Nearly half of all Americans are breathing unhealthy air, and air quality in dozens of metropolitan areas has actually gotten worse over the last decade according to a new report from the Surface Transportation Policy Project. The study names transportation as a major contributor to air pollution nationwide, and calls on Congress to protect and strengthen clean air laws and funding. Lawmakers will soon vote on legislation that could undermine clean air protections and slash funding for transportation alternatives that reduce traffic and air pollution including rail, buses and bikeways.

The new report, Clearing the Air, Public Health Threats from Cars and Heavy Duty Vehicles - Why We Need to Protect Federal Clean Air Laws ranks metropolitan areas by the highest number of days of unhealthy air pollution levels.

Click here to read the press release (html) (Click here for acrobat format)

Click here to read the executive summary (html) (Click here for acrobat format)

Click here to print the report (acrobat)

For state factsheets (acrobat), use this menu: Choose A State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Click here for a statement from the American Lung Association (acrobat)

Click here for a statement from the League of United Latin American Citizens (acrobat)

Tables

• Metro Area Pollution (Microsoft Excel)
• Transportation's Contribution to Pollution (Microsoft Excel)
• Adult Lifetime Asthma Prevalence (Microsoft Excel)
• Public Health Costs (Microsoft Excel)