Environmental Integrity Project’s Post

We’re hiring! We're seeking law clerks for Fall 2024 (remote or in-person) to advance environmental protections and help local communities harness environmental laws to improve public health and the environment. Join our team working to hold industrial polluters and the government accountable! To apply visit https://lnkd.in/e_pidmYj #jobposting #environmentaljobs #environment #environmentaljusticejobs #environmentaljustice #law #lawclerk #fall2024

In 2023, the Supreme Court restricted the federal government's ability to limit pollution in ephemeral streams. A new study published in the journal Science estimates that 55% of water flowing from U.S. river basins can be traced to millions of ephemeral streams, indicating that the Supreme Court's ruling could leave large bodies of water vulnerable to pollution. The SCOTUS ruling ended federal protections for up to 4.9 million miles of streams that flow only when it rains (which often look like dry ditches for much of the year), according to officials at the EPA, effectively leaving it to states, with fewer resources and often anti-regulatory leadership, to oversee the streams. In our 2022 report, The Clean Water Act at 50, we found that 55 percent of lake acres that have been studied in recent years and 25 percent of assessed bays and estuaries are impaired and cannot be used safely for one or more public uses. These waterbodies receive most of their water from these ephemeral streams which should be protected by EPA regulations. Read the New York Times article: https://lnkd.in/eGrUmzMs Read the Science journal: https://lnkd.in/eCbxehfy Read our report, The Clean Water Act at 50: https://lnkd.in/en2kfGiF #cleanwater #waterpollution #cleanwateract #streams #waterregulations #riverbasin #usrivers

A direct air capture carbon removal and storage company has announced two new Carbon Capture and Storage projects in northwest Louisiana. The company, Heirloom, estimates that the sites will eventually be able to remove 320,000 tons of CO2 each year, equivalent to about 76,000 gas-powered cars driven for a year. Neighboring Texas is opening more than a million acres of offshore waters for CO2 injection wells, although the 13 wells are still awaiting EPA permits.  Communities across the US are facing an increasing number of proposals from companies to capture, transport, and inject carbon underground, either to store it or to use it extract more oil and gas. As Louisiana and Texas continue to announce and request these project proposals, the EPA should oversee these projects by strengthening the laws and regulations governing the technology.     In response to the rise of carbon capture projects and requests, EIP has created mapping tools, reports, fact sheets, and news articles to inform the public and decision makers about the risks of carbon capture, use, and sequestration, including gaps in current laws and regulatory shortfalls governing the untested process.    Read the AP article: https://lnkd.in/eDFB_wFn   Read the Inside Climate News article: https://lnkd.in/ezbqrDDp   View our resources: https://lnkd.in/eMj2bRhx     #ccs #carboncapture #environmentaljustice #carbon #greenhousegas #storage #publicresources #epa #texas #louisana #LavacaBay #Shreveport 

On Friday, the Supreme Court effectively ended a 40-year-old legal precedent known as the "Chevron deference,” limiting the regulatory authority of federal agencies. This precedent allowed EPA and other agencies to implement laws that lack specificity with wide leeway, based on expertise from scientists and other agency specialists. Environmentalists worry that the demise of the Chevron doctrine will lead to the elimination of numerous EPA regulations designed to reduce air and water pollution, protect against toxic chemicals, and, most significantly, address climate change. Learn more about the Supreme Court’s decision: https://lnkd.in/eZQtjBq9 #climatechange #chevrondoctrine #epa #waterpollution #airpollution #eparegulations #supremecourt

Check out our latest episode of the Environmental Integrity Podcast! This week we interviewed Jeff Hammarquist and Oci Canadas, two residents of Person County, North Carolina that have joined their neighbors to push back against the Dominion Energy liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage site currently under construction near their once peaceful farm. Listen Now: https://lnkd.in/eYzPqhiG No Moriah Energy Center, Sound Rivers, Down Home NC, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, POWHR Coalition, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Wild Virginia, North Carolina Sierra Club, Virginia Sierra Club #oilandgas #environmentaljustice #northcarolina #virginia #dominionenergy #lng #waterpollution #farmland

