Kenneth is an intern with Gasp through the UAB Academic Small Business Alliance program. An unfortunate reality, pollution is by far one of the largest contributors of early deaths worldwide. How deadly is...

With the help of our lovely technical advisor, Jon Self, we have built our first prototype of the Air monitor! The monitor will test humidity, temperature, air particulate matter, and sound levels through the phone. First we needed to solder the Arduino and powerboost shield then we started connecting each part through wires on the breadboard.