Policy

EPA to Fund Network of Centers to Help Marginalized Communities Access Environmental Justice Money

EPA to Fund Network of Centers to Help Marginalized Communities Access Environmental Justice Money

Days into his presidency, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14008, mandating that 40 percent of federal climate, environment and energy funding go towards disadvantaged communities that have been exposed to more than their fair share of pollution. But how will these communities actually access this money?  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday […]

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    ‘Blood Carbon’: How a Kenyan Carbon Offset Project Harms Indigenous Pastoralists and Does Nothing About Climate Change 

    ‘Blood Carbon’: How a Kenyan Carbon Offset Project Harms Indigenous Pastoralists and Does Nothing About Climate Change 

    For generations, the Indigenous Samburu, Maasai, Borana and Rendille people of northern Kenya have been grazing cattle and other animals, following the rhythm of the rains and rules passed down from community elders.  But in 2013, a conservation organization run by a white, formerly colonial family thought it could do better. It set up a […]

    Montana Judge Cancels Gas Power Plant Permit Over Climate Concern

    Montana Judge Cancels Gas Power Plant Permit Over Climate Concern

    Climate concerns motivated a Montana judge to cancel the air quality permit for a controversial natural gas power plant.  The 175-megawatt NorthWestern Energy plant would have emitted more than 23 million tons of greenhouse gases over its 30-year or more lifespan — the equivalent of adding 167,327 new cars to the roads each year — something […]

    New EPA Car Pollution Standards Could Lead to 67% New EV Sales by 2032

    New EPA Car Pollution Standards Could Lead to 67% New EV Sales by 2032

    In 2022, electric vehicles (EVs) made up just 5.8 percent of new car sales. But that number could jump as high as 67 percent by 2032 if the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) follows through with tough new tailpipe emissions standards.  The new standards, which were shared with The New York Times Saturday by […]

    ‘We Have No Other Home’: Alaska Tribes Sue to Stop Largest Pure Gold Mine

    ‘We Have No Other Home’: Alaska Tribes Sue to Stop Largest Pure Gold Mine

    If the Donlin Gold Mine is built as planned in Southwest Alaska, it would be the largest pure gold mine in the world. It would also lead to the filling of thousands of acres of wetlands, harm salmon and rainbow smelt and risk a catastrophic spill of 20 to 40 percent of the up to 568 million tons of toxic waste that could end up stored behind a 471-foot tailings dam.