Tucson, AZ-- Late yesterday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a proposal for 63 miles of new wall in Arizona-- bollard walls that would cut through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the San Pedro River, the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, and other public lands. The Department of Homeland Security’s power to waive bedrock environmental, cultural, and community public health safeguards means that wall construction through these ecologically-significant landscapes and waterways can happen without regard for the rule of law.
Monday, Lakeland Electric staff presented plans to the City Commission to retire the remaining unit at the CD McIntosh coal-burning power plant by 2024.
SEATTLE, WA—Today, Senate Bill 5116 was signed into law in Washington by Governor Jay Inslee after passing the state legislature earlier this month. This bill cuts out coal power by 2025 and requires an equitable transition to 100 percent clean electricity for the entire state by 2045.
SOUTH MIAMI, FL -- Today, the City Commission of South Miami unanimously passed a resolution committing the city to transition to 100 percent clean, renewable energy community-wide by 2040. South Miami becomes the first city in south Florida and the eighth city in the state to commit to powering itself with 100 percent clean, renewable sources of energy, like solar and storage.
Las Vegas, NV-- Today, the US Forest Service issued a final decision on oil and gas drilling in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains-- denying the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) request to offer parcels for leasing in the landscape. The decision comes after an outpouring of public opposition and restricts BLM from offering the sale of parcels in the Ruby Mountains for oil and gas development.
Denver, CO-- Today, Rep. DeGette introduced the 2019 Colorado Wilderness Act-- legislation that would safeguard more than 740,000 acres of land located in 33 critical wildlife and ecologically-sensitive areas in Colorado. The legislation emphasizes the value of recreation, protection of wildlife and clean water in protecting the lands permanently.
TEXAS - Today, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the agency’s failure to increase protections in numerous communities that have dangerous levels of ozone smog. The communities at issue include the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas; San Diego, Nevada, and Imperial counties, CA; the greater Chicago area; Phoenix, AZ; Baltimore, MD; Sheboygan, WI; the entire state of Connecticut; and the New York City area.
On Monday, the Sierra Club began running 10 Facebook ads targeting Republican representatives who voted against HR. 9, The Climate Action Now Act, the first major piece of national climate legislation to be voted on in 10 years. The ads target Representatives Mark Amodei (NV-02), Chris Collins (NY-27), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Peter King (NY-02), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Brian Mast (FL-18), Bill Posey (FL-08), Tom Reed (NY-23), and Lee Zeldin (NY-01).
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo celebrated the climate crisis during the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, stating, “Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade.” Last week, the Trump administration tried to remove any mention of climate change from the Arctic Council’s declaration, and when asked on Sunday about how he would rank the climate crisis among national security threats, Pompeo reportedly said, “I can’t rank it.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the UN released a new report that found that human activity is putting more than one million species of plants and animals at risk of extinction within decades, which in turn will have severe repercussions for global food and water supplies. The 1,500 page report -- which examined the major drivers of extinction, including habitat loss and deforestation, overfishing, polluting land and water, climate change, and invasive species -- is the first examination of earth’s biodiversity in 15 years. The report also found that “fighting climate change and saving species are equally important” and it’s not too late to take meaningful action.