EarthJustice
As Alaska Overheats, Trump Administration Policies Could Make Things WorseAs Alaska Overheats, Trump Administration Policies Could Make Things Worse Anchorage just experienced its hottest two days on record. Smoke obscures the sun along the Chena River in Fairbanks on July 8, 2019. Record high temperatures in Alaska in early July worsened wildfires burning throughout the state. Image Courtesy of NASA News headlines this week warn of a “widespread, oppressive and dangerous” heat wave soon expected to grip much of the continental United States. Meanwhile, Alaska recently experienced its hottest two days on record, with temperatures rising to 90 degrees in Anchorage and even hotter elsewhere in the state. Nine…
How Climate Change Is Fueling Extreme WeatherHow Climate Change Is Fueling Extreme Weather The spike in global temperatures is contributing to climate disasters that will only get worse unless we take action. Emily Scott walks through the ruins of her house burned in the July 2018 Carr Fire in Shasta, CA. Climate change is making wildfires more ferocious. John Locher / AP Across the globe, extreme weather is becoming the new normal. Torrential rains and flooding. Record hurricanes. Destructive wildfires. Deadly heatwaves and drought. From season to season and year to year, weather events that were once rare occurrences are now increasingly commonplace. Human activity is…
Bees and Beekeepers Feel the Sting of Trump Administration’s Anti-Science EffortsBees and Beekeepers Feel the Sting of Trump Administration’s Anti-Science Efforts Bee populations are suffering nationwide, yet regulators continue to approve anti-bee actions. Beekeeper Jeff Anderson says the Trump administration’s anti-bee and anti-science efforts are hurting his business. Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice It’s been a particularly terrible summer for bees. Recently, the U.S. EPA announced it is allowing the bee-killing pesticide sulfoxaflor back on the market. And just a few weeks prior, the USDA announced it is suspending data collection for its annual honeybee survey, which provides critical information to farmers and scientists by tracking honeybee populations across the U.S.…
Fireflies’ Glow Could Soon Be Extinguished by Human ActionsFireflies’ Glow Could Soon Be Extinguished by Human Actions Species’ extinction rates are accelerating on a global scale. We need solutions that match the severity of the problem. A firefly lights up at dusk. Jeremy_Hogan / Getty Images Say goodbye to one of the dreamiest things about childhood. In the Midwest, fireflies are dying off. For many Americans, it’s hard to imagine summer nights without the magical glow of dozens of bioluminescent bodies fluttering above the grasses and fields, and lighting up the dark skies above. But the die-offs aren’t just limited to fireflies — or to the American heartland.…
A Fight for the Right to Breathe Begins in South AfricaA Fight for the Right to Breathe Begins in South Africa South African environmental justice advocates are suing the government to force it to clean up the air in the country’s Mpumalanga Highveld region. Kendal Power Station in South Africa's Mpumalanga Highveld, where the air is heavily polluted by coal-fired power plants. Image Courtesy of James Oatway / CER In the mid-1990s, South Africa’s post-apartheid government overhauled the nation’s constitution. Among the reforms, the country’s leaders adopted a bold, sweeping protection for the land and its people: the right to a healthy environment. Now, as scientists warn that all countries…
Defendiendo Las Tierras Fronterizas del Muro de TrumpDefendiendo Las Tierras Fronterizas del Muro de Trump Clientes de Earthjustice están llevando a la administración Trump a los tribunales para proteger la tierra que los sostiene Ramiro Ramírez visita la tumba de sus padres en el Cementerio Jackson Ranch en Texas. El muro de Trump dificultaría tales visitas. Martin do Nascimento / Earthjustice El muro fronterizo que el presidente Donald Trump quiere expandir, es el megaproyecto menos regulado en la historia moderna de los Estados Unidos. A raíz del 11 de septiembre de 2001, el Congreso le otorgó al Poder Ejecutivo autoridad para hacer a un lado cualquier ley…
Defending the Border Lands From Trump’s WallDefending the Border Lands From Trump’s Wall Earthjustice clients are taking the Trump administration to court to protect the land that sustains them. Ramiro Ramirez visits his parents' graves at Jackson Ranch Cemetery in Texas. Trump's wall would make such visits harder. Martin do Nascimento / Earthjustice President Trump’s border wall expansion is the least regulated mega-project in modern American history. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress gave the executive branch the authority to waive all environmental laws when erecting border barriers. Ever since, contractors building the wall have been able to ignore impacts to critical habitat, migratory…
Estamos Demandando Con el Fin de Prevenir El Próximo Derrame de Crudo Como el de Deepwater HorizonEstamos Demandando Con el Fin de Prevenir El Próximo Derrame de Crudo Como el de Deepwater Horizon Exenciones y restricciones a la Regla del Control de Pozos ponen en riesgo muchas vidas Humo negro y fuego se ve en este incendio controlado en el Golfo de México luego de la explosión en el Deepwater Horizon, el 20 de abril del 2010 MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS JUSTIN STUMBERG / U.S. NAVY El presidente Donald Trump y miembros de su administración que sostienen lazos con la industria de combustibles fósiles están dispuestos a saquear las tierras públicas y las aguas dentro…
