EarthJustice
What It’s Like to Be Boxed In By Amazon WarehousesWhat It’s Like to Be Boxed In By Amazon Warehouses As COVID-19 puts online shopping into overdrive, workers and warehouse communities are demanding stronger environmental health protections and increased corporate responsibility. Residents of California's Inland Empire are saying “enough” to the endless tide of warehouse expansions in their community. Photo Illustration by Rob Chambliss / Earthjustice As COVID-19 creates a boom in internet retail, companies like Amazon are going into overdrive. Now, with more urgency than ever, labor organizers and environmental health activists are confronting the wizard behind the curtain of online shopping: the logistics operations that are as problematic…
Enclaustrados En Un Centro de Envío de AmazonEnclaustrados En Un Centro de Envío de Amazon La pandemia COVID-19 acelera las compras online. Pero sin fuertes protecciones de salud ambiental y responsabilidad corporativa, el comercio electrónico tiene un alto costo para la fuerza laboral y comunidades vulnerables. Residentes del Inland Empire de California dicen “basta” a la interminable ola de expansiones de almacenes en su comunidad. Ilustración cortesía de Rob Chambliss/Earthjustice A medida que la pandemia COVID-19 genera un auge en el comercio minorista por internet, empresas como Amazon crecen vertiginosamente. Ahora, con más urgencia que nunca, organizadores laborales y activistas de salud ambiental se enfrentan a otro…
What EPA’s ‘Enforcement Discretion’ During COVID-19 Really MeansWhat EPA’s ‘Enforcement Discretion’ During COVID-19 Really Means VP of Litigation Patrice Simms explains how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used this tool in the past, but never with this breadth. And there is no end date. The U.S. EPA’s flag flies outside the Federal Triangle complex in Washington, D.C. AIDAN WAKELY MULRONEY / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 A story in The Hill newspaper yesterday sent shockwaves through the environmental community. Ominously headlined “EPA suspends enforcement of environmental laws amid coronavirus,” it implied that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was simply closing up shop for an indeterminate period of time —…
Standing Rock Tribe Wins in Court After Years of PerseveranceStanding Rock Tribe Wins in Court After Years of Perseverance A federal judge struck down permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline, even after COVID-19 precautions led to an unconventional day in court. Tribes and allies gathered to defend Standing Rock Sioux territory from the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. After years of litigation, a court struck down the pipeline's water permits on March 25, 2020. Scott Olson / Getty Images For the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, there has never been any question of backing down from the fight to protect their homeland from the Dakota Access Pipeline. Every year since…
Bajo la Sombra Del COVID-19, Algunas Industrias Buscan Permiso Para Seguir ContaminandoBajo la Sombra Del COVID-19, Algunas Industrias Buscan Permiso Para Seguir Contaminando Las industrias contaminantes presionan al gobierno para que flexibilice restricciones y elimine requisitos de monitoreo. Las industrias contaminantes usan la crisis del COVID-19 como excusa para flexibilizar regulaciones que limitan las emisiones de plantas eléctricas. IDPHOTORO / SHUTTERSTOCK ¿CÓMO LAS INDUSTRIAS CONTAMINANTES EXPLOTAN LA CRISIS? A medida que las autoridades luchan por frenar la pandemia del COVID-19, los contaminadores buscan la oportunidad para despojarse de las protecciones que salvaguardan la salud pública y nuestro medio ambiente. El petróleo, el gas, el carbón, la petroquímica y otras industrias contaminantes…
Under the Cover of COVID, Polluters Seek Free Pass to PolluteUnder the Cover of COVID, Polluters Seek Free Pass to Pollute Polluting industries are lobbying the government to loosen restrictions and waive monitoring requirements. Polluting industries are using COVID-19 as an excuse to call for loosening regulations that limit emissions from power plants like this one. IDPHOTORO / SHUTTERSTOCK Update, March 26, 2020: The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new “temporary enforcement discretionary policy” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earthjustice will be watching closely to make sure this move by the Trump administration doesn’t give polluters a free pass. How are polluting industries exploiting the crisis? As governments struggles…
