Environmental Justice / Public News Service

A recent Ohio River Valley Initiative report says the Shell petrochemical plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has failed to deliver the promised economic benefits since its announcement more than a decade ago. (Dawid/Adobe Stock)

Friday, March 14, 2025

PA faith leader part of TX protest of oil, gas subsidies

A Buddhist minister from Pennsylvania joined 40 religious leaders in Texas this week to demand an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of oil an…

In 2023, human-caused fires accounted for 71% of all fires across the state, on all land jurisdictions, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, March 14, 2025

AZ groups file lawsuits to limit effects of Elon Musk's DOGE

The Sierra Club and other partners are suing Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency over the mass firing of federal workers across mult…

Expanded oil and gas subsidies, included in current versions of upcoming federal tax legislation, would support a massive expansion of LNG projects to more than double national export capacity by 2030. (Jeeraphun/Adobe Stock)

Friday, March 14, 2025

Religious leaders gather in TX to fight oil and gas subsidies

Forty religious leaders from different denominations gathered in Texas this week to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of related …

From data centers to clean-energy projects to factory farms, rural communities are being asked to shoulder a number of key projects factoring into how society functions, potentially leading to a major dynamic shift in how local residents organize their response. (Adobe Stock)

Power of rural organizing reflected in SD carbon pipeline law

The future of a big carbon capture project in the Midwest was thrown off balance after a new South Dakota law was adopted. Rural property owners made …

Polluted, acidic water leaving KD #1 Surface Mine on Lens Creek near Marmet. (Kanawha Forest Coalition)

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

WV officials expected to let coal company evade water-pollution cleanup

Watchdog groups said the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection seems poised to allow coal company Keystone West Virginia to walk away f…

As of January, the Aldo Leopold House became the first cabin rental on National Forest land in New Mexico. (fsusda.gov)

NM conservationists celebrate Aldo Leopold amid cuts to Forest Service

Amid U.S. Forest Service firings and layoffs by the Trump administration, conservationists are honoring a former employee this week considered by …

The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill to require all Texas prisons to have air conditioning by 2029 but the prison system only has to comply if the state provides the funding. (pict rider/Adobe Stock)

Faith leaders call out inhumane heat conditions in TX prisons

Only 30% of prisons in Texas have central air conditioning and faith leaders and advocates for those incarcerated are raising concerns about inhumane …

There are currently 23 oil and gas facilities in federal waters off the coast of California, including one near Santa Barbara. (Oceana)

Conservation groups sue feds to protect coast from offshore drilling

A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Trump administration to reinstate protections against new offshore drilling. President Donald Trump …

According to the 2025 Conservation in the West Poll, 86% of Montanans prefer decisions about public lands, water and wildlife be made by career professionals including rangers, scientists and firefighters, rather than officials appointed from other industries. (U.S. Forest Service)

Poll: 2 of 3 Republicans oppose funding cuts to federal land management

In its 15th annual year of polling on Conservation in the West, the State of the Rockies Project this year has found support for conservation by some …

Pollsters found 85% of Utahns prefer decisions about public lands, water and wildlife be made by career professionals such as rangers, scientists and firefighters rather than newly appointed officials who come from other industries. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: Utahns value their public lands, want continued protections

As President Donald Trump starts dismantling agencies managing and protecting public lands, a new poll indicates it is unpopular in states across the …

The advocacy group Power a Clean Future Ohio said it is dedicated to ensuring every community has clean air, clean energy and clean transportation, no matter your ZIP Code or the color of your skin. (Sherman Cahal/Adobe Stock)

Ohio communities at risk amid EPA's program cuts

The Trump administration has begun dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency's office working to reducing environmental harms in minority and lo…

Diesel exhaust represents about 80-percent of the potential cancer risk from all air toxics in the Puget Sound area. (Natalia Bratslavsky/Adobe Stock)

Shore power bill would improve WA air quality, cut emissions

New legislation would transition more ocean-going container ships to run off electricity instead of diesel while they are docked at Washington ports…

As a federal cost-cutting measure, approximately 1,000 National Park Service employees have been fired by the Trump administration. (nps.gov)

Conservationists claim 'Save Our Forests Act' could worsen climate change

Environmentalists said a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives meant to curtail forest fires in New Mexico and elsewhere will do no such …

Sun Bear Industries coordinates and manages renewable energy projects, connecting tribal governments with contractors specializing in renewable energy. (Adobe Stock)

WI tribal nations working toward energy autonomy

By Robert Chappell for Madison 365.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Madison 365-Public News Ser…

The Trump administration has halted all pending environmental litigation in the U.S. Department of Justice. (Pixabay)

Closure of EPA branch predicted to affect MS environment

The Trump administration has begun to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency's office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority and…

A 2017 Technology Risk Assessment by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives found the potential returns on waste gasification are smaller and more uncertain, than the risks of gasification and pyrolysis. Vicky Abou-Ghalioum of the Buckeye Environmental Network identified explosion risks of pyrolysis. (Yellow Boat/Adobe Stock)

