DISTRICT BRIEFING
DISTRICT BRIEFING
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
ENVIRONMENT
Air Pollution Plan Approved
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has approved a plan to reduce one kind of harmful air pollution in the region, officials said yesterday. The plan deals with fine-particle pollution -- particles just a few microns wide, which can lodge themselves deep inside human lungs and exacerbate heart disease and other health problems.
The region was declared out of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards for fine-particle pollution in 2004. It now must meet new federal standards, limiting the amount of pollution produced in a year, by 2009.
The plan calls for reductions in the amount of fine particles emitted from power plant smokestacks in the area. Joan Rohlfs, an official at the council of governments, said that monitoring shows that the region's pollution appears to meet the 2009 standards now and that the new plan was intended to further reduce pollution.
-- David A. Fahrenthold
ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON
Papal Visit to Cost $3 Million
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Washington next month is expected to cost the Archdiocese of Washington "a minimum" of $3 million, according to Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl. That includes security and transportation for the pontiff and the cost of the April 17 Mass at Nationals Park, with expenses such as staffing and constructing a 50-foot sanctuary and installing an altar.
Wuerl says the money won't come out of the archdiocese coffers. Instead, he has turned to individual donors to cover the expenses. So far, he said he's getting positive results.
"The response has been, 'Yes, if the pope is going to come to our town, if the pope is going to Washington, we'll help meet the cost,' " Wuerl said.
