Smog-free air is simply too expensive, and in light of today's unemployment report, America—and President Obama's reelection campaign—just can't afford it, the White House essentially decided today. A little over a month ago, the head of the EPA said that George Bush's ozone pollution standards were "not legally defensible," and it was widely anticipated that Obama would impose stricter limits this summer. Today, the opposite happened. more ›

As if "traffic pricing" and and pedestrian plazas weren't enough, Bloomberg announced today that he will use robots technology to reduce congestion and promote air quality in Midtown. Dubbed Midtown in Motion, the plan, which the mayor probably thought of after watching the director's cut of Blade Runner, will utilize "100 microwave sensors, 32 traffic video cameras and E-ZPass readers at 23 intersections" to monitor real-time traffic flow. The system will allow "engineers… to clear up Midtown jams at the touch of a button," the mayor says in a release. Wow! Will it also release "soothing light patterns" so we can finally sleep through all that honking? more ›

As we enter a new year, let's take a look back at what we looked back at in 2009! Here are some of our favorite flashbacks of an older New York. more ›

As you may have read in our newsletter, on this day in 1966 New York City experienced the smoggiest day in the city's history... and the details read like a horror movie. After 9/11, the NY Times touched upon three particularly smoggy years in the city, saying "Most of the horrors of New York's environmental past, like the grim air episodes in 1953, 1962 and 1966, were chronic and cumulative. Most past events had a thousand sources and causes — a vague diffusion of responsibility that made no one responsible." more ›

NYC’s air quality has gotten substantially worse compared to other cities, according to the American Lung Association's annual "State of the Air" survey. Since last year the city jumped from 10th worst in the nation for ozone pollution (smog) to an eighth place ranking. And in the category of short-term particle pollution (soot), NYC nabbed 13th place after ranking 17th worst in the last study. (L.A., the undisputed smog heavyweight, coasted to 1st place again.) more ›