Pushback grows as Ohio EPA approves controversial plastic incineration plant

Ohio residents gathered in Youngstown late last week to protest the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's decision to grant an operational permit to …

New Mexico's Aztec Ruins National Monument, established in 1923, consists of preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians. (nps.gov)

NM's national monuments face new development threats from Trump

Areas surrounding New Mexico's Aztec Ruins National Monument, and other monuments, are at risk of losing federal protections from the "Unleashing …

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection defines environmental justice as

Cuts to EPA's environmental justice work put Maine communities at risk

The Trump administration has begun dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency's office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority and …

The Trump administration has halted all pending environmental litigation and reassigned four career Justice Department attorneys specializing in environmental issues. (Pixabay/sergeitokmakov)

Climate advocate: EPA closure harms Florida’s environment

The Trump administration has begun dismantling the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights, which focuses on reducing environmental …

The administration has begun work to break up the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division. (Adobe Stock)

Advocate warns Trump’s EPA cuts will hurt communities, including in MI

The Trump administration is dismantling the EPA's environmental justice office, threatening pollution protections and climate funding for some …

The Trump administration has paused all environmental litigation in the Justice Department. (Adobe Stock)

Climate advocate: Closure of EPA branch harms VA environment

The Trump administration has begun to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency's office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority and…

Climate advocate: Trump EPA office closure harms environment

The Trump administration has started dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency's office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority an…

The Lower Umatilla Groundwater Management Area was designated in 1990, after nitrate contamination was identified in northern Umatilla and Morrow counties. (Miljan �ivković/Adobe Stock)

Report: Nitrate levels continue to rise in eastern OR groundwater

A new study by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found nitrate levels have continued to rise across the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater …

In 2023, the Biden-Harris administration invested $5.3 million in environmental justice related projects benefiting communities throughout Pennsylvania. (kardaska/Adobe Stock)

PA pollution, flooding concerns rise as Trump ends 'Justice40' initiative

Black communities affected by industrial pollution in South Philadelphia are among those watching a Trump administration rollback of health protection…

Panelists at the 9th annual NC BREATHE Conference explored issues like hazardous environmental toxins and the climate crisis. (CleanAIRE NC)

Report explores environmental health issues, solutions in NC

A new report highlights steps North Carolina can take as it faces pressing environmental health issues. The report lays out conclusions from the 9th …

A Dow Chemical plant, one of 200 such facilities, sits on the banks of the Mississippi River in what is called

LA community group wins suit against parish for open meeting violations

A judge has ruled that elected officials in St. James Parish broke Louisiana's open meetings law by conferring secretly with a Chinese company …

The hottest year on record was 2024, as average global temperatures continue to rise due to the use of fossil fuels. (Adobe Stock)

Worker's coalition aims to address climate emergency, economic inequality

As President Donald Trump abandons a promise the U.S. made in Paris nearly a decade ago, organized workers across Colorado are joining forces to …

Enbridge's Line 5 can transport 540,000 barrels per day of petroleum liquids. (Dean Pennala/Adobe Stock)

New report: Enbridge’s Line 5 plan costly, flawed

ADDITION: Comments by Enbridge, received after deadline, have been added. (10:10 a.m. MST, Jan. 22, 2025) A new report says Enbridge's plan to build …

The state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act aims to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, and 100% transition from fossil fuels by 2050. (Adobe Stock)

How IL's grid plans will focus on underserved communities

Illinois plans to spend $1.5 billion through 2027 in significant grid investments to help meet the state's ambitious clean-energy goals, with nearly …

State lawmakers passed North Carolina's Carbon Plan to reduce emissions in 2021. (Mathew/Adobe Stock)

In face of federal rollbacks, NC environmental efforts continue

President-elect Donald Trump retakes office in less than a week and promises to roll back efforts to combat climate change. But state-level efforts …

President Joe Biden's budget would reduce the deficit by $3 trillion over the next decade, stabilizing debt relative to the economy. Deficit reduction grows over time, and is expected to exceed $500 billion in 2034. (Tangtong/Adobe Stock)

Another Trump nominee under the microscope in PA

An environmental group is voicing concerns about the current nominee to lead the federal Office of Management and Budget. President-elect Donald …

More than 420,000 Marylanders are members of the state's retirement and pension system. (Adobe Stock)

How to approach MD climate risks when saving for retirement

For workers or pension systems trying to keep support for the fossil-fuel industry to a minimum, one expert has some suggestions. Just last month…

Despite the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act's minimum benefits for disadvantaged communities, there is insufficient integration of this and other justice mandates of the law into energy transmission plans. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NYS grid transmission process must be more equitable

A new report found New York State needs a more equitable grid transmission process. The Energy Justice Law and Poverty Center report noted …