Californians Want to Stop Burning Gas in Their HomesCalifornians Want to Stop Burning Gas in Their Homes In a new poll, 70% of Californians said they prefer efficient electric appliances powered by clean electricity instead of fossil gas. A couple shops for appliances in a home goods store. iStock A couple shops for appliances in a home goods store. iStock After decades of burning gas in our homes, Californians are ready for a change. Most Californians use gas for everyday activities like heating our homes, taking a hot shower, and cooking, and probably don’t think twice about it. We’ve been told by the gas industry and its consultants…
This Stunning Wilderness Victory Is Proof We’re Stronger When We Work TogetherThis Stunning Wilderness Victory Is Proof We’re Stronger When We Work Together A community came together to secure permanent protections for the Methow Valley in Washington state. The Methow Valley in Washington attracts nearly a million visitors a year, and the river that flows through it provides habitat for endangered salmon. Benjamin Drummond Maggie Coon had gone to battle for the Methow Valley before. Back in the 1970s, when a Colorado corporation tried to build a ski resort in the middle of this sparsely populated wonderland of towering peaks and green riverbanks, she and other valley residents galvanized the necessary…
Major Victory for Alaska’s Majestic Trees and for the ClimateMajor Victory for Alaska’s Majestic Trees and for the Climate Protecting trees, particularly old-growth trees in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, is a win for local communities and for the climate. A recent court victory halted a timber sale on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. ANDREA IZZOTTI / GETTY IMAGES On Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska, majestic mega-trees that are key to combatting climate change have been protected from chainsaws after a federal judge rejected a sweeping logging plan that would have spanned a project area of 1.8 million acres in the Tongass National Forest. Containing nearly one-third of the…
For Orcas and Salmon, This Dam Plan Is a DisasterFor Orcas and Salmon, This Dam Plan Is a Disaster Leaders in the Pacific Northwest must step up where federal agencies have failed. The removal of dams on the Snake River could save the Pacific Northwest's dwindling orca population. MILES RITTER / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Federal agencies had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to save wild salmon and the orca whales that depend on them. The agencies had four years to get it right — but when they stepped up to the plate, they whiffed. In early 2016, a judge ordered three federal agencies to revise their operating plans for hydroelectric dams…
In the Heartland, Human Waste Floods HomesIn the Heartland, Human Waste Floods Homes Centreville community members are pushing for solutions to this environmental injustice. Danny Lane, right, gives his friend Walter Byrd a push as Byrd prepares to head down a flooded Centreville street in June 2015. Firefighters evacuated residents earlier in the day. Robert Cohen / Post Dispatch / Polaris The last time Walter Byrd drank his tap water, he suffered a heart attack. “At the hospital, my doctor warned me never to drink the water again. I haven’t drank it in 10 years,” he says. While the timing of Byrd’s heart attack may have…
Ella Creció en el Amazonas. Ahora Lucha por Su SupervivenciaElla Creció en el Amazonas. Ahora Lucha por Su Supervivencia La política brasileña Marina Silva habló con Earthjustice sobre la importancia de abordar el cambio climático a raíz de los incendios en el Amazonas. Marina Silva TALITA OLIVEIRA / CC BY 2.0 Casi a lo largo de 2019, más de 17 millones de acres de bosques selváticos en el Amazonas fueron reducidos a cenizas. Mientras el planeta veía con estupor el peligro que enfrentaba el denominado “pulmón del mundo”, la ex candidata presidencial y ambientalista brasileña Marina Silva ha llevado su voz de protesta a eventos internacionales para señalar la…
She Grew up in the Amazon, and Now She’s Fighting For Its LifeShe Grew up in the Amazon, and Now She’s Fighting For Its Life Brazilian politician Marina Silva sat down with Earthjustice to talk about the importance of addressing climate change in the wake of the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires. Brazilian politician Marina Silva has called for her country to move rapidly toward clean energy.Talita Oliveira / CC BY 2.0 Last year’s fires in the Amazon reduced over 17 million acres of the rainforest to ashes. As the so-called "lungs of the world" burned, former Brazilian presidential hopeful and environmental activist Marina Silva emerged as the main dissenting voice of her country’s…
