EarthJustice
A Just Way to Put Food on the TableA Just Way to Put Food on the Table From banning toxic nerve agent pesticides to protecting our farmworkers, Earthjustice remains committed to remaking our food system into one that nourishes and sustains life for all of us. Do you know where your Thanksgiving turkey came from? Jason Doiy / Getty Images For many people in America, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the blessings of life — and to stuff ourselves silly with plate after plate of comfort food. This Thanksgiving, as the luckiest among us sit down to a bountiful feast, it’s also a time to…
A Polluter Lies to New Orleans City Council, Still Gets to Build Gas PlantA Polluter Lies to New Orleans City Council, Still Gets to Build Gas Plant Entergy Corporation faked public support for its proposed gas-fired power plant. The city council gave it a mere slap on the wrist. A protest against the proposed Entergy gas power plant in New Orleans East on March 3, 2018. COURTESY OF A COMMUNITY VOICE LOUISIANA An independent investigation revealed this week that Entergy Corporation was complicit in faking public support for a proposed gas-fired power plant in New Orleans. Despite the company undermining the approval process through deceit, the government is still allowing Entergy to construct…
Florida Voters Pass Offshore Drilling BanFlorida Voters Pass Offshore Drilling Ban Amendment 9 will help protect Florida's fragile coastlines from drilling regardless of which politicians run the state. A "vessel of opportunity" skims oil spilled after the Deepwater Horizon well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. A measure on Florida's ballot this fall could help to prevent future spills. Image courtesy of NOAA Update, November 7, 2018: In a win for environmental health and clean energy, Florida residents voted yesterday to protect the state's coastlines from offshore drilling. The constitutional amendment, which also bans vaping in enclosed workplaces, passed by more than…
The Lessons We Didn’t Learn from the Largest Gas Leak in U.S. HistoryThe Lessons We Didn’t Learn from the Largest Gas Leak in U.S. History Three years after the Aliso Canyon leak, agencies and underground gas storage operators are still failing to regulate and share information about the toxic pollutants in stored gas. Three years after a massive leak at the Aliso Canyon underground gas storage facility in Southern California, residents of nearby Porter Ranch, shown here, continue to experience severe health conditions. Edward Clynes for Earthjustice Almost 15,000 residents of Los Angeles’ Porter Ranch neighborhood evacuated their homes in the fall of 2015, many of them suffering from headaches, breathing problems,…
En la lucha contra el cambio climático, los estados están produciendo solucionesEn la lucha contra el cambio climático, los estados están produciendo soluciones Mientras Trump siga destruyendo protecciones ambientales, los estados serán los responsables de una política ambiental. Imágenes satelitales del huracán Michael tocando tierra el 10 de octubre de 2018, en Florida. Climas extremos y calentamientos del mar amenazan a comunidades en muchas partes de los Estados Unidos. Image Courtesy of NOAA Esta columna se publicó originalmente en USA Today. Los expertos alertaron en su último informe esta semana que queda poco tiempo para controlar los aumentos de temperatura alrededor del mundo, y solicitaron acciones "rápidas, de largo alcance y…
As Scientists Sound Climate Change Alarm, States Lead on SolutionsAs Scientists Sound Climate Change Alarm, States Lead on Solutions With Trump gutting environmental protections, states must take charge on smart climate policy. Leigh Bolding, center, cries with her daughter Kayla Cromer, right, as she holds her grandchildren at an evacuation shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Extreme weather fueled by climate change threatens communities across the United States. Gerald Herbert / AP This column originally appeared in USA Today. The world’s leading panel of climate experts sounded the alarm this week that we are running out of time to get rising temperatures under control. Its latest report calls for “rapid,…
The Fight Doesn’t End With KavanaughThe Fight Doesn’t End With Kavanaugh The legal landscape for key environmental fights extends far beyond just the Supreme Court. Activists protest outside the Supreme Court after the confirmation vote of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Alex Brandon / AP The confirmation process for Justice Brett Kavanaugh was painful for many of us. Earthjustice stood staunchly against his nomination — both because of the jurist we know Justice Kavanaugh to be, and because we believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Despite having every opportunity to get it right, our lawmakers once again failed all of us by charting a course that was deeply…
FDA Rules Food Manufacturers Can’t Flavor Products With Cancer-Causing ChemicalsFDA Rules Food Manufacturers Can’t Flavor Products With Cancer-Causing Chemicals Earthjustice argued that the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act required the FDA to withdraw its approval of seven synthetic chemicals used in many processed foods and beverages. The words “artificial flavor” on the ingredient labels of sodas and other processed foods can refer to chemicals that are known to cause cancer in animals. DUNDANIM'S / SHUTTERSTOCK Food manufacturers can no longer use seven synthetic flavors that have been shown to cause cancer in animals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled on Oct. 5. The chemicals, which may also…
One of the Most Important Agencies You’ve Never Heard of Is Being Taken Over by TrumpOne of the Most Important Agencies You’ve Never Heard of Is Being Taken Over by Trump Fossil fuel advocate Bernard McNamee is the Trump administration's pick to fill a critical seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Bernard McNamee is the Trump administration's pick to fill an open seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Photo Courtesy of Sen. Martin Heinrich Most Americans probably don’t know that an independent — and up to now nonpartisan — government agency has played a key role in our nation’s transition to cleaner energy technologies. Under the radar and hidden beneath a layer of…
