News in brief from the San Francisco Bay area (The Daily Comet) Bay Area transportation officials on Wednesday approved nearly $7 million in state and local funding to pay for three more free-transit days to reduce air pollution this summer. [News Source]

Miller pushes cities to rein in coal plants. Dallas Mayor Laura Miller is rallying dozens of Texas cities to push cleaner environmental technologies as utility companies plan the largest expansion of coal plants in the state's history. [News Source]

Cities plan to oppose TXU plants. Dallas Mayor Laura Miller wants city leaders across the region and state to band together and pressure TXU Energy to come up with cleaner alternatives to 11 proposed coal-fired power plants. [News Source]

Miller urges mayors to pressure TXU over coal-plant plans. Dallas Mayor Laura Miller wants city leaders across the region and state to band together and pressure TXU Energy to come up with cleaner alternatives to 11 proposed coal-fired power plants that could hamper local efforts to clean up the air. [News Source]

Heat returns to EP. Conditions will be right today for elevated levels of ozone pollution, the seventh such day since May forecast by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. [News Source]

Pollution plagues north Texas air. When it comes to air pollution, the Dallas/Fort Worth area ranks worse than places like New York City. But a crackdown on vehicle emissions is on the horizon. [News Source]

Midstate breathes easier this summer. The Nashville area has escaped high ozone levels on all but one day this summer, while Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville have been hit with several unhealthy air days. [News Source]

Midstate breathes easier this summer. The Nashville area has escaped high ozone levels on all but one day this summer, while Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville have been hit with several unhealthy air days. [News Source]

Midstate breathes easier this summer. The Nashville area has escaped high ozone levels on all but one day this summer, while Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville have been hit with several unhealthy air days. [News Source]

Cautious optimism greets plan for pipeline in Tampa Bay. So far, a proposal to bring natural gas to the Weedon Island, Florida power plant holds promise for environmentalists. [News Source]

Schwarzenegger acts to guard state wilderness.

Ending one of his remaining fights with environmentalists, Gov. Schwarzenegger will ask the federal government to protect 4.4 million acres of national forests from any new roads for timber, oil or gas exploration or other development.

[News Source]