Illnesses Plaguing Valley’s Young, Old: Stanislaus Hospitals Having Difficult Time Keeping Up (RedNova) By Ken Carlson, The Modesto Bee, Calif. Mar. 3--This winter has sickened the Northern San Joaquin Valley with a nasty array of afflictions, from norovirus illness to RSV and drug-resistant pneumonia to respiratory problems possibly tied to air pollution. [News Source]

EPA plans reductions in diesel exhaust (Louisville Courier-Journal) The Environmental Protection Agency announced a plan yesterday that would do away with most of the smog and soot caused by diesel-burning trains and boats. It's an ambitious move supported by many environmentalists and air-pollution officials. [News Source]

EPA rolls out new rules on diesel pollution (The Star-Ledger) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday proposed new diesel-engine emission rules for locomotives and many marine vessels, extending an ongoing effort to tackle one of the nation's most significant causes of air pollution. [News Source]