City didn’t use Winona Excavating for asbestos work. Winona Excavating was ordered to cease all demolition work in 2002 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, stemming from a fine for improperly removing asbestos and materials containing mercury during demolition of the Hot Fish Shop in 2001. [News Source]

Co-op says generators not subject to acid-rain program. East Kentucky Power Cooperative has responded to a lawsuit brought by the federal government saying that its coal-fired power plant in Clark County should not be subject to a federal pollution-control program designed to reduce acid rain. [News Source]

Day-care founder was told site wasn’t a problem. The man who converted an abandoned Gloucester County thermometer factory into a day-care center never mentioned that the building had been contaminated with toxic mercury for years. [News Source]

Emissions cap good for California. By phasing in emissions reductions and creating incentives for new environmental technologies, California can create a model for the nation to emulate and put itself at the forefront of the clean-energy market. [News Source]

Pigeon-scientists? They just wing it. As a playful way to get people thinking about the health hazards of air pollution, tiny backpacks and cellphones will help the birds transmit smog data. [News Source]

Shooting-range firm gets green light. The Utah Division of Air Quality and the Utah County Health Department have given Action Target a clean bill of health, but some neighbors in central Provo still worry the company emits dangerous toxins. [News Source]

City throws a bone (make that cookie) to idlers. A 20-year-old city ordinance that prohibits leaving a car idling for more than five minutes is getting more publicity with new signs calling attention to the rule. [News Source]

Gov. Risch opts out of EPA credit plan for coal plants in Idaho. Gov. Jim Risch says Idaho will opt out of a federal pollution trading program, a move that effectively prevents coal-fired power plants from being built in the state. [News Source]

Firm’s study on power plants questioned. Clean-air advocates are calling for a state investigation into possible conflicts of interest on the part of a consulting firm hired by the state to study whether 17 proposed power plants would damage air quality. [News Source]

Firm’s study on power plants questioned. Clean-air advocates are calling for a state investigation into possible conflicts of interest on the part of a consulting firm hired by the state to study whether 17 proposed power plants would damage air quality in Dallas-Fort Worth. [News Source]

Consumer group alleges conflict of interest. A consumer group says an air quality modeling firm hired by Texas to determine whether new power plants will pollute the air has been on the payroll of a company building some of the plants. [News Source]