• Politics

Minority Communities Raise Their Voices Against Trump’s Environmental Rule Rollbacks

• clean air
• clean water
• conservation
• environment
• Environmental Justice
• minorities
• parks
• pollution
• science

The rallying cry “I Can’t Breathe” that has been heard and seen at protests across the country was invoked by environmental justice advocates on Tuesday in Congress because it also applies to the harmful impact of pollution being experienced by these communities, and it is especially acute in minority communities also seeing disproportionate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why This Matters:  Under the guise of “helping” communities after the COVID crisis, the administration is making things even worse for so many Americans that are already struggling under the burden of discriminatory pollution and its cascading harms to their health and well-being.

• Water

EPA Rule Unjustly Trumps State Clean Water Act Authority To Protect Rivers and Drinking Water

• clean water
• Clean Water Act
• drinking water
• Environmental Justice
• fossil fuel companies
• PFAS
• pipelines
• toxic chemicals

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday issued another rule dealing a blow to 40 years of settled law on the authority of states and tribes under the Clean Water Act to block fossil fuel projects such as natural gas pipelines and coal terminals that could pollute state waterways.

Why This Matters:  The EPA is turning the Clean Water Act on its head and undercutting states and tribes that are protecting the clean water and the health of their citizens.

• Water

Frontline Communities Lacking Clean Water Can’t Fight Coronavirus Effectively

• clean water
• conservation
• COVID-19
• environment
• pollution
• safe drinking water
• science
• stimulus
• water shortages

Shocking as it may be, there are 2 million Americans living in such poverty that they lack running water, and tens of millions of others may have water in their homes but it is hardly safe to bathe in, much less drink, The Washington Post reports.  These extreme conditions are exacerbating the spread of COVID-19 in minority communities in the deep south and Navajo Country. 

Why This Matters:  With some states reopening despite Dr. Anthony Fauci’s warning today that we are not yet ready, we are all only as safe from the virus as the most vulnerable among us.

• Green Finance

Will The Next Stimulus Law Provide a Lifeline for Frontline Communities?

• clean water
• conservation
• COVID-19
• environment
• Green New Deal
• safe drinking water
• stimulus

The Senate Democrats’ Environmental Justice Caucus laid out in a letter on Monday their vision for the next round of economic stimulus funding and the benefits in their proposal are intended to address the inequities of the virus’ impacts on the poor and minorities. 

Why This Matters:  These 16 Democrats are speaking up on behalf of members of low income, rural and communities of color (known as an environmental justice or frontline communities) who are especially vulnerable to the virus and don’t have access to quality health care that could vastly improve their chances of recovery.

• Green Finance

It Looks Like There Will Be Another Stimulus Bill – But Will It Be Clean and Green?

• clean water
• coronavirus
• energy efficiency
• Green Stimulus
• recovery
• stimulus

Congress and the Trump administration are beginning to outline the Phase 4 Stimulus package, but there seems to be little mention of “clean” much less “green” provisions being included, which means there would need to be a Phase 5 package or these items will be left out completely. 

Why This Matters:  These items and many other similar ones that have been labeled as “green”  were left out of previous bills because they were dubbed as unnecessary to battle the immediate health and economic impacts of the COVID-19.

• Water

Water Treatment Is More Crucial Now Than Ever – But Got No $$ in the Stimulus

• clean water
• coronavirus
• COVID-19
• hand washing
• safe drinking water
• stimulus
• Stimulus Package

By Zoey Shipley and Monica Medina Drinking water and wastewater utilities – many of which are run by state and local governments – did not get dedicated assistance in the Stimulus package the House of Representatives will vote on today, even though they are going to face steeply declining revenue when people and businesses can’t […]