EIP Employee Spotlight: Meet Alex Tayborn! As a creative force at EIP, Alex (she/her) crafts captivating visuals and engaging content, showcasing EIP's impactful work on a variety of platforms. Since joining EIP in September, she has been welcomed by an amazing, passionate team. She recently designed her first long EIP report, "Feeding the Plastics Industrial Complex," which received nationwide media attention and positive feedback for its presentation of the material. Outside of work, Alex channels her creativity into her small business, 22&Blue, designing unique apparel and accessories. She loves to travel, savor delicious food, dance to the latest music, and laugh until she cries. Fun fact: Alex has an extensive background in music, spending her high school years singing in various choirs and plays. Learn more about our amazing staff by visiting this link: https://lnkd.in/gxP_iGW8 #meettheteam #EIP #environmentaladvocate #attorney #environmentaljustice #environment #employeespotlight

Since the 1980s, the plastics industry has sought to persuade consumers that plastic pollution is due to inadequate waste management and that recycling could resolve the issue. ProPublica explores how these companies are now promoting advanced recycling as a solution to combating pollution and outlines their misleading claims. In the new process of pyrolysis, companies use heat to break down plastic to its molecular building blocks. However, this process produces only a limited amount of recycled material. For instance, starting with 100 pounds of plastic waste, a pyrolysis operator can expect to obtain only 15-20 pounds of reusable plastic (and could yield less if the plastic used is dirty.) Learn more about this process: https://lnkd.in/grcNzXQ7 #chemicalrecycling #plastic #fossilfuels #chemical #recycling #reusableplastic #pyrolsis

EU officials have finalized a measure that the liquified natural gas industry has been contesting for over a year: imposing a time limit on long-term gas contracts. Only those that can show they’re reducing emissions will be exempt from this restriction. LNG producers must be forced to prove they are a climate solution. An industry group called Partners to Address Global Emissions (PAGE) is leading efforts to present LNG as a climate solution to international buyers. They argue that increasing LNG use can help manage global emissions and enhance the security of the U.S. and its allies. In our report, "Playing with Fire: The Climate Impact of the Rapid Growth of LNG," we highlighted that America exported 7.6 million tons of LNG in 2022, quadruple the amount four years earlier. Additionally, 24 LNG export terminal projects in the U.S. have the potential to emit over 90 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, based on state and federal permits we have reviewed. Read the Drilled article: https://lnkd.in/e8MXUh7W Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gdAvmeni #lng #lngterminal #climatechange #greenhousegases #globalemissions #pollution #fossilfuels

According to a new report contributed to by @UCSanDiego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, emissions of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide or methane – continued unabated between 1980 and 2020, a year when more than 10 million metric tons were released into the atmosphere primarily through farming practices. Agricultural emissions alone reached eight million metric tons in 2020, a 67% increase from the 4.8 million metric tons released in 1980, according to the study. In our report, “The Fertilizer Boom,” we found that the expansion of the ammonia fertilizer industry poses risks to the environment and public safety because the nitrogen fertilizer contributes vast amounts of water and air pollution, including greenhouse gases. Read the UC San Diego article: https://lnkd.in/e8cPWkGy Read our report: https://lnkd.in/evmBQQmZ #fertilizer #ammonia #farming #agriculture #carbondioxide #methane #emissions #waterpollution #airpollution #greenhousegas

BREAKING NEWS: Kentucky halts plan to pour millions of gallons of industrial wastewater into river hours after EIP and other groups notify state officials of intention to bring a civil lawsuit for violating the Clean Water Act if the discharge came to pass. A subsidiary of LG&E had plans to discharge 4.5 million gallons of wastewater from an old coal loading site outside Sebree, Kentucky, into the Green River starting this week. The company was given “off-permit authorization” from Kentucky's Division of Water via a controversial program some legal experts say has consistently enabled violations of the Clean Water Act across the state. Kentucky officials have authorized at least 280 off-permit, “one-time” discharges since 2017, according to an EIP analysis, allowing companies to skirt some of the hurdles tied to permits. Learn more about this clean water win: https://lnkd.in/ez8pwB6A #environmentaljustice #environment #EIP #cleanwater #cleanwateract #pollution #waterpollution #kentucky #greenriver