Sludge plant plans to burn tires. Fox Valley Energy Center plans to burn scrap tires, instead of coal, as its primary fuel to reduce operating costs. [News Source]

State testing air in homes near St. Pete Raytheon plant. The Florida Department of Health has begun testing indoor air quality in homes surrounding the Raytheon defense plant in St. Petersburg. [News Source]

Area may dodge strict EPA scrutiny. Local leaders can breathe a little easier now that initial reports indicate the Columbus GA area will not face stricter scrutiny for meeting some federal air-quality standards. [News Source]

Mahanoy Township passes outdoor burner ordinance. The Mahanoy Township supervisors approved an ordinance Aug. 14 regulating various heating systems. [News Source]

Township puts Revlon redevelopment on hold. Redevelopment plans for the 62-acre property on Route 27 and Talmadge Road in Edison known as the Revlon site have hit a snag as revelations about the extent of the site's industrial contamination have come to light. [News Source]

Sanitation department building plan for Soho may end up in court. Residents of SoHo are concerned that the proposal to build a 427,000-square-foot facility at Spring and Washington streets would worsen what is already substandard air quality in the area and create additional environmental and health concerns. [News Source]

Moldy modular classrooms at Greenwich school called safe. The modular classrooms that Hamilton Avenue School students in Connecticut evacuated after the discovery of mold last spring are now safe enough to inhabit, an environmental consultant told concerned parents Tuesday night. [News Source]

Toll in China chemical plant explosion rises to 18. A series of explosions at a chemical plant left 18 people dead and two missing in southwest China’s Guangxi region, the government and state media said Wednesday. [News Source]

EPA sued over failure to introduce oil refinery carbon rules. A group of US states yesterday commenced legal proceedings against the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to regulate carbon emissions from oil refineries, opening up another front in their running battle with the agency over its failure to introduce tighter carbon legislation. [News Source]

State climate panel urges action. The state Commission on Climate Change is urging comprehensive action to reduce air pollution, get ready for a warming climate and prepare for rising water along Maryland's vulnerable coastline. [News Source]

New lawsuit seeks to force EPA to limit oil refineries’ global-warming emissions. Rhode Island and Massachusetts have joined a new multistate lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to regulate oil-refinery emissions. [News Source]