We’re Suing to Prevent the Next BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill DisasterWe’re Suing to Prevent the Next BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster Waivers and rollback of Well Control Rule put lives at risk. Dark clouds of smoke and fire rise from a controlled oil fire in the Gulf of Mexico following the April 20, 2010, explosion on the Deepwater Horizon. MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS JUSTIN STUMBERG / U.S. NAVY President Donald Trump and members of his administration who hold deep ties to the fossil fuel industry have set forth to plunder America’s offshore and onshore public lands and waters, even at the cost of endangering human lives. As Politico reporting has…
La Energía Limpia Está Arrasando el País, Estado Por EstadoLa Energía Limpia Está Arrasando el País, Estado Por Estado Maine es el séptimo estado en aprobar un plan de energía limpia al 100 por ciento, desafiando los intentos de la administración Trump por apoyar los combustibles fósiles. El gobernador de Washington Jay Inslee firma un proyecto de ley que establece una meta de energía limpia al 100 por ciento.en ese estado. Actualización del 27 de junio del 2019: Maine se convirtió en el séptimo estado en comprometerse a adoptar una energía limpia al 100 por ciento. Legisladores estatales aprobaron un proyecto de ley que solicita a Maine a generar…
State by State, Clean Energy Is Sweeping the NationState by State, Clean Energy Is Sweeping the Nation Maine is the seventh state to pass a 100% clean energy target, defying the Trump administration’s attempts to prop up fossil fuels. Gov. Jay Inslee signs a bill that establishes a 100% clean energy target for Washington state. Image Courtesy of the Office of the Governor Update, 6/27/19: Maine recently became the seventh state to commit to 100% clean energy. State lawmakers passed a bill that requires Maine to generate all of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. California, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, and Washington have passed similar…
On River’s Banks, Tribe Defends Its Heritage from Mining ThreatsOn River’s Banks, Tribe Defends Its Heritage from Mining Threats The Back Forty Mine will pollute a pristine river and desecrate sacred sites of the Menominee Tribe. Menominee youth gather at the mouth of the Menominee River with Tribal Chairman Douglas Cox and high school teacher Dawn Wilber. Kiliii Yuyan for Earthjustice It’s no accident that the river that divides the places known today as Wisconsin and Michigan bears the same name as the Menominee Tribe. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin lived along the Menominee River for thousands of years, and evidence of their ancestral past – including sacred…
How We Defeated a Corporate Scheme to Sell the Mojave Desert’s WaterHow We Defeated a Corporate Scheme to Sell the Mojave Desert’s Water Earthjustice successfully challenged Cadiz, Inc.’s plans to sell contaminated groundwater from a fragile ecosystem in southern California. Cadiz, Inc., wanted to extract 16 billion gallons of water a year from beneath the Mojave Desert. Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management At Earthjustice, we’re skeptical any time a company announces plans to convert public resources into private profits. Whether it’s natural gas extraction in national parks or logging in a national forest that would displace endangered species, we’re prepared to step in to protect our nation’s natural resources…
Report: Utility’s Negligence to Blame for Los Angeles Methane DisasterReport: Utility’s Negligence to Blame for Los Angeles Methane Disaster A pattern of deception and neglect led SoCalGas to disregard obvious safety measures that could have prevented the largest methane leak in U.S. history. The Aliso Canyon gas and oil field, photographed from Mission Point. PHOTO BY ROY RANDALL/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 For 111 days in 2015 and 2016, more than 100,000 metric tons of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – and other harmful chemicals leaked into the atmosphere from the blowout of well SS-25 at SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon underground gas storage facility in Los Angeles. The blowout forced the…
Judge Sides With New Orleans Residents in Fight Against Dirty Gas PlantJudge Sides With New Orleans Residents in Fight Against Dirty Gas Plant More than a year after Earthjustice filed suit, the people of New Orleans East are finally seeing justice. A protest against the proposed Entergy gas power plant in New Orleans East on March 3, 2018. COURTESY OF A COMMUNITY VOICE LOUISIANA The New Orleans City Council must reconsider a controversial gas-fired power plant proposal, a district court judge ruled on June 14. Judge Piper Griffin determined that the council violated Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law when more than 100 residents were locked out of meetings about the proposal. Represented…
