January 23, 2025
Energy Justice
Energy Justice
Despite federal policy shifts under the Trump administration favoring fossil fuels, community solar remains a growing success in the U.S. The model allows ratepayers to access sol
Q&A: Cancer Alley Is Real, And Louisiana Officials Helped Create It, Researchers Find
Summary
For years, environmental organizations have nicknamed the 130-mile industrial corridor along the lower Mississippi River between here and Baton Rouge "cancer alley," a twisting stretch with more than 200 companies, including oil refineries, plastics manufacturers, chemical plants, and other polluting enterprises. State environmental authorities and business representatives have long challenged the phrase, even though U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mapping indicates the region's population suffer some of the nation's greatest health risks from inhaling harmful chemicals. Public authorities have maintained that the state's cancer registry reveals cancer incidences in industrial corridor parishes do not surpass statewide rates. But two studies published in peer-reviewed publications in the past 13 months support the idea that cancer alley is real and that state environmental officials have helped create it with inequitable air quality laws. A January 2022 Environmental Research Letters study indicated air pollution increased cancer rates in Black and disadvantaged populations. Last month, a second study in Environmental Challenges found that industrial emissions in Louisiana's minority communities are seven to 21 times higher than in white ones, blaming state regulators' permitting methods. The investigations come amid continuing environmental justice fights against new or expanded petrochemical facilities, notably the $9.4 billion Formosa plastics manufacturing complex planned for St. James Parish, which has been stalled by the courts, and the EPA's vow to better monitor pollution in t
January 22, 2025
Economic Justice
Economic Justice
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo clarifying that President Trump’s executive order to pause Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
January 21, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
President Trump issued an executive order halting disbursements from two major Biden-era laws: the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act
President Trump signed executive orders prioritizing fossil fuels while rolling back renewable energy efforts. These orders aim to expand oil and gas production, halt funding for
January 20, 2025
Energy Justice
Energy Justice
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed executive orders reversing key climate policies from the Biden administration. He declared a “national energy emergency,”
January 18, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
A report by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) warns that the global economy could lose 50% of its GDP between 2070 and 2090 due to climate shocks like fires, flooding,
January 17, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
Los Angeles wildfires have ravaged 40,000 acres and destroyed 12,000 structures since January 7, exposing residents to uniquely hazardous smoke. Unlike typical wildfires, these
January 17, 2025
Energy Justice
Energy Justice
California's electric truck depots are increasingly adopting microgrids powered by solar, batteries, and gas generators to address utility grid delays. Prologis’ Denker Avenue
A study in *Environmental Science & Technology* shows prioritizing the closure of coal-fired power plants in environmental justice communities could prevent up to 136 premature
January 17, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
Residents of Shiloh, Alabama, a majority-Black community, are seeking federal accountability for years of severe flooding linked to a highway expansion by the Alabama Department
January 17, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
The American Conservation Coalition (ACC), a conservative climate organization, aims to influence Donald Trump’s second term with an "America-first climate strategy" focused on
January 15, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
President Biden’s American Climate Corps, aimed at creating green jobs to combat climate change, is shutting down ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Launched in 2023 with a
January 15, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for a second term, state-level climate initiatives are poised to counteract federal rollbacks. States like California, bolstered by the U.
January 14, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
The Center for Microgrid Research at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, not to be confused with the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, is expanding its efforts to
January 10, 2025
Climate Change
Climate Change
New York City has implemented congestion pricing, making it the first U.S. city to adopt this policy, which charges vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street. The plan aims to