In the Fight to Clean up Coal Ash, These States Are Making ProgressIn the Fight to Clean up Coal Ash, These States Are Making Progress Our partners are working to enact coal ash cleanup legislation across the nation. Here are some locations where they've succeeded. Andrew Rehn of Prairie Rivers Network looks at toxic coal ash waste seepage on the shore of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River in Illinois. ZBIGNIEW BZDAK / CHICAGO TRIBUNE / TNS VIA GETTY IMAGES When coal is burned to produce electricity, a toxic waste known as coal ash is left behind. Filled with chemicals such as arsenic, radium, and other carcinogens, coal ash poisons our…
Tired of Backyard Sewage, Communities Demand Basic Sanitation RightsTired of Backyard Sewage, Communities Demand Basic Sanitation Rights Over 1 million people in the U.S. lack basic sanitation. One rural community is fighting for this human right. Catherine Coleman Flowers stands over a pool of raw sewage outside a home in White Hall, Alabama. For over a decade Flowers has worked as an advocate in the Black Belt, where improper sewage treatment has put the population at risk of infectious diseases. Bob Miller / Redux When Catherine Flowers arrived at the home of a pregnant woman in Lowndes County, Alabama, Flowers immediately noticed the pool of raw sewage festering…
Keeping Florida Panthers Off the Road to ExtinctionKeeping Florida Panthers Off the Road to Extinction Earthjustice has filed a federal lawsuit to target the big cats’ leading cause of death – getting hit by vehicles. A collared panther known as FP 110 and her kitten. Image Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Here’s proof that human intervention can make the difference for imperiled species: In 1995, only about 30 Florida panthers existed on Earth. After a concerted effort to bolster the breeding population, an estimated 120 to 230 cats roam South Florida today. This population is vulnerable, and that’s why we are continuing to fight…
How We’re Fighting to Give the Everglades a Fighting ChanceHow We’re Fighting to Give the Everglades a Fighting Chance We’ve been fighting for decades to restore the Everglades to nature. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Florida must follow through on a legal agreement it made to clean up the national park. Egrets are one of 400 bird species that call the Everglades home. Chris Johns / National Geographic The story of the Everglades is one of humankind’s audacious attempts to control nature — and Earthjustice’s fight to restore what poet Campbell McGrath calls the “kingdom of otter, kingfisher, alligator, heron.” It began in the late 1800s, when…
Las Aguas de La Florida Se Levantan, Pero Su Gente TambiénLas Aguas de La Florida Se Levantan, Pero Su Gente También Residentes y líderes comunitarios unen esfuerzos en torno a estrategias de resiliencia climática Residentes de Fort Myers, Florida, atraviesan un vecindario inundado después del paso del Huracán Irma en 2017. SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES En 2017, la tormenta más poderosa que se haya formado jamás en el Atlántico azotó la Florida. Crystal Johnson, quien ha vivido en la Florida desde hace tiempo, recuerda cómo los automóviles obstruían todas las autopistas que salían del estado cuando las personas huían a hoteles superpoblados en Alabama o Georgia. En las inmediaciones…
What the Trump Administration Is Doing to Your WaterWhat the Trump Administration Is Doing to Your Water The administration is attempting to undo the landmark 1972 Clean Water Act. Read on to learn why you should be concerned. Waste floats on the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona, in 1972. Congress passed the Clean Water Act that year, establishing federal protection for all waters in the U.S. Charles O'Rear / National Archives Latest News: On Jan. 23, 2020, President Trump unveiled his administration’s Dirty Water Rule. In one fell swoop, the administration plans to declare that a significant proportion of the streams, lakes, bays, lagoons, wetlands, headwaters, and more across…