Landmark Coal Ash Bill Signals Hope for Midwest CommunitiesLandmark Coal Ash Bill Signals Hope for Midwest Communities If signed into law, the bill will provide long-awaited protections in Illinois. A coal-fired power plant in southern Illinois. A new state bill would clean up coal ash from power plants like this one. Jim Suhr / AP Summers in the Midwest are great for outdoor activities like growing your garden or cooling off in one of the area’s many lakes and streams. But some waters aren’t as clean as they should be. That’s in part because coal companies have long buried toxic waste known as coal ash near many of…
How ‘Freeway Revolts’ Helped Create the People’s Environmental LawHow ‘Freeway Revolts’ Helped Create the People’s Environmental Law The National Environmental Policy Act is a tool to uplift the people’s environmental voice. It's no wonder that the Trump administration and its allies want to stifle it. Homes in Washington, D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood were condemned to clear room for a highway in the 1960s. The community fought back. Image courtesy of Brig Cabe / D.C. Public Library In the summer of 1969 a banner hung over a set of condemned homes in what was then the predominantly black and brown Brookland neighborhood in Washington, D.C. It read, “White man’s roads…
Embracing a Zero-Emissions Future for the Port of OaklandEmbracing a Zero-Emissions Future for the Port of Oakland New technologies can help create a thriving Port alongside a healthy and vibrant West Oakland. Shipping containers pile high at the Port of Oakland. Image courtesy of Port of Oakland West Oakland is a 6.5-square-mile neighborhood that noses into the San Francisco Bay. Once the home of the Black Panther Party and the author Jack London, its historically vibrant and diverse community continues to center around neighborhood organizations, churches, and schools. But of the various touchpoints that have shaped this community, transportation projects have had outsized influence. A map of West…
¿Por Qué Siguen Muriendo Las Ballenas Grises?¿Por Qué Siguen Muriendo Las Ballenas Grises? Las ballenas grises están encallando a lo largo de la costa oeste de Norteamérica en números alarmantes, comprobando una vez más que los humanos están causando un desastre ecológico. Las olas le dan vuelta a una ballena muerta en Ocean Beach de San Francisco. Docenas de ballenas grises del Pacífico Norte encallaron a lo largo de la costa oeste en el segundo trimestre del año. Al comienzo del segundo trimestre de este año, docenas de ballenas grises del Pacífico Norte comenzaron a encallar a lo largo de la costa oeste de Norteamérica, desde…
Why Do Gray Whales Keep Dying?Why Do Gray Whales Keep Dying? Gray whales are washing up all along the West Coast in disturbing numbers, adding further evidence that humans are causing ecological disaster. Waves roll over a dead whale on San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Dozens of Northern Pacific gray whales washed up along the West Coast this spring. Jeff Chiu / AP Beginning this spring, dozens of Northern Pacific gray whales began washing up all along the West Coast, their charcoal-colored bodies appearing on beaches from Baja California, Mexico, to Washington State. So far, 70 gray whales have washed ashore and scientists say dead, stranded…
Joining Forces to Fight the Climate Crisis and Move Beyond CarbonJoining Forces to Fight the Climate Crisis and Move Beyond Carbon Earthjustice and Beyond Carbon are partnering to spur a transition to 100% clean energy in communities around the country, and the world. Beyond Carbon, launched by Michael Bloomberg, is the largest-ever coordinated campaign against climate change in the United States. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BEYOND CARBON/BLOOMBERG.ORG TEAM Our fight to transition to a zero-emissions, 100 percent clean energy economy received a major boost today when the former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, committed $500 million to move the U.S. beyond carbon. This is the kind of bold…
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…
Judges Agree: They Otter Be FreeJudges Agree: They Otter Be Free Fishing industry groups wanted to revive a harmful program that excluded otters from parts of their coastal habitat—but Earthjustice fought back. Fishing industry groups wanted to revive a harmful program that excluded otters from parts of their coastal habitat—but Earthjustice fought back. Menno Schaefer/Shutterstock California sea otters can keep swimming toward a full recovery. Last fall, the Supreme Court declined to review a decision that boosts the otters’ chances of expanding their population. Fishing industry groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in hopes of reviving an ill-advised program known as the “No…
Brown v. Board of Education and the Fight for Real JusticeBrown v. Board of Education and the Fight for Real Justice The landmark case speaks to why well-funded and insidious interests continue trying to shut the people out of the courtroom. Harold P. Boulware, Thurgood Marshall, and Spottswood W. Robinson III argued against school segregation before the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. Image Courtesy of Library of Congress Last week marked the 65th anniversary of Oliver Brown et. al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, which was a landmark case that shook the foundation of legalized segregation in the South. It is a challenging time to celebrate…
