Environmental Integrity Project’s Post

After days of extreme heat in 2021, along with studies indicating that heat domes influenced by climate change were the cause, Multnomah County in Oregon decided to sue fossil fuel companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell. Eleven months after the suit was filed, the county is now preparing to proceed with the case in state court. About three dozen lawsuits have been filed by U.S. states, counties and cities seeking damages from oil and gas companies for harm caused by climate change. Legal experts said the Oregon case is one of the first focused on public health costs related to high temperatures during a specific occurrence of the “heat dome effect.” Most of the other lawsuits seek damages more generally from ongoing climate-driven impacts like sea level rise, increased precipitation, intensifying extreme weather events, and flooding. Learn more about this lawsuit: https://lnkd.in/ecdFNb9m #heatdome #oregon #fossilfuels #greenhousegases #heatwave #lawsuit #exxonmobil #chevron #shell

A new report from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) details the widespread burden that plastic pollution places on U.S. cities and states and argues that plastic producers may be breaking public-nuisance, product-liability, and consumer-protection laws. Plastic clogs sewer grates, leading to increased flooding, while also forcing municipalities to invest in expensive skimmers to remove materials from waterways. It also exposes populations to microplastics, which studies show are pervasive and which researchers believe to be harmful. Our recent report, "Feeding the Plastics Industrial Complex," revealed that plastics plants emit at least 35 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, along with 14,493 tons of health-damaging air pollutants such as particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. These emissions pose ongoing environmental problems, and the companies producing them should be held accountable. CIEL report: https://lnkd.in/g4HDBz79 The Guardian article: https://lnkd.in/gwq9SzVE Feeding the Plastics Industrial Complex: https://lnkd.in/ebytNThA #plastics #plasticindustry #cleanair #cleanwater #environmentaljustice #airpollution #cancerrisk #microplastics #report

A Trump-appointed judge in Louisiana approved a request from Republican-led states to lift the Biden administration's pause on new approvals for LNG exports. Industry-friendly leaders cheered the judge's decision while environmental groups expressed disappointment. Craig Segall, vice president of Evergreen Action, called the ruling “deeply misguided,” but said it would not stop the Biden administration from updating its criteria for new exports. According to data compiled in the Oil and Gas Watch database, plants already operating, under construction, or approved are capable of emitting at least 87.8 million tons of greenhouse gases every year, approximately equivalent to emissions from more than 17 million vehicles or more than 10 million homes. Allowing these plants to continue operating will result in the release of thousands of tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds each year. This will worsen local air quality and contribute to climate change. The Hill article: https://lnkd.in/gsmjtR7G Oil and Gas Watch article: https://lnkd.in/eV6iRWm9 #climatechange #lng #lngterminal #bidenadministration #greenhousegas #pollution #airpollution

UPDATE: A contested Kentucky program allowing companies to dump industrial wastewater into state waterways without a permit has been paused while officials conduct an internal review. Meg Parish, senior water quality attorney for EIP, said one of most egregious and concerning things about the program is that downstream communities don't need to be notified before a discharge. “Public notice is kind of a cornerstone to the Clean Water Act,” Parish said. “It's one of the ways that we protect federal waters, by kind of opening it up to sunshine and letting the public know what's happening.” The state’s move to evaluate the off-permit program was applauded by EIP and other waterway advocates, who for more than a year have been pushing to have the program dismantled and replaced with permits. Learn more about this clean water win: https://lnkd.in/eMeQv6Ne #environmentaljustice #environment #EIP #cleanwater #cleanwateract #pollution #waterpollution #kentucky #greenriver

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