News & Commentary

Ghost Pipelines: How Landowners Suffer, Long After a Project Gets Canceled

June 21, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, Virginia, Pennsylvania, NebraskaNicole Greenfield

The pipeline threat is gone, but the damage to their property and lives is already done.

“Back Bristol Bay” Full Page Ads Launch

June 16, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

A broad-based coalition of groups representing millions of supporters are running full-page ads urging the public to support EPA action to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. 

Stopping Pebble Mine: Fund Pedro Bay Rivers Conservation Now

June 16, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Funding deadline looms for agreement between Alaska Native village corporation and two land conservation organizations to protect 44,000 acres of salmon habitat in Upper Bristol Bay, blocking access corridor needed for widely condemned mine.

Stopping Pebble Mine: It’s the Science, Stupid

June 13, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Wall Street Journal attack on EPA’s proposed protections for Bristol Bay is high on rhetoric, wrong on the facts, and ignores comprehensive scientific record showing unacceptable adverse effects from widely condemned gold and copper mine proposed for Bristol Bay headwaters.

Virginia Gov. Youngkin Appoints Fossil Fuel Industry Stooges

May 19, 2022 Expert BlogVirginiaWalton Shepherd

The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board, designed to be run by governor-appointed citizens rather than elected officials, is specifically charged with overseeing—and reducing the dirty air impact of—the very polluters that Youngkin just tapped.  

Update: Reasons Remain to Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline

May 16, 2022 Expert BlogVirginia, West VirginiaAmy Mall

MVP remains a bad idea and should not be allowed to restart construction.

The Biden Administration Cancels Its Offshore Drilling Plan for Alaska’s Cook Inlet—Let’s Keep It Off the Books

May 13, 2022 DispatchAlaskaSusan Cosier

The lease sale would have endangered Indigenous communities, threatened rare whales, added to the Far North’s climate crisis, and gambled with a 20 percent chance for a large oil spill.

Interior Nixes Lease Sales in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico

May 12, 2022 Expert BlogAlaska, Louisiana, United StatesIrene Gutierrez

In a big win for communities and climate, three oil and gas offshore lease sales have been cancelled.

Bristol Bay Advocates Lobby in D.C. to Stop Pebble Mine

May 9, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Fly-in meetings and paid media urge the EPA to veto Pebble Mine and permanently protect Bristol Bay. 

Gibbstown LNG Terminal: A Catastrophe Waiting to Happen

April 13, 2022 DispatchGibbstown, New Jersey, PennsylvaniaNicole Greenfield

Imagine hundreds of trucks and train cars filled with highly explosive fuel coming through your community every day. These Pennsylvanians and New Jerseyans are fighting to extinguish the project—for good.

New Wisconsin Cover Crop Bill Helps Farmers Save Money

April 8, 2022 Expert BlogWisconsin, MidwestLara Bryant

Governor Evers signed into law a bill that advances water quality and authorizes a program that offers farmers $5 per acre savings on their crop insurance if they plant cover crops, a regenerative agriculture practice.

Saving Salmon—from One Generation of Fisherwomen to the Next

March 1, 2022 DispatchOregon, Washington, WestNicole Greenfield

Keyen Singer, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, carries on a maternal legacy of conserving salmon and preserving culture. Their efforts could soon pay off.

Students Intro Bill to Combat Food Waste in Virginia

February 24, 2022 Expert BlogVirginiaNina Sevilla

Students in Virginia wrote a bill that would extend liability protection to businesses, restaurants, and any food donation group who would like to donate food past the “best by” date. 

Broad Coalition Launches New Ads for Bristol Bay Protection

February 22, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

Diverse stakeholder groups roll out new TV, print, and digital campaign calling on the permanent protection of Bristol Bay, Alaska from the Pebble Mine.

Biden Administration Should Reverse Trump Pipeline Actions

February 9, 2022 Expert BlogWest Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, East, United StatesAmy Mall

A federal appeals court has dealt the Mountain Valley Pipeline two successive blows—but there's still more work to be done.

New Jersey Enacts Groundbreaking Neonic Legislation

January 19, 2022 Expert BlogNew JerseyLucas Rhoads

New Jersey has enacted legislation that significantly curtails use of neonicotinoid pesticides, or "neonics," insect-killers that are a leading cause of mass bee losses, contribute to declines in birds and other wildlife, and pose risks to human health.

Pebble Mine 2021 Year in Review: Back to the Future at EPA

December 22, 2021 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Destructive Bristol Bay mega-mine is all but dead following EPA’s re-start in 2021 of Clean Water Act 404(c) process for region’s lasting protection, long sought by Bristol Bay tribes and communities.

Gibbstown Ends, Not with a Bang but with a Whimper?

November 30, 2021 Expert BlogNew JerseyKimberly Ong

While the Department of Transportation proposed rescinding the LNG by rail rule, the Department must still adopt this proposal.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

Despite Climate Dangers, Offshore Leasing Continues in Gulf

November 17, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, AlabamaValerie Cleland, Lauren Kubiak

This morning, the Biden administration held the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. Though the Biden administration has been bold on climate in other ways, this latest action is profoundly disappointing.