In 2024, Houston has experienced 116 unauthorized air pollution events, with nearly half related to flaring from industrial facilities. These events, occurring every 2.5 days
A New EPA Plan Offers a Roadmap on Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts
Kristie Ellickson, a Kendall Fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, discusses the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) updated 2023 Equity Action Plan, emphasizing its focus on incorporating equity, civil rights, and environmental justice into all aspects of its work. Ellickson highlights the EPA's commitment to addressing cumulative impacts, defined as the combined exposures to various stressors affecting health, well-being, and quality of life. The article traces the EPA's efforts, starting from the 2022 plan's commitment to developing a comprehensive framework for cumulative impacts to the current 2023 plan's strategies aimed at reducing cumulative environmental and health impacts in communities, particularly those with environmental justice concerns. The EPA's holistic approach, collaborative efforts with federal agencies, and a roadmap for incorporating cumulative impacts into environmental decision-making are emphasized as crucial steps toward achieving environmental justice.
Hurricane Milton struck Florida just two weeks after Hurricane Helene, exacerbating the state's recovery efforts. Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, causing widespread
A new study from Princeton University advocates for coal plant retirement strategies that prioritize climate and environmental equity, rather than just minimizing costs.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a mobile solar microgrid was deployed to assist recovery efforts in Georgia. Managed by the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist
FEMA is grappling with financial and staffing shortages as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, just weeks after Hurricane Helene's devastation. Despite receiving $20 billion
An analysis reveals how Texas’ once-thorough air pollution monitoring team has been significantly weakened since the fracking boom. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has reached an agreement with Alabama's transportation department over claims that a highway expansion caused flooding in the historicall
Hurricane Helene's estimated damage cost has skyrocketed to $225-250 billion, making it one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. The destruction spans from Florida to Tennesse
The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, Maine, received $7.5 million from the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to develop a distributed microgrid. This
A carbon capture monitoring well at Archer-Daniels-Midland’s (ADM) facility in Decatur, Illinois, leaked CO2, but most residents only learned of it through media reports. The EPA
This article explores the ethical dilemmas surrounding "managed retreat," where local governments offer buyouts to residents in climate-vulnerable areas. While some communities
A shelter-in-place order affecting over 90,000 residents near Atlanta, Georgia, was lifted after a weekend chemical fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers. The fire produced a toxic
This article challenges misconceptions about the clean energy transition, arguing that it can spur economic prosperity rather than sacrifice. Ben Jealous highlights the success of
Richmond, California, a predominantly minority, low-income community, fought a 20-year battle for environmental justice, culminating in the creation of a protected public park at
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has updated its MiEJScreen tool, which maps how environmental contamination intersects with health