Back

Director's Picks

Power Outages Leave Poor Communities in the Dark Longer: Evidence from 15M Outages Raises Questions About Recovery Times

Summary

This article on The Conversation discusses how severe storms disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged communities during power outages. The analysis, based on data from over 15 million consumers in 588 U.S. counties affected by hurricanes between January 2017 and October 2020, reveals that communities with lower socioeconomic status experience 6.1% longer power outages on average. This disparity is attributed to power restoration policies that prioritize critical infrastructure and larger customers, leaving vulnerable communities waiting longer for electricity. The article suggests policy and infrastructure improvements to address the biased impact on recovery times, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and proactive approaches to ensure equitable power restoration.

discover more

February 7, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

Seattle advocacy groups are promoting social housing as both an affordable housing solution and a climate strategy.

February 6, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

Texas oil and gas companies are pushing for the state to gain regulatory authority—known as primacy—over carbon capture projects, which involve injecting carbon dioxide...

February 6, 2025
Human Health
Human Health

A Trump administration executive order freezing all foreign aid has led to the abrupt shutdown of U.S.A.I.D.-funded clinical trials worldwide, leaving thousands of participants...

February 6, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

The Trump administration has placed 168 Environmental Protection Agency employees on administrative leave, a move widely seen as the first step in shutting down the agency’s...

February 6, 2025
Economic Justice
Economic Justice

Community leaders in historically Black and brown neighborhoods of Houston are calling for greater government attention to long-standing issues such as infrastructure neglect...

February 5, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

The Trump administration has swiftly removed key environmental justice and climate data from government websites, including the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool...

February 5, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

Exxon has applied for tax subsidies to build an $8.6 billion plastics plant in Point Comfort, Texas, raising concerns among environmentalists and local residents.

February 5, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

The Environmental Protection Agency has partially lifted a spending freeze that had halted funding for environmental programs under the bipartisan infrastructure law...

February 5, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change

Experts from government, academia, and activism gathered in Philadelphia to discuss climate disaster preparedness as the Trump administration considers cutting FEMA funding.

February 4, 2025
Economic Justice
Economic Justice

The Trump administration has removed the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), a key resource used to identify disadvantaged communities for environmental justice..

January 31, 2025
Education
Education

Despite Donald Trump’s push to expand offshore drilling, oil companies are unlikely to act on new leases in the Gulf of Mexico due to an already over saturated market.

January 30, 2025
Food & Water Justice
Food & Water Justice

The EPA is reassessing the health risks of nitrates in drinking water, with growing concerns that exposure could increase cancer risk.

January 29, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

President Trump’s temporary freeze on federal grants and loans created widespread uncertainty for environmental and climate programs before being rescinded.

January 29, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

A coalition of U.S. power companies is urging the Trump administration to weaken coal ash regulations, arguing that cleanup requirements are overly burdensome.

January 29, 2025
Education
Education

Black farmers in Nicodemus, Kansas, have practiced sustainable agriculture for generations, using climate-smart methods long before they became widely recognized.