Beijing pollution better, but more measures mulled. Worried that current pollution curbs may not be enough to clean the air, China announced Thursday a raft of emergency measures it would take if skies don't clear up further for the Olympic Games, including more factory shutdowns and further restrictions on cars. [News Source]

China mulls tougher Olympic pollution plan. China is mulling emergency plans to keep Olympic skies clear and may push more cars off the road in Beijing and nearby cities if wind or rain do not disperse smog build-ups, government pollution advisors said on Wednesday. [News Source]

China gears for more anti-smog measures. China will shut more factories and impose further bans on cars if smog remains a serious problem in Beijing during the Olympic Games. [News Source]

Hoping for just enough rain. There is an old Chinese saying that when noble guests visit, the streets must be sprinkled with clean water. [News Source]

Even with blue skies, is Beijing’s air safe? Beijing has vowed the Olympic Games will take place under blue skies, not the murky "sauna" haze that has shrouded the city recently, but even on apparently clear days pollution levels may not be safe for athletes. [News Source]

China unveils measures to tame smog. China on Thursday unveiled a string of emergency measures it was prepared to use in its battle to tame Beijing's stubborn smog ahead of the Olympics, as the city was again shrouded in haze. [News Source]

Cleaner Olympic air comes at a price. Factory shutdowns and other industrial restrictions intended to help reduce Beijing's eye-searing smog for the Olympics are making business more complicated – and costly – for Chinese providers of steel, pharmaceuticals and other goods and services. [News Source]

Plans for hydrogen plant move forward. Hydrogen Energy International LLC, the joint venture between BP and Rio Tinto, announced Wednesday that it will begin the regulatory approval process for a clean energy plant near Taft that will capture and store carbon dioxide emissions in nearby oilfields. [News Source]

Bush pushes oil drilling, but more US fuel exported. The White House Wednesday made a new push for expanded offshore drilling to help lower fuel prices, days after new government data showed American petroleum product exports hit record levels. [News Source]

EPA to decide on tribal-land power plant. Navajo Nation officials as well as environmentalists are anxiously awaiting a decision on an air permit for a controversial coal-fired power plant to be built on tribal land. [News Source]

Judge rules against selling pollution credits to power plants. In a lawsuit brought by the NRDC and other groups, a judge told the air quality district that it could not subsidize plants until it fully reported on the environmental effect under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). [News Source]