December 23, 2024

  On December 20, Inner City Press live-tweeted oral arguments in SDNY about congestion pricing here

December 16, 2024

A  pipeline company will pay a six-figure fine over violations of the Clean Air Act on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Environmental Protection Agency officials say Arrow Pipeline failed to meet several federal regulations during an inspection last year. The issues include observing smoke and hydrocarbon emissions from several gas compressor stations and failing to meet records management requirements. The EPA says Arrow has corrected the violations and will pay a $450,000 penalty.

December 9, 2024

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution wrapped up its fifth session, known as INC-5, on 1 December without reaching agreement. 
Just another UN failure...

December 2, 2024

In Iran, “according to statistics, about 40,000 people fall victim each year due to air pollution and $12 billion in damage is inflicted on the country," Tasnim News Agency reported Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarghandi saying on Friday.   Air pollution was one of the health concerns discussed at a meeting of the Academy of Medical Sciences on Friday, attended by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

November 25, 2024

In Houston after months of investigation in the Fifth Ward, one part of the study done by Union Pacific and the Environmental Protection Agency say there are no toxic levels of chemicals in the area where a cancer cluster was identified years ago. Fifth Ward residents are very frustrated with these findings considering they say they’ve been searching for answers for years. The cancer cluster was officially identified back in 2019, but they say it dates back decades.

November 18, 2024

Pennsylvania and other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed are unlikely to meet their 2025 pollution commitments to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution

November 11, 2024

UN climate summits are at risk of “undue corporate influence" and "fossil fuel industry capture”, two corruption watchdogs warned, as oil and gas producer Azerbaijan prepares to host the Cop29 in November.

November 4, 2024

    . A New York judge criticized state Attorney General Letitia James’ pollution lawsuit against PepsiCo as “predatory” in his ruling to dismiss the state's 2023 complaint, which targeted the beverage giant’s supposed role in the pollution of the Buffalo River.  The attorney general’s office conducted a study which found that more than 17% of the trash in the Buffalo River came from PepsiCo products. By its count, the next highest contributor was McDonald’s at 6%.   But New York Supreme Court Justice Emitio Colaiacovo found that James ultimately failed to show that PepsiCo should have warned customers about the risks of the plastics found in its packaging, ruling that company had “no duty” to do so.  “There is no duty to warn of an obvious danger of which the product user is actually aware or should be aware as a result of ordinary observation or as a matter of common sense,” Colaiacovo wrote in a 19-page decision

October 28, 2024

DC's Office of the Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against Fort Myer Construction Corporation on Oct. 17 for repeated violations of the District’s Water Pollution Control Act.

October 21, 2024

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a Biden administration regulation aimed at limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants to remain in place as legal challenges play out. The justices rejected a push to block the Environmental Protection Agency rule, marking the third time this month the majority has left an environmental regulation in place for now. One justice, Clarence Thomas, dissented....

October 14, 2024

The United States Supreme Court will not hear an emergency appeal effort by power plant owners and utility companies that had begged the high court to halt new pollution rules set out by the Biden administration and EPA.  In a one-page order, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts declined to hear the case, essentially leaving in place new toxic air pollution standards that will fall heavily on Montana’s Colstrip plant.

October 7. 2024

Neighbors of Bitcoin Mine in Texas File Nuisance Lawsuit Over Noise Pollution The incessant humming sound from thousands of fans cooling off computers that mine Bitcoin has enraged the community.

September 30, 2024

"As Azerbaijan readies to host the United Nations COP29 climate talks, residents near the capital, Baku, say oil pollution is posing a toxic hazard. The country's fossil-fuel resources have made it a leading player on the international market but people who live near the rigs complain that oil spills are ignored while state officials focus on promoting the country as a clean, thriving economy. "

September 23, 2024

In Houston, Texas the liquid natural gas pipeline fire in La Porte near Deer Park has been continuously burning and despite some officials stating that there's no air quality risk, some experts said it might lead to some air pollution...

September 16, 2024

The Black Warrior Riverkeeper and Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), are filing a lawsuit against Bluestone Coke. The environmental groups allege the company is in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act.

September 9, 2024

Riverkeeper in a swing states: The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has sued the city of Atlanta for allegedly polluting the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says the Clayton Water Facility is discharging illegal levels of pollution. In March of this year, E.coli bacteria in the river was traced back to the facility. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Executive Director Jason Ulseth says the city of Atlanta has allowed operational and maintenance failures at the facility to compound over time, failing to follow through on even the most basic equipment repairs.

September 2, 2024

A former landfill at the Jersey Shore with an already controversial past has been hit with a new $297,000 fine by New Jersey regulators.  The July violation against the owner of Aeromarine — Bayridge Realty Corporation — was issued after inspections showed the facility was not properly closed and improper access was provided to the property, according to a penalty notice

August 26, 2024

Counting the costs: there is anger over the Biden administration’s embrace of carbon capture and storage technology, which collects planet-warming carbon dioxide from industrial smokestacks so it can be stored, often in underground wells. Several activists said this can extend the life of dirty facilities because it opens the door for plant operators to argue they are climate-friendly. Meanwhile, their emissions continue to harm those nearby

August 19, 2024

A new study examined the climate effect of the mandated reduction of sulfur in ship exhaust emissions globally since 2020, and it suggests that the shipping regulation has reduced how much light is being reflected back into space, which has likely contributed towards the record warming over the last few years.  International shipping, while invisible to most of us, has a large impact on climate and air quality. There are nearly 100,000 large ships within the global commercial fleet, accounting for over 90% of international trade. Traditionally, ships have burned dirty, high sulfur fuel that emitted large quantities of sulfur gas and aerosol.

August 12, 2024

The New York City subway system is exposing commuters to toxic air that far exceeds health recommendations, a new study has found, with African Americans and Latinos disproportionately impacted

August 5, 2024

Jersey connections: protest at Formosa Plastics’ American headquarters in Livingston NJ led to the arrests of six people on August 2. Formosa Plastics has raised the ire of protesters hoping to bring more attention to the company’s history of pollution in Texas, Louisiana and Vietnam.

July 29, 2024

On July 25 at the UN, hypocritical SG Antonio Guterres intoned, "Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet.  The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.  Thank you."

Then he flew off to Paris, and then who knows where else, on undisclosed publicly funded vacation. From those allowed in (Inner City Press is banned), now questions, only "Mr. Secretary-General, thank you very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing."

July 22, 2024

Noting the plan to build a fourth power plant in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, has been approved by the administration of Governor Phil Murphy, despite opposition from community groups who claim the project would worsen pollution in the area.  Environmentalists and community activists have put pressure on Murphy to halt construction of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission facility, which will provide backup electricity in the event of a power outage. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s compromise would permit PSVC to construct the Ironbound power plant, but only if it could be used in the event of a power outage

July 15, 2024

Marathon Oil Co., which is in deal to be bought by ConocoPhillips in $22.5 billion all-stock deal, has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Government regulators and to pay $241.5 million in penalties over climate- and health-harming emissions in North Dakota.

July 8, 2024

South Carolina environmental groups are suing a Columbia manufacturer for allegedly pumping dangerous "forever chemicals" into the Saluda River, threatening drinking water supplies used by West Columbia and Cayce

July 1, 2024

Water pollution levels in Paris’s River Seine remain much higher than allowed for bathing, data showed on Friday, one month before the Olympics in which the capital’s landmark waterway is meant to be one of the swimming venues

June 24, 2024

there’s clear evidence that the East Palestine train disaster spread pollutants as far as Wisconsin and North Carolina.

June 17, 2024

150 activists crowded in front of Citigroup's headquarters on Greenwich Street near North Moore Street in Tribeca. The protest began the "Summer of Heat on Wall Street," described by organizers as "a months-long campaign of relentless and disruptive protests to end Wall Street funding for oil, coal, and gas." 52 climate activists were arrested for blocking the doors to Citibank's global headquarters in New York City, where 12,000 employees work.

June 10, 2024

Three Colorado environmental groups will sue Suncor Energy over an “egregious” pattern of violations of air pollution rules at the company’s oil refinery north of Denver, activists say...

June 3, 2024

The reduction of smog particles in China, while beneficial for public health, has contributed to extreme ocean warming events known as "The Blob." Aerosol emissions, which shield the planet from solar radiation, are declining globally, leading to unexpected climate impacts, including more intense regional heatwaves. The cleanup of air pollution in China has altered atmospheric patterns, intensifying warming in the Pacific and potentially leading to larger climatic disruptions

May 27, 2024

Dalita Maje, a small mining community in Dobi Ward, Gwagwalada, located on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is facing a dire environmental and public health crisis. The activities of mining companies have led to water pollution, and the community's health facilities and schools are in deplorable state, thereby compounding the residents' hardships. Dalita (Maje) and some other communities in Dobi Ward have relied on a local river for daily water needs but their source of water is being contaminated by miners

May 20, 2024

Defenders of Congestion Pricing Say Plaintiffs Too Late and Environmental Justice Is Not Law

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 17 –  Lawsuits against New York City's congestion pricing plan were heard on May 17 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lewis J. Liman. Inner City Press was there and live tweeted. Thread

May 13, 2024

the lower the index score, the worse the air quality.   The metropolitan area of Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario in California, also known as the ‘Inland Empire’, tops the ranking with an overall index score of just 17.03 – making it the area with the worst air quality. Inland Empire experienced only 54 good air days, where the air quality is satisfactory and air pollutions poses no risk, as well as a staggering 59 unhealthy days for sensitive groups.   Greater Houston, or the metropolitan area of Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land in Texas, comes in second place with an index score of only 28.36. Greater Houston shockingly saw only 38 good days and 21 days that were unhealthy for sensitive groups. 

May 6, 2024

Brooklyn: There weren't many residents out and about on Friday near the site of a massive fire on Bushwick Avenue - but those who were there, were all wearing masks. One lives on the block and says he is worried about the asbestos and chemicals released in the air from the fire. “I can't take the smoke, you know, respiratory things" he explains. He wore a mask Friday

April 29, 2024

Top ten U.S. metro areas with the worst particulate matter pollution in 2024 Fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, is created when things are burned. It can cause asthma attacks, strokes and a litany of long term health problems. 4 8 Bakersfield, CA 1 7 Visalia, CA 2 5 Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA 3 3 2 1 Eugene-Springfield, OR 4 6 San Jose-San Francisco, Oakland, CA 5 9 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 6 Sacramento-Roseville, CA 7 Medford-Grants Pass, OR 8 10 Phoenix-Mesa, AZ 9 Fairbanks, AK 10 SOURCE American Lung Association

April 22, 2024

In the spotlight: bonds (loans granted by investors and facilitated by banks) issued by TotalEnergies (1).   Bonds are the French oil and gas major’s main source of financing, and as such enable it to pursue its climate-wrecking strategy by developing new oil and gas projects, ignoring scientific recommendations to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The letters come just days after TotalEnergies raised US$4.25 billion on the bond market, with the help of several banks, including BPCE/Natixis, Standard Chartered and Deutsche Bank

April 15, 2024

A New Mexico district judge heard oral arguments to dismiss a civil lawsuit alleging that the state has failed to meet its constitutional duty to protect air, water and environment from oil and gas pollution. First District Judge Matthew Wilson said Friday he will issue a written order at a later date to determine the fate of the lawsuit Mario Atencio, et al v. the State of New Mexico, et al. It’s unclear when Wilson’s judgment will come down.

April 8, 2024

NYS says it will hold Northrop Grumman accountable for the ongoing cleanup of the Bethpage Community Park after the recent discovery of six, 55-gallon drums in a cordoned-off area beneath the former ballfield.

April 1, 2024

Leaders of San Diego-based business advocacy groups this week sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for more help with the U.S.-Mexico border pollution problem.  The letter, dated Thursday, asked Biden “to mitigate the severe pollution crisis impacting the Tijuana River Valley

March 25, 2024

EJ in Austin (Texas) - A new study published by researchers at the Dell Medical School at UT-Austin has found that poorer air quality in Austin neighborhoods with a higher population of color triggers more asthma-related trips to the emergency room for Black and Brown Austinites than white residents. The link between asthma symptoms and air quality isn’t new, but this study bears out that longer-term trends of more concentrated air pollution in majority-POC neighborhoods make them less safe to live in

 March 18, 2024

Maine regulators are starting to go after violators of a relatively new law that prohibits the sale of used vehicles that have modifications resulting in more air pollution.  An Auburn auto garage could soon be fined $4,000 for selling a used diesel pickup truck with such modifications, marking one of the first cases in which the state law has been enforced.  Passed in 2021, that legislation was meant to help address a relatively pervasive issue in Maine: the dismantling of systems for limiting the air emissions of diesel trucks. Among the pollutants released by those vehicles are nitrous oxide and a particulate matter known as black carbon.  Many truck owners still remove their emission-control systems to improve the performance of their vehicles — for example, by giving them more torque or fuel economy. That’s particularly the case in Maine, where big, modified pickups are a common sight on rural highways.

March 11, 2024

Per a 2021 World Bank report, emissions from Hanoi's 8 million registered vehicles made up 30% of air particulate pollution, and industry emissions another 30%

March 4, 2024

In Illinois distrust of the city of La Salle by a group of citizens has flared up.The group prompted a hearing in front of the Illinois Pollution Control Board

February 26, 2024

With signs with slogans like “East Chicago demands clear air” and “IDEM, let us breathe,” nearly 100 Northwest Indiana residents and environmental advocates gathered to voice anger and frustration at BP Whiting refinery at a Thursday public meeting held by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Held on the campus of Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Indiana, the event was an opportunity for members of the public to weigh in on a pending air permit renewal application submitted by BP for its refinery.

February 19, 2024

The Thai capital Bangkok has recorded dangerous levels of PM2.5, a fine air particulate that can enter the bloodstream, according to Swiss air quality tracking website IQAir. The site found that levels of PM2.5 on February 15, 2024, were more than 15 times higher than the recommended safety standard. Authorities urged workers to work from home for at least a couple of days to avoid the noxious haze.

February 12, 2024

In Nigeria there is worry of an outbreak of waterborne disease in the Ukwu-Nzu community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State following pollution of its two major rivers by the alleged activities of coal miners.

February 5, 2024

the 10 most polluted cities in Africa: Rank    Country    Pollution index    Exp pollution index 1    Cairo, Egypt    90.9    164.0 2    Lagos, Nigeria    89.0    159.0 3    Marrakech, Morocco    83.5    149.3 4    Casablanca, Morocco    82.2    146.6 5    Nairobi, Kenya    79.8    142.3 6    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia    76.1    133.6 7    Alexandria, Egypt    74.3    130.6 8    Tunis, Tunisia    72.5    127.0 9    Johannesburg, South Africa    61.1    106.3 10    Pretoria, South Africa    55.1    94

January 29, 2024

Carbon emissions from Canada’s oil sands are “severely” underreported. Using aircraft-based measures, the study’s authors found that total carbon emissions from Alberta’s Athabasca region exceeded industry-recorded values ​​by 1,900 to 6,300 percent, suggesting that the “traditional” method of calculating pollution “seriously underestimates emissions.

January 22, 2024

Guatemala has approved the alteration of Bluestone Resources‘ (BBSRF) Cerro Blanco gold project near El Salvador's border. What Happened: Bluestone’s stock spiked from C$0.24 to C$0.59, doubling the market cap to C$87.6 million. "After dedicating over two years to obtaining the environmental permit amendment, we are pleased," president, CEO and chairman Peter Hemstead stated in a press release. The goal is to shift the gold project from an underground to an open-pit operation

January 15, 2024

Despite the Nigeria Supreme Court's pro-Shell decision,  Shell still faces challenges in various courts within Nigeria and the United Kingdom. A separate legal battle, involving approximately 1,200 plaintiffs in Nigeria's southwestern city of Akure, revolves around claims of being affected by an oil spill in 2011. Simultaneously, in the U.K., a court ruling permits a group of Nigerian fishermen to proceed with their claims against Shell in another longstanding legal case.

January 8, 2024

Starting in 2026, only cruise ships powered by alternative fuels will be allowed to visit the fjords in Norway. Lawmakers want to protect the unique natural environment and stop marine diesel oil and mass tourism from damaging the ecosystem.

January 1, 2024

According to the 2021 World Air Quality Report, Bangladesh’s air quality remained the worst globally for four consecutive years. Dhaka, the nation’s capital, is the second most polluted capital in the world after New Delhi. The report indicates that particulate matter in Bangladesh is 15 times the limit set by the World Health Organization. Central and South Asia have some of the world’s worst air quality, with 46 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities.

December 25, 2023

China is UNSG Guterres' poster child of environmentali$m now this: "2023 is the first year that China's national average PM2.5 level has increased..."

December 18, 2023

on December 11, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, "It is time to go into overdrive and rise to the challenge set by COP President Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber" - that is, the head of ADNOC.

Guterres took money from the Gulbenkian Foundation, funded by the Partex oil company - then banned the Press that asked about it.

December 11, 2023

As ADNOC Jaber Cashes Out UN Guterres Cover For Him and His Banks, Banning Press

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

UN GATE, Dec 5 – The UN's climate change conference has as its president the head of the United Arab Emirates' oil company, ADNOC.

  As UNSG Antonio Guterres defends and covers for him, Sultan Al Jaber has said that there is “no science” to support the need to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius and that phasing out fossil fuels would “take the world back into caves.” From Guterres? Nothing. And his propaganda circle of in-house scribes ask him nothing.

 Now this, on ADNOC's bank funders: HSBC (US$ 2.4 billion), MUFG (US$ 2.3 billion), SMBC (US$ 2.3 billion) and JPMorgan Chase (US$ 2.2 billion). A loan, issued back in January, was supported by banks such as Bank of China, ICBC, and Standard Chartered. For the two more recent loans, a lender list has not yet been disclosed.

December 4, 2023

UN Guterres Lies for COP28 Run by UAE Oil Exec But Frmr Marshall Islands Prez Quits

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

UN GATE, Dec 1 – The UN's upcoming climate change conference has as its president the head of the United Arab Emirates' oil company, ADNOC.

 Inner City Press noted this typical UN hypocrisy on X (formerly Twitter) on September 20 while reporting from an event across the street from the UN it is banned from even entering. 

There, on November 27, Antonio Guterres was asked: "Can you react to allegations that the UAE has been negotiating carbon fuel deals on the sidelines of COP, and that's their intention? Are you worried about this undermining it?

Guterres: I can't believe it is true

 Yeah. On December 1, a member of the main advisory board of  COP28 resigned because the UAE presidency planned to use the meeting to secure oil, gas deal -  Hilda Heine, former president of the Marshall Islands, said reports that the UAE planned to discuss possible natural gas and other commercial deals ahead of UN climate talks were "deeply disappointing" and threatened to undermine the credibility of the multilateral negotiation process. But Guterres lies about it.

To Inner City Press from UAE bots, the response was indicative of today's UN system.   Robot-like response, from ostensibly unconnected accounts, came in reply.

Inner City Press had written: "Scam COP28 prez Sultan Al Jaber is at the same time the head of ADNOC, the UAE's oil company. But the UAE throws money around in the UN so who cares, right?."  

An account named @afnan_elfakhory replied, "The claim that the head of the UAE oil company is serving as president of the COP28 conference does not correctly reflect reality. The UAE is working hard to achieve global climate goals and promote sustainability. It is necessary to appreciate the efforts made by the UAE." 

But Sultan Al Jaber *is* the head of the UAE oil company. Two similarly robotic responses came from accounts named @asma__daroza and @gana_elsaieg.

  It's not just the UAE, or COP28 - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' head of "global communications" Melissa Fleming has bragged about using the UN's name (and public money) to combat and eliminate messages they don't agree with from the Internet. 

  Fleming and Guterres have banned Inner City Press, ignoring its June 19, 2023 application to enter and cover UNGA 2023 and then ignoring a letter from the pro bono law firm of Duane Morris, drunk with their own impunity.   Watch this site.

More on Substack here

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

November 27, 2023

Hot air in Antartica, November 24 "HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM 24 NOVEMBER 2023     SECRETARY-GENERAL IN ANTARCTICA  From Antarctica, the Secretary-General said that Antarctica has been called the sleeping giant, but it is now being awoken by climate chaos. What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica, he said." But maybe someone should?

November 20, 2023

In the run up to COP28 in the UAE the Adnoc LNG field and a number of others are constantly emitting and burning polluting methane. Adnoc claims it has cut the volume of natural gas flared by more than 90 percent since the early 2000s when the company started its ‘zero routine flaring’ policy – referring to flaring that happens every day as part of normal oil operations.  In October, Al Jaber announced that 20 major oil and gas producers from around the world have pledged to eliminate gas flaring and methane emissions by the end of the decade.  Four fields flared on at least 97 percent of the days, with an average of just 14 days unavailable due to cloud cover.

November 13, 2023

DC Councilmember Zachary Parker, alongside Councilmembers Kenyan McDuffie and Christina Henderson, introduced legislation that would require DC regulators to consider existing pollution levels in a neighborhood before granting permits for new businesses, denying permits in neighborhoods that already bear a disproportionate pollution burden

November 6, 2023

Sri Lanka cancelled their training session in Delhi on Saturday afternoon following advice from team doctors, owing to the severe air pollution in the city

October 30, 2023

A group of poultry producers, including Tyson Foods, are asking a federal judge to dismiss his ruling that they polluted an Oklahoma watershed. They claim in a motion filed Thursday that the case is “constitutionally moot” because the evidence is now more than 13 years old. U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell in Tulsa ruled in January that the companies were responsible for pollution of the Illinois River Watershed by disposing of chicken litter that leached into the river.

October 23, 2023

From New Jersey: The planes flying into Teterboro are not commercial airliners carrying ordinary folks flying for vacation trips, to visit relatives or perhaps on business. The planes flying in and out of Teterboro and annoying the good people of Moonachie and Westwood are private jets in which a tiny percentage of us will ever fly.   The carbon emissions of a person flying in a private jet is responsible for 10 to 20 times the atmosphere warming carbon as someone in a commercial airliner

Yes and not only Epstein but SBF flew in there..

October 26, 2023

Called “the largest truck stop in New Hampshire,” a project under construction off Route 101 in Raymond will be outfitted with plug-in power pedestals to reduce truck idling and air pollution as part of the New Hampshire State Clean Diesel Program - many (agencies) in NYC could learn from that...

October 9, 2023

From Alabama: The city of Mobile and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a community meeting in Africatown to discuss an environmental project that has been ongoing for the last two years.  The project began after the EPA awarded Mobile a grant to redevelop properties also known as “brownfields”....

October 2, 2023

From the UK: A judge has given permission for a private prosecution to go ahead against a water company accused over the pollution of one of the UK’s most cherished fishing rivers.  Southern Water will appear in court in February to face allegations linked to diesel pollution in the River Test in Hampshire

September 25, 2023

Oil Exec from UAE Running COP28 Draws Bots on X Like Wider UN of Guterres Censors

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

UN GATE, Sept 22 – The UN's upcoming climate change conference has as its president the head of the United Arab Emirates' oil company, ADNOC.

 Inner City Press noted this typical UN hypocrisy on X (formerly Twitter) on September 20 while reporting from an event across the street from the UN it is banned from even entering. 

 The response was indicative of today's UN system.   Robot-like response, from ostensibly unconnected accounts, came in reply.

Inner City Press had written: "Scam COP28 prez Sultan Al Jaber is at the same time the head of ADNOC, the UAE's oil company. But the UAE throws money around in the UN so who cares, right?."  

An account named @afnan_elfakhory replied, "The claim that the head of the UAE oil company is serving as president of the COP28 conference does not correctly reflect reality. The UAE is working hard to achieve global climate goals and promote sustainability. It is necessary to appreciate the efforts made by the UAE." 

But Sultan Al Jaber *is* the head of the UAE oil company. Two similarly robotic responses came from accounts named @asma__daroza and @gana_elsaieg.

  It's not just the UAE, or COP28 - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' head of "global communications" Melissa Fleming has bragged about using the UN's name (and public money) to combat and eliminate messages they don't agree with from the Internet. 

  Fleming and Guterres have banned Inner City Press, ignoring its June 19, 2023 application to enter and cover UNGA 2023 and then ignoring a letter from the pro bono law firm of Duane Morris, drunk with their own impunity.   Watch this site.

More on Substack here

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

September 18, 2023

Citigroup has been rightly targeted with on the environment for years (see for example Predatory Bender) - but last week the ongoing lending protests turned physical, and a Citigroup staffer showed the bank's attitude, pushing and yelling and it seems splashing coffee, video here. More next week, after UNGA...

September 11, 2023

Amid all the fine talk at the G20, this: "MCD deploys water sprinklers to control pollution during G20 Summit The MCD said that 15 anti-smog guns have also been deployed at high-rise buildings, Civil Lines, Green Park zonal building and Tilak Nagar Colony hospital."

