Everyone off the couch, shake the cobweb out of your brain and enjoy the coming of spring. Sure we have had a rough winter following the elections. And it may get rougher still. I know at first I just wanted to crawl under the covers and go back to my pre-activist days. Then Lois said to all of us, “don’t agonize, organize.” Of course Lois would say that, that’s her style. Earth Day is around the corner; I know some of us no longer see Earth Day as a
In North Carolina, Duke Energy is storing 130 million tons of coal ash at 32 sites at 14 power plants. The state law requires Duke to safely move all of it by 2029, and from four leaking ash ponds by 2019. Where is Duke planning to put the toxic ash? Not surprisingly, in a low-income community of color in Lee County, NC. Local resident Donna Bray said, “Duke is hitting the poorest rural neighborhoods, where they think people won’t be able to fight back against a big corporation. I’m worried
The Trump administration’s 2019 budget (October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019) has serious consequences for the protection of the environment and of people. Trump’s budget plan cuts the Environmental Protection Agency’s spending by 23 percent, eliminating dozens of programs. The agency’s budget for the Office of Science and Technology is being nearly halved, while the Human Health Risk Assessment program will face reductions close to 40 percent. Other programs, such as several voluntary emissions-reductions programs and climate change research initiatives, will be eliminated. The Superfund program, while considered to
Ever wonder how the television, radio and newspaper people select whom they are going to interview or get quotes from when they are reporting the news or producing a feature? I do. What I’ve learned is that they go to guests that are connected with the established powers—such as think tanks in Washington, D.C. that work on “the military industrial complex” policy (to borrow President Eisenhower’s words) and somehow lean toward more war mongering (e.g. NPR and the U.S.-Iran relationship) or backing more weapon systems (such as a new nuclear
By Teresa Mills Today as I opened my Valentines Day card I was immediately transported to a place that I had forgotten existed. It was a small neighborhood where the streets were lined with beautiful majestic trees with leaves just beginning to bud. The sweet smell of spring was in the air. As I walked along the streets, I did see an occasional patch of dandelions. It was plain to see that the neighborhood children loved these tiny flowers as I found several rings and necklaces made from these golden
Innocent families live around the 327 Superfund sites at risk of storms and rising seas. Over 2 million moms, dads, children live close enough to one of these toxic sites that likely will be impacted by climate change and sea level rise. Most families are of modest or low income and don’t have the ability to move. They are the most vulnerable among us. What is Scott Pruitt, Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Bill Brock, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) doing about it? EPA