Welcome From Our New President, Abigail DillenWelcome From Our New President, Abigail Dillen We’ve been filing lawsuits at a breakneck pace, and now the reckoning has begun. Abigail Dillen, President of Earthjustice. Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice I am privileged and excited to serve as the new president of Earthjustice. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Trip Van Noppen, who grew and guided this organization for more than a decade, and I am eager to carry forward our shared vision. When I came to our Northern Rockies office as a summer law clerk in 1999, I was 26 years old. New friends took…
Hurricane Florence Brings Another Hog Waste Flood to North CarolinaHurricane Florence Brings Another Hog Waste Flood to North Carolina Mixed in with the hurricane's floodwaters are the contents of huge pits filled with pig poop. This NASA satellite image of North Carolina's coast shows water discolored by excess soils, sediments, decaying leaves, pollution and other debris after Hurricane Florence. Photo Courtesy of Joshua Stevens / NASA Right now, much of North Carolina’s southeastern coastal plain is under water, as the rains brought on by Hurricane Florence cause rivers and streams to swell and overwhelm the surrounding lands. Mixed in with these floodwaters are the contents of scores of huge…
Along With Flooding, Hurricane Florence Unleashes Toxic Coal AshAlong With Flooding, Hurricane Florence Unleashes Toxic Coal Ash The coal industry dumped its toxic waste in the cheapest way possible. Now coal ash pits are leaking and spilling amid flooding from Hurricane Florence. Coal ash spilled by Hurricane Florence coats a turtle in Cape Fear River, North Carolina. (Riverkeepers cleaned and released the turtle.) Pete Harrison / Earthjustice As Hurricane Florence floods the Carolinas, a long-buried coal industry secret is rising to the surface. Across the country, giant pits filled with millions of tons of coal ash — a toxic byproduct of burning coal — are leaking. And in…
Serving as President of Earthjustice Has Been the Greatest Honor of My LifeServing as President of Earthjustice Has Been the Greatest Honor of My Life On Oct. 1, Trip Van Noppen hands leadership of Earthjustice to Abigail Dillen. On the cusp of his retirement, Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen is confident that we’ve built the organization not only for this moment, but also for future progress. Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice After more than a decade as Earthjustice’s president, I am passing the torch to a wonderful new leader. Abbie Dillen, our vice president of litigation for climate and energy, will be the organization’s next president, and I could not be happier with…
Why Hurricane Florence Could Become a Public Health CrisisWhy Hurricane Florence Could Become a Public Health Crisis In the path of the storm are giant pits filled with coal ash, lagoons swirling with hog manure, Superfund sites and industrial facilities stocked with toxic chemicals. These North Carolina coal power plants and coal ash storage pits were flooded during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The flooding potential for Hurricane Florence is even higher and more widespread. Photo Courtesy of Waterkeeper Alliance People in the southeastern U.S. are facing life threatening winds and rains from Hurricane Florence. Less obvious, but also of great concern, is the public health threat posed by…
Court Victory Signals Hope for Communities Threatened by Toxic Coal AshCourt Victory Signals Hope for Communities Threatened by Toxic Coal Ash A recent court victory means that cities like Danville, Illinois, stuck for years with so-called “legacy” coal ash ponds, may now have a way forward. Andrew Rehn looks at toxic coal ash waste seepage on the shore of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune / TNS via Getty Images Danville, Illinois, is a small industrial Midwest city hoping to transform its image from “the cheapest place to live in America” to a popular recreational tourism destination. The centerpiece of that tourism plan is…
It’s Official! California Is Moving Toward Zero-Carbon EnergyIt’s Official! California Is Moving Toward Zero-Carbon Energy California Governor Jerry Brown just signed a bill to reach 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. Earthjustice California Policy Advocate Erica Martinez hands the signing pen to California Governor Jerry Brown during the SB 100 signing ceremony. The law mandates 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. Photo courtesy of State of California Today, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 100, one of the world’s most ambitious clean energy bills into law. The bill sets a 100 percent clean electricity goal for California, proving that it’s possible to power major economies entirely…
New Mexico Solar Installer Joins Fight Against Unfair Fee — and WinsNew Mexico Solar Installer Joins Fight Against Unfair Fee — and Wins The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission canceled a local utility’s solar surcharge. Sunny skies are the norm in southeastern New Mexico. But until recently, an unfair fee by the local utility limited local residents’ ability to embrace solar power. mrossbach / Getty Images Southeastern New Mexico is one of the sunniest places in this country. In fact, it’s so sunny in Chris Dizon’s hometown of Eunice, New Mexico, that a football field’s worth of solar panels could generate enough electricity to power close to 750 homes. Inspired by…
Grizzlies ‘Saved His Life’ and Now He Fights To Save TheirsGrizzlies ‘Saved His Life’ and Now He Fights To Save Theirs Naturalist and author Doug Peacock talks about the government’s decision to delist grizzlies and why now—more than ever—we need to “fight like hell” to save them. Doug Peacock stands on the edge of the Yellowstone River in Emigrant, Montana. Tom Robertson Recently, Earthjustice attorneys presented oral arguments in federal court in Missoula, Mont., in our lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's illegal decision to strip Yellowstone's grizzly bears of endangered species protections. Though the judge has extended a temporary restraining order stopping Wyoming and Idaho’s planned grizzly hunt that was…
