Four major automakers have reached an agreement with California on fuel economy standards that would reduce emissions – and the American Lung Association (ALA) approves. Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, and BMW this week agreed to increase the average fuel economy of their new vehicle fleets to nearly 50 miles per gallon by model year 2026 - an increase of 3.7 miles per gallon per year.

California employers are going to have to move fast in order to comply with an emergency occupational safety regulation expected to go into effect in early August. The rule adopted last week by the state’s Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is aimed at protecting workers from hazards associated with wildfire smoke.

The EPA has approved the use of a powerful pesticide that the agency’s own research determined was lethal to honeybees. The agency’s approval of the insecticide sulfoxaflor, manufactured by DowDupont, comes just days after the USDA acknowledged that it has stopped tracking the honeybee population. The agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) collected statistics on the number of honey bee colonies and U.S. honey production for decades, to help track honey bee mortality. Lack of data going forward will make it difficult to gauge the effect of sulfoxaflor use on the been population.

Two major health organizations are suing the EPA over the agency’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan – the first-ever federal policy aimed at reducing harmful carbon pollution from power plants – and the move to replace it with the “Affordable Clean Energy” rule. The American Lung Association and the American Public Health Association, represented by attorneys from the Clean Air Task Force, claim that the EPA has abdicated its legal duties and obligations to protect public health.

After evaluating the risk from electric power generation, transmission and distribution facilities, the EPA says no additional federal requirements are needed to cover the costs of possible hazardous substance releases. Using the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Section 108(b), EPA analyzed the need for financial responsibility requirements for the electric power industry.

Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind when you choose the environmentally friendly option of disposing waste through a commercial trash compactor for your business.

A CBS policy change angers safety advocates; the final frontier is the target of government regulations and a mining safety rule change gets reversed in court. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Raising fuel economy standards will also raise the price of new vehicles and prevent families from purchasing newer, safer cars and trucks, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator (NHTSA) Heidi King told Congress on Thursday. “We know that newer cars are safer and cleaner than older cars. We also know that consumers can choose whether to keep their older car or to purchase a newer, safer, cleaner car."