On the topic of air quality

ON THE TOPIC OF AIR QUALITY: New regulation abandoned. "The president rejected a proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency that would have significantly reduced emissions of smog-causing chemicals, saying that it would impose too severe a burden on industry and local governments at a time of economic distress." Indeed, environmental causes (much to the activists' dismay) must take a back seat in a time of economic downturn. Sorry. On the wider issue of air quality, this reminded me of smoking on planes. Was it a good idea to ban it? Stephen Fry says no.