Poor air quality chokes the Truckee Meadows (Daily Sparks Tribune) After a brief transition into a stage two air pollution alert over the weekend, the Truckee Meadows has returned to a stage one alert as air quality officials warn against the dangers of the pollutants in the air. [News Source]

Bay Area wood burning banned on bad nights (The Fresno Bee) Air regulators in the San Francisco Bay area are banning the use of wood-burning stoves on winter nights when air pollution is particularly bad. [News Source]

Helium Balloon in Paris Displays Air Pollution Levels (PhysOrg) People in Paris won't have to look far to see the city's air pollution levels. A giant tethered helium balloon will display real-time reports of atmospheric pollution using an innovative lighting system, which can be seen from more than 20 km (12.4 miles) away. [News Source]

Central Valley air officials issue smoke caution. Smoke from continuing wildfires is prompting officials of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District officials to issue a health cautionary statement, which remains effective until fires are extinguished. [News Source]

Series of fire-related outages affect 48,000 in Santa Barbara County. The utility company is urging customers to conserve power, especially as state officials today said that the heat wave expected to grip the state over the next few days would place additional stress on energy supply. [News Source]

EPA raises concerns about bridge. Critics of a new Columbia River crossing have long argued that a planned replacement bridge on Interstate 5 will degrade the environment and fuel more urban sprawl. [News Source]

Gov, mayors urge constituents to trade cars for bikes. The governor and the state's two most powerful mayors agreed Tuesday to launch a P.R. blitz this fall to get more Utahns out of their cars and onto trains, buses and bicycles. [News Source]

Leaders to Utah: 2 wheels trump 4. The governor and the state's two most powerful mayors agreed Tuesday to launch a P.R. blitz this fall to get more Utahns out of their cars and onto trains, buses and bicycles. [News Source]

Witness for BP says permit application met standard. A former senior state air quality expert told jurors Tuesday in the latest civil trial stemming from the deadly 2005 explosion at BP's Texas City refinery that a permit application met requirements even though some information was wrong and lacking. [News Source]

TVA trial to begin. A lawsuit with significant implications for environmental health will be heard in Asheville beginning Monday, July 14. [News Source]

SouthCoast spared bad air day. A combination of heat, humidity and pollution made for unhealthy air across most of the state Tuesday; But SouthCoast, remained a tad cooler than the rest of Massachusetts, has been spared the smog. [News Source]