Encontrando Nuestro PoderEncontrando Nuestro Poder Nuestra nueva serie de narración de historias, LIT: Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Justice, busca elevar las historias de personas que luchan por un futuro justo y un clima habitable, e inspirar a otros a hacer lo mismo. Linda Garcia Goldman Environmental Prize Read this page in English. La activista comunitaria Linda García sabe lo que es arriesgar su vida para proteger a su comunidad. Hace varios años, García comenzó a recibir amenazas de muerte casi a diario, después de denunciar el plan de una compañía petrolera para construir el mayor proyecto de crudo por ferrocarril…
Finding Our PowerFinding Our Power Our new storytelling series, LIT: Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Justice, seeks to elevate the stories of people pushing for a just future and livable climate — and inspire others to do the same. Linda Garcia organized with community members, environmental activists, and union leaders to prevent a massive oil export terminal from being built in her hometown of Vancouver, Washington. Goldman Environmental Prize Leer en español. Community activist Linda Garcia knows what it’s like to put her life on the line to protect her community. Several years ago, Garcia began getting death threats almost daily…
Florida’s Waters Are Rising, But So Are Its PeopleFlorida’s Waters Are Rising, But So Are Its People Residents and city leaders rally around climate resilience strategies, in the absence of federal leadership. Residents of Fort Myers, Florida, wade through a flooded neighborhood after Hurricane Irma in 2017. Spencer Platt / Getty Images In 2017, the most powerful Atlantic storm in history hit Florida. Longtime Florida resident Crystal Johnson remembers how cars clogged every highway leading out of the state as people fled to overcrowded hotels in Alabama or Georgia. Outside Johnson’s apartment, Hurricane Irma unleashed 110-mile-per-hour winds that tossed garbage cans and smashed windows. By the time the…
EPA Sits on the Scales of Justice for Polluters With New Environmental Appeals Board ProposalEPA Sits on the Scales of Justice for Polluters With New Environmental Appeals Board Proposal VP of Litigation Patrice Simms explains how the Trump administration is trying to institutionalize lawlessness and corporate cronyism in its most cynical form. The U.S. EPA’s flag flies outside the Federal Triangle complex in Washington, D.C. AIDAN WAKELY MULRONEY / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The Environmental Appeals Board (“EAB”) serves as the “final decision maker on administrative appeals under all major environmental statutes that EPA administers.” And the success of the Environmental Protection Agency’s core mission depends, in part, on the accessibility, independence, and impartiality of…
Australia Is on Fire and Its Government Is Blowing SmokeAustralia Is on Fire and Its Government Is Blowing Smoke Attorney Noni Austin explains how the Australian prime minister says the country is doing its fair share to combat the climate crisis — but Australia is now the world’s No. 1 exporter of both coal and gas. A volunteer feeds a baby koala injured in Australia's catastrophic fires in January 2020. Lisa Maree Williams / Getty At least 25 people dead, 20 million acres burned, and a billion native animals killed. These are the devastating impacts of wildfires in Australia early in the southern hemisphere summer. Australians are focused on…
En Memoria de David SternEn Memoria de David Stern Durante 35 años, David aportó su talento y su enorme corazón para apoyar a Earthjustice David Stern, durante una conferencia de prensa en 2013. La pérdida de David deja un enorme vacío en nuestra comunidad y en el mundo. BEBETO MATTHEWS / AP El mundo ha perdido un ser humano increíble y Earthjustice ha perdido un defensor incomparable en David Stern. Durante 35 años, David aportó su talento y su enorme corazón para apoyarnos. David usó toda su disposición para ayudarnos a ser la mejor organización posible y prevalecer en peleas difíciles durante momentos cruciales.…
In Memory: David SternIn Memory: David Stern For 35 years, David brought his tough-minded talent and enormous heart to bear in supporting Earthjustice. David Stern, during a news conference in 2013. David’s loss leaves an enormous hole in our community and in the world. Bebeto Matthews / AP The world has lost an amazing human being, and Earthjustice has lost an incomparable champion in David Stern. For 35 years, David brought his tough-minded talent and enormous heart to bear in supporting Earthjustice. David used all the tools at his disposal to help us be our best and prevail in tough fights at pivotal…