Raising Shasta Dam Would Harm Many to Benefit a FewRaising Shasta Dam Would Harm Many to Benefit a Few The Trump administration is working with Westlands Water District to undermine California’s environmental goals. We’re fighting back. Raising Shasta Dam would flood critical parts of the protected McCloud River. JUNAIDRAO / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 When the federal government erected Shasta Dam back in 1945, the 602-foot dam created the largest water reservoir in California, but at a steep price. The project flooded the surrounding watershed, decimating tribal lands. The dam also blocked the path Chinook salmon followed for centuries to swim from the Pacific Ocean up to the McCloud River…
La EPA Debe Proteger Nuestras Comunidades de la Exposición Al Cianuro de HidrógenoLa EPA Debe Proteger Nuestras Comunidades de la Exposición Al Cianuro de Hidrógeno Todas las comunidades tienen derecho a un aire puro, y compartir una cerca con una refinería no menoscaba este derecho. El abogado de Earthjustice Joel Minor (izquierda) habla con Drew Dutcher, un residente de Denver que tiene que compartir su comunidad con la refinería Suncor. Matt Nager para Earthjustice Earthjustice escribió este blog en colaboración con el Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services y el Colorado Latino Forum. El cianuro de hidrógeno (también conocido como ácido cianhídrico, o HCN) es un contaminante tóxico emitido por las refinerías de…
Cómo Trump Puede Empeorar La Crisis de la ExtinciónCómo Trump Puede Empeorar La Crisis de la Extinción Un millón de especies están en riesgo de desaparecer debido a la actividad humana, de acuerdo con un reporte de la ONU, y aun así la administración propone debilitar las protecciones de especies nativas. La contaminación se posa sobre una garza gris que se encuentra cerca de una central eléctrica. Un reporte de la ONU encontró que más de 500 mil especies terrestres no tienen suficiente hábitat natural para garantizar su supervivencia a largo plazo. ALTA OOSTHUIZEN / GETTY IMAGES A pesar de un alarmante reporte de la ONU que advierte…
EPA Must Protect Communities from Hydrogen Cyanide ExposureEPA Must Protect Communities from Hydrogen Cyanide Exposure All communities have a right to healthy air, and sharing a fenceline with a refinery does not lessen this right. Earthjustice attorney Joel Minor, left, speaks with Drew Dutcher, a Denver resident who must share his community with the Suncor refinery. Matt Nager for Earthjustice Earthjustice co-authored this blog with Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services and the Colorado Latino Forum. Hydrogen cyanide, or HCN, is a toxic air pollutant emitted by petroleum refineries. HCN is a colorless gas that may smell like bitter almonds, old sneakers, or nothing at all. The U.S.…
EPA Worked with Mining Industry to Abandon Rule Protecting Taxpayers from Toxic Cleanup CostsEPA Worked with Mining Industry to Abandon Rule Protecting Taxpayers from Toxic Cleanup Costs Email records reveal industry’s heavy hand in eliminating an EPA rule requiring financial accountability. Toxic waste stains water yellow-orange near abandoned mines in Colorado. supitchamcsdam / Getty The mining industry played a key role in persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to reject a proposed rule that would have protected the public from toxic mining disasters, an Earthjustice review of thousands of agency records and emails has revealed. Under federal Superfund law, the EPA must establish rules requiring industries with a track record of hazardous pollution to…
How Community Solar Empowers All of Us to Participate in the Clean Energy RevolutionHow Community Solar Empowers All of Us to Participate in the Clean Energy Revolution A growing trend aims to give anyone who pays a utility bill access to solar electricity. Pastor Marcus Harris of the Dupont Park Seventh Day Adventist Church speaks at an event to celebrate solar panels being installed on the church. Photo Courtesy of Groundswell Just east of the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, D.C., the Dupont Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church recently began attaching 168 kilowatts worth of solar panels to its sun-dappled roof. The electricity generated by this new solar array will not only power the…
Court Victories Signal Hope for Communities Threatened by Coal AshCourt Victories Signal Hope for Communities Threatened by Coal Ash Recent rulings are welcome news for communities like Danville, Illinois, which are stuck living next to toxic coal ash ponds that threaten their lives and livelihoods. 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, a small industrial Midwest city, wants to transform its image from “the cheapest place to live in America” to a popular recreational tourism destination. The centerpiece of that plan is the Vermilion…
How Trump Could Make the Extinction Crisis Even WorseHow Trump Could Make the Extinction Crisis Even Worse One million species are at risk of extinction due to human activity, UN report says, yet the administration proposes weakening protections for native species. Pollution looms over a grey heron near a power station. A recent UN report found that more than 500,000 land species do not have enough natural habitat left to ensure their long-term survival. Alta Oosthuizen / Getty Images Leer en español Despite an alarming UN report that warns one million plant and animal species face extinction due to human activity, the Trump administration is poised to hasten…
