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Expert Blogs

Hear from our policy advocates, scientists, and litigators about the challenges and solutions for building a healthier and more just world.

Illinois’ Recovery Starts with the Clean Energy Jobs Act

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
The Clean Energy Jobs Act is an essential part of Illinois’ economic recovery. It protects public health and creates good-paying jobs, while ensuring that the people most in need of good jobs and clean air are at the front of…

What Does a Just Recovery Look Like for Illinois?

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
Our economic recovery will ask this unavoidable question: will we double down on the old system—a fossil-fueled, profoundly unequal system that leaves many of us sick and impoverished, and leads us towards climate catastrophe? Or will we learn from our…

Pritzker, Lightfoot: Stop Passing the Buck on Enviro Justice

Expert BlogChicagoMeleah Geertsma
On June 25, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (“IEPA”) granted an air permit that will enable the relocation of a notorious metal shredding operation from Chicago’s wealthy and largely white Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side environmental justice community. In…

Why Illinois Needs a New “Normal”

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
Illinois can’t go back to the old “normal,” but as we recover from coronavirus, we can chart a new path forward that centers equity and sustainability.

Pollution Strikes Again on the Southeast Side

Expert BlogChicagoGina Ramirez
The EPA has begun remediation of another nearby ballfield, this time because of shockingly high levels of lead and arsenic in the soil that require immediate removal.

Ann Arbor’s Climate Plan Centers Community Voices

Expert BlogMichiganAviva Meyers
In its journey toward carbon neutrality, Ann Arbor is employing innovative ways to engage with community members. The city seeks input from frontline populations in order to create an equitable future where all Ann Arborites can thrive.

To Support Recovery, Protect Environmental Agency Budgets

Expert BlogNew MexicoNoah Long, Drevet Hunt
The legislature will face many tough decisions in this special session. Whether to retain as much funding as possible for environmental and natural resources agencies is not one of them.

This Is What a Just Transition Looks Like

ExplainerUnited States, Peoria, IllinoisBrian Palmer
To help a community leave its dirty energy economy behind, advocates must fight for local representation, equity, and retraining that prepares workers for high-quality jobs.

What Can We Do to Fix the Drinking Water Problem in America?

ExplainerUnited States, Flint, Newark, Michigan, New Jersey
Seth Siegel, author of the new book “Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What We Drink,” says we must change people’s mind-sets and get to the root of the issue to ensure safe drinking water for everyone.

How Long Does It Take to Get a FEMA Buyout for a Flooded Home?

ExplainerUnited States, KentuckyKeith Mulvihill
Millions of people in America could be displaced by rising sea levels and repeated flooding. Yet, as Kentucky resident Olga McKissic learned, it can take years to get the help needed to move to higher ground.

Principles for Parks and Equitable Development

Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, MemphisSasha Forbes, AICP

Assets in our communities that offer us increased connectivity, shelter, and planned outdoor spaces can act as triggers that escalate land values which usually price out existing residents, often low-income and people of color, and more often renters. But communities…