A strong majority of Arizonans believe groundwater is essential for communities, farming, industry and way of life and support more protections to secure long-term water supplies in the state, according to the Center for the Future of Arizona. (Adobe Stock)

AZ environmental advocates say water regulation is their top priority in 2025

Arizona environmental advocates and organizers have laid out their 2025 priorities for Gov. Katie Hobbs and the state legislature, which is set to …

U.S. Steel has had a presence in the Mon Valley since 1901 and currently employs about 4,000 workers.<br />(Jeffrey Bowser/Adobe)

Blocked sale of U.S. Steel does not allay fears of effects on workers, health, community

A Pennsylvania environmental justice group is voicing concerns about the blocked sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, citing its effect on the …

New York's Climate Change Superfund Act could collect as much as $75 billion over 25 years for climate change impacts from those who are most responsible for it: big oil and gas companies. (Adobe Stock)

NY's Climate Change Superfund Act takes effect

A law signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul takes effect this week to penalize polluters for emissions. The Climate Change Superfund Act puts a fine …

Conservation advocates picked up a dozen seats in the Montana Legislature in the November election, according to Montana Conservation Voters. They remain concerned, however, over losing support at the federal level. (Adobe Stock)

Taking stock of Montana's outlook on conservation progress

With the Montana Legislature scheduled to gavel in next week, conservation leaders are looking ahead at ways to protect the state's public lands…

More cities are looking into establishing a renter's right to cooling equipment, as climate change drives record-breaking temperatures across the world. (Krakenimages.com/Adobe Stock)

Following the TX model: Cities craft plans to protect tenants from extreme heat

By Ysabelle Kempe for Smart Cities Dive.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

The work of GreenLatinos Texas, centers around empowering frontline environmental justice and conservation advocates. Members are actively engaging with local communities to understand their campaign goals and identify areas where support is needed. (Photo courtesy of Green Latinos)

TX group works to give Latinos seat at table in fight against methane

Members of the environmental nonprofit GreenLatinos are involved in a push to get more Latinos across Texas involved in the fight against methane gas…

Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline is currently routed as close as 11 feet to a riverbank caused by flooding and erosion. (Bad River: A Story of Defiance)

Documentary brings WI tribe's pipeline resistance to national stage

By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Servic…

California state energy goals include reaching 100% clean energy by 2045. (Anchalee/Adobe Stock)

Environmental groups call for LA County power plant closure

Environmental groups are calling for the immediate closure of Los Angeles County's Walnut Creek Energy Park, because of potentially dangerous levels …

More than 54% of new clean-energy jobs and 60% of projects in Georgia are located in low-income<br />communities. (Adobe Stock)

Georgia’s clean energy boom sparks workforce growth, housing challenges

By Sarah Melotte and Elizabeth Miller for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for Georgia News Connection for the Public News Servic…

The Environmental Protection Agency has set and implemented emissions standards to control pollution from everything from cars, heavy-duty trucks and buses, and construction and farm equipment, since 1970. (Adobe Stock/AI generated Image)

Poll: Most voters want a robust EPA, more pollution controls

Nationwide, 76% of Trump voters and 86% of all voters oppose attempts to weaken the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new poll …

The EPA's Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program focuses on environmental justice issues in disadvantaged communities. The money has been hailed by advocates as one of the most important federal investments ever made in closing the nation's long-standing socioeconomic and racial gaps. But changes in leadership in the White House threaten these funds. (Freepik)

Concerns mount about future of federal environmental justice grants

By Kristoffer Tigue, Dennis Pillion, Dylan Baddour and Marianne Lavelle for Inside Climate News.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News …

In a report on the lobbying transparency laws of each state, Colorado was the only state to receive an 'A' grade. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Maryland fossil fuel lobbyists fail to disclose activities

A new report says fossil-fuel lobbyists in two states with strong transparency and disclosure laws are not making full disclosures - including in Mary…

The Massachusetts climate law creates a new Office of Environmental Justice and Equity to help communities play an active role in the accelerated siting and permitting process for clean energy projects, and provides funds to help those communities with legal representation. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Unions: Green jobs are good paying jobs under new MA climate law

Labor unions in Massachusetts say the state's new climate law will create good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The law streamlines the …

Snow-dependent Summit County, which boasts four world-class ski resorts, is working to remain economically viable in a warming climate. (Adobe Stock)

Summit County aims to remain economically viable in warming climate

A county high in the Colorado Rockies is working to include its underserved residents in plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the primary driver …

The Kalamazoo oil spill occurred on July 25, 2010, when Enbridge's Line 6B ruptured near Marshall, Michigan, spilling more than 1 million gallons of tar-sands oil into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. (Brandon Schultz/Adobe Stock)

MI students unite to shut down controversial oil pipeline

Oil and Water Don't Mix, a nonprofit group opposing Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline, is leading student efforts across the Upper Great Lakes to advocate …

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