Environmental Justice

The Community We’ve Long Ignored

Veteran environmental justice reporter Yessenia Funes this week launches “Voices of Environmental Justice,” her new SEJournal column. Each quarterly commentary will focus on spotlighting the perspectives of affected communities that environmental and climate journalists often ignore. For her inaugural entry, with Pride month nearing its end, a look at how climate change and environmental pollution exacerbate the already elevated health risks of LGBTQIA+ people.

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EPA Hearing: "Can Louisiana Properly Regulate Carbon Capture Wells?

"Louisiana’s ability to regulate carbon capture injection wells went before the court of public opinion Wednesday as proponents and critics of the burgeoning industry sparred at the first day of a three-day public comment marathon on the state’s bid to wrest control of the wells from the federal government."

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 06/23/2023

"Supreme Court Rejects Navajo Nation’s Water Rights Trust Claim"

"The U.S. Supreme Court said the United States is not required “to take affirmative steps to secure water for the Tribe” because that provision is not explicitly stated in the Navajo Treaty of 1868, according to its ruling in a 5-4 vote in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, released Thursday."

Source: ICT, 06/23/2023

In ‘Cancer Alley,’ Carbon Capture Push Draws Fire From Environmentalists

"EPA proposes handing regulation of carbon storage to state officials in Louisiana. Activists fear the risks, and the chance it could perpetuate the fossil fuel industry."

Source: Washington Post, 06/22/2023

Tribal Voices Left Out of Key Nuclear Cleanup on Ancestral Land

"Three federally recognized tribes have devoted decades to restoring the condition of their ancestral lands in southeastern Washington state to what they were before those lands became the most radioactively contaminated site in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation."

Source: AP, 06/22/2023

Judge Orders Stretch Of Pipeline That Crosses Tribal Land To Shut Down

"A federal judge has ordered a Canadian oil firm to shut down a section of its pipeline in Wisconsin that crosses tribal land, a partial victory for indigenous groups that have long opposed the project."

Source: The Hill, 06/21/2023

Tribal Activists Oppose Nevada Mine Key to Biden's Clean Energy Agenda

"Just 45 miles from the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation where Daranda Hinkey and her family corral horses and cows, a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan is taking shape: construction of one of the largest lithium mines in the world."

Source: AP, 06/21/2023

Christian Cooper, Black Birder Falsely Accused In Central Park, Gets TV Show

"The name of National Geographic's new host for a show about birds may ring a bell: Christian Cooper, a Black man who was flung into the spotlight when a white woman called the police with false accusations against him, will now take viewers “into the wild, wonderful and unpredictable world of birds."

Source: USA TODAY, 06/20/2023

"Tribes Seek Greater Involvement In Talks On Colorado River Water Crisis"

"As the federal government starts negotiations on long-term plans for the overtapped Colorado River, leaders of tribes are pushing for more involvement in the talks, saying they want to be at the table in high-level discussions among the seven states that rely on the river."

Source: LA Times, 06/20/2023

Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas

After a massive fire at a Texas petrochemical storage facility, reporters from Public Health Watch and The Texas Tribune worked together to shed light on who was responsible for this disaster and what health threats had been hidden from the public. This behind-the-scenes report from Public Health Watch’s David Leffler and Savanna Strott looks at the challenges the team faced and how they overcame them.

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