September 4, 2023

Health benefits that have resulted from reductions in fine particulate air pollution aren’t distributed equally among populations in the U.S., a new Yale-led study finds. Racial and ethnic minorities — and Black people in particular — still experience disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease-related deaths caused by exposure to fine particulate matter, according to the research.

The findings were published Aug. 31 in Nature Human Behavior.

August 28, 2023

Jakarta may be the most polluted city in the world, but Indonesia is only the 26th most polluted country. The most polluted? Chad...

August 21, 2023

Once a thriving and pristine freshwater expanse, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela now stands as a haunting testament to the devastating consequences of unchecked pollution and decades of environmental neglect

August 14, 2023

The Indonesian capital of Jakarta was ranked the most polluted city in the world on Wednesday.   Swiss air quality technology company IQAir has consistently ranked it among the top 10 polluted cities around the globe

August 7, 2023

France canceled a training session Thursday for an open water swimming event in the Seine River due to pollution caused by heavy rains.  “Following recent heavy rainfall in Paris, the water quality in the Seine has currently fallen below acceptable standards for safeguarding swimmers’ health. Consequently, the decision has been taken in consultation with public health and event delivery partners to cancel the training session due to take place at 07:30 (0530GMT) on 4 August, ahead of the Open Water Swimming World Cup planned for this weekend,” the French Swimming Federation said in a communique.

July 31, 2023

From the EU: Who hasn’t enjoyed a bit of fresh air in their car by turning on the air conditioning while stationary? The practice is commonplace, and particularly welcome at a time when an intense heatwave is hitting southern Europe and Italy in particular, with temperatures frequently hovering around 40°C. Unfortunately, the practice has been banned by Italian law since 2007 as part of the fight against pollution, and offenders face heavy fines ranging from a minimum of €223 to a maximum of €444. In protest, some motorists have approached the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, none other than the former Interior Minister and President of Lega, Matteo Salvini, to ask him to arbitrate. The minister’s response was swift: sensitive to the complaints of users, he pleaded for moderation in the application of this law, which was recently updated and reinforced under his ministry. The fight against pollution is a laudable objective, but it must not be achieved at the expense of other equally important realities. Can we reasonably ask a motorist stopped in a car with young children or elderly people, for example, to turn off the air conditioning? Matteo Salvini appealed to police officers’ “common sense” and “discernment”—virtues that unfortunately seem to be disappearing when it comes to environmental considerations.

July 24, 2023

 Sadiq Khan in U-turn on ‘eco’ wood-burners amid pollution fears Campaigners’ pressure sees London mayor withdraw approval for stoves billed as better for the environment  Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Skyler King Sat 22 Jul 2023 09.03 EDT The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has withdrawn his endorsement of wood-burning stoves promoted as “environmentally friendly” after a surge in sales of the appliances, which contribute to harmful air pollution.  In 2018, Khan endorsed the Ecodesign stoves,

July 17, 2023

EJ in Iraq: Pollution in Iraq's River Tigris threatens people's health and safety. Chemicals and waste materials from various government institutions and power plants are polluting the River Tigris, causing skin diseases and colon cancer.  Sewage waters are also poured into the River Tigris, which passes through the capital, Baghdad, which has a population of approximately 9 million.

July 10, 2023

Thick clouds of toxic foam covered parts of a river in southeast Brazil, scattering downward and worrying residents on Friday (July 7). Drone images showed clouds of foam floating on the Tiete River in the town of Salto, the largest river in Sao Paulo with more than a thousand kilometers and crossing the state from east to west.  The stinky foamy layer comes from detergent wastes and chemical residues dumped into the river without treatment

July 3, 2023

Dateline London: Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted London’s Pride march in protest over the event accepting sponsorship money from “high-polluting industries”. A number of protesters were arrested after blocking the road in front of a Coca-Cola truck.

June 26, 2023

London's The city's Ultra Low Emission Zone, which imposes a daily charge on the most-polluting vehicles, is expanding despite some resistance...

June 19, 2023

Air pollution in Minnesota's Twin Cities likely hit an all-time high this week, according to preliminary observations from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.   The agency reported a 24-hour air quality index value of 175 on Wednesday, indicating a level of airborne particle exposure equivalent to smoking four cigarettes. A typical AQI value for the Twin Cities in June is around 33, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

June 12, 2023

Amid Environmental Claims by Administration Bank Regulators Ignore Pollution on Mergers

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

FEDERAL COURT, June 4 – The Biden Administration has ordered all "federal agencies to consider and report on measures to ameliorate and prevent disproportionate negative environmental and health impacts on historically marginalized communities."

  But what does it mean, for the bank regulators?

Take for example the Federal Reserve Board, which has routinely ignored, and official stated it can and will ignore, environmental justice, and even despite its claims, climate change.   For example in approving BMO Harris' application to acquire Bank of the West - protested by Fair Finance Watch and Inner City Press - ruled that

"Some commenters expressed concerns regarding the amount of funding that BNP Paribas and Bank of Montreal have provided to fossil-fuel companies, while one commenter requested that the combined organization publish annual disclosures related to environmental issues. In addition, one commenter expressed concern that BOTW had not disclosed information regarding the diversity of its employees. These comments concern matters that are outside the scope of the limited statutory factors that the Board is authorized to consider when reviewing an application under the BHC Act. See Western Bancshares, Inc. v. Board of Governors, 480 F.2d 749 (10th Cir. 1973)."   

Inner City Press wrote, The Fed sure loves that 1973 case. It's time to amend the BHC Act and CRA to provide a private right of action and of judicial review. 

 But what about the Biden Administration's Executive Order? It doesn't only apply to the FDIC and OCC - it references independent regulatory agencies. Watch this site. 

***

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June 5, 2023

 Ten most Ten most polluted countries  Nepal: 99.73 μg  Niger: 94.05 μg  Qatar: 91.19 μg  India: 90.87 μg  Saudi Arabia: 87.95 μg  Egypt: 87 μg  Cameroon: 75.01 μg  Nigeria: 71.80 μg  Bahrain: 70.82 μg

May 29, 2023

So under the Biden Administration's Environmental Justice EO every agency is supposed to consider EJ - and the bank regulators? We'll have more on this.

May 22, 2023

US Sen. Bill Cassidy is convinced he has the policy that can challenge China’s geopolitical and military might, put a dent in its bountiful greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the U.S. economy, and, perhaps most importantly, get to 60 votes.   Cassidy said he’s floating a proposal around to his colleagues, which he hopes to introduce later this year, to impose a “foreign pollution fee” on various product imports from fuel, to chemicals, cement, aluminum, steel, and plastics to deal with these various China-related political, environmental, and national security interests at once

May 15, 2023

Scientists have found “alarmingly high” concentrations of potentially toxic particles in the air in New York City subway stations.  New York University researchers surveyed 271 platforms in December 2021 and found levels of airborne iron particles were a staggering 126 times more than the outdoor average, according to a paper published last month in the International Atmospheric Pollution Research journal.

May 8, 2023

Ohio will have until the end of June to finish a plan to aimed at combating toxic algae blooms that have flourished in Lake Erie since the late 1990s. The deadline is part of settlement agreement approved by a federal judge

May 1, 2023

Maine regulators issued a pollution law violation notice to Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), the rail company whose six train cars derailed in Somerset County two weeks ago

April 24, 2023

The signingof the EJ EO was good - but to position it only in terms of climate change, and not also toxic pollution, is a mistake.

April 17, 2023

Philly mayoral candidate Jeff Brown was asked by a moderator during the Democrats’ mayoral primary debate how he’d address accusations of pollution and environmental racism in Chester. “Chester is Chester. I’m worried about Philadelphians and how their lives are,” said Brown. “And so what will come first for me is what will be best for my Philadelphians.”  “So, you don’t care about Chester?” the moderator asked.  Brown replied: “I do care, but I don’t work for them.”  “The trash has to go somewhere,” he added. “And whoever gets it’s going to be unhappy with it.” (!)

April 10, 2023

EPA has proposed that chemical plants nationwide measure certain hazardous compounds that cross beyond their property lines and reduce them when they are too high.  The proposed rules would reduce cancer risk and other exposure for communities that live close to harmful emitters, the EPA said. The data would be made public and the results would force companies to fix problems that increase emissions. Public? We'll see.

April 3, 2023

The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco rejected all but one claim by the East Oakland Stadium Alliance about the inadequacy of the project’s environmental impact report. The Oakland City Council certified the report in February of last year.  The appeals court ruling means the project can move forward once the city and A’s address what the lower court ruled was an inadequate mitigation measure related to wind

March 27, 2023

Residents of a Louisiana parish located in the heart of a cluster of polluting petrochemical factories filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, March 21, 2023, raising allegations of civil rights, environmental justice and religious liberty violations.

March 20, 2023

A federal judge is giving Oklahoma and nearly a dozen poultry companies, including the world’s largest poultry producer, Tyson Foods, an additional 90 days to reach an agreement on plans to clean a watershed polluted by chicken litter.  U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell on Friday scheduled a June 16 status conference in Tulsa, saying both sides requested the extension. The state and the poultry companies are to submit a joint status report by June 9.  Frizzell ruled in January that Arkansas-based Tyson, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc. and other companies polluted the Illinois River, caused a public nuisance and trespassed by spreading the litter, or manure, on land in eastern Oklahoma, and that it then leached into the river’s watershed

March 13, 2023

The EPA is accepting public comment on the proposed rule on soot through March 28. They also hosted virtual public hearings on the proposed rulemaking at the end of February. The EPA plans to review the public comments and issue a final rulemaking later this year.

March 6, 2023

In Cancer Alley in Louisiana DOJ is now seeking a federal court order to compel Denka, the Japanese chemical giant operating the facility, to “immediately take all necessary measures” to curb emissions of the compound chloroprene, labeled by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen

February 27, 2023

Since its debut in 1971, an anti-pollution ad showing a man in Native American attire shed a single tear at the sight of smokestacks and litter taking over a once unblemished landscape has become an indelible piece of TV pop culture.  The so-called “Crying Indian” with his buckskins and long braids made the late actor Iron Eyes Cody a recognizable face in households nationwide. But to many Native Americans, the public service announcement has been a painful reminder of the enduring stereotypes they face.    The nonprofit that originally commissioned the advertisement, Keep America Beautiful, had long been considering how to retire the ad and announced this week that it's doing so by transferring ownership of the rights to the National Congress of American Indians. 

February 20, 2023

An environmental engineering lab has been testing the waters from residential wells in East Palestine, Ohio, after the train crash earlier this month. The confidential results can tell residents wh r their water is safe to drink

February 13, 2023

This was filed with the Federal Reserve, and receipt confirmed:

Feb 6, 2023  Timely Comment on "Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management for Large Financial Institutions"  Docket No. OP-1793  Dear Governors:     While the Board increasingly speaks of incorporating climate risks into its supervision and regulation,  I that nner City Press / Fair Finance Watch and other NCRC members have become increasingly concerned that the Governors to date have refused to even consider, much less act on, the issue when raised on the mega-mergers which cause other harms, unless mitigated by CBAs, to our communities.    In a recent approval, involving Bank of Montreal  and BNP Paribas, the Board's order stated: "Some commenters expressed concerns regarding the amount of funding that BNP Paribas and Bank of Montreal have provided to fossil-fuel companies, while one commenter requested that the combined organization publish annual disclosures related to environmental issues...  These comments concern matters that are outside the scope of the limited statutory factors that the Board is authorized to consider when reviewing an application under the BHC Act."     Not only is this at odds with the Board's now stated concern about climate risk - it also disingenuously presents the Board as powerless to consider and act on obviously important issues like climate change due to invested-in fossil fuel infrastructure and production.    Just at the Board recently responded to the collapse of FTX by denying the application to join the FRS of Custodia bank, if the Board is truly concerned about climate change it should be willing to consider, and act on, the issue in connection with mergers, under the managerial and finance factors of the BHC Act and where applicable Bank Merger Act.  Matthew Lee, Esq., Executive Director Inner City Press / Fair Finance Watch

February 6, 2023

 Indiana’s air pollution permitting program is low on money, edging toward violation of the federal Clean Air Act — and a potential U.S. Environmental Protection Agency takeover. And it’s because air pollution is decreasing.  Lawmakers hope to head EPA action off with a bill allowing the state agency responsible to raise its fees. But Senate Bill 155 could get pushback from colleagues who want more oversight over agencies, not less, and those who want to lower, not raise, taxes and fees.  “You’re increasing the fees and the cost of it for the people that are in business, and that’s going to be the hard sell here,” said Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, the bill’s author.  “But the other part of it is that members of the committee and other senators don’t want the federal government taking over this program,” Niemeyer said...

January 30, 2023

A hidden loophole in the Administration’s regulations to curb truck pollution could end up greatly weakening the new laws. These were part of a crackdown on heavy truck pollution that’s the first of its kind in decades. But commercial truck makers like Daimler and Navistar pushed for an exemption to the stricter emissions under cold weather conditions, which allegedly hamper their engines’ abilities to curb pollution.

January 23, 2023

From London... to New York? "Beri’s app suggests routes that provide the lowest risk of breathing air with high pollution levels. “It’s like a TfL [Transport for London] or Google app but instead of offering the speediest journey between destinations it provides routes with the lowest air pollution,” she said." How would this look in NYC?

January 16, 2023

Last summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it was considering designating the Permian Basin — the nation’s top-producing oil patch and one of the largest single sources of carbon emissions on Earth — in violation of ozone standards, which would have required substantial reforms in local oil and gas operations.  But the proposal was moved to a back burner in the agency’s annual agenda issued last week, reclassified from “active” to “pending."

January 9, 2023

In the Chesapeake Bay, polluted runoff is increasing amid inconsistent enforcement from government agencies...

January 2, 2023

Chicago-land: A plan to develop semi-trailer parking for a massive Target warehouse in Little Village has community members worried it will bring more diesel truck pollution into an area already suffering from poor air quality. Hilco Redevelopment Partners is proposing to turn 20 acres at 3307 S. Lawndale Ave. into a parking and storage yard for trucks hauling loads to and from the retailer’s 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse.December 26, 2022

Shell said on December 23 that it will pay 15 million euros to Nigerian farmers to compensate them for damage from pipeline leaks.  A Dutch appeals court ruled last year, following 13 years of legal battles, that Shell’s Nigerian branch must pay out for a series of leaks and that the parent company must install new pipeline equipment to prevent further devastating spills

December 17, 2022

More than 80 New Jersey companies allegedly polluted sections of the Lower Passaic River to the extent they should pay $150 million to help clean it up, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice announced Friday

December 12, 2022

People dealing with the most socioeconomic disadvantages in greater Los Angeles also face higher levels of toxic air pollution, according to a new UCLA-led study. Researchers collected air samples from 54 locations over two-week periods in September 2019 and February 2020, and then analyzed the samples to determine how much PM 2.5 pollution was present, and how toxic it was. PM 2.5 refers to particles smaller than 2.5 microns, which can penetrate deep into lungs. The paper, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that air from census tracts in the 25% of communities facing the most socioeconomic disadvantages not only contained a greater amount of pollution, but that the pollution in these areas was more toxic.

December 5, 2022

From Pittsburgh: U.S. Steel must pay over $458,000 in penalty fines after the company violated air pollution control regulations, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.  The violations occurred at Clairton Coke Works early this year

November 28, 2022

Texas in PA: A plea hearing has been scheduled for next week in the long-running case of a natural gas driller facing felony charges over allegations it polluted the aquifer of a small Pennsylvania community 14 years ago.  Houston-based Coterra Energy Inc. will appear in Susquehanna County Court ...

November 21, 2022

UN Puppet Guterres Reads Wrong Speech They Gave Him at COP 27 But Media Laughed It Off

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book
BBC - Honduras - CIA Trial book - NY Mag

UN GATE, Nov 11 – Two take-aways from COP 27: Antonio Guterres is a puppet who is handed speeches to read, sometimes the wrong speech, and the corporate media makes excuses for him, presenting his incompetence and corruption as funny, even charming. 

Welcome to Sharm el Sheik. 

  Guterres was giving "his" speech, flanked by Al Gore, when he belatedly realized it was the wrong speech. He flipped through it, then admitted "they" gave him the wrong speech. Video here

   The same "they" who, after convicted UN briber CEFC China Energy bid on the oil company of Gulbenkian, which paid Guterres money he omitted to including on his UN public financial disclosure, told him to go to the Genocide Games in Beijing, and cover up for genocide and UN rapes. "They."

But the media is complicit, with Al Jazeera and others making light of the mistake, very funny.

As funny as Qatar killing migrant workers to host a corrupt World Cup in the desert, air conditioning open air stadia while bloviating like Guterres about green energy.

  Guterres has Inner City Press roughed up and banned from the UN for asking about his omission of CEFC China Energy, and failures on Yemen and Cameroon.

The UN is dying, Guterres is responsible, and corporate and state media are complicit. Watch this site.

***

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November 14, 2022

Lobbying at the UN-affiliated and corrupt #COP27, which Antonio Guterres flew in and out of without impacting human rights in the least: "Vicki Hollub, the CEO of Oxy, a major US oil and gas producer, complained in October this year that oil and gas companies like hers were not allowed into negotiations at COP26, though she did get access to the talks last year.  Hollub claimed at an energy industry event that oil and gas companies were already working to influence this year’s COP27 and next year’s COP28, scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates. She predicted that they would be allowed into negotiations with the climate talks taking place in oil producing countries.  Hollub’s prediction seems to have come true with her and eleven of her colleagues from Oxy gaining access to this year’s talks as part of the official United Arab Emirates delegation, which included at least 70 fossil fuel lobbyists according to our analysis.  Oxy is one of the largest US oil and gas producers and a major producer in the prolific Permian oil basin. The company was also the second highest spending oil and gas lobbyist in the United States in 2021, behind only Koch Industries. Hollub has criticised others for pushing the energy transition “too quickly” saying instead that with carbon capture technology, largely used to pump yet more oil, she can see a way to continue producing oil and gas “for the foreseeable future, I’m talking 2060, 2070, 2080, I’m not talking about ending fossil fuel development in ten or twenty years”

November 7, 2022

While bloviating about climate change, not only is UNSG Antonio Guterres jetting off to Egypt after jetting back from Tunisia - after that, he's going to Bali. Hypocrite.

October 22, 2022

...In sub-Saharan Africa, the death rate from air pollution is 155 deaths per 100,000 people, nearly double the global average of 85.6 deaths per 100,000 people

October 24, 2022

...big US banks continue to finance companies that are developing new coal projects worldwide. Since 2019, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs have collectively provided US$40 billion to coal developers

October 17, 2022

A Breton water rights group is suing the French state for not doing enough to lower the amount of nitrate pollution in the Channel, which contributes to the growth of toxic – and sometimes deadly – green algae

October 10, 2022

NORTH SMITHFIELDers concerned about a proposal by a metals processor to build a 23,000-square-foot building on a property featuring acres of wetlands say they discovered more reasons to oppose the project this week, when the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management shared files documenting a history of environmental violations by the applicant.  Files provided by RIDEM following a public information request show that Material Samples Technology’s property at 800 Central St. has been subject to several violations, and in some cases fines for non-compliance.

October 3, 2022

"California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that oil refineries could start selling more polluting winter-blend gasoline ahead of schedule to ease soaring fuel prices, directly contradicting his own goals for reducing climate pollutants."

September 26, 2022

  "The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights — comprised of more than 200 current staff members in 10 U.S. regions — will merge three existing EPA programs to oversee a portion of Democrats’ $60 billion investment in environmental justice initiatives created by the Inflation Reduction Act" - will it help stop disparately pollution projects? We'll test - and see.

September 19, 2022

After Jurors Hear Trevor Milton Doesn't Give a Sh*t About The Environment, Nikola Questions

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book
BBC - CIA Trial book - NY Mag Pearl St Video

LITERARY COURTHOUSE, Sept 13 – When the Trevor Milton trial kicked off for real, AUSA Nick Roos called Milton a fraudster. His lawyer Marc Mukasey called the government's case grotesque.

  But the first witness settled the matter, at least for now. Paul Lackey who had worked on the Nikola 1 described Milton as involved in the science or the work, focused on leading other men in suits around and lying about the state of preparation of the vehicles.  

  Mukasey and then Ken Caruso objected, without impact. Overruled, Judge Ramos said.   As it grew near the end of trial day break, there had still been no cross examination.

  The jurors would go home with this image in their heads: Trevor Milton saying, according to Paul Lackey, "I don't give a sh*t about the environment, I just want to make money." 

   It was consistent with other, later developments. Milton lying about having solar panels on the Nikola building's roof, when there were none.

[Question posed to Milton on Pearl Street here]

  It was like the United Nations, though Kurt Wheelock, who before he was throw out of the UN had exposed their fake recycling program when in fact all the waste mixed together.

  The limousine idling for hours outside Secretary General Antonio Guterres' mansion on Sutton Place, and his undisclosed weekend jetting to Lisbon.

  Greenwashing, bluewashing, but all Team Trevor could allege was Milton- or Nikola-bashing. The next day they would get to cross examine Lackey. Kurt would try to come in early for that. More on Patreon here.

***

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September 12, 2022

Here are the most polluted (no. 50-40) and least polluted (no. 10-1) in U.S. News’ Pollution Rankings.  States with the worst pollution 50. Louisiana  49. Nevada  48. Indiana  47. Delaware  46. Utah  45. Ohio  44. Oregon  43. Tennessee  42. Illinois  41. Alabama  40. Texas  Louisiana ranks dead last, coming in as the most-polluted state in the U.S., according to EPA information.

September 5. 2022

New York State is home to the #1 most polluted lake in America. AZ Animals put out the list of the top 10 for 2022. The reason I believe we actually have three lakes on the list is that Lake Erie is listed for Michigan, but we also share the lake. I'm no scientist, but any pollution from Michigan most likely makes its way to other areas of the lake, including our side.  The most polluted lake in the U.S. according to AZ Animals is: 1. Onondaga Lake, New York  

August 29, 2022

The owners of a pipeline that spilt crude oil into beaches in California have agreed to admit guilt to charges of environmental contamination and pay $13 million, these businesses announced on Friday.   Two of its subsidiaries, Beta Operating Co. and San Pedro Bay Pipeline Co., along with Texas-based Amplify Energy, which runs the pipeline off Huntington Beach, have stated they will formally acknowledge letting oil contaminate the waters off southern California in October of last year.

August 22, 2022

Trial is underway in a Sterigenics lawsuit over ethylene oxide leaks from an Illinois manufacturing plant, which is the first of several hundred complaints that allege the company knowingly released toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, endangering residents living near its facilities. The lawsuit was brought by Sue Kamuda, who claims that the releases of the gas used to sterilize medical equipment caused her to develop breast cancer. The plant in Willowbrook, Illinois, where the leaks occurred, was shut down permanently in 2019, following complaints from residents.  Jury selection began on Thursday in Cook Count Circuit Court

August 15, 2022

A federal judge in Maine has given conditional approval to a consent decree in the case brought by environmental groups against the former owners of a chemical plant in Orrington, bringing a decades-long legal battle over mercury pollution in the Penobscot River closer to an end.

August 8, 2022

 This past week before jetting to Japan UNSG Antonio Guterres intoned that his UN has broken from fossil "fools" companies. False. They are all over his "Global Compact." Guterres is a climate hypocrite.
August 1, 2022

An analysis has listed celebrities causing the maximum private jet pollution and American singer Taylor Swift has topped the list. Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is second while rapper Jay-Z, former baseball player A-Rod and American singer Blake Shelton are among the top five. Steven Spielberg, Kim Kardashian, Mark Wahlberg, Oprah Winfrey and Travis Scott are also on the list. Looks like the UN and some others are immune from coverage - watch this site.

July 25, 2022

 A stench that has fouled the air in the Carolinas near Charlotte NC sparked a lawsuit Friday that accuses a paper mill of not gettinga pollution permit and of shutting down a key piece of equipment that was vital to controlling odors. Seven South Carolina residents who say they’ve been affected by noxious odors from the New-Indy paper mill say the company never applied for a key air pollution permit as it turned off a device called a steam stripper. The federal suit asks a court to order New-Indy to eliminate the odors and cut pulp production until the company obtains the air pollution permit. Known as a prevention of significant deterioration permit, the air pollution license is needed by major new industries or big industries making major changes to a plant. 

July 18, 2022

Under Clean Water Act Riverkeeper Sues Bronx Scrap Yard in SDNY With Settlement Predicted

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC-Guardian UK - Honduras - NY Mag

SDNY COURTHOUSE, July 16 – Riverkeeper sued Pascap, which owns a scrap metal processing facility by the Hutchinson River in The Bronx.

 On July 14, 2022 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Denise L. Cote held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.

  Counsel for the defendant quickly disclosed he is the judge's neighbor. She recognized the name of his wife, as a former classmate.

It's a small world, and the two counsel resisted setting a trial date, saying they anticipate settling.

The case is Riverkeeper, Inc. v. Pascap Co., Inc., 22-cv-2999 (Cote)

July 11, 2022

More than 8.5 billion gallons a year of pollution is estimated to be discharged off the west coast of Canada by cruise ships on their way to and from Alaska

July 4, 2022

Wright Pled To Carbon Credits Fraud Now Gets 52 Months Jail and $16 Million Restitution

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY Courtroom Exclusive, July 1 – Roger Ralston, Christopher Wright and Steven Hooper all faced a joint wire fraud conspiracy trial on May 12, 2022.

     On February 18, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff held a lengthy in-person oral argument. Inner City Press went and covered it.  

 Among the issues raised is whether the trials should be severed. Hooper proffered to the US Attorney's Office for some 18 hours and almost got a cooperator's deal. Now, counsel for Ralston argues, Hooper's information could never be effectively "Bruton-ized" at trial. 

  [See, Bruton v. US, 391 U.S. 123 (1968)]

June 27, 2022

Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho confirmed Russia's participation in the upcoming (June 27) UN Oceans conference. "Russia is a member of the UN and will take part in the conference," he announced. UNSG Antonio Guterres, who assured that Russia would not inviade Ukraine and then ordered to staff to not say it was happened, supports Gomes Cavinho - and the conference being in Lisbon, home of Guterres' Vaz and banks, he will also be there..

June 20, 2022

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has revised the Port of Morrow’s groundwater contamination fine to $2.1 million after finding additional wastewater violations.  On Friday, the agency added $800,000 to the Port’s original $1.3 million fine for over-applying nitrogen-rich wastewater on agricultural fields in the Lower Umatilla Basin

June 13, 2022

EPA says it will distribute $60 million among 12 states that have waterways that flow into the Mississippi River to help them control farm runoff and other pollution that contribute to a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. he money will be distributed over the next five years to Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin

June 6, 2022

Deutsche Bank Raided for Greenwashing After US Is Told Of Need Crackdown On Banks

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC-Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN NY Mag

SOUTH BRONX / SDNY, May 31 –    With the mega-merger horse largely out of the barn in the US, Citibank too big to question for its business in Russia even as JPMorgan Chase admits gambling a billion dollars they while closing branches in NYC, the smallest of regulators had started a review.  But where is the Community Reinvestment Act in mergers?

  The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, with jurisdiction mostly over small banks not members of the Federal Reserve System with the exception of the ironically named Truist, has a public comment period on mergers. 

  With the FDIC's request for information comment period set until May 31, here, Fair Finance Watch on April 11 submitted a first comment, below.

Now at the deadline on May 31, action - but non US regulators, in Germany: Authorities in Germany raided the offices of Deutsche Bank and its subsidiary DWS on Tuesday following claims that it was exaggerating the sustainable credentials of some of the products it sold.     A former manager in charge of sustainability at DWS has claimed that the asset management firm exaggerated the environmental and climate credentials of certain funds — referred to as greenwashing.  “The measures of the Public Prosecutors are directed against unknown people in connection with greenwashing allegations against DWS,” Deutsche Bank said in a statement.

 Unknown people? We'll have on this.

May 30, 2022

  Coal-fired plants emit, on average, 802 tons of CO2 per GW/hour of electricity generated, against 720 in oil-fired plants and 490 in gas-powered plants. Nuclear ones cause indirect emissions of 3 tons, less than wind and solar (4 or 5), hydro (34) and biomass (78)

May 23, 2022

For Withholding Lead Removal Work Records Ruilova Is Sued By EPA Now Seeking to Settle

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC-Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN NY Mag

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 16 – The EPA sued Edison Ruilova and others for failing to provide records about lead paint abatement work.     

    On May 16, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Gregory H. Woods held a conference. Inner City Press covered it.   

Ruilova intially wasn't present; only his bookkeeper was. But the bookkeeper contacted him and he appeared.

Thereupon the EPA said they are working on a resolution, at least with this defendant.

Judge Woods gave the parties until July 1 to submit a joint letter regarding the status of any anticipation.

The case is United States of America v. CISNE NY Construction, Inc. et al., 22-cv-338 (Woods)

May 16, 2022

In a study published this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the journal "Science Advances," scientists said they found that a reduction in particulate air pollution over the past 40 years led to an increase in tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Ocean

May 9, 2022

A U.S. District Court Judge in Delaware has sentenced the owner and operator of a foreign-flag tanker to pay a $3 million criminal fine for obstructing justice and concealing deliberate pollution from the vessel.  U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Andrews for the District of Delaware sentenced Liquimar Tankers Management Services Inc. and Evridiki Navigation Inc. after they were convicted at trial on all charges, including violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, falsifying ships’ documents, obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard inspection and making false statements to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors

May 2, 2022

A new study finds thousands of older oil and gas wells that contribute just a fraction of the nation’s energy are responsible for a large portion of the country’s climate-warming methane pollution

April 25, 2022

See, ESSENTIAL UTILITIES, INC. et al v. SWISS RE GROUP et al, 22-cv-01559, Pennsylvania Eastern Two water utilities says Swiss Re insurer improperly denied excess insurance coverage for an underlying suit accusing one of the utilities of allowing lead in...

April 18, 2022

Groups have sued the Environmental Protection Agency saying it hasn’t lived up to its obligation to force states to reduce air pollution abd hasn’t enforced Regional Haze rules under the Clean Air Act. Those rules require states to submit plans to curb harmful emissions that create haze. But 34 states including Arizona, California and Nevada haven’t yet done so, despite a deadline last summer.  The coal-fired Coronado and Springerville generating stations in eastern Arizona are among the state’s biggest polluters and emit harmful sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Environmentalists say coal plants are a major source of haze on public lands.

April 11, 2022

Hooper Pleads To Carbon Credits Fraud and Wright to Cyprus Wires So June 16 Sentencings

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY Courtroom Exclusive, April 8 – Roger Ralston, Christopher Wright and Steven Hooper all faced a joint wire fraud conspiracy trial on May 12, 2022.

     On February 18, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff held a lengthy in-person oral argument. Inner City Press went and covered it.  

 Among the issues raised is whether the trials should be severed. Hooper proffered to the US Attorney's Office for some 18 hours and almost got a cooperator's deal. Now, counsel for Ralston argues, Hooper's information could never be effectively "Bruton-ized" at trial. 

  [See, Bruton v. US, 391 U.S. 123 (1968)]

   Hooper's counsel countered, why not a bench trial for him, with stipulated facts? Judge Rakoff said it would not be a problem for him, but asked the government. Assistant US Attorney Jessica K. Feinstein said they will "take it under advisement."

 On March 15, severance was granted -- but not on the Brutonization grounds, but due to a serious health problem for Ralston due to a recent accident.

Hooper and Wright would be put on trial on April 25; Ralston to follow on September 12.

 On April 5, a change of plea (to guilty) was set for two of the defendants: "held on 4/5/2022 without transcription or recording. Melissa Kelley of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP for Defendant Wright and Shaelyn Gambino-Morrison of ChaudhryLaw PLLC for Defendant Hooper were present. A change of plea hearing concerning both defendants is set for 4/8/22 at 3:00 p.m."

Inner City Press went and covered the in-person guilty pleas, the only media in the courtroom. Both Wright and Hooper got sentencing ranges of 70 to 87 months, but 60 months is the cap. After Wright pled (allocuting to Cyprus to Saint Vincent wires) and left, it was said Hooper had been offered a cooperator's deal, and that the government at this sentencing on June 16 at noon will say he told the truth.

 His allocuation described fraudulent carbon credit, a scheme he withdrew from on this own.

 But when Hooper's counsel asked that he be allowed to travel back to the UK before sentencing, the AUSA opposed it and Judge Rakoff agreed, keeping the conditions of release including GPS bracelet, the same.

The case is  US v. Ralston, et al., 19-cr-774 (Rakoff)

April 4, 2022

Despite a noticeable drop in air pollution from road transport in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdown measures, breaches of European air quality standards remain a common occurrence across the European Union (EU), according to the EEA briefing ‘Europe’s air quality status 2022.’

March 28, 2022

 The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday objected to the state’s proposed operating permit renewal for the Suncor oil refinery in Commerce City and expressed concerns about how pollution from the facility impacts its low-income and mostly minority neighbors.  The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which submitted the 373-page permit for Suncor, has 90 days to respond to the EPA’s objections and then resubmit

March 21, 2022

more: "The scientists spent two years analyzing 2010 census demographics (the most recent data available at the time of the study) and air pollution levels for 202 cities across the United States. Per a statement, they looked at two pollutants: nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5, or tiny airborne particles found in smoke, dust and other substances. The team then compared this data with 1930s maps created by the federally backed Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the wake of the Great Depression.  The HOLC’s surveyors awarded an “A” grade to neighborhoods they considered the most desirable for mortgage lending—in other words, areas inhabited mostly by white residents. They gave a “D” grade to neighborhoods deemed the riskiest for home loans, denoting these areas (made up primarily by residents of color) by shading them red on maps"

March 14, 2022

. Atlanta neighborhoods that were subject to racist housing policies decades ago have higher levels of air pollution than other neighborhoods, according to a recent study that looked at the legacy of redlining in hundreds of American cities.  Experts say the study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, shows that decisions made nearly 90 years ago still affect people’s lives unequally.  In the late-1930s, the federal government’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation graded American neighborhoods for how risky it considered loans to be in those areas. Areas graded “A” were considered safer investments, and the scale went down to “D” grades, considered “hazardous.” Those “D” neighborhoods were shaded red on maps.

March 7, 2022

Oregon: Precision Castparts Corp. has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit over air pollution coming from its metal parts manufacturing facility in Southeast Portland

February 28, 2022

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a group of cases that could have an immediate impact on the American government’s ability to respond to the climate emergency.  The consequences could be even more substantial, however, reaching deep into the Biden administration’s authority to govern.  The court will be considering the 2015 Clean Power Plan

February 21, 2022

The administration is calling on residents to use a “beta version” of its Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool over the next 60 days to upload data that will reveal communities with multiple pollution sources and health threats such as tainted water, poor air quality, dirty roadways and nearby Superfund sites.

February 14, 2022

Several conservation and tribal groups plan to sue the Environmental Protection Agency. They say the EPA hasn’t lived up to its obligation to require states to reduce air pollution.  The groups say the EPA hasn’t enforced the latest round of regional haze rules under the Clean Air Act. It requires states to submit a draft plan to reduce air pollution. But the organizations say 39 US states didn’t do so by last summer’s deadline

February 7, 2022

A federal judge has approved a $65 million settlement in a class action lawsuit with three companies over chemical contamination of the water supply in an upstate New York village.  The ruling Friday by U.S. District Senior Judge Lawrence E. Kahn sets off a 30-day period for an appeal to be filed challenging the settlement. Kahn had previously ruled the settlement was “fair, reasonable and adequate.”  Under the settlement, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell International and 3M will compensate plaintiffs who are current or former residents of Hoosick Falls, northwest of Albany, for their exposure to PFOA, a chemical once used in certain industrial processes

January 31, 2022

Louisiana: Denka installed fenceline monitors to identify sources of emissions at its facility in St. John the Baptist Parish following an EPA order. Regan sent them a letter pressing them to continue to cooperate with EPA efforts to monitor and lower pollution in the area.

January 22, 2022

Most of the people who participated in the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District’s virtual public meeting last week approved of its plans to create an after-hours complaint system for air quality.  William Jacques, chief of compliance for the district, said State Assembly Bill 423 requires the district to evaluate and propose enhancements to its current process for receiving and responding to air pollution complaints.

January 17, 2022

A second Permian Basin company is facing an SEC lawsuit for defrauding its investors, Earther reports. Just a week after the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Heartland Group Ventures LLC, a Permian fracking company, for defrauding its investors and running a Ponzi scheme, it filed a suit against Marco “Sully” Perez and his “company” for defrauding more than 265 investors out of more than $9 million. Perez allegedly used the Ponzi scheme to fund his “extravagant lifestyle,” spending cash on “luxury cars, a helicopter, private jet travel, Bahamian real estate, and jewelry” along with his wedding on the Queen Mary.  Federal regulators say the company crossed the line when it allegedly generated less than $500,000 in revenue after raising $122 million from more than 700 investors

January 10, 2022

Iowa is suing Sioux City over what it says was the city’s manipulation of wastewater testing results and dangerous pollution of the Missouri River in a scheme that saw the wastewater plant’s former supervisor sentenced to jail.

January 3, 2022

From Chicago-land:  One year ago, residents of French Island learned they were drinking water contaminated with high levels of PFAS, a man-made chemical that is toxic to the human body.  “It’s one of the scariest things that’s happened to me in my life,” said Jim Walker.  The fear of harming your loved ones, unknowingly.  “My friends, my relatives, my kids, everyone’s been drinking my contaminated water. How would you feel?” said Jim.  Their future unknown.  “Frustration is probably the first word I’d use and the second word is helplessness. That you can’t do anything about it,” said Jim.  Jim and Margie Walker live on French Island and they have been using bottled water to do everyday tasks. Every few weeks, the Walkers get water delivered to their front door.  “Give us four or five big jugs that we put in our cooler,” said Margie.  The Walkers have no choice. Their well is contaminated with PFAS, WISC-TV reported.  “This is probably one of the worst things that’s happened to us in so many ways,” said Jim.  PFAS is what’s called a forever chemical. It does not break down and can’t be removed using traditional water filtration methods.

December 27 2021

From East Oregon (or would that be, soon, Idaho?)   Portland General Electric’s request to increase pollution at its Boardman fracked gas power plant drew fierce opposition from public health and environmental advocates.  PGE’s proposal to significantly increase toxic emissions at Carty Generating Station had its final public hearing Dec. 17.  If the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality grants the request to modify emissions at the 440-megawatt, fracked-gas power facility in Boardman, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compound output will increase significantly

December 20, 2021

A new report says that Amazon generated an estimated 271 million kilograms of plastic packaging waste last year. This is a 29 per cent increase over Oceana’s 2019 estimates, with much of this plastic waste stemming from the billions of packages Amazon delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 13, 2021

Curb kicked: The port — which is actually two adjacent facilities, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach — is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, a complex through which four out of ten shipping containers full of imported goods will pass on their way to U.S. households. It’s the reason that Los Angeles is shaped the way it is, with a narrow ribbon of trucking corridors dangling directly south from L.A.’s downtown to San Pedro Bay. In addition to being at a higher risk of cancer, residents near the port have some of the highest rates of asthma and related emergency-room visits in the state, making them particularly vulnerable when the air turns worse; for Golden, this means experiencing symptoms of persistent allergies and, on the worst days, nosebleeds. But during the pandemic, the public-health impacts of living adjacent to the port have become even more alarming. Golden points to a study by UCLA that broke down the neighborhood death rate for COVID-19, known to be exacerbated by exposure to particulate pollution. “In most communities in and around the port, it was 60 percent higher than the rest of Los Angeles County,” he says. “So who’s bearing the burden?”

December 6, 2021

From Illinois: In Waukegan, old factories, from a closed asbestos manufacturing facility to an active gypsum factory, sit discordantly alongside public beaches and forest preserves. Home to more than 86,000 people, the city contains five active Superfund sites. And on the shores of Lake Michigan sits the Waukegan Generating Station — a facility that has burned coal for decades ― and its coal ash ponds....

November 29, 2021

Private offices and schools will stay closed on Mondays in Pakistan’s second-largest city in a bid to tackle toxic levels of smog.   The measure will be in place until 15 January, after Lahore was this week declared the most polluted city in the world by an air quality monitor – with residents suffering from shortness of breath, stinging eyes and nausea from thick pollution

November 22, 2021

How about this strategy to crack down on China’s carbon pollution: charge imports for their emissions. This is “one way to get China to have its mind concentrated” on cutting emissions ...

November 15, 2021

Kentucky comparisons: PM 2.5 emissions — Louisville ranks No. 9 with a tonnage of 7,672, compared to Bowling Green with a score of 1,524. Poxides of nitrogen — Louisville ranks No. 2 with a tonnage of 37,796, compared to 5,735 for Bowling Green. Oxides of sulfur — Louisville ranks No. 3 with a measure of 39,231, compared to Bowling Green at 61

November 8, 2021

From COP26 More Emissions of UN Hypocricy Now Fore of UNICEF Which Banned Press Q on Afghanistan

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon  Podcast
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

UN GATE, Nov 1 – The UN system hypocrisy emanating from COP26 in Glasgow is itself like global warming. From UNICEF, which banned the Press on October 27, and its outgoing chieftain Henrietta H. Fore who headed a steel company and then something called Pozacorp, this: "“COP26 must be the COP for children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing this generation, with 1 billion children at extremely high risk. Yet, while the outlook is dire, world leaders at COP26 have a significant, time-sensitive opportunity to redirect the terrible path we are on." Yeah.

   On October 27 Inner City Press received an invite from  UNICEF  to sign into WebEx online briefing to ask questions to Yasmine Sherif, Education Cannot Wait director.

But when it did, with questions about Afghanistan and UNICEF including its use of the public's funds, and about UN staff abandoned by Guterres , it was "removed by the host." Video here.

By contrast, only on October 26 Inner City Press was interviewed by NBC TV in Buffalo here.

Inner City Press more than eight hours ago asked three at UNICEF / ECW including Kent Page and Anouk Desgroseilliers for an explanation:

"Subject: Press question about ECW/Sherif presser from which Inner City Press was "removed by the host" - Inner City Press is waiting for an explanation. On deadline, thanks in advance. To: kpage [at] unicef.org, adesgroseilliers [at] un-ecw.org, info [at] un-ecw.org

Hello. This is in the first instance a formal Press inquiry as to why, when yesterday I clicked the WebEx link to virtually attend and ask questions at Yasmine Sherif's press conference, I was first muted, and then "removed by the host" - presumably you / UNICEF.  

This occurred October 27 at midday and Inner City Press is waiting for an explanation.  On deadline, thanks in advance.  Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press

Suprising, perhaps, for an organization asking the public for money - but banning and even ousting the Press that has questions about it - no answer from these three. We will ask more. Where is Gordon Brown?  For now, podcast here.

November 1, 2021

“Chase bank alone has provided $317 billion in financing to the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Accords. Big money doesn’t care about our wellbeing. They will continue to fund climate disaster until we hit their bottom line. It’s time to fight for a fossil free future,” said Adam Neville, 19, with the Future Coalition, a national network of youth climate organizations calling for a fossil free future and national protests at Chase Bank

October 25, 2021

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Friday a lawsuit against a metal scrapper in Pilsen that allegedly violated air pollution codes.  Sims Metal Management, at 2500 S. Paulina St., is accused of failing an emissions capture test in May 2021, Raoul said in a statement. The report alleges the shredder was capturing less than 50%, which was below mandated emissions control requirements of at least 81%.

October 18, 2021

Studies show the California San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area with the most number of days with ozone and PM 2.5 (particulate matter 2.5) AQI (Air Quality Index) over 50.  The Los Angeles-Long-Beach-Anaheim area came in second, with 209 days and Riverside-San-Bernardino-Ontario ranked third.  Arizona's Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area was fourth with 149 days and Colorado's Denver-Aurora-Lakewood was fifth.  Areas in Texas, Ohio and Indiana were also in the top 10

October 11, 2021

.  this year in New Jersey when the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) proposed building a new fracked gas power plant in the Ironbound section of Newark. For city residents already living next door to a massive trash incinerator, multiple fossil fuel plants, heavy truck traffic from the East Coast’s busiest port, and a dizzying array of industrial facilities, adding another source of air pollution is unacceptable.

October 4, 2021

A plastics company accused of contaminating residents’ water in a New York town, has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for over $23 million. The settlement, which was filed on Friday and is pending court approval, would resolve a lawsuit brought by eight plaintiffs that allege that Petersburgh-based Taconic Plastics polluted residents’ water with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from a nearby plant

September 27, 2021

In the UN General Assembly last week, Greece bragged about making a "green island" with... Volkswagen...

September 20, 2021

A federal circuit court has rejected a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statewide Idaho permit involving pollution into waterways from large dairy farms.  But the ruling appears to have limited immediate ramifications for the state’s $3 billion dairy industry because no Idaho dairies are required to get such a permit.  The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday said the permit issued in May 2020 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lacked sufficient monitoring provisions for underground discharges that can reach waterways.

September 13, 2021

Serbia: Several thousand people protested in Serbia on Saturday demanding a ban on planned lithium mining in the Balkan country as well as a resolution to scores of other environmental issues that made the region one of the most polluted in Europe.

September 6, 2021

Louisiana Shell refinery left spewing chemicals after Hurricane Ida Power outages from the storm have left air quality tracking systems out of commission, making public health concern hard to gauge

August 30, 2021

 Cans, plastic bags and bottles plague the water and beaches of Tripoli’s Mediterranean coast. Because of pollution, the Libyan environment ministry last month ordered the closure of a number of beaches along the18-mile Greater Tripoli coastline.Daily discharges of untreated sewage from the Libyan capital’s two million people make this the most polluted section of the North African country's coastline.

August 23, 2021

Fight back: The Smiths' struggle to live free from chronic sewage pollution is common across their section of Cahokia Heights, a small, predominantly Black suburb located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis and formed earlier this year from the merger of three communities strained by population loss and aging infrastructure.  The environmental challenges have spiraled into what the group Centreville Citizens for Change says is a crisis, prompting the federal government to step in twice this month and more than two dozen residents, including the Smiths, to file a federal lawsuit in July alleging that "decades of government failure to ensure basic sewage and stormwater services ... have created an environmental injustice for this Black community.

August 16, 2021

Off the coast of five Caribbean countries, reports have identified 18 different polymers of plastic -- including, synthetic fibres, paint flakes and acrylics -- in waters across the Caribbean, with the highest concentrations (5.09 particles per m³) located off the San Blas islands in Panama.  Detailed ocean modelling and an assessment of regional policies indicated the abundance of microplastics in the area likely arose from a combination of distant sources carried by ocean currents and run-off from mainland Panama, which has some of the highest estimated levels (around 44%) of mismanaged waste in the region.  By contrast, the waters off Antigua, Bonaire and Colombia had lower quantities of terrestrial and marine plastics

August 9, 2021

Denver was the most polluted on the planet as of early Saturday afternoon. Rounding out the top five list was Salt Lake City, Utah.   A large area of wildfire smoke from the Dixie Fire in California was to blame for the poor air quality across the west

August 2, 2021

In Illinois, USA:   It's been over a week since the EPA and Winnebago County Health Department advised Rockton residents in the Blackhawk neighborhood to not drink their private well water, but neither group would tell WREX the severity of the tests which caused them to make the recommendation

July 26, 2021

The Corfo Lagoon in Patagonia, southern Argentina, has turned pink after waste from fishing companies was dumped in its waters, sparking alarm among local residents and authorities

July 12, 2021

In the UK, Southern Water has been fined a record £90m after pleading guilty to dumping sewage thousands of times in the space of five years.  The company admitted to causing 6,971 unlawful sewage discharges between 2010 and 2015, which lasted a total of 61,704 hours - the equivalent to one pipe leaking continuously for more than seven years.

July 5, 2021

Giz: A senior Exxon lobbyist was caught on tape admitting that the company has been running a behind-the-scenes campaign to combat regulation on plastics and PFAS, a video released Thursday shows. The tape is the second installment of an undercover investigation

June 28, 2021

An Idaho environmental group is suing Idaho Power, claiming it’s illegally polluting the Snake River through Brownlee Dam in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

June 21, 2021

On Sri Lanka: The main concern has been about 300 tons of bunker oil used as fuel for the ship. But officials have been saying it could have burned off in the fire.  On Thursday, Lahandapura said the salvage experts have informed her that “there could not be any oil left considering the nature of the fire, heat, duration of the fire and position of the fuel tanks.”  Both Lahandapura and X-Press Feeders said so far there was no oil spill.  The government has asked the United Nations and some other countries for help in assessing the damage to the marine environment and coastal areas

but from the UN, no answer to Press questions...

June 14, 2021

 Maryland is suing Pennsylvania for not doing enough to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay...

June 7, 2021

Update:  Sri Lankan authorities are bracing themselves for a new wave of pollution, following the sinking of the container ship X-Press Pearl off the coast of Colombo.  Up to three billion plastic pellets have already been released into the sea from the vessel.  The ship's cargo also included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, while its fuel tanks contained hundreds of tons of oil

May 31, 2021

Sri Lanka's top environment body said on Saturday the country was facing its worst marine ecological disaster triggered after a Singapore-flagged cargo ship caught fire near the Colombo beach, fueling severe environmental concerns.

May 24, 2021

San Diego — A new county office will focus on areas of San Diego most affected by pollution, health disparities and the effects of climate change, the County Board of Supervisors decided Wednesday. In a unanimous vote, the board agreed to create an office of climate and environmental justice within its land use and environmental group

May 17, 2021

The shipwrecked Golden Ray, which capsized off the Georgia coast near Brunswick in 2019, caught fire Friday afternoon, sending billowing black smoke up over St. Simons Sound.

May 10, 2021

In 2020, China's CO2 emissions rose by 1.5% while those of most other countries fell. Although, in 2020, the world retreated from coal, these retirements were eclipsed by China's new coal plants.  Even before China built those new plants, it was already the world's biggest emitter of fossil fuel carbon dioxide (CO2): In 2019, China was responsible for almost 30% of CO2 emissions -- roughly twice the amount emitted by the US, then the second largest emitter. China, the planet's primary coal consumer, already has the largest concentration of coal plants globally; in 2020, it produced 3.84 billion tons of coal, its highest output since 2015. In addition, China, in 2020, imported 304 million tons of coal, up 4 million tons from 2019.

May 3, 2021

This week the US State Department announced  "This year, the Department certified 35 nations and one economy and granted determinations for twelve fisheries as having adequate measures in place to protect sea turtles while harvesting wild-caught shrimp." And what about name and shame?

April 26, 2021

Air pollution data in China may have been manipulated by local officials, according to a new study conducted by Harvard and Boston University researchers.  The analysis, published on Wednesday, found statistically significant differences between data from monitoring stations run by local Chinese officials in five cities - Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu

April 19, 2021

River story: "Mercury was ubiquitous in both household and industrial uses in the 1800s and 1900s, said Joel Hoffman, a research biologist and co-author of the study who is chief of the Ecosystems Services Branch of the EPA's Duluth laboratory. Those sources likely included paper mills, lumber mills, steel mills, shipbuilding sites, manufacturing facilities and other sources that once dominated the river and Twin Ports harbor shoreline.

April 12, 2021

Two dead whales have washed up on the same stretch of Bangladesh coastline in two days, officials said Saturday, raising suggestions that they were killed by sea pollution.  Officials said the second, much longer whale washed up on Himchhari Beach, outside the resort city of Cox's Bazar, at around 8:30 am

April 5, 2021

Chron: Los Angeles is the most severely polluted of all US cities.  Vehicles generate the bulk of greenhouse gases, roughly 70 million tons per year.  Greater Houston, a metro area of 7.1 million, presents a stark contrast.  Houston proves that a city need not be circled by a mountain barrier to form dense air pollution.  Look in any direction from a building in Houston and behold level terrain as far as the pollution haze allows the eye to see.  Extraordinarily flat, Houston is nonetheless pollution-plagued.  Just as Houston and Los Angeles differ markedly in topography, they differ also in pollution “source mix”.  Houston’s vehicle fleet accounts for less than 30% of air emissions, appreciably smaller than LA’s.  But greenhouse gases are not negligible – about 24 million tons per year.  Industrial behemoths including ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, and Lyondell as well as other refining and petrochemical businesses contribute importantly to Houston’s economy.  They also contribute to pollution, accounting for most of the balance of air emissions along with smaller factory operations and electricity generation.

March 29, 2021

GAINESVILLE, Florida - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has issued a notice of pollution near the Alachua County jail...

March 22, 2021

What will pro-China UNSG Guterres say about this, from the FT? "Despite Xi’s pledge last year to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, China’s five-year economic blueprint released this month disappointed those who had hoped for strict curbs on polluting coal power plants.  Even before the dust storm, Beijing was mired in a relapse of poor air quality at levels similar to 2016, caused by soaring production of steel, cement and aluminum.." March 15, 2021

  Researchers at the University of Virginia and Duke University law schools have created a database to track the criminal prosecution of corporations. According to that registry, federal prosecutors have made only 17 such deals out of more than 700 environmental and wildlife cases since the late 1990s. The Times found two more non-prosecution agreements through a Freedom of Information Act request.  Eight of those deals, or roughly 40 percent, came out of the Central District of California, a rate far out of proportion to its share of the country's environmental caseload, according to a summary of environmental prosecution data maintained by Syracuse University's TRAC project

March 8, 2021

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Thursday reversed the conviction of James Philip Lucero for engineering a scheme to dispose of dirt and debris on lands adjoining the Mowry Slough in Newark, near the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  Lucero was a "self-described 'dirt-broker' who provided contractors and trucking companies with open space to dump fill material, or dirt, taken from construction sites for a fee," according to the court.  He was indicted in 2016 for "knowingly discharging a pollutant" into "navigable waters" in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.     The heart of the dispute was what the trial judge should have told the jury about the meaning of the word "knowingly."

March 1, 2021

From the UK: THAMES Water has been given a fine worth more than £2 million following a pollution incident in Oxfordshire.  The water company was fined £2.3 million for a raw sewage pollution incident in 2016, which saw 1,200 fish die.

February 22, 2021

Minnesota pollution: On Feb. 19, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a Code Orange Air Quality Alert to be in effect from 6 p.m. today through noon Sunday, Feb. 21 for much of east central and southeast Minnesota, including Wright County.  According to the MPCA, "Air quality is expected to worsen beginning Friday evening, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasted to reach Orange or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category."

February 15, 2021

Britain’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a group of Nigerian farmers and fishermen can sue Royal Dutch Shell PLC in English courts over pollution in a region where the Anglo-Dutch energy giant has a subsidiary.  Five justices on the U.K.’s top court said Shell has a “duty of care” to the claimants over the actions of its Nigerian subsidiary. Shell had argued that it was not responsible.  Members of Nigeria’s Ogale and Bille communities took Shell to court in Britain in 2016, alleging that decades of oil spills have fouled the water, contaminated the soil and destroyed the lives of thousands of people in the Niger River Delta, where a Shell subsidiary has operated for decades.

February 8, 2021

Owners of a solar energy farm in Massachusetts have reached a settlement with the state’s attorney general’s office to remediate a large tract of wetlands and riverfront damaged during construction of the site in 2018.  Dynamic Energy Solutions agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle charges that it violated federal stormwater protections, damaged wetlands and polluted a branch of a river...

February 1, 2021

Riverkeeper Lawsuit Against EPA Will Exclude Hearsay Report In SDNY Ruling Due February

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 25 – Riverkeeper sued the EPA for not protecting endangered species in connection with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 On January 25, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.  

Judge Rakoff grilled Riverkeeper's lawyer about a report being hearsay; he listened to the argument on standing, that it was not based on spending money on litigation but the longstanding "Havens" factors.  

At the end - reference was made another proceeding, not on the PACER Calendar Events - Judge Rakoff said it is interesting case so it will take time to rule.

 He specified the end of February, saying he'll aim to do it sooner but cannot promise.

The case is JSR Riverkeeper, Inc. et al v. US EPA, et al., 20-cv-6572 (Rakoff)

January 25, 2021

A map of Florida brownfields, and communities of color, is here.

January 18, 2021

Tzumi Sues EPA To Stop Hand Wipes Wipe Out Order But EPA Says Claims Are False

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 14 –   Tzumi Innovations says that its "Wipe Out!" hand wipes should not be registered with the EPA as a pesticide under FIFRA. It has sued.    

   On January 14, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lorna G. Schofield held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.  

The EPA says Tzumi is lying - or its claims are false - when it accuses EPA of issuing a Stop Sale, Use or Removal Order to Home Depot regarding Wipe Out products. 

On January 11, Judge Schofield had ordered a briefing schedule and a letter on whether the effectiveness of any SSURO might be delayed pending resolution of the case. Could it be a wipe out?

The case is Tzumi Innovations, LLC v. Wheeler et al., 21-cv-122 (Schofield)

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January 11, 2021

Check it out: Top Twenty Lenders to 40 actors in the Plastic Packaging Value Chain (Jan 2015 - Sept 2020; million USD)

BANK HQ LOANS & UNDERWRITING % OF TOTAL Bank of America United States 171,737 10.31% Citigroup United States 145,816 8.76% JPMorgan Chase United States 143,766 8.63% Barclays United Kingdom 117,923 7.08% Goldman Sachs United States 97,042 5.83% HSBC United Kingdom 96,201 5.78% Deutsche Bank Germany 77,398 4.65% Wells Fargo United States 74,121 4.45% BNP Paribas France 55,852 3.35% Morgan Stanley United States 54,211 3.26% Mizuho Financial Japan 50,602 3.04% Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Japan 43,587 2.62% Credit Suisse Switzerland 40,218 2.42% Société Générale France 35,775 2.15% Santander Spain 33,960 2.04% SMBC Group Japan 33,189 1.99% ING Group Netherlands 31,084 1.87% Toronto-Dominion Bank Canada 23,574 1.42% NatWest United Kingdom 22,207 1.33% Royal Bank of Canada Canada 21,760 1.31% Other 295,191 17.73%

January 4, 2021

Chippewa Sue Enbridge Tar Sands Oil Pipeline But Army Corps Lost in DC Mail Press Tweets

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

FEDERAL COURT, Dec 31 – A lawsuit seeking to enjoin a tar sands oil pipeline in Minnesota and elsewhere got a initial hearing on December 30 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Inner City Press covered it, and live tweeted it here:

The US Army Corps of Engineers decision to let Enbridge Energy to build a  330-mile pipeline for tar sands oil from Canada is being sued in DC Dist by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians & White Earth Band of Ojibwe.  

US says it has not been served. The papers are in the mail, but USPS says they won't arrive until January 5.

Judge Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly says she can move fast, because of COVID she is not going anywhere. She asks the parties to agree to a briefing schedule  Assistant US Attorney says the Corps of Engineers people are on vacation, unreachable. They want more time.

Judge: Are they going to be back on Monday? AUSA: That would be the first day. This permit may have a truly massive record, including state litigation.  Judge: I was reversed some years ago for doing a TRO without getting the administrative record in. It's local rule 7(10)(1), it's gotten better. Has there been other litigation?

Plaintiffs' counsel: Yes, at the state level. And under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.   Plaintiffs' counsel: It's in the Minnesota Court of Appeals. 

Judge: So we'll talk once you reach the Army Corps of Engineers. 

The case is RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS, WHITE EARTH BAND OF OJIBWE, HONOR THE EARTH, and SIERRA CLUB, Plaintiffs, v. UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, Defendant. Case No. 1:20-cv-3817 (D.D.C., Kollar-Kotelly)

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December 28, 2020

EPA Cutting No Spray Pesticide Zone Triggered SDNY Hearing By Dec 26 Only EPA Has Filed

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 23 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule to limit the 100-foot no spray zone down to 23-feet gave rise to an emergency hearing on December 23 at 5 pm. Inner City Press covered it.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lewis J. Liman held the hearing, and asked many questions, including about the impact of the change of U.S. Administration on January 20. 

 He did not decide, at the end of an hour and a half, on the request for a temporary restraining order. 

 Instead, Judge Liman said he will rule on it before December 29. He asked the parties if they wanted to submit more on "the 705 issue." Both said yes.

So, letters were said due at 5 pm on Saturday, December 26.

Now as of 5:10 pm on December 26, in the docket there is no letter (yet?) from plaintiffs, but this in the EPA's / DOJ's 3-page filing: "Dear Judge Liman: This Office represents defendants (together, “EPA”) in this matter. I write respectfully in response to the Court’s request at argument on December 23, 2020, for briefing on the application of the stay provision of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 705. As stated in EPA’s brief, a request by plaintiffs for a court order to delay implementation of a rule under 5 U.S.C. § 705 is governed by the same standards as the issuance of a preliminary injunction. Dkt. No. 30 (“EPA Br.”) at 10 (citing New York v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., — F. Supp. 3d. —, No. 20 Civ. 4260 (JGK), 2020 WL 4581595, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 9, 2020)). It has long been the law of the Second Circuit that stays of administrative action are governed by these requirements....Plaintiffs have not established that nationwide and rule-wide relief is necessary to remedy the harms they allege. See EPA Br. at 29-30. If the Court concludes that some type of equitable relief is appropriate, that relief should be tailored to affect only (1) the harms that Plaintiffs can establish specifically as to themselves or their members, and (2) the portions of EPA’s 2020 Rule as to which Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood both of success on the merits and of irreparable harm absent equitable relief. See New York, 969 F.3d at 88; Eastern Air Lines, 261 F.2d at 830. Plaintiffs do not challenge several aspects of the rule, see EPA Br. at 9 n.2, which should not be enjoined or stayed, and the Court should also decline to enjoin all discrete portions of the Rule as to which Plaintiffs have failed to carry their burden."

The case is Rural & Migrant Ministry et al v. Andrew Wheeler et al., 20-cv-10645 (Liman)

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December 21, 2020

From Thailand: "the problem in Bangkok is little to do with the traffic, buses and local industry. Of course, it’s a contributor but a tiny fraction of the bigger, deliberately lit, plantation fire issue.  A long term solution is to subsidise proper machinery for Thailand’s farmers to clear the land mechanically, rather than the cheaper burning of the crops. Districts could share the cost of the necessary machinery, with individual farmers and companies hiring the equipment when needed.  Today it’s easy to track all the fires, clearly identified by NASA satellites, in almost real time. It’s a free website that anyone can log onto… even Thai government officials. You can see the active fires in Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar as well, but there is a big concentration in central, northern and north-eastern Thailand.  You can see clear evidence of exactly where the smoke is coming from… matched with the daily weather forecast which provides the direction and strength of the winds.  There’s even a simple site like Air Visual which lists the air quality around the country, and the world for that matter, any time of the day."

December 14, 2020

In Pakistan, the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) has demanded that a national-level emergency should be declared to tackle the problem of marine pollution as the recent sighting of coral bleaching near Charna Island shows that serious environmental issue is getting worse every passing day.

December 7, 2020

Arizona District Judge G. Murray Snow ruled that  Chubb's Illinois Union Insurance Co. doesn't have to cover a resort's COVID-19  losses, writing that the carrier's "premises pollution liability" policy only covers environmental pollution but not the coronavirus pandemic. He dismissed London Bridge Resort LLC's lawsuit against the insurer, ruling that COVID-19 does not fall within the policy's "pollution condition" definition. The case is London Bridge Resort LLC v. Illinois Union Insurance Company Incorporated, case number CV-20-08109, in the US District Court for the District of Arizona

November 30, 2020

Utility giant Georgia Power has embarked on a buying spree. In 2016, it bought a veterinarian’s 5-acre lot in the rolling hills of northwest Georgia for roughly double the appraised value. The following year, it acquired 28 acres of flood-prone land in southwest Georgia’s Pecan Belt for nearly four times what the local tax assessor said it was worth. By the year after that, the utility giant had paid millions of dollars above the appraised value for hundreds of acres near a winding gravel road in a central Georgia town with no water lines and spotty cellphone service.  Two things united the properties: They were all near coal-fired power plants that generated toxic waste stored in unlined ponds at those sites. And they were all purchased after the Environmental Protection Agency finalized new regulations in 2014 governing the disposal of such waste, known as coal ash.

November 23, 2020

On November 19, 2020, U.S. EPA published its decision to remove Ohio’s air pollution nuisance rule from Ohio’s SIP in the Federal Register. The removal came at the request of Ohio EPA because the nuisance rule does not have a reasonable connection to the attainment of the NAAQS in Ohio, and U.S. EPA erred in approving it as part of Ohio’s SIP.

November 16, 2020

Smog levels reached hazardous levels on Friday as Faisalabad and Lahore topped the world’s most polluted cities index, followed by New Delhi.  The overall air quality of Lahore was recorded as 321 with a high concentration of PM2.5 of 270 microgrammes per cubic metre, which is the most damaging of the particulate matter in the air and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and impacts organs. Faisalabad ranked even worse with 440 US air quality index (AQI).

November 9, 2020

To read: Jon Mitchel's “Poisoning the Pacific: The U.S. Military’s Dumping of Plutonium, Chemical Weapons, and Agent Orange,” based on thousands of pages of documents he obtained from the U.S. military through FOIA; they detail the widespread contamination of bases and the areas surrounding them with PFAS and other hazardous substances, including chemical weapons, Agent Orange, jet fuel, and PCBs.

November 2, 2020

Sri Lanka has recorded an abnormal drop in air quality levels from October 27 and the pollution is continuing to rise despite lower vehicle movement in urban areas cities, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) said.  According to NBRO's Air Quality Monitoring Center data, apart from the southern parts of the country, the particulate matter level in the atmosphere in Colombo, Kandy, Puttalam, Vavuniya, Jaffna and other places has increased

October 26, 2020

Researchers estimate that, on a given day, if all of China was exposed to a 100 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 (as often happens in Beijing), 2.5 million more meals would be delivered, potentially using the same additional number of plastic bags or plastic containers.  “Our findings probably apply to other typically polluted developing-nation cities, such as in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Vietnam,” the researchers warn

October 19, 2020

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officer's premises raided, The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) have seized huge amount of cash and gold jewellery from the residence of a senior officer of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) located in Ranipet on Wednesday, sources said.  The raid at the residence was a follow-up action after a joint raid conducted by district inspection cell and DVAC at the officer’s ‘unofficial’ office building at Katpadi in Vellore district resulting in the seizure of Rs. 33.73 lakh from the building and a car.

October 12, 2020

Fracking as political football - discuss...

October 5, 2020

The Environmental Protection Agency will review a complaint that Missouri officials have allowed excessive air pollution in low-income and minority neighborhoods in south St. Louis.  The complaint, filed by the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, alleges that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources violated Title Six of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the EPA’s own regulations, by renewing air pollution permits for Kinder Morgan Transmix, a gasoline and diesel fuel company, without input from residents.  It claims the operation affects the Dutchtown, Marine Villa, Gravois Park and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods.

September 28, 2020

Much of the coast of Senegal, a poor nation of some 16 million people, is polluted.  The government has made attempts to tackle the problem -- such as banning single-use plastics this year -- but the impact on the ground appears limited.   Bargny's trash problem is particularly severe. The town has a spotty garbage-collection service, but no rubbish bins or sewage system.

September 21, 2020

New Jersey signed into law Friday a measure giving state regulators power to deny development permits to businesses whose operations pollute predominantly minority communities. 

September 14, 2020

 In Minnesota, these incinerators also impact our communities of color—including the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, or HERC, just blocks from north Minneapolis. Air pollution from HERC threatens the most vulnerable in communities around it, and taxpayers have subsidized HERC with millions of dollars over the years.

September 7, 2020

Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) launched a campaign on Saturday, September 5, to further raise awareness on air pollution and fuel emission control measures.   The awareness also involves mass testing of vehicle emissions. It is conducted in line with the ‘International    Air Quality Day is held every September 7, to educate the public on air pollution and control measures

August 31, 2020

The federal appeals court called Pennsylvania’s regulations for coal plant emissions too weak and ordered the state to revise them.  The decision was a victory for environmental groups, which sued the Department of Environmental Protection for writing the rules, and the federal EPA for accepting them.  The 2016 rules were put into place by the DEP to comply with federal mandates to curb ozone, or ground-level smog. The agency required coal-fired power plants to use pollution controls to lower their emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), which help form ozone when exposed to sunlight. But it gave plants the option of not using those controls when the plant’s emissions stream fell below 600 degrees fahrenheit, typically at times of reduced capacity.  The court held this temperature threshold was a “gaping loophole” in the ozone rule and threw the plan out.

August 24, 2020

Air Quality Impacts at an E‐Waste Site in Ghana Using Flexible, Moderate‐Cost and Quality‐Assured Measurements Lawrencia Kwarteng  Emmanuel Acquah Baiden  Julius Fobil  John Arko‐Mensah  Thomas Robins  Stuart Batterman First published: 07 July 2020 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GH000247 SECTIONSPDFPDFTOOLS SHARE Abstract Air quality information is scarce in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This study describes the application of moderate cost approaches that can provide spatial and temporal information on concentrations of particulate matter (PM) needed to assess community and occupational exposures. We evaluated PM levels at the Agbogbloshie e‐waste and scrap yard site in Accra, Ghana, and at upwind and downwind locations, obtaining both optical and gravimetric measurements, local meteorological data and satellite aerosol optical depth. Due to overload issues, the gravimetric 24‐hr samplers were modified for periodic sampling and some optical data were screened for quality assurance. Exceptionally high concentrations (e.g., 1‐hr average PM10 exceeding 2000 μg/m3) were sometimes encountered near combustion sources, including open fires at the e‐waste site and spoil piles. 24‐hr PM2.5 levels averaged 31, 88 and 57 μg/m3 at upwind, e‐waste and downwind sites, respectively, and PM10 averaged 145, 214 and 190 μg/m3, considerably exceeding air quality standards. Upwind levels likely reflected biomass burning that is prevalent in the surrounding informal settlements; levels at the e‐waste and downwind sites also reflected contributions from biomass combustion and traffic. The highest PM levels occurred in evenings, influenced by diurnal changes in emission rates, atmospheric dispersion and wind direction shifts. We demonstrate that moderate cost instrumentation, with some modifications, appropriate data cleaning protocols, and attention to understanding local sources and background levels, can be used to characterize spatial and temporal variation in PM levels in urban and industrial areas. Here.

August 17, 2020

European banks are financing the trade of controversial oil from the Amazon Sacred Headwaters region in Ecuador to international destinations in the U.S. such as California. The report also examines how these banks are actively complicit in the impacts of the oil industry on the Amazon rainforest — including oil spills, harm to Indigenous peoples, and climate destruction — despite making previous climate and human rights commitments. BNP Paribas (Suisse) SA and Deutsche Bank did not respond. 

August 10, 2020

From San Diego: At the rate of one trash truck full per minute all day long, every day, plastics mostly only used one time, then thrown away, are making their way into the ocean. They flow there via the Tijuana River, other rivers and estuaries, and storm drains. It happens all over the world, but the problem is worse in developing countries, the same places where we ship our plastic trash.  Developing countries lack the infrastructure to handle the sorting and disposal of these items properly. Surprisingly, despite that recycling symbol that leads us to believe otherwise, only around 9% of all plastics ever made over the past 70 years have been recycled.  Capt. Charles Moore, the discoverer of the North Pacific garbage patch, a researcher, educator, and author of “Plastic Ocean,” tells us there is no “away” with plastics.

August 3, 2020

Last week, a Kenyan Court awarded $1.3 billion Ksh (USD12 million) to residents of Owino Uhuru, a suburb of Mombasa, for damages related to pollution from a nearby lead smelter that recycled lead-acid batteries.

July 27, 2020

California is working on first-of-their-kind rules to limit emissions from ride-hail vehicles, which could force the companies to get about one-third of their drivers into electric vehicles by the end of 2030.
July 20, 2020

A federal judge late [Wednesday] reinstated the Bureau of Land Management’s 2016 methane waste rule, aimed at protecting people and the climate from methane waste and pollution from oil and gas extraction on public lands.

July 13, 2020

Nearly half of South Koreans viewed air pollution as the most pressing environmental concern last year, a government survey showed Sunday, amid a worsening level of fine dust in the country.  According to a survey conducted by the state-run Korea Environment Institute on 3,008 people around the country, 46.5 percent of respondents said "improving air quality" against such pollutants as fine dust and ozone was the most urgent environmental problem that needs to be solved.  Less than  22 percent cited climate change

July 6, 2020

In Portland, Maine, city officials are seeking a tougher federal crackdown on Sprague Resources LP for air pollution from heated petroleum storage tanks at its facilities in South Portland, Searsport and five other New England cities.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against Sprague in May...

June 29, 2020

Monsanto has agreed to pay Washington state $95 million to settle a lawsuit that blamed it for pervasive pollution from PCBs

June 22, 2020

Even in New Zealand: Forest & Bird is calling on the Government to reinstate a freshwater nitrogen limit of 1.0 mg/l into its proposed freshwater reforms, after the organization obtained alarming readings of nitrate-nitrogen in public drinking water supplies...

June 15, 2020

In Tennessee, in the last five years, the Lawrenceburg Sewage Treatment Plant has had 128 violations.

June 8, 2020

NPR: Our analysis revealed that, in the vast majority of places, ozone pollution decreased by 15% or less, a clear indication that improving air quality will take much more than cleaning up tailpipes of passenger cars.  In cities such as Los Angeles, stubbornly poor air quality during the coronavirus lockdown underscored how vast fleets of trucks are a dominant source of pollution. In industrial cities like Houston, refineries and petrochemical plants spew considerable air pollution. And in Pittsburgh and across a swath of the eastern U.S., much of the air pollution still comes from burning coal.

June 1, 2020

As Pennsylvania Sues Exxon and BP Oil Companies Say No One In PA Hurt By MTBE

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - The Source

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 28 – The state or Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is suing Exxon, BP, Chevron, Citgo (Venezuela), Conoco, Duke, Getty, Gulf, Lukoil, Phillips 66, Shell, Texaco, and Cumberland Farms.

On May 28 Inner City Press covered a conference before U.S. District Court for the Southern District Of York Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman. 

   Judge Freeman said, It's a long docket.  (She starts reading from 2016 motions.

White shoe law firms representing the oil companies in the case include King & Spalding, which in full disclosure Inner City Press has covered in connection with Turkey's Halkbank, Stroock, and Ballard Spahr, along others. 

 The companies' lawyers soon were mocking the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for wanting to test all water wells for MTBE, saying Pennsylvania doesn't point to anyone actually injured.

Judge Freeman said she will not agree to strike any pleadings - that would be up to District Judge Broderick - and that while she could impose discovery sanctions, she won't, this should be addressed on the merits. She notes discovery is delayed by Covid-19 in many cases. 

 Judge Freman told the parties if they want her to review disputed discovery documents "in camera," don't fax them - they'll just sit in unused chambers. She arranged other ways to get them.

The case is Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Exxon Mobil Corporation, et al., 14-cv-6228 (Broderick / Freeman).

May 25, 2020

Westmoreland Mining Holdings sued the EPA in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday over its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule, which regulates the emission of mercury and other toxins emitted from power plants... The firm BakerHostetler, which is representing Westmoreland, has previously argued against what they view as “one-size-fits-all” standards in comments to the EPA...

May 18, 2020

... The agency was sued in the same court on April 16 by environmental groups seeking to require the EPA to determine when a company had stopped complying with environmental laws, and to immediately notify the public.  The states said in their lawsuit that the EPA is no longer requiring companies to monitor emissions of air and water pollution or to test storage tanks and other facilities that contain hazardous wastes. The new policy also suspends federal time limits for storage of hazardous wastes if the owner cites the coronavirus as a reason, the suit said.  The changes will lead to more chemical spills and “likely will result in increased air and water pollution,” endangering residents who live nearby, downwind or downstream, the suit said.  New York’s attorney general took the lead in the suit, which was joined by California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont and Virginia. 

May 11, 2020

As US EPA Coronavirus Deregulation Is Sued SDNY Litigants Leave It To The Papers

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - The Source

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 6 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 26, citing the Coronavirus pandemic, allowed companies to move to only internal monitoring of noncompliance with regulations and tell EPA about it later, only if asked.

  Environmental groups on April 1 filed an emergency petition for rulemaking with EPA, opposing this.

After EPA inaction, they have sued in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, whose Chief Judge Colleen McMahon held a conference on the case on May 6. Inner City Press covered it.

   Judge McMahon invited plaintiffs to use the opportunity to describe their case; they said they preferred to stand on their papers. Perhaps journalists in the environmental field prefer to simply read.

In the docket now are Catskill Mountainkeeper, Center for Coalfield Justice, Clean Water Action, Coming Clean, Environmental Justice Health Alliance, Flint Rising, Indigenous Environmental Network, Just Transition Alliance, Los Jardines Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, Southeast Environmental Task Force, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc., Water You Fighting For.   Judge McMahon said while she was not scheduling oral argument, she may pose questions to the side by filing them in the docket. Inner City Press will be monitoring it.

The case is NRDC et al. v. Assistant Administrator Susan Parker Bodine, et al., 20-cv-3058 (McMahon).

May 4, 2020

Residents of Birshin Fulani village in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State have accused a construction company, Triacta Nigeria Limited of polluting their environment while blasting a rock located in the area for gravels and cracking their buildings.  Speaking with journalists, some of the residents lamented that the activities of the construction company make life unbearable for them as it causes both noise and air pollution which they alleged also pose threat to their health

April 27, 2020

UNintended consequences: "With many businesses closed, Alabamians are getting outdoors more, and that is leading more people to notice new things in their environment. And that is leading to an increase in complaints about water pollution to both state regulators and environmental watchdogs. "

April 20, 2020

Prince William has hailed the reductions in air pollution since the coronavirus lockdown began, adding that he hopes attitudes towards working from home will change once restrictions are lifted.  Speaking alongside the Duchess of Cambridge on BBC Breakfast this morning (April 17), the Prince was asked about the large drops in air pollution reported in the UK and abroad since the lockdown began almost a month ago.  ‘Absolutely, I’ve noticed that,’ he said. ‘That is a positive isn’t it?’  ‘The environmental impact of no one travelling around the place has made a huge difference all around the world....

April 13, 2020

  As with another Federal agency, but deeper in the process so more understandable, the EPA churns on, here

April 6, 2020

A group of Senators led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) on Friday called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt any rulemakings or guidance documents that could cause in increase in toxic chemicals or air or water pollution, and therefore increase the risk of illness or death from the coronavirus.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the coronavirus may pose a higher risk of serious illness to people who have chronic lung disease, asthma, heart conditions, diabetes, or other chronic illnesses or who are immuno-compromised.

March 30, 2020

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviewed a request from the American Petroleum Institute (API) — to soften enforcement of air and water pollution during the Covid-19 pandemic.  A few days later, the EPA invoked a temporary policy that does just that — easing enforcement of environmental laws during the outbreak.  EPA’s “temporary enforcement discretion” applies to civil violations during the outbreak — and frames the policy as more of a reporting and “routine monitoring” matter — as does the petroleum group.

March 23, 2020

Computer scientists from Loughborough University in the UK have developed a new AI system that predicts air pollution levels days in advance.  The system developed analyzes air data through sensors installed in cities to predict the pollution levels.

March 16, 2020

Luxembourg is introducing free public transport and Manchester is building a walking and cycle network, but declining town centers, dividing cities into separate zones for home, business and retail, and allowing out-of-town development can tie people to journeys for everyday tasks.  

March 9, 2020

The Break Free From Plastic Act of 2020 aims to curb plastics pollution by shifting the responsibility from consumers to the companies that produce plastic.  The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), would hold major plastic polluters, such as Nestlé, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, accountable for their pollution by requiring them to finance waste and recycling programs.

March 2, 2020

Twelve of the US' top 100 polluting plants are in Louisiana. The study also says in 2018, these 100 plants, which all have at least 250 people living within a mile of them, were responsible for 39% of the country’s toxic air emissions.

February 24, 2020

Cleaning up air pollution has made winters milder Research reveals that cleaner skies allow more of the sun’s energy to reach the earth’s surface and have altered high altitude wind patterns

February 17, 2020

South Sudan: "The oil rich area around Paloch, a city in Upper Nile state, is dotted with exposed pools of toxic water. A chemical junkyard in Gumry town, about 45 minutes from Paloch, was strewn with overflowing containers of black sludge that seeped into the ground and were surrounded by toxic waste" - AP

February 10, 2020

...Coal provides more than a third of the world’s electricity  ....

February 3, 2020

from Colorado: Denver among top 10 worst US cities for hazardous air pollution, 2 new studies say Denver residents have been inhaling hazardous air pollution at elevated levels on more than 260 days a year for the past two years, federal records show, as two new studies released this week ranked metro Denver among the top 10 worst U.S. cities for air quality.

January 27, 2020

This week, Malta: “The NAPCP on page 44, table 2 says that in the scenario ‘with measures’ Malta will emit a total of 4.9 kilotons of NOx when the limits are only 2kt. With so called ‘additional measures’ proposed in the draft action plan emissions go down marginally to 4.5kt...

January 20, 2020

US 9th Circuit Dismisses Climate Change Lawsuit While UNSG Guterres Flies to Lisbon Again

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon, Thread Video
Honduras - The Source - The Root - etc

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 17 – A major climate change lawsuit has been shot down by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. From their summary in JULIANA V. UNITED STATES: "The panel reluctantly concluded that the plaintiffs’ case must be made to the political branches or to the electorate at large. District Judge Staton dissented, and would affirm the district court.  Judge Staton wrote that plaintiffs brought suit to enforce the most basic structural principal embedded in  our system of liberty: that the Constitution does not condone the Nation’s willful destruction.  She would hold that plaintiffs have standing to challenge the government’s conduct, have articulated claims under the Constitution, and have presented sufficient evidence to press those claims at trial."

During the trial that convicted Tony Hernandez, the brother of Honduras' president Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH), on all four counts of guns and narcotics trafficking and false statements, the drug ledgers of one Nery Orlando López Sanabria a/k/a Magdaleno were used by the SDNY prosecutors.

  Here is an Inner City Press tweeted photo of notebook mentioning "JOH," in Spanish. Inner City Press repeated asked the United Nations, in New York and Geneva, for  comment. Now since November 2 the UN's "human rights" office in Honduras has refused to even confirm receipt.  Funding should be cut off to Guterres' UN - now he's getting Chapo's money. And, relatedly, refusing to answer Press questions about the release of Chapo's son, here.

  While UNSG Antonio Guterres has refused to answer any of banned Inner City Press' questions about Honduras after he praised JOH after meeting with him in September 2019, saying the two had met not about corruption but climate change, now on December 2 both will be in Madrid for United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP25).

The event was moved due to protests in Santiago, Chile of which Guterres took note while ignoring those in Honduras. Guterres spent days in Lisbon on the public dime, after flying there on Air Chapo (with money from thence) - while on Novmeber 29 his spokesmen did not answer even one of Inner City Press' written questions. Guterres is corrupt. We'll have more on this.

January 13, 2020

There is unlikely to be much respite of the air pollution shrouding Greater Bangkok this weekend. And the PM is urging people to inform a hotline of any vehicles belching smoke and fumes into the Bangkok sky.  The Pollution Control Department says the smog, which saw just about all of the 50 air quality stations hitting levels of PM2.5 over ’50’ yesterday (the upper limit for safe pollution levels as determined as ’25’ by the World Health Organisation), will continue over the weekendJanuary 6, 2020

A Washington University study shows that St. Louis residents in poor, segregated neighborhoods are at a greater risk of cancer from air contaminants. Christine Ekenga, an assistant professor at the school and the study’s lead author, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the pollutants that conferred the greatest dangers were traffic-related. The findings support the university’s other recent research that details how St. Louis is plagued by inequalities. The city’s stark racial divide makes it one of the most segregated in the U.S. and contributes to differing outcomes that include asthma rates, exposure to lead and inadequate access to healthy food.

December 30, 2019:

On environmental in the US federal courts, we note Massachusetts v. Exxon Mobil Corp., D. Mass., No. 1:19-cv-12430, and the motion filed 12/26/19.

December 23, 2019

 Honeywell International filed a $4 million  settlement with the state Department of Natural Resources in federal court in Atlanta.  The money will cover cleanup costs related to the former LCP Chemicals plant.  It will also pay the state for lost fishing opportunities from chemicals polluting nearby marsh and waterways.  The site is currently under the federal Superfund law. Honeywell and Georgia Power Co. in 2016 agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $29 million to clean up marshland.

December 16, 2019

The Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board issued a Technical Secretary’s Order and Assessment of Civil Penalty (“Order”) to Nissan North America, Inc., (“Nissan”) for alleged violations of an air permit. See Division of Air Pollution – Case No. APC19-0119.  The Order states that Nissan operates an engine machining process at a facility (“Facility”) in Decherd, Tennessee.

December 9, 2019

How are area of London affected and which are the worst boroughs when it comes to poor air quality.  The new data compares how many cigarettes breathing a location's air is equivalent to.  Newham - 159 -  Westminster - 157  Kensington and Chelsea - 156  Islington - 156  Waltham Forest - 156  Many of the worst areas outside London are, incidentally, also very close to the capital.   Slough - 145  Dartford - 144  Portsmouth - 142   Medway - 142  Luton - 140

December 2, 2019

According to Air Quality Index, Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is ranked worst as the most polluted city in the world.

November 25, 2019

At some stages in recent days, the state capital of Sydney reached as high as No. 8 on the Air Visual global rankings of cities with the worst air pollution in the world, ahead of Jakarta and Shenzhen and only just behind Mumbai. 

November 18, 2019

HR 5120, authored by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), is the “Safe, Accountable, Fair and Environmentally Responsible (SAFER) Pipelines Act of 2019.” The bill will give the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) (part of the Department of Transportation) strong direction to act in the safety interests of citizens living in both urban and rural areas, including by requiring new rules to prevent, detect, stop and report methane emissions.
November 11, 2019

  "Thousands of companies around the world are now reporting climate-related financial exposures to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) under the guidelines of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures." That's Lael Brainart; in other news, no follow through on ensuring that FOIA requests related to mergers are ruled on before the Fed closes comment periods. Also, problems with HMDA availability from CFPB: isn't this as much in the Fed's wheelhouse and area of responsibility?

November 4, 2019

 One thing we can say is that Antonio Guterres' brand of "climate action" is a fraud that when questions, is not or cannot be defended, see here.

October 28, 2019

A group of scientists selected by the EPA to advise it on air pollution standards couldn’t reach consensus on whether the standards should be tightened or stay  the same, a development that may complicate ongoing effort to update them.  The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee was examining the current environmental rules for fine particulate matter, akaPM2.5, during a two-day meeting that ended Oct. 25. Four of the committee’s six members said the current rules are acceptable, while two others said they should be lowered to better protect public health.

October 21, 2019
 
  So why isn't The Bronx, or even NYC, at least as of October 19, 2019 on https://insights.sustainability.google/?

October 14, 2019

MN: Twin Cities residents interested in the air quality of their neighborhoods can now find out with the click of a mouse on a state website.  The new mapping tool is part of an urban air-quality monitoring project at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) aimed at understanding the relationship between common air contaminants and public health effects, such as asthma and early deaths, broadening the state’s effort to tackle the issue known as health equity. 

October 7, 2019

The shipping industry is yet another industry where the burden put on the environment is not being reduced as much as it’s being shifted and concealed. Experts warn this could have a terrible, devastating effect on wildlife in British waters — and, remember, water goes everywhere.  Global shipping companies are rigging vessels with “cheat devices,” even to the tune of billions of dollars, to create a false impression. By circumventing new environmental legislation, they are simply dumping pollution into the sea to protect the air. Seems a case of cutting off one’s foot instead of one’s hand, metaphorically

September 30, 2019

Environment and the courts: A settlement in the Hawaii linchpin case that was to anchor a U.S. Supreme Court review of whether the federal Clean Water Act mandates cleanup of pollution carried via groundwater to regulated water bodies now could leave the dispute out of what justices will consider....

September 23, 2019

UN Guterres Leers At Youth Climate Summit While Covers Up Child Rapes and Flies to Lisbon Censoring Press

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT Video

UN GATE, September 21 -- Who gets to decide which media can enter the United Nations to cover this week's United Nations General Assembly meeting, for example the September 21 "Youth Climate Summit"? It's Antonio Guterres, who as Secretary General has covered up child rapes by UN peacekeepers and his many jet flights to his real home in Lisbon, and has banned Inner City Press which asks about both for 445 days now.

 On September 21Guterres sat leering in the UN Trusteeship Council Chamber, trying to co-opt the youth energy against corporate polluters.  His Climate Envoy Luis Alfonso de Alba was lurking around the UN at midnight smoking a cigarette and joining in Guterres' censorship of Press. His Youth Envoy is not young, and partners with Saudi Prince MBS who had journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed. Guterres is killing the UN.

September 16, 2019

UN Guterres Flies To Bahamas Noting Haitians Whom He Cheats After UN Cholera Killed 10000

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT Video

UN GATE, Sept 14 -- Who gets to decide which media can enter the United Nations to cover this month's United Nations General Assembly high level week?

  The answer in today's UN, not unlike in any dictatorship whether China or Cameroon, is one man and his small circle of yes-men and a yes-women, with no due process, no right to appeal, no judicial oversight.   

  In this case the man is Antonio Guterres, and the new yes-woman is Melissa Fleming. She previously served as his spokesperson during his tenure at the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Guterres parlayed that into the top UN job by showing great deference to China on its refoulement to North Korea for torture.

 And what does Guterres do as Secretary General, beyond seeking a second term include by censoring the Press? He flew down to the Bahamas and said this: "it's important to say I just visited a reception center in which the overwhelming majority of the population is not Bahamian it’s Haitian."

  So he flew all those miles at cost to the public and the environment and noted people from Haiti whom he has ensured receive not a penny after the UN killed 10,000 of them with cholera, citing the same immunity / impunity he uses to have the Press roughed up and banned. His empty statements are issued by Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric lamenting summer wines while Haitians like the Anglophones in Cameroon are ignored, abused and used by the UN.  Dujarric too in a censor. And Lowcock for some reason hasn't made even the cursory financial disclosure the system of which Guterres is destroying for his own (Gulbenkian) reasons.

September 9, 2019

Hurricane Dorian Garners UNSG Guterres Empty Statement While He Bans Press From UNGA

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT Video

UN GATE, September 2 -- Who gets to decide which media can enter the United Nations to cover this month's United Nations General Assembly high level week?

  The answer in today's UN, not unlike in any dictatorship whether China or Cameroon, is one man and his small circle of yes-men and a yes-women, with no due process, no right to appeal, no judicial oversight.   

  In this case the man is Antonio Guterres, and the new yes-woman is Melissa Fleming. She previously served as his spokesperson during his tenure at the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Guterres parlayed that into the top UN job by showing great deference to China on its refoulement to North Korea for torture.

 And what does Guterres do as Secretary General, beyond seeking a second term include by censoring the Press? He issues empty statements about storms, like this one: "Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General – on Hurricane Dorian     The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the terrible devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian, which is still impacting the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.      The Secretary-General expresses solidarity with the people and the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.     The United Nations will continue supporting the Government-led ongoing rescue and relief efforts.   Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General  New York, 2 September 2019." Dujarric too in a censor.

  Guterres took money from Lisbon-based Gulbenkian Foundation during the year after he left UNHCR. Then once despite his feminist rhetoric Guterres shouldered out women candidates to take over the UN with China's support, Guterres omitted these Gulbenkian payments from the UN public financial disclosure he filed covering 2016.  

  When Inner City Press which while reporting daily from inside the UN also covered the UN bribery trial of CEFC China Energy's Patrick Ho in the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan asked Guterres about that case, Guterres refused to answer.    

   Worse, Guterres pretended through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric to not have even heard Inner City Press' question when called on at the UN Security Council stakeout about Cameroon and his closeness with 37 year president Paul Biya.   

September 2, 2019

Siemens Refuses To Pay To Ship 177 Wind Turbine Blades From China To Texas And Gets Sued

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, August 29 – To ship 513 wind turbine generator blades from Shanghai to Corpus Christi, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy said it would pay BBC Chartering Carriers $2.7 million. Then after having paid for only 336 blades, Siemens stopped paying. BBC Chartering Carriers sued and appeared on August 29 before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Gregory H. Woods.

   Judge Woods asked each side what law should apply. The two lawyers said they had both worked in maritime law for some time; Siemens said it wants to file a motion to dismiss. Judge Woods set a schedule and said he was looking forward to construing the contract.

August 26, 2019

Children living in a central Zambian mining town are still exposed to high levels of toxic lead 25 years after the mine closed... Decades of lead mining have left Kabwe, around 150km  north of Lusaka, severely polluted, with serious health implications for residents..

August 19, 2019

UN Climate Corruption Includes Antonio Guterres And UNDP Global Environment Facility Felony

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFTracker  Q&A

UNITED NATIONS GATE, July 29 – The corruption in the UN system under UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ranges from impunity for sexual abuse and harassment to lack of financial disclosures and audits to outright double-dipping of benefits, whistleblower UN staff have repeatedly complained to Inner City Press.

A fish rots from the head, and it is Guterres (now missing without explanation for two weeks) who is responsible. But why then is Guterres given a pass in an increasingly rare selective take-down of part of the UN climate scam by Foreign Policy, a publication whose UN embed UNchecked by headquarters never wrote a word as investigative Inner City Press would evicted from its UN office, then roughed up and banned now 408 days? In terms of their recent piece, the scam of the Global Environmental Fund goes further back than they say, reported exclusively by Inner City Press for example here, regarding Tatiata Gorlatch and others.

  And now consider this, from March: Rastislav Vrbensky just left UNDP having allowed his wife to earn over a million dollars in contracts from UNDP offices that report to him in the Istanbul Regional Office of UNDP in breach of UNDP's Ethics Rules. And it looks like there is more. All staff have been too scared to report for past 2 1/2 years.   He is a senior UNDP official and Deputy Director of UNDP in Europe in CIS region. He left the organization with no official announcement from the Adminstrator (Achim Steiner), no official announcement from the Europe & CIS Bureau Bureau Director (Mirjana Spoljaric Egger) and no official announcement from anybody in UNDP.  Vrbesnky reported to Spoljaric who reports to Steiner.  Out through the back door ...

Back door Tony. We'll have more on this.

August 12, 2019

  The elitism of the environmentalism, so called, of UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres is exemplified by his robo-celebrating while flying to parts unknown of the luxury yacht trip: Greta Thunberg · Jul 29 Good news! I’ll be joining the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, COP25 in Santiago and other events along the way. I’ve been offered a ride on the 60ft racing boat Malizia II." Who else can afford this? Guterres is a fraud...

August 5, 2019

An environmental study graded conditions at over 204 beaches that touch the Long Island Sound, including North Shore beaches. Beaches in both NY & Connecticut  received high marks for water quality, welcome news to beachgoers.     Save the Sound, a bi-state organization dedicated to protecting the waters and shorelines of the Long Island Sound, released the report on Friday. They have offices in Mamaroneck, NY and New Haven, CT.     Among the top ten beaches in New York State on the Long Island Sound were Northport’s Hobart Beach, Port Jefferson’s East and West Beach and nearby Belle Terre Beach, and Iron Pier Beach and Mattituck Breakwater Beach, both in Riverhead.

July 29, 2019

There are no fewer that four big oil cases pending against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The cases involve arbitration awards and various oil fields; a backdrop includes longstanding human rights abuses by and allegations of corruption in Nigeria's oil sector.   

Back on July 16 Inner City Press sought to attend and cover a status confernce in one of the cases, Statoil and Texaco v. NNPC, 18-cv-02392 before SDNY Judge Richard M. Berman. But the matter was put over until July 23 at noon.    When Inner City Press arrived at noon, both the plaintiffs and defendants tables were full; the courtroom was otherwise empty.   

The law firm for Texaco and Statoil, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP quickly told Judge Berman that the proceeding should be off the record and "in camera."   

Judge Berman said "we have a member of the press in the courtroom, a blogger," and asked the parties to say what they could in open court. The request, in essence, was for a stay of the proceedings, such as similar cases before SDNY Judges Stanton and Kaplan have been stayed. (SDNY Judge William Pauley has pushed one of the four cases forward, on which we intend to report more.)   

  The Freshfields counsel told Judge Berman that a six months stay would avoid for the court "the burden of heavy discovery and motion practice."  

 Judge Berman replied, "That's why we're here, it's not really a burden for us."   

The law firm for the Nigerian state oil company, Chaffetz Lindsey LLP, repeated the argument for secrecy. In a July 18 letter to Judge Berman marked "MEMO ENDORSED" the firm wrote "on behalf of all parties to respectfully request that the status conference scheduled for next Tuesday, July 23, take place in camera and that any transcript of the proceedings be placed under seal."   

Judge Berman to his credit declined to taken things off the record. He told the parties that he was granting their request for a stay, until January 14, 2020 at 11 AM but that it is "very likely there will be no further stay."    

Will the same apply to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation cases before SDNY Judges Stanton and Kaplan? Watch this site. The full case name is Statoil (Nigeria) Limited and Texaco Nigeria Outer Shelf Limited v. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, 18-cv-02392 (RMB).
July 22, 2019

Officials in the Kurdistan Region's province of Duhok warned on Thursday that electric generators, industrial facilities, and the increasing number of vehicles pose a serious threat to both the environment and residents' health.  "In comparison to the previous four years, Duhok's environment this year has seen increasing amounts of pollution," Mohammed Taher, the director of Duhok's Environment Protection Department said...

July 15, 2019

DC's big rains have led to high bacteria levels in the Potomac River, Anacostia River and Rock Creek...

July 8, 2019

In China, large demonstrations against construction of a polluting waste incinerator plant have rocked Wuhan, central China.  A week of large street protests began in Yangluo, an outer sub-district of Wuhan, on June 28, when around 10,000 local residents marched against construction of the Chenjiachong waste-to-energy plant (incinerator) which has sparked widespread safety concerns. Yangluo has a population of over 300,000.  Marchers chanted “give us back the green mountains and clear waters” and “garbage burning plant get lost from Yangluo.”

July 1, 2019

In the UK, Drivers who leave their engines running while stationary will face £100 fines.  The penalties could be even higher for parents who leave their motors ticking over while parked outside schools.   Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is launching a consultation this summer as figures show vehicle idling causes the equivalent of 150 balloons filling with harmful chemicals including cyanide each minute.

But at the UN, Antonio Guterres leaves 7 limousines idling outside his mansion for hours. Disgusting hypocrisy.

June 24, 2019

Barbados stands to suffer severe consequences if there is no improvement soon in the declining coral reef stock in the region.  In addition, local authorities have expressed grave concern about overfishing, littering and indiscriminate dumping, which they say could cause further damage to an already fragile ecosystem.  The issue of protecting the underwater ecosystem and the general environs came up for discussion on Friday as officials gathered at the UN House in Christ Church for the Barbados Ridge to Reef Assembly 2019 under the theme Challenges, Interactions and Opportunities for the Green and Blue Economies.

June 17, 2019

Goa Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral Friday ruled out shutting down offshore casinos mounted on vessels, but assured to conduct a study to find out if there is any water contamination by these ships which are parked in the Mandovi river.

June 10, 2019

Egypt, Turkey, and Italy are the biggest sources of plastic in the Mediterranean, while the coastline of Cilicia in south-east Turkey has the highest plastic pollution in the Mediterranean..

June 3, 2019

Askaoun is  a small village in southwestern Morocco.  In 2014, a Canadian mining company called Maya Gold and Silver began work on the nearby Zgounder mine, creating jobs for some locals and bringing hope that the area would be developed.  But residents, fed up with constant noise and pollution from the mining operations, are now asserting their claims to the land and demanding that the company cease site activities. They say the company has appropriated a water source, leading to water shortages, and has been operating without their consent...

May 27, 2019

Hong Kong air pollution and the deadly impact of shipping and cruise industries A single cruise liner berthed at a passenger terminal emits as much sulphur dioxide as 25,000 diesel buses As the waters of the Greater Bay Area get ever busier, is enough being done to clean the emissions of ocean-going vessels? No...

May 20, 2019

Authorities ordered Mexico City schools closed Thursday and Friday and urged people to stay indoors, as the photochemical miasma enveloping the metropolitan area, home to more than 20 million, failed to disperse

May 13, 2019

  In Nigeria they are blaming International Oil Companies (IOCs) for degrading the predominantly swampy Niger Delta environment through oil and gas exploration and production - but that's not what UN DSG Amina J Mohammed says, or does....

May 6, 2019

   On April 29, after covering the SDNY court all day, Inner City Press went to an event at Pace nearly about plastics, video here (mentioning JPMorgan Chase, too).

April 29, 2019

The American Lung Association listed Birmingham as No. 14 on its list of U.S. cities with the highest levels of year-round particulate air pollution.  The Lung Association’s “State of the Air" report was released this week, compiling air quality data from 2015-2017 from state, federal and local environmental agencies tasked with regulating air pollution.

April 22, 2019

In Jacksonville, Florida, a developer behind a string of downtown Jacksonville building projects is spearheading a plan to open a classics-based charter school on land at the center of a decades-long environmental cleanup.  Vestcor Companies Chairman John Rood is asking the Duval County School Board to approve startup of the Jacksonville Classical Academy on property facing McCoys Creek adjacent to downtown’s Brooklyn area...
April 15, 2019

In India, clashes broke out between locals in Delhi's Mayapuri and police officials during a drive to seal illegal scrap factories following an NGT order. In a video shared by ANI, security forces can be seen chasing down protesters and throwing stones and bricks at the men running on a road in the area.  Ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) retweeted the video to slam the action against protesters to say, "Horrifying!!! General Dyer Modi's police brutally pelting stones on the citizens in Mayapuri, Delhi."  The tweet is in reference to General Dyer famous for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in which the British general ordered firing on unarmed Indians gathered at a public park in Amritsar in 1919. Hundreds of peaceful protesters were killed in the firing.   According to ANI, MCD officials started to seal the polluting scrap factories on Saturday morning following the National Green Tribunal's order to seal nearly 850 such factories.

April 8, 2019

The entire populations of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Indonesia and Mexico are exposed to levels of PM2.5 pollution that exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and about 75% of people in the EU live in areas with above WHO PM2.5 levels.  The findings come from a new report ranking PM2.5 and ozone pollution across the world, published by the Health Effects Institute, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and scientists from the University of British Columbia.  PM2.5 means particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres and it can be produced by burning liquid and solid fuels, including coal.

April 1, 2019

In SDNY Liver Cancer Concealment Defended By Bronx Junk Car Depot After Shackled Defendant Cites Present Pain

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 26 -- Whether an insured should have disclosed his cancer was the issue before Judge John G. Koeltl in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 26. Laywers for an insurance company trashed the deceased for material representation; a junior lawyer for the policy's beneficiary, Bronx Junk Car Depot, said all facts would be contested. The whole thing was put off for months, with an eye toward a trial in May... 2020. The case is NATIONAL LIFE INSUR COMPANY, v BRONX JUNK CAR DEPOT, LLC and GET JUNKED.COM, LLC. Moments before when defendant Calvin Burnett was led into the same courtroom, he was limping on a cane. After registering a change of plea and setting a new hearing, his lawyer Anthony Ricco told Judge Koeltl that Burnett's right leg is inflamed, as is his groin area which he examined in the cell just outside the courtroom. Judge Koetlt asked if Burnett had been in the MDC during the power outage - he had not - and ordered the Bureau of Prisons to response in 24 hours. The underlying indictment, as it happens, involved conspiracy to distribute oxycodon. Two women were in the courtroom, along with three unrelated men in suits who were waiting for a subsequent insurance case. Inner City Press was the only media there, on the back bench, taking notes. March 25, 2019

33 global banks have provided $1.9 trillion to fossil fuel companies since the adoption of the Paris climate accord at the end of 2015. The amount of financing has risen in each of the past two years.

March 18, 2019

UN Guterres Uses Two 4x4s and 5 Guards Arriving At Publicly Funded Mansion Hypocrisy of Sustainability Like His Censorship

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, CJR Letter PFTracker

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 16 – Before Inner City Press was roughed up by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' Security on June 22 and July 3, 2018 and banned since then, it insistently asked for disclosure of how many of Guterres' publicly funded trips took him through his real home, Lisbon. The questions are not been answered by Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who on 2 November 2019 simply bicycled away as Inner City Press asked about Guterres' failure in Cameroon and attempt to get even Park East Synagogue to oust Inner City Press from covering his October 31 speech about tolerance.  Now on Saturday 16 March 2019, the supposedly environmentalist UNSG Antonio Guterres arrived at the $15 million publicly funded mansion in which he lives alone in not one but two large four by four vehicles, with six guards. Video here. What a waste, what hypocrisy. This was two days after Guterres guards physically pushed Inner City Press out of the line for a press freedom event in the UN it was invited to and had a ticket for, then refused to provide the banned-by-Guterres list they said was the basis of their action. Totally corrupt.

March 11, 2019

Erie Coke is situated in what the DEP has labeled an environmental justice area because of the number of low-income and minority residents living nearby. Erie Coke must perform additional public outreach in order to get a new permit. The number of employees at the plant has been unavailable.... Erie Coke’s sister plant outside Buffalo, Tonawanda Coke, shut down in October less than a week after filing for bankruptcy protection. Twenty lawsuits have been filed against Tonawanda Coke.

March 4, 2019:

  Online: takeover of an #HSBC branch in Cambridge last week. Groups from Reclaim the Power, Extinction Rebellion and FOE calling out the banks investments in #fracking, tar sands and arms companies.

February 25, 2019

One of the US' biggest seafood companies has agreed to spend up to $23 million to fix serious air pollution issues with its vessels and land-based facilities. Trident Seafoods will also pay a $900,000 fine for Clean Air Act violations under a settlement agreement filed Tuesday in federal court in Alaska...

February 18, 2019

In the NYC subways, "the diesel fumes come from MTA work trains, which spew so much soot that subway platforms contain about twice as much carbon diesel pollution as the air above ground" (DN)

February 11, 2019

Around 90 percent of Dhaka city residents are affected by severe air pollution, speakers at a human chain program said last week. They said that dust pollution tended to increase alarmingly in the dry season. At this time of the year, brickfields run their operation in full swing and the civic bodies and the utility service providers are engaged in repair works.

February 4, 2019
 In Colombo in Sri Lanka,  the real Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) is 153, ranked Unhealthy.  A spike in the number of vehicles in the city and industrial pollutants are some of the bigger contributors to the increase of Air Pollution in Colombo...

January 28, 2019

South Korea last week sent aircraft over the Yellow Sea to carry out cloud-seeding experiments in an effort to tackle air pollution many South Koreans blame on China. Air quality in South Korea is generally better than in its giant neighbour, the world’s biggest polluter, which is periodically affected by choking bouts of filthy air and according to the International Energy Agency uses coal to generate around three quarters of its energy.

January 21, 2019

Something we'll be looking into:  the festival on 27 April 2019 timed to coincide with the annual ‘Sailing Week’, in Antigua and Barbuda. "The initiative is meant to raise awareness, celebrate successes, and push forward progress to address plastic pollution."

January 14, 2019

Mining Project in French Guiana Called Out for Hypocrisy and No Consent from Indigenous

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 10 – You know France has gone too far when even a committee of the UN, which France games including to gain support for its still colonial projects in Cameroon and beyond, criticizes the country. But consider this: "A gold mining project envisaged on the territory of indigenous peoples in French Guiana is sparking substantial criticism. In a rare move, a UN committee is now requesting France to secure the consent of affected indigenous communities or suspend the project.  The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has just adopted an 'early warning' asking France to secure the consent of the indigenous communities affected by the 'Montagne d'Or' mining project or suspend it. In a confidential decision adopted on 14 December and released today, the Committee calls on France to 'ensure the right to consultation and free, prior and informed consent to all indigenous peoples affected by the Montagne d’Or project' and 'to consider the suspension' of the project until such consent is obtained.  The move was prompted by a complaint lodged by the Organization of the Native Nations of Guiana (ONAG) with support from the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR). According to ONAG’s representative Alexandre Sommer-Schaechtele, the Committee's decision constitutes a major step forward. 'UN mechanisms and UN member States have taken note of France’s attitude on this matter. France has pledged to "make the planet great again", yet it is prepared to proceed with projects of that sort. We indigenous peoples have expressed our opposition to this project as it directly affects our environment. Without our consent, the Montagne d'Or project must be withdrawn.'  This early warning is the first ever adopted by the Committee concerning a situation in France. Traditional and customary indigenous authorities in French Guiana have voiced their opposition and concerns with the direct and indirect impacts of the project on their environment. The mine would cover an area of ​​more than 800 hectares in the heart of pre-Columbian remains considered sacred by indigenous peoples." January 7, 2019

And now, the censorship: "A day after a US based journalist was questioned by police for interviewing people at Tuticorin over the Sterlite plant issue, authorities are exploring legal options, including filing a case and deporting him for alleged violation of visa rules."

December 31, 2018

More from Tamil Nadu: A petrochemicals firm was instructed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to shut down one of its plants in Manali on Tuesday. The company was served a notice on December 17 for abnormal levels in the treated effluent water discharged by the plant.

According to a report in The Times of India, Manali Petrochemicals Limited, in a letter, told the Bombay Stock Exchange that that it received a notice from CPCB under section 5 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1985, that asked the firm to stop operations at its Ponneri High Road plant.

December 24, 2018

Not over? Vedanta Ltd. said it will move the Supreme Court to implement the National Green Tribunal’s order to restart its copper smelter in Tamil Nadu, which accounts for nearly half of India’s output, after the Madras High Court restrained the company from taking any steps to reopen the unit.

December 17, 2018

What's in a name? In India the so-called National Green Tribunal has ordered the Sterlite plan to be re-opened in Tamil Nadu...

December 10, 2018

Since January 2016, 235 commercial banks provided over US$ 101 billion in direct loans to the 120 top coal plant developers. The largest lenders to coal plant developers are the Japanese banks Mizuho Financial and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial with US$ 12.8 billion and US$ 9.9 billion respectively.

December 3, 2018

The UN praised the "Blue Economy" conference in Nairobi- which was full of single-use plastic including water bottles...
November 26, 2018

UN Guterres Told Solheim to Pull Himself For Travel Spending No Worse Than His Own Per Aftenposten

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT

UNITED NATIONS GATE, November 24 – Even on the environment, the UN's last refuge as it fails under Antonio Guterres on conflict prevention and anti-corruption, the UN is in decay. After Erik Solheim of UNEP's travel spending reported by Inner City Press and others earlier this year, Solheim on November 20 resigned, effective November 22. Inner City Press which asked repeated about UNEP, Solheim's MoBike and China trip favoritism for his son, Guterres own travel waste and UNdisclosed business of son Pedro Guimarães e Melo De Oliveira Guterres and continues to ask and film (here and here) amid its now 143 day retaliatory ban from the UN by Guterres, linked Solheim's departure to Guterres' own sins. And now Aftenposten nails it, or at least part of it: "Monday, 19 November is far from a normal day for the former Minister for the Environment and Development. This day, in fact, a letter from António Guterres, the UN's own Secretary-General, is written. The wording of the letter is referred to as "powerful" and "very clear" by people who have seen it and as Aftenposten has talked to. The message is this: You have to pull yourself. Now." Some ask, and what did Guterres mean -- better you than me? Guterres has spent public funds on fully 16 trips to his home in Lisbon, refusing to disclose how much it costs and roughing up and banning Inner City Press which asks? Now Guterres is gone yet again, without disclosing where. Guterres apparently thinks that firing a person doing what he does gives him additional immunity, and that no one can hand him a letter saying, You have to pull yourself, now. Aftenpost's three authors bylined on story, Kristoffer Rønneberg, Helene Skjeggestad and Inger Lise Hammerstrøm report Guterres lined up Norway against Solheim before dropping the hammer. Why are Guterres' sleazy firing reported so differently than Trump's? And what of the China angle, and Guterres' actual role? We'll have more on this. In the briefing room, Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric gave the first question - of only four - to Al Jazeera which conveniently asked only about Solheim's travel, not Guterres. This is a pattern. Even banned, Inner City Press has asked in writing: "November 20-2: Confirm or deny that UNEP's Erik Solheim is resigning and either way, state when the OIOS report into his travel will be made public, and state how much the SG has spend on his 16 trips to Lisbon, including 2 UN Security each time." And here is all that Guterres' spokesmen sent back: "On your second question, we have the following note: The Secretary-General has accepted the resignation of Erik Solheim, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Mr. Solheim’s resignation is effective Thursday, 22 November.
The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Solheim’s service and recognizes that he has been a leading voice in drawing the world’s attention to critical environmental challenges, including plastics pollution and circularity; climate action; the rights of environmental defenders; biodiversity; and environmental security.
He has led advocacy at the highest levels of government, business and civil society to drive the transformational change needed to make a real difference in the lives of people and promote the cause of the environment.
The Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, Ms. Joyce Msuya of Tanzania, will be appointed as the Acting Executive Director while the Secretary-General launches a recruitment process, in consultation with Member States, to find a successor to Mr. Solheim. Ms. Msuya will be granted all the necessary support to ensure a smooth transition. New York, 20 November 2018." Nothing on Guterres' spending. We'll have more on this. Here was the fourth in Inner City Press' exclusive series on corruption in UN Environment, the re-branded UNEP, under Erik Solheim of Norway. After publishing three, Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on June 22 and July 3, 2018 and banned since. It is pure censorship. But still our reporting, and that of our sources outraged at what Guterres is doing and others scrutinizing the UN if only their home country officials, see below, continues. On September 17, Inner City Press exclusively published the first in a series on travel waste in UNDP, starting with the bribery-used Office of South South Cooperation, here. This while Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric refuses to answer questions about the public costs of travel, of Guterres or Solheim, preferring to dissemble about why and on what basis Guterres and Alison Smale have banned Inner City Press. On August 27 Dujarric said it was for creating a "hostile environment for diplomats." Vine video here. On September 17 he said, to the contrary, it was all Guterres' Secretariat and there were not "any inputs from any member states." Video here. Which is it? November 17, 2018

For the first time, Australia’s pollution has been mapped by postcode in a report titled The Dirty Truth by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF).

Some of the areas identified as being the most polluted in Australia’s capital cities include:

Botany Bay in Sydney
Altona in Melbourne
Port of Brisbane
Parmelia near Perth

November 12, 2018

From India: "'There are no non-smokers in India,' says doctor who installed artificial lungs in Delhi to create awareness on air pollution.

In New York City, small three or two seat bus stops are no place for smoking...

November 5, 2018

On UK bonfire night: "Be it power stations, steel works, or waste incineration – they all have to invest a lot to clean these metals and other pollutants. But yet on fireworks night we just throw a load of it into our urban air without controls."

October 29, 2018

For more than two decades, residents of Melbourne's inner west have been fighting a losing battle to get trucks off their streets. So the thought that Melbourne's freight load could triple by 2050 is, quite simply, horrifying to them. "I can't imagine what the streets would be like around here if we had a massive increase in the truck numbers," said Martin Wurt from the Maribyrnong Transport Action Group. "We have got some of the worst health statistics in Australia because of the diesel pollution we are experiencing now."

October 22, 2018

UNlike the UN, Pearl Jam is investing in a carbon offset project in Alaska managed by ClimeCo, The American Land Conservancy, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to be ‘accountable’ for pollution they created on their 2018 tour. It is the first of its kind in the region. The project will help to protect the coastal temperate rainforest area of Afognak Island and to preserve the habitat for many important animal species.

“As a band, it’s important for us to be accountable for the pollution we create. Since 2004 we’ve invested in projects around the world to mitigate the CO2 emissions caused by our tours” said Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, who manages the band’s carbon mitigation program.

October 15, 2018

Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nestle are among the companies that contribute most to ocean pollution with single-use plastics, according to a study presented on Tuesday by the "Break Free from Plastic" initiative.
The environmental movement, launched in 2016, has helped clear the coasts of 42 countries around the world of discarded plastics.

October 8, 2018

THE ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC’s) review and outlook of the weather and smoke haze situation for the entire region has stated that major climate centres forecast a 70 per cent chance of weak El Nino conditions developing toward the end of the year, while current conditions remained neutral (neither El Nino nor La Nina).October 1, 2018

Headline: "Norway announces $200 million boost to anti-ocean plastic efforts" - while Norway's Eric Solheim wastes UN Environment funds flying for personal reasons...
September 24 , 2019

At UN Environment Solheim Blames His Travel Abuse On His Staff In Email Leaked to Banned Inner City Press

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, CJR PFT

UNITED NATIONS GATE, September 18 – Even on the environment, the UN's last refuge as it fails under Antonio Guterres on conflict prevention and anti-corruption, the UN is in decay. This article is the fourth in Inner City Press' exclusive series on corruption in UN Environment, the re-branded UNEP, under Erik Solheim of Norway. After publishing three, Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on June 22 and July 3, 2018 and banned since. It is pure censorship. But still our reporting, and that of our sources outraged at what Guterres is doing and others scrutinizing the UN if only their home country officials, see below, continues. On September 17, Inner City Press exclusively published the first in a series on travel waste in UNDP, starting with the bribery-used Office of South South Cooperation, here. This while Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric refuses to answer questions about the public costs of travel, of Guterres or Solheim, preferring to dissemble about why and on what basis Guterres and Alison Smale have banned Inner City Press. On August 27 Dujarric said it was for creating a "hostile environment for diplomats." Vine video here. On September 17 he said, to the contrary, it was all Guterres' Secretariat and there were not "any inputs from any member states." Video here. Which is it? This is today's UN pattern of decision, replicated from Guterres' 38th floor to UNEP, see Solheim's September 17 internal mem, below. First, from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services draft audit of Solheim: "Some of the trips to Oslo and Paris were called 'bilateral meetings,' even though they took place during weekends or the Christmas holidays... On one occasion he made an eight hour flight from Washington DC for a weekend in Paris, before he boarded another flight for New York." This is what Guterres has been doing -- 15 times -- including this coming weekend in Lisbon. And Guterres spokesmen refuse to answer Inner City Press repeated questions about the costs, choosing instead to work for Inner City Press' roughing up and banning from the UN, then to intimidate remaining correspondents who attempt to ask about it. But who will audit Guterres? Inner City Press has provided extensive information to OIOS whose Ben Swanson has to his credit confirmed receipt. Now what? The draft OIOS audit of Solheim continues: "The UNEP and UN’s Nairobi office should reclaim from these employees (1) all travel expenses and the related working hours which have not been accounted for; and (2) all additional costs incurred by the UNEP as a consequence of uneconomic and inefficient decisions by the management." So who will Guterres be returning money to? And who will hold him accountable for the retaliatory roughing up of the only journalist who asked about his use of funds to travel to Lisbon, and dared to document by Periscope broadcast on Sutton Place the many times Guterres has been out of New York without disclosure? The use of UN Security to threat Inner City Press against filming on a New York City sidewalk - across the street from Guterres' publicly funded mansion - and subsequent 3 July 2018 assault outside the UN Budget Committee meeting including tearing of shirt, damaging of laptop computer and twisting of arm? Aftenpost runs this quote too: The two other senior staffers were allegedly given permission by Erik Solheim to work out of Paris, in spite of being formally assigned to Nairobi. One of them allegedly received more than 165 000 NOK (20 000 dollars) in a special security allowance for Nairobi, in spite of being relocated to Paris. Permitting these leaders to work in Paris is a direct violation of UN’s regulations, according to the draft report. 'Such arrangements will set the presedent [sic] for other employees who wish to work out of a place of their own choice, and probably lead to speculations about unfair treatment or claims when such request are being rejected.'"  Inner City Press' September 13 question to Guterres' spokesmen has gone entirely unanswered, despite the written promises of Alison Smale. But here's from Erik Solheim, leaked nearly immediately to Inner City Press: "From: Erik Solheim
Date: 17 September 2018 at 16:42:10 CEST
To: unon.org
Subject: Update: ongoing audit of UN Environment’s travel
Dear Colleagues,
I hope this email finds you well. As many of you are aware, in recent days, several media articles have referred to preliminary findings of an ongoing audit of mission-related travel within UN Environment.
I am writing to personally address these reports and update you all on the current standing of this audit.
First, I welcome a transparent and fact-seeking audit of any part of our activities. When this audit by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services has come to term, I am certain the findings will help us in our endeavor to continuously improve our work.
If the audit shows that we have made any mistakes, we are committed to take immediate action and rectify every one of them, with no exception. We will admit to any mistakes that may have occurred. Where administrative shortcomings have been clearly identified, we are already starting to take steps to improve processes and procedural controls, particularly as it relates to travel costs.
On this point allow me to state it clearly and to avoid confusion. The Office of Internal Oversight Services earlier this year investigated all my travels in great detail and found three instances of oversight out of all of them. The money was refunded immediately. Better administrative control systems would have helped avoid these mistakes in the first place.
I believe this audit – which is not an investigation but an audit of UN Environment travel processes - will provide us with an opportunity to revise and improve our systems. Rest assured that this will be done in a transparent and efficient manner.
In my two years, as Executive Director of UN Environment, I have been proud to lead teams of dedicated professionals working on the most urgent environmental challenges of our time. This requires global commitment to unprecedented action, driven by new levels of personal action and political will. During my tenure, I have worked tirelessly to deliver such action and mobilize that will for the success of our work together.
Making good on this type of global agenda demands engagement with the world and indeed an expanded approach to our work. I am therefore determined to continue to focus on our mandate – to create real results for real people with real impact on the ground. These necessary results can only be obtained in close dialogue with Member States, businesses and civil society. This is in line with the Secretary-General’s vision for a more impactful United Nations in the 21th century.
At the same time, I want to reassure you that all travel decisions are made with a focus on maximizing the effectiveness of this organization and meeting the urgent environmental challenges we are facing together, everywhere. If in pursuit of that goal, administrative rules are found to have been overlooked, I accept personal responsibility and offer my strong commitment to immediately refine this process going forward.
The leaked preliminary findings, on which these media reports are based, were draft notes as a starting point for consultations between the Office of Internal Oversight Services and UN Environment. As such it may, by its very nature, contain misunderstandings or inaccuracies. As a part of this process, we have provided extensive follow-up information to the Office of Internal Oversight Services. I ask that you keep in mind that many of the findings are in the process of validation.  We are now awaiting a first draft of the report for our comments prior to the report being finalized.
Once the Office of Internal Oversight Services completes its final report, it will be public on its website, as is standard practice. We will then work diligently to implement the auditor’s recommendations.
I look forward to discussing this with you tomorrow at the Townhall.\
Warm wishes,
Erik Solheim
Head of UN Environment

UN Environment." So Solheim blames his administrative staff, while imposing on UNEP staff more bureaucratic restrictions than UN rules require. As with Guterres - and others at the top of the UN, more on UNDP coming - it's a case of "Do as I say, not as I do." Here's just one of Inner City Press' questions to Guterres spokesmen, entirely unanswered after five days: "September 13-2: Regarding the UN system's rules for use of UN funds for personal travel, and in light of the OIOS criticism of Erik Solheim at UNEP (below), what is the SG's comment and action, will be ensure that the OIOS audit be released to the public in its entirety and that his own travel be subject to an independent audit? See, “"Some of the trips to Oslo and Paris were called 'bilateral meetings,' even though they took place during weekends or the Christmas holidays... On one occasion he made an eight hour flight from Washington DC for a weekend in Paris, before he boarded another flight for New York." Has the SG done anything similar since Jan 1, 2017?

"The UNEP and UN’s Nairobi office should reclaim from these employees (1) all travel expenses and the related working hours which have not been accounted for; and (2) all additional costs incurred by the UNEP as a consequence of uneconomic and inefficient decisions by the management." Should the money be returned, does the SG think?

Finally, confirm that the two others at UNEP subject to OIOS criticism are Anne Lemore and Lisa Svensson, or state why you will not do so, given the allegations of waste of public funds, and when you would release the names." We'll have more on this. Guterres' USG Alison Smale twice promised that questions will be answered, but like so much else she has said and written, this is false. To continue reporting we ask questions at the UN Delegates Entrance, or seemingly in the "High Level" Week on Second Avenue and 46th Street - and Smale says this creates a "hostile environment for diplomats." These people are censors and it must all be reversed. They are further killing the UN, and have assaulted press freedom. We will have more on all this. September 17, 2018

"A strange mist blew into one town, residents said. There and elsewhere, people noticed that metal items like children’s swings were rusting, and they felt a shortness of breath. Fields turned black. Ecologists and doctors say the culprit was a significant release of industrial pollution, but the ecological disaster, which began in August, has an added complication. The pollution has been blowing across the de facto border between Russian-controlled Crimea and mainland Ukraine..."

September 10, 2018

In Tamil Nadu in India, "the State government has rejected the study report of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) on the groundwater contamination in Thoothukudi, which appears to support Sterlite Copper. The law and order situation in and around Thoothukudi has returned to normality (after the police firing in which 13 people died) and an unscientific report would aggravate the situation, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan said, in a letter to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Water Resources."

September 3, 2018

Cairo ranked as the most polluted city on earth, according to a recent study by Eco Experts. The study classified world cities based on various types of obstruction, including air, light, and noise pollution, followed by Delhi, Beijing, Moscow, Istanbul, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Los Angeles.  As on press freedom, good job, Sisi - not.

August 27, 2018

In Australia, Sydney Water is investigating ways to clean up sewage pollution on Coogee Beach, and will release its findings...

August 20, 2018

CANZ in action: Newcastle couple buy New Zealand navy ship to fight ocean pollution Newcastle couple Paul and Wilma Adams wanted a boat for their conservation work preserving World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific. Now they're the owners of an ex-New Zealand Navy warship. Step onboard, in part one of your tour of the 44-metre Manawanui. audio h/t

August 13, 2018

Arrest in Bangalore After Testimony to UNHRC To Be Raised to UN But Will Zeid or Bachelet Speak?

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR, Petition, Filing

UNITED NATIONS GATE, August 9 – How does today's UN under Secretary General Antonio Guterres protect those who testify to it? Or does his UN, as with whistleblowers and the investigative Press, leave them to be attacked, even by UN Security? The question is raised by the case of Thirumurugan Gandhi, a May 17 Movement activist who after testifying about the the security forces' Sterlite slaughter, has been arrested in Bangalore. The May 17 Movement has messaged Inner City Press, which has been banned from the UN by Guterres for 37 days and counting, that "Thirumurugan Gandhi has been arrested at the Bangalore airport early morning today. Thirumurugan Gandhi was traveling back from a recent visit to Europe, where he addressed the UNHRC [UN Human Rights Council] meeting in Geneva where he spoke about the recent protest against the sterlite plant in Tuticorin in which 13 people lost their lives in police firing. He was en route to Chennai city, where he hails from. This snooping upon him at the Bangalore Airport, is a gross violation of his fundamental rights. Though the police have just mentioned two old cases in Tamil Nadu to arrest Thirumurugan Gandhi, one wonders why this kind of a operation in Bangalore at the early morning hours as he was arriving here to reach Chennai. Given the total disregard for law and constitution by the State in general, especially in the background of the tumultuous political situation in Tamil Nadu, where the awakened youth of the state are up against the proxy government there, this arrest stinks. Chennai police have even detained Thirumurugan Gandhi even on flimsiest reasons in the recent times. Treating him like a common criminal, is Political Vendetta and nothing else. Thirumurugan Gandhi and the May 17th movement have been in the forefront of many pro-people mass movements. #ReleaseThirumurugan." This is something on which the UN should have to answer, particularly given his testimony to the UNHRC. Outgoing High Commissioner Zeid, and incoming Bachelet, should speak on this and other recent failures to protect (and worse) by the UN. (Inner City Press' August 8 UN GATE video here.) As to the UN Secretariat itself, when Inner City Press e-mails in this question since it remains banned by Guterres from the UN noon briefing, will it remain unanswered like so many others, as on Patton Boggs and Cameroon? Watch this site. August 6, 2018

Wind blowing in from the Arabian Peninsula has increased dust pollution in India...

July 30, 2018

Parts of France are taking measures to combat a rise in pollution seen in several areas of the country as a result of the scorching summer temperatures.Several areas in the south and south west have been placed on alert for pollution while other regions such as the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France are also taking measures to deal with the spike in dirty air. The rise in pollution is a result of the rising heat  seen across the country in recent days which had led to 18 departments being placed on heatwave alert on Wednesday and low wind levels.

July 23, 2018

In India, the State government of Punjab’s Pollution Control Board (PPCB) conducted a stringent check on vehicle pollution monitoring centers across the state recently. This drive has revealed shocking results. More than half of these centers were blatantly issuing clean certificates to vehicles without even undertaking any pollution checks.July 16, 2018

Now, the Uttar Pradesh government implements a sweeping ban on plastic products, primarily focusing on the food industry. The state government of Maharashtra announced a similar ban three weeks ago on June 23.

July 9, 2018

Guam Environmental Protection agency said all 43 beaches on Guam are polluted because of heavy rainfall Typhoon Maria brought.

July 2, 2018

On Libya Fighting in Oil Crescent Inner City Press Asked UN Which Speaks After UK, US, Italy and France

By Matthew Russell Lee, Vine, Periscope

UNITED NATIONS, June 27 – A week after Inner City Press on Libya asked the UN about General Haftar's moves on Derna, it was reported there that "UN" envoy Ghassan Salame refused to meet with people in Derna because Egypt, the UAE and France did not want him too. Salame was largely selected / placed in the position by France; Egypt backs Haftar. The UAE bought the UN's previous envoy Bernardino Leon. This is today's UN. On June 18, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: In Libya, there's a lot of fighting in the Oil Crescent, and it seems that some large oil facilities are on fire in Ra's Lanuf.  So, I'm wondering, given Mr. [Ghassan] Salamé… seems like it's both an environmental as well as a political… pretty much of a crisis.  What's the UN system doing about these burning oil tanks…?

Spokesman:  "I did not get an update from Libya today." Oh - is that all the UN spokesman's job is, beyond evicting and restricting the Press that asks? The next days, nothing from Dujarric except more cutting off of questions by calling on favored scribes, and from the UN an ouster of Inner City Press, video here, story here. Now this on June 27 - not from the UN which has an envoy, but from the US, UK, Italy and France: "The governments of France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States are deeply concerned about the announcement that the Ras Lanuf and Sidra oil fields and facilities will be transferred to the control of an entity other than the legitimate National Oil Corporation.  Libya’s oil facilities, production, and revenues belong to the Libyan people.  These vital Libyan resources must remain under the exclusive control of the legitimate National Oil Corporation and the sole oversight of the Government of National Accord (GNA), as outlined in UN Security Council Resolutions 2259 (2015), 2278 (2016), and 2362 (2017).  UN Security Council Resolution 2362 (2017) condemns attempts to illicitly export petroleum, including crude oil and refined petroleum products, from Libya by parallel institutions which are not acting under the authority of the GNA. Any attempts to circumvent the UN Security Council’s Libya sanctions regime will cause deep harm to Libya’s economy, exacerbate its humanitarian crisis, and undermine its broader stability.  The international community will hold those who undermine Libya’s peace, security, and stability to account.  We call for all armed actors to cease hostilities and withdraw immediately from oil installations without conditions before further damage occurs.  In September 2016, the LNA supported the legitimate National Oil Corporation’s work to rebuild Libya’s oil sector for the benefit of the Libyan people.  This action served Libya’s national interest.  The legitimate National Oil Corporation must be allowed again to take up unhindered work on behalf of the Libyan people, to repair infrastructure damaged after the attack by forces under the direction of Ibrahim Jadhran, and to restore the oil exports and production disrupted by that attack." Only after the above did UNSG Guterres belatedly speak, through his (censoring) spokesman DujarricJune 25, 2018

Here is a scam on which we aim to report: the claim that burning wood as coal is good for the environment. Bio-mass indeed. Contact us, and watch this site.

June 18, 2018

In Canada, Ontario's opposition parties are against PC Premier-Designate Doug Ford's plan to scrap the province's cap-and-trade system. Green party official Mike Schreiner says cancelling pollution pricing without a backup plan sends a signal to clean companies that the province is not open for business. NDP rep Peter Tabuns questioned how Ford will replace the $1.9 billion per year that the cap-and-trade auction brings in for the province. Environmental groups also criticized the move, calling it a bad idea for the environment and Ontario's economy."

June 11, 2018

In India, South Delhi is set to lose a chunk of its greens at the altar of 'development'. The city's forest department has cleared the NBCC's proposal to fell 3,748 fully-grown and healthy mango, neem, banyan, pilkhan, guava, etc. species of trees at Netaji Nagar and Nauroji Nagar.....

June 4, 2018

...Thousands had gone to the Thoothukudi collector’s office on May 22, the 100th day of the people’s protest against the pollution caused by the copper smelter plant of Sterlite Copper, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources. As he, along with the other protesters, barged into the office premises, the Tamil Nadu police gunned him down, without a warning.

May 28, 2018

The crackdown on the environmental protest by Tamils in Tamil Nadu in India is an outrage...

May 21, 2018

So there's the European Commission’s’ final warnings to the UK and other nations to control emissions and reduce air pollution. The UK’s latest plan to control emissions, especially fumes from diesel cars which have been recorded at illegal levels since 2010, was ruled “inadequate”. In Europe, 40,000 early deaths have been attributed to air pollution. Now, the United Kingdom has until the end of 2018 to implement tighter restrictions.

May 14, 2018

India's struggles with air pollution-- last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report showing that two of the world's most polluted megacities—Delhi and Mumbai—are in India. But a company there, Chakr Innovation, now sells a device that captures 90 percent of the soot particles from diesel generators and sells them to manufacturers to make ink...

May 7, 2018

Indonesia's Citarum River is now known as the most polluted river in the world...

April 30, 2018

More than 95% of the world’s population in 2016 (+7 billion) lived in areas with dangerously high levels of air pollution — that is, in areas where WHO organization guidelines for air quality (themselves likely an underestimate) were exceeded. This is according to a new annual report from the Health Effects Institute (HEI).

April 23, 2018

From Kenya: In 2016, after Omido and a team of lawyers filed a class action lawsuit alleging the government and the lead factory owners of violating Kenyan law and several international treaties, the threats intensified. Police in Mombasa began investigating the alleged threats in April, local media reported. Police chief for Mombasa County, Peter Omwana, told CNN “the matter had been dealt with,” while declining to provide specifics. Public prosecutors contacted local police three times to ask for any findings, said Mary Wanjiru, a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. They received no response, Wanjiru said...

April 16, 2018

Duke Energy Corp. will pay a $156,000 penalty for polluting ground and surface waters with potentially toxic coal-ash waste around three power plants, an amount one critic compared Friday to a couple of days salary for the utility’s top executive. The penalty is less than a slap on the wrist for the country’s No. 2 electricity company, which generated $23 billion in revenue and reported paying its chief executive, Lynn Good, $21.4 million last year...

April 9, 2018

South Korea's rapidly worsening air pollution has forced the country's professional baseball league to postpone three games. The Korea Baseball Organization on Friday postponed the games in capital Seoul and the nearby cities of Suwon and Incheon after the government issued alerts over high fine dust levels in the metropolitan area.

April 1, 2018

Censorship and pollution: The governor of Thailand’s Chiang Mai province has sued a local magazine for posting a “blasphemous” painting on Facebook of ancient kings wearing pollution masks as part of a campaign to protest the city’s hazardous smog.March 26, 2018

At UN As Inner City Press Covers Guterres on Water, UN Requires Minder, Cage, Lake Chad Dying, Pitbull Cancels

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 – The UN Department of Public Information, acting against Press coverage of UN corruption cases, without hearing or appeal had Inner City Press physically ousted from the UN.  Audio here.

 Since then DPI's requirement that Inner City Press unlike other media have minders to stake-out public events in the UN has continued.  On March 22 Inner City Press sought to cover the General Assembly event on water, with for example Lake Chad having shrunk by 90%. But to get to the GA, unlike other state and sycophant journalists, Inner City Press had to get a DPI minder, and then had to build its own cage, admitted of blue rope. There were already journalists there, with no cage, including one from a country under multiple sanction. But today's UN trusts their state media, not the investigative Press. UNTV didn't even have Antonio Guterres' speech on, initially. But outside, even behind the rope, Inner City Press was approached by the Permanent Representative of out of the Lake Chad countries, who said if nothing is done in ten years the Lake is gone. The decade of water - will today's UN fail again? The rapper Pitbull cancelled on the UN, for an 11:15 am press conference.March 19, 2018

India, Tamil Nadu: CHENNAI: The state pollution control board is yet to give its nod for the India-based Neutrino project that is proposed to come up at Pottipuram village in Uthamapalayam taluk in Theni district. A senior official from the TN pollution control board (PCB) said that considering this as a special case, the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change had issued the environmental clearance for the project a couple of days ago....

March 12, 2018

When UN Guterres Did Q&A With Bloomberg, Questions Pre-Picked, CEFC UN Bribery Ignored

By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos, Periscope

UNITED NATIONS, March 5 – When UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres re-appointed Michael Bloomberg as UN climate change envoy on March 5, nearly two dozen media went up to the UN's 38th floor for the press encounter. But Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric had clearly chosen the questions in advance, calling on Agence France Presse and then another media whom he was heard calling by cell phone just before the press encounter. The questions and Bloomberg's remarks were directed at Trump, clearly the elephant in the room. At the end, since this should not be pre-scripted theater, Inner City Press asked if oil companies like CEFC China Energy should be in the UN Global Compact and UN ECOSOC, in which CEFC remains in consultative status months after the indictment of its UN representative Patrick Ho, while buying stakes in oil companies. This was not answered. Periscope here. Back on February 28 when Guterres met Egypt's new Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees, Inner City Press went through the UN's tourist entrance and then UN Security on the 37th floor to cover it. Still, before Guterres expressed his warm regards for Sisi, who is arresting all opponents, the UN Security officer who has already checked Inner City Press' microphone told it it could not record audio. This is censorship, and it is ongoing - they have not answered a petition with thousands of signatures. Meanwhile Guterres and his Global Communicator Alison Smale have purported to assign Inner City Press' long time UN work space to Sisi's no show state media, Sanaa Youssef of Akhbar al Yom. We'll have more on this.March 5, 2018

UN Environment Pays EUR 500,000 To Be in Volvo Ocean Race, For Dee Caffari, ICP Asks

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Patreon doc

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 – Even on the environment, the UN's last refuge as it fails under Antonio Guterres on conflict prevention and anti-corruption, the UN is in decay. UN Environment, the re-branded UNEP, is paying over EUR 500,000 in a (reverse) corporate partnership with Volvo Ocean Races, see below. Guterres' deputy Amina J. Mohammed has refused Press questions since November on her role in signing 4000 certificates to export from Nigeria and Cameroon endangered rosewood already in China. Guterres, Mohammed and Alison Smale's only response has been to censor and continue to restrict the Press which asks, despite 5000 signature petition, UNanswered. Now whistleblowers in UNEP have written to Guterres, and exclusively sent a copy and documents to Inner City Press on UNEP mis management, harassment and misuse of government resources. Who authorized UNEP to spend EUR 500,000 in a mis-named corporate partnership with Volvo Ocean Races? Before today publishing the documents, Innr City Press on March 1 asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it, video here, UN transcript here: and below. Dujarric did not explain, then or for the rest of the day; he said he hadn't spoken with Guterres about it. Oh. Inner City Press is today publishing in full, on Scribd and Patreon, the agreement with Volvo Ocean Races signed by Erik Solheim, here, and the EUR 500,000 agreement signed by UNEP's Lisa Emilia Svensson, here and here. This UN agency is paying for "public appearances by Dee Caffari and the crew" -- Ms. Caffari is a British sailor -- and for "hospitality activities." It's a new low. On March 2, Inner City Press again asked Guterres' spokesman Dujarric about it, from the UN transcript: Inner City Press: I had asked you yesterday about UNEP [United Nations Environment Programme], and I've seen… seen it published its agreement with Volvo Ocean Races, and it seems as… as I asked you yesterday, it's actually not dollars; it's euros.  From some 518,000 € paid by UNEP for this corporate partnership, so many people that I've spoken to think it's weird.  They thought a corporate partnership is the corporation is helping the UN, not the UN helping the corporations. Spokesman:  There are… there are different kinds of partnerships.  I think the point is that the leadership at UNEP has followed all the rules and regulations.  If people… if people feel there is… there's anything untoward, there are all sorts of mechanisms for people to… to express… to express those sentiments, but I think the question… the detailed questions as to the partnership are questions you need to raise to UNEP. Inner City Press:  Because one of the budget lines is “personal appearance by Dee Caffari”, who I had not heard of, but it turns out she's a big British sailor or yachtswoman.  Since the public sees celebrities or various extraordinary individuals sometimes speaking in favor of the UN, if you're being paid, is there some way to know who's being paid, who's not being paid? Spokesman:  "I don't… I don't know… you're jumping a couple of steps ahead.  I don't know the details of the partnership.  I think you need to ask UNEP." From the March 1 UN transcript: Inner City Press: I also wanted to ask you about UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).   Whistleblowers there have alleged a number of irregularities, but the one that caught my eye and I've published has to do with the allegation is that UNEP, which claims under Mr. [Erik] Solheim to have a number of corporate partnerships is, in fact, in some cases paying the corporation for the partnership.  I.e., it's not a partnership like, you know, Barcelona Football Club with UNICEF, where they pay.  In this case, they're alleged that, under Mr. Solheim, the UN Environment, as it's now called, is paying $500,000 to Volvo Ocean Races.  And I wanted to know is it… one, I don't know if it's true, but they work there and they have a lot of names and a lot of information. Spokesman:  I think you can ask those questions directly of UNEP.  I have no doubt that Mr. Solheim is operating and running the agency in accordance to all relevant rules and regulations. Inner City Press: Did the Secretary-General receive this e-mail?  Because it was sent out as a cri de coeur of the people who work there, saying… Spokesman:  I have not spoken to him about it." Why not? Here's from what Solheim as written: "Dear colleagues, You may have received or heard about an anonymous email sent to me this week and copied to many. It consists of slander, rumors and false allegations. Worse, the message contains unfounded attacks on many good colleagues working hard for UN Environment. This is unacceptable. We must strive for openness."

February 26, 2018

"Minnesota initially sued 3M for $5 billion in damages for contaminating the groundwater of tens of thousands of east metro residents. On Tuesday, the state settled for $850 million.

While state officials cheered the size settlement and benefits to residents in east metro, Oliaei believes it may be too small. "It's a bit disappointing," Olia esaid"

February 19, 2018

“We are considering public transport free of charge in order to reduce the number of private cars,” three ministers including the environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, wrote to the EU environment commissioner Karmenu Vella. “Effectively fighting air pollution without any further unnecessary delays is of the highest priority for Germany,”

February 12, 2018

From Ghana: The Headmistress of Osudoku Senior High Technical School in the Greater Accra Region,  Sylvia Baaba Yankey, has confirmed to Citi News that the school has been shutdown temporarily because they can no longer endure harmful smoke emitted by a toiletries and plastics manufacturing Chinese company close to the school. According to her, the pollution from the company has worsened such that they had no option than to send the students home for health and safety reasons."

February 5, 2018

On Climate Risk, ICP Asks of CEFC, DSG Rosewood Signings, Panel Cites Transparency, UNseen

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope

UNITED NATIONS, January 31 – A Climate Risk event was held at the UN on January 31, complete with a delayed press conference with four speakers. Inner City Press asked them about the role of the UN, not just as a venue but as an actor, with a Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed who in 2017 signed 4000 certificates for already-exported endangered rosewood in China. The UN Global Compact accepted CEFC China Energy until Inner City Press repeated asking about its role as beneficiary of a UN bribery scheme to get oil in Uganda and Chad; China Energy Fund Committee is *still* in Special Consultative status with ECOSOC. Periscope video here, since the UN has withheld its, under UNTV boss Alison Smale.  Among the panelists, Betty Yee, California's Controller, repeatedly cited transparency. Fred Samama of Amundi to his credit acknowledged there is a danger of green-washing. Peter Damgaard Jensen of PKA said the UN could / should help emerging markets. (This is true, but today in Cameroon for example, the UN only supports colonialism and exploitation.) Iconic Jack Ehnes of CalSTRS appeared sympathetic. But will they continue to blithely provide a platform for the greenwashing not only of oil companies like CEFC China Energy, but of censoring UN officials like Amina J. Mohammed, who helped export endangered rosewood then refused all Press questions on it, and continues to censor and restrict the Press which asks? We'll have more on this - and on “The Investor Agenda.”
January 29, 2018

Bangkok's air pollution which exceeds health safety levels has improved but it could worsen at the end of next month, according to the Department of Pollution Control (DPC).

"Emergency measures have been introduced in the South Korean capital of Seoul to combat a thick layer of smog that is covering the city. Public transport was free during rush-hour as of Monday 15 January, in the hopes that car use will be reduced. The measures were introduced after the average daily density of ultra-fine dust hit more than 50 micrograms per cubic meter"...

January 15, 2018

In Kazakhstan's Temirtau, the snow is black. Temirtau has numerous industrial processing facilities, including the country's biggest steel-production plant, which is owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau. Multiple locals pointed a finger at the company, and in a statement to the BBC, ArcelorMittal admitted that its facility may have played a decisive role in the black snow phenomenon...

January 8, 2018

In Nepal, A rally was organized in the capital against the rising level of air pollution in Kathmandu on January 5. A campaign against the air pollution named Swachchha Hawa was organized to create awareness of the air pollution and its consequences in public health....

January 1, 2017

Delhi is the most polluted city in India and also the 2nd most polluted city in the world. It is indeed a matter of concern as the pollution is making millions of people vulnerable to physical ailments. This is a huge matter of concern because this city has one of the maximum populations in the country. The levels of harmful particles in the air that are less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) are about 153µg/m3....

December 25, 2017

AP: In Hoboken, across the Hudson River from New York City, the site of a former manufacturing plant for mercury vapor lamps sits within a mile of almost 100,000 residents, including 7,000 children under 5.

December 18, 2017

In Nigeria, "Onitsha, the commercial hub of the South-East, was the most polluted city in the world. Then this report that says three of our rivers are among the 20 most polluted globally. The affected rivers are: Imo, Kwa Ibo and Cross River."

December 11, 2017

Rosewood Scandal of UN Deputy Amina J. Mohammed Reported by France24 With Amina Omitted

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 5 – The UN has dodged Press questions for a month about UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed signing thousands of certificates for rosewood already exported from Nigeria and it seems Cameroon to China, just before she took up her UN position. Most recently, after UN correspondents who tried to help her evade the questions declared she is being "vilified," now France 24 runs a piece, here, about the sell-out of rosewood by Nigeria including that "Chinese businessmen paid bribes to officials in Nigeria's Environment Ministry" - without mentioning that the Minister at the time was Amina J. Mohammed. Instead an Ibrahim Jibril is shown saying it was before his time. The UN through its Department of Public Information under Alison Smale gives state media France 24 two separate offices in its headquarters, while evicting and restricting the investigative Press which has insisted that Mohammed should answer these questions, even more so now that the CITES meeting in Geneva declined China's open and Nigeria's more stealth lobbying to close the case, and issued a decision that "With regard to trade in specimens of Pterocarpus erinaceus: b) Parties should not accept any CITES permit or certificate for Pterocarpus erinaceus issued by Nigeria unless its authenticity has been confirmed by the Secretariat, noting that China and Nigeria
have existing CITES document exchanging mechanism to verify the authenticity of all CITES permits and certificates for Pterocarpus erinaceus issued by Nigeria. c) Range States and importing countries should pay particular attention to trade in Pterocarpus erinaceus to ensure that trade in this species only takes place when Parties are satisfied that it is in line with the requirements of the Convention. d) The Standing Committee welcomed the invitation by the Government of Nigeria to conduct a
technical mission to Nigeria and invited the Secretariat to provide any relevant information on compliance with the Convention related to trade in Pterocarpus erinaceus to the Standing
Committee." So on December 4 Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about this CITES decision. He insisted that all questions have been answered, and ended up by running out of the UN briefing room as Inner City Press asked another question. From the UN transcriptDecember 4, 2017

Entergy on its idled Vernon nuclear plant says "invasive" environmental sampling could cause radiological and nonradiological contamination to spread. The documents also say such sampling might damage buildings and important underground cables or pipes.

November 27, 2017

In 10 most polluted cities

Bamenda, Cameroon

• Air quality: 132 micrograms of particles per cubic meter
• Population: Approximately 500,000

November 20, 2017

More on Detroit: in the metro area, African-American children suffered 2,402 asthma attacks and missed 1,751 school days due to asthma per year

November 13, 2017

    In Detroit, protesters gathered Thursday at the Marathon Petroleum refinery to voice concerns about the company's lack of action. The demonstration came weeks after a federal appeals court ruled against a district court's decision that residents' claims of injury due to harmful air pollution from the oil giant fell past the statute of limitations, the Detroit News reported...

November 6, 2017

"Exxon Mobil will pay $2.5 million in fines for flaring gases at eight plants along the Gulf Coast" - is that enough?

October 30, 2017

"The most air polluted country in the world is Saudi Arabia, closely followed by Qatar."

October 23, 2017

As Mugabe's A Goodwill Ambassador of WHO, Guterres Silent, Echo of Biya & North Korea Cyanide

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 21 – Amid the outrage at Robert Mugabe being named a Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organization, the head of the UN system Antonio Guterres has been notably silent. He heads the system, but is not providing leadership, at the very least not publicly. The UN often blames similar absurdities on "member states" - but this was a decision by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (He's "listening" - at least he hears, see below.) On a different issue, when Inner City Press asked Guterres spokespeople repeatedly this year why the UN World Intellectual Property Organization provides help to North Korea for patents on cyanide, the UN refused to comment, just as it did on retaliation by Francis Gurry against whistleblowers at WIPO and other UN system agencies. Several Inner City Press readers have recently mused that perhaps Guterres will give some goodwill position to Cameroon's Paul Biya, like Mugabe a "long time President," in Biya's case for 34 years. This as the UN delivered a threat to Inner City Press to “review” it accreditation on Friday afternoon at 5 pm. The UN official who signed the letter, when Inner City Press went to ask about the undefined violation of live-streaming Periscope video at a photo op by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, had already left, minutes after sending the threat. What to make of the letter's vague statement, "filming and recording on the 38th floor are limited to official photo opportunities, and recording conversations of others in the room is not permitted. It has been brought to our attention that you breached that rule recently"? It's not only vague as to when, but absurd: once a Periscope is authorized to start streaming, it is impossible to not record someone who speaks loudly at the photo op. This comes two days after Inner City Press asked Guterres about the UN inaction on threatened genocide in Cameroon, and the UN claimedGuterres hadn't heard the 15-second long question. 

October 16, 2017

South Sudan’s undersecretary in the Ministry of Petroleum on Saturday denied reports of deaths due to environmental pollution caused by oil exploration. Residents of the former Upper Nile, who live near the oil fields in Palouch (North), complained of environmental pollution as a result of oil production. They reported outbreaks of unidentified diseases which they said were not there before oil production started in the area. These include giving birth to deformed babies and miscarriages by pregnant women. “We found that most of the companies working on the Oil fields are not actually doing the right thing especially to our people,” Josephine Napon, the Minister of Environment, said...

“Most of our people are dying, most of the children are born blind and most of them are dying just because of the pollution the oil companies have caused in those areas,” she stressed.
October 9, 2017

For UN Guterres Trip to Caribbean, 4 Qs All on Climate, No Pool UNlike Sisi Scam, Cameroon Ignored

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video

UNITED NATIONS, October 7 – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is on a trip to the Caribbean, to Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica in the wake of recent storms. But despite the UN having dozens of communications staff, as of 2 pm on the first of his only two day trip there had been no information much less analysis from the trip so far. Past two pm, Guterres' own - if he writes them - tweet: "People of Barbuda face months of recovery after devastating #Irma. They urgently need help to rebuild their lives & a more resilient future." And the replies to that were largely about Southern Cameroons, and Biafra, and the Rohingya, decrying UN inaction. A sample: "Meanwhile people including children are being killed in Southern Cameroons by Biya's brutal regime you remained quiet with no action." Now past 6 PM the UN has provided a transcript of Guterres' press conference in Antigua - except they only summarized the questions, all four "on topic," on climate change. Guterres as he did has his similarly one-topic stakeout at the UN cited the World Bank's loans to Lebanon and Jordan, on which Inner City Press questioned him before he was Secretary General, here. Now he is supposed to speak to pressing issues, including whatever he may think Cameroon and the UN's controversial role in the Kenyan elections. Even as to Barbuda, some independent coverage is needed. Guterres' UN does not have “pool” reporting of such trips -- in fact, they refused to tell Inner City Press for two weeks this summer even where Guterres was. During the recent General Assembly high level week, the UN denied Inner City Press the ability to cover Guterres' meeting with Egypt's Sisi, claiming that Sisi's state media Akhbar al Yom would be “pooling.” But when Inner City Press asked if their rarely present correspondent Sanaa Youssef who was allowed in the meeting ostensibly as pooler would say who was in the meeting, for example UN human rights staff, no information was provided. It wasn't a pool - it was a cover-up. This has been raised to the UN's new head of Global Communications and the Department of Public Information Alison Smale, still without any response. The team, we learn from gushing tweets, is in Vienna, while questions about killings in such places as Cameroon go unanswered. Ah, communications, UNcommunicative.October 2, 2017

Hurricanes I: "When the St. Johns River broke its banks during Hurricane Irma, it wasn’t just homeowners caught unprepared.  The historic flooding also inundated industrial operations, like factories and power plants. The impact on sewage systems is well documented – and frankly hard to ignore. But Irma’s rains also flooded industrial wastewater ponds, causing tons of accidental pollution. It’s not clear if those polluters will be held to account."

 September 25, 2017

UNEP's Erik Solheim said, “The profit of destroying nature or polluting the planet is nearly always privatised, while the costs of polluting the planet or the cost of destroying ecosystems is nearly always socialised."

September 18, 2017

On Hurricane Irma, UN Spox Cuts Off Press Q on Debt Moratorium, Gives 3 Minute Notice

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 16 – While the UN system's International Monetary Fund has yet to announce any debt moratorium for countries impacted by Hurricane Irma, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric gave the press a mere three minutes to sign up to attend the UN's September 18 meeting about Irma, see below. When the IMF re-started its biweekly embargoed press briefings on September 14, Inner City Press submitted a question about Hurricane Irma and moratoria: "On Antigua and Barbuda, and Hurricane Irma impacted countries more generally... will there be no moratoria? What is the IMF doing?" IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said, "There's a question from Matthew Lee on moratorium... on that, I would refer to what Mme Lagarde said a few days ago, of course the IMF has tremendous sympathy. She also said we stand ready to help. There are a number of options we can look at in that context. At the moment we are still trying to make an assessment. As a factual member, none of our members including Antigua and Barbuda have formally requested assistance from the Fund." Oh. On September 15, when Inner City Press at the UN asked Patti Smith about it, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric cut off the question saying he would answer it at his forthcoming briefing. He did not. Instead, with a mere three minutes' notice, at 3:57 pm on September 15 he told the Press it had until 4 pm to request a seat to cover the UN's meeting on Irma. He also excluded Inner City Press from information about his "background" briefing on UN General Assembly week. Here's Dujarric's Irma e-mail, with invitees: "From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply
Date: Fri, Sep 15, 2017 at 3:57 PM
Subject: Media Advisory: Meeting on Hurricane Irma
To: MEDIA ADVISORY
Meeting on Hurricane Irma United Nations, 15 September 2017 — On 18 September 2017, the President of the seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajèák, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr. António Guterres, will co-host a High-Level Meeting on Hurricane Irma at United Nations Headquarters. The meeting will be an opportunity to draw political attention to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. It will aim to increase solidarity with those affected and highlight the need for building communities that are more resilient to natural disasters and climate change. Information will also be shared on what is being done at the national, regional and global levels to respond to the disaster. The event will bring together United Nations Member States, United Nations agencies and other relevant stakeholders. WHAT High-Level Meeting on Hurricane Irma WHO expected speakers to include:
·        H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajèák, President of the General Assembly
·        H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General
·        H.E. Mr. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
·        H.E. Mr. Darren Henfield, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas
·        H.E. Mr. Bert Koenders, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
·        The Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP, Minister of State for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom
·        Mr. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
·        Mr. Mark Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
·        Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Development Association, World Bank  WHEN Monday, 18 September; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT WHERE: Trusteeship Council Chamber HOW: There is limited seating at the event. UN journalists wishing to cover it can request special passes from the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit.  External print journalists must register here by 4pm EDT on Friday, 15 September" - this is, in three minutes...September 11, 2017

Sign o' the times: "The public is being urged Saturday by Heal the Bay to avoid the waters of the Los Angeles River this weekend due to “alarmingly” high levels of bacterial pollution."

September 4, 2017

Post Harvey, "Fourteen plants, operated by firms including Shell and Dow Chemical, have also reported wastewater overflows following the hurricane."

August 28, 2017

Dutch environmentalists went to court last week to demand that the Dutch government take urgent action to improve air quality, arguing that authorities haven’t done enough to meet European Union-mandated targets. The summary hearing in The Hague was part of a crowd-funded legal battle by the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, which says that the government must do more to reduce harmful airborne pollution.

August 21, 2017

Charm city: "Baltimore officials agreed this week to pay $3.9 million to help clean up hazardous pollution from a dump site in East Baltimore. The Board of Estimates, which is controlled by Mayor Catherine Pugh, voted Wednesday to enter into a consent decree with the federal government and state of Maryland to deal with pollution at the 68th Street Dump site."

August 14, 2017

Air Pollution Ranking of 32 Cities

City / Annual PM2.5 Level / Number of unhealthy particle pollution days

Delhi / 122
Beijing / 85
Cairo / 76
Shanghai / 52
Yaoudé / 49
Johannesburg / 41
Antananarivo / 37
Hong Kong / 29
Bangkok / 24
Seoul / 24
Moscow / 20
Mexico City / 20
Sao Paulo / 19
Brussels / 18
Paris / 18
Rio de Janeiro / 18
Singapore / 18
Manila / 17
Nairobi / 17
Berlin / 16
Barcelona / 15
London / 15
Munich / 15
Los Angeles / 11 / 77
Madrid / 10
Washington DC / 10
San Francisco / 9 / 5
New York / 9 / 0
Toronto / 8
Melbourne / 8
Boston / 7
Sydney / 6August 7, 2017

In New Delhi, India, By October, the city's average air quality readings are likely to change as the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) will start monitoring pollution levels in 20 new locations. These include two industrial areas, Najafgarh and Okhla, and far-flung locations such as Mundka, Narela, Bawana and Dwarka

July 31, 2017

  Another Cameroon abuse: "Plastic waste has become a major problem in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé clogging up drains and rivers and causing flooding in the city whenever it rains. Cameroon’s government has been trying to tackle the country’s plastic pollution troubles for years, but with little success. Yaounde’s streets are littered with piles of plastic bags and bottles and residents are worried. Cheaper than other alternatives, plastic bags and bottles are popular in a place where the average income is less than 500 Central African francs (cfa) ($5) a day, and laws aimed at curbing the use and sale of disposable plastics remain ineffective."

July 24, 2017

Denmark voted against an EU decision to endorse an amendment to the Gothenburg Protocol on transboundary air pollution, saying it is being unfairly penalised for having taken early action to reduce ammonia emissions from its agriculture sector.

July 17, 2017

In India United Bengaluru, an NGO, has lodged a police complaint against encroachment and discharge of effluents into Vibhuthipura lake. The NGO members visited Kaggadasapura, Doddanekkundi and Vibhutipura lakes on Saturday and found all three lakes encroached upon and froth in Kaggadasapura lake. They also found untreated sewage from slum directly entering Vibhutipura lake.

July 10, 2017

In Malaysia, six solid waste landfills are found to have serious and recurring leachate contaminant issues, per Minister  Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. The six solid waste landfills are the former ones at  Taman Beringin Kuala Lumpur; and Pajam Negeri Sembilan as well as at Sungai Udang Melaka; Pulau Burung in Penang; Tanah Merah Estate in Negeri Sembilan and CEP Simpang Renggam Estate in Johor.

July 3, 2017

In Tunisia, 100s demonstrated in the Tunisian city of Gabes against the environmental pollution generated by the phosphogypsum discharged into the sea by phosphate processing plants. Civil society and political parties gathered in front of the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT), a public company operating phosphate mines in Ghannouch..

June 26, 2017

  Haiti's environmental catastrophe is made all the more outrageous by the billions of dollars the UN has spent while NOT solving or even addressing it. We'll have more on this.

June 19, 2017

So Dell is using "litter picked up from Haiti’s beaches and worked into recycled packaging." What else should they be doing?

June 12, 2017

UN Ocean Conference Ends on River Balcony, Guterres On Junket, New Envoy in the Works?

By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos here

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 – As the UN's week-long Ocean Conference finally ended on the evening of June 9 with a reception on the Delegates Lounge balcony over the river, complete with a Fiji band, the Colonel and Ambassadors galore, including Dominica's Italian Deputy Ambassador Paolo Zampolli, the question arose where this is all going. In terms of the Ocean, perhaps Secretary General Antonio Guterres will create a new Special Representative position on Ocean, and perhaps Fiji will fill it. Periscope video here and here. Guterres himself wasn't present, on a week-long junket to Central America. Numerous attendees marvels, Where are the promised reforms? Or is it just more of the same? During the week-long conference there were few answers on fisheries subsidies and the substance of Marine Protected Areas. Throughout the week Inner City Press, often as the only media in the UN Press Briefing Room or the only one asking questions, pursued the issue with ministers from Indonesia, Palau and the Maldives, and UN agencies which claimed not to know of widely reported scams right in their host countries. At the end, Inner City Press asked the accessible President of the General Assembly Peter Thomson of the push for the creation of a new job, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Ocean, and he seemed to acknowledge it. Photos here. Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access complained how money was spent on exhibits in the UN lobby and then the public banned for the whole week. This is today's UN. On June 7 when Monaco's Prince Albert II held a press conference at the UN, Marine Protected Areas were mentioned and Inner City Press went to ask him about the MPAs which offer little to no protection, see below. But as it turned out at the press conference, the questions were given to a group which the Prince gives money to - this was not disclosed - and the questions not surprisingly were softballs, repeated requests to defend the Paris Accord and sing the praises of the Prince's relatives and diving. To this has the UN descended: faux press conferences by royals, with the fact that those called on for questions are fundees not disclosed. To those the Prince - or his subjects - funds, an embargoed copy of his self-promotion was provided (a disgusted member of the group provided it to Inner City Press). The group, as the Prince should know, operates to get thrown out of the UN investigative Press. There was giggling, and some embarrassing wire service pick-ups, when the Prince "got naughty" and ostensibly stood up to power. At the end no question about Marine Protected Areas was permitted. There was applause, and the question, We'll see you tonight, won't we? There will be more faux prizes. To this has the UN descended. June 5, 2017

LAT: "Consider the American Great Lakes, where 80% of the litter along the shorelines is plastic. That trash doesn’t stay put — it flows through the canals and river systems through the St. Lawrence Seaway and into the Atlantic Ocean. A takeout container that blows off a Chicago landfill can wind up off the coast of Africa."

May 29, 2017

A report published earlier this month from Environment America Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group detailed just how bad air pollution is in the city. It shows that the tristate area had 92 days of "elevated smog pollution" in 2015, which is just seven days shy of the Washington metropolitan area for the most in the northeastMay 22, 2017

Guardian: "People in the UK are 64 times as likely to die of air pollution as those in Sweden and twice as likely as those in the US, figures from the World Health Organisation reveal.

Britain, which has a mortality rate for air pollution of 25.7 for every 100,000 people, was also beaten by Brazil and Mexico – and it trailed far behind Sweden, the cleanest nation in the EU, with a rate of 0.4.

The US rate was 12.1 for every 100,000, Brazil’s was 15.8 and Mexico’s was 23.5, while Argentina was at 24.6."
May 15, 2017

BBC: The historic site of Buddha's birthplace in Nepal faces a serious threat from air pollution, scientists and officials have warned.
Recent data collected from air quality monitoring stations in five places across the country show Lumbini is highly polluted.
The warnings have come amid expanding industrialisation near the sacred site.
It is already located in a pollution hotspot on the Gangetic plains.
For the month of January, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Lumbini, in southwest Nepal, was measured at 173.035 micrograms per cubic metre.
The reading for the neighbouring town of Chitwan was 113.32 and the capital, Kathmandu, which is known for its high pollution levels, was at 109.82.

May 8, 2017

From the UK Guardian: "Environment lawyers are expected to take the government back to court over its controversial plans to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis. They say the proposals are so weak they flout ministers’ obligation to protect public health."

May 1, 2017

At UN, Indigenous Tells ICP Guterres Hasn't Met Them, Of Norway & Dakota Access Pipeline

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 – As Citigroup's annual general meeting of shareholders began in Cooper Union in Manhattan on April 25, outside a protest formed. Casey Camp-Horinek spoke, movingly; the Reverend Billy Talen began a song. Periscope here. Inner City Press has covered earlier Citigroup AGMs as well, about CitiFinancial's predatory lending that robbed consumers and ultimately helped trigger the financial meltdown. What has changed since? And what has changed at the UN? On April 27 at an Indigenous Forum press conference, Inner City Press asked Rune Fjellheim of the Saami Parliament in Norway if that country's sovereign wealth fund is still invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline. It sounds like it is: see Periscope video here. Inner City Press asked the other panel members if "new" (112 day) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has met with the Indigenous Forum. They both said that he has not, that maybe he is "too busy." Inner City Press told them Guterres spokesman has said Guterres will be back in New York on April 27 (although as of 5:30, his scheduled had not been posted, nor had the UN's transcript of its noon briefing gone online. The day before this protest of Citibank for among other things funding the Dakota Access Pipeline, Inner City Press at the UN on April 24 asked a panel of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues about the protest and more generally about corporations which the UN blue-washes through its Global Compact and otherwise. Video here, from Minute 39. 
Willie Littlechild a First Nations Cree chief from Canada said he wasn't (yet) aware of the protest, but that he supported it, that is it hard to protest at the UN. That's putting it mildly: the US First Amendment does not apply to and is not accepted by the UN, which bans protests and evicts the Press which covers there, without hearing or appeal. But Inner City Press, even confined to minders within the UN has it has been for 14 months and counting, interviewed other attendees of the Permanent Forum, and will continue to. Watch this site.

April 24, 2017

AMA on light pollution: “In addition to its impact on drivers, blue-rich LED streetlights operate at a wavelength that most adversely suppresses melatonin during night. It is estimated that white LED lamps have five times greater impact on circadian sleep rhythms than conventional street lamps. Recent large surveys found that brighter residential nighttime lighting is associated with reduced sleep times, dissatisfaction with sleep quality, excessive sleepiness, impaired daytime functioning and obesity. The detrimental effects of high-intensity LED lighting are not limited to humans.”

April 17, 2017

  In South Korea, there's been "a 380 per cent jump in nasal sanitizer product sales, a 213 per cent rise in nose masks and a 383 per cent increase in canned air also signalled growing concern over the pollution issue among consumers."

April 10, 2017

 In Glasgow, Scotland, "Toxic fumes from vehicle exhausts have polluted 17 of Glasgow’s busiest streets in breach of a legal safety limit that should have been met seven years ago."

April 3, 2017

 Smog has engulfed Seoul for weeks, pushing South Korea into the top ranks of the world's most polluted countries. The government has issued 85 ultra-fine dust warnings, more than twice the 41 advisories issued in the same period last year. Can you say, Ban Ki-moon?

March 27, 2017

   The UN was quieter about "Earth Hour" this year - perhaps because UNSG Antonio Guterres was out of town but his spokesman refused Press questions to say where...

March 20, 2017

Police suspect Renault of having put in place the fraudulent strategies “with the objective of creating false results for antipollution tests,” in order to be seen to be complying with regulatory norms Renault has used “fraudulent strategies” for over 25 years to cheat on pollution tests for diesel and petrol engines with the knowledge of top management, according to a report by French fraud investigators...

March 13, 2017

  You've been served: on Honduras, World Bank get sued, here....

March 6, 2017

In South Carolina, "Gus Speth, who grew up in Orangeburg County, is the co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Al George, South Carolina Aquarium conservation director, was born in Estill and grew up in Savannah, Ga. " They spoke last week.

February 27, 2017

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, John H. Knox, is urging the Government of Kenya to take all necessary measures immediately to protect four environmental human rights defenders who have been assaulted, subjected to death threats, and forced into hiding since they filed a law suit against a lead smelter earlier this month.  “Phyllis Omido and the other members of the Center for Justice Governance and Environmental Action (CJGEA) are facing a life-or-death situation,” said Mr Knox. We'll have more on this.

February 20, 2017

Indian conglomerate Adani's plans to build Australia's biggest coal mine may imperil the Galilee Basin and Great Barrier Reef...

On Green Group Holdings, “No one should have to fear a multi-million dollar lawsuit just for speaking up about their community — but our clients did,” said Lee Rowland, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “Fortunately, as they do in the face of all injustice, our clients fought back. This settlement reaffirms our clients’ — and everyone’s — constitutional right to speak out and fight for health and justice in their community. In addition to advocating for community health and justice, our clients also became heroes of the First Amendment.”

February 6, 2017

In Nigeria Fidelis Aden has linked the crises in the oil rich Niger Delta region to the absence of environmental justice for communities in the region in a paper called, “Peace and Stability in Nigeria” at the11th General Assembly of West Africa Network Peace Building in Port Harcourt.

January 30, 2017

 Inner City Press asked about @JustinTrudeau backsliding on indigenous rights. Video from 41:10 http://webtv.un.org/watch/un-declaration-of-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-%E2%80%93-achievements-and-challenges-over-the-past-10-years-press-conference-26-january-2017/5298862108001

January 23, 2017
From New Orleans: "The groups that are opposed to building a new power plant at the site of the an old power plant will meet at a church in New Orleans East to discuss their position. Meanwhile Entergy says building a new plant is the only way to save customers money."

January 16, 2017

The call in the Philippines is “Makiisa para sa #1MBatangMalaya” (One with children to end child labor) which featured the launch of three major initiatives to combat child labor in the country. BAN Toxics in particular called for an end to child labor in small-scale mining.

January 9, 2017

Mother Nature Cambodia, a NGO that is "fighting to put an end to the systematic destruction of Cambodia's precious natural resources" has engaged a Singaporean law firm to provide advice in relation to the alleged complicity of Singaporean Entities in the 'Sand Mining Scam'...

January 2, 2017

The EPA’s Office of Civil Rights has never made a formal finding of discrimination and has never denied or withdrawn financial assistance from a recipient in its entire history, and has no mandate to demand accountability within the EPA....

December 26, 2016

Eight more Ecuadorian villagers have terminated their relationship with Ecuadorian attorney Pablo Fajardo after he secretly cooperated with Ecuador’s government in agreeing to lift a court order freezing Chevron's assets...CSR indeed...

December 19, 2016

We support the coal ash protests in Puerto Rico....

December 12, 2016

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights offers the following statement regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline.

As we commemorate Native American Heritage Month, the recent protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline have highlighted the intersection of numerous issues the Commission has investigated recently, including the excessive use of force by police, the civil and sovereign rights of Native Americans, and environmental justice.

December 5, 2016

Princess Cruise Lines has pleaded guilty to seven counts of “deliberate pollution” and now must pay $40 million The ships were regularly dumping thousands of gallons of oil and contaminated waste into the water. Alarms were also tampered with so crews would not be notified when too much oil was discharged.

November 28, 2016

AKWESASNE -- St. Regis Mohawk Tribal chiefs say they are dissatisfied with remediation of the former General Motors site, and took the opportunity to address their grievances with the federal government. The tribe also gave $10,000 to help the Standing Rock Sioux with legal costs associated with their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline...

November 21, 2016

Ban Passed Buck After Morocco Rejected COP22-Accredited Beiruk's Document

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 16 --  Morocco banned Suelma Beirouk from the COP 22, to which she is accredited, because she listed her nationality as Western Sahara, and used an African Union passport, the UNFCCC told Inner City Press on November 11.

But Ban Ki-moon's UN Secretariat continued to dissemble and delay for five days, while Ban was in Marrakesh and get the King.  From the November 17 UN transcript:

Inner City Press: On COP22, the final question.  This NGO issue that went around and around, it seems like the person didn’t get there.  Mr. [Nick] Nuttall said his last communication was the last one.  What, if anything, did the Secretariat do since more than a week ago the person was blocked to request to Morocco that an accredited NGO attend the conference?

Deputy Spokesman:  I believe the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was dealing with the local authorities trying to see what could be done about this.  Beyond that, I’d refer you again to Mr. Nuttall.  Have a good afternoon.

And Nuttal wrote, "I answered your first question ie we sought clarification from the Government of Morocco and were advised she was traveling on an invalid travel document. Let me try again to get an answer to your other two points."

November 14, 2016

UNFCCC Tells ICP Morocco Rejected COP22-Accredited Suelma's Travel Document

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 11 --  Morocco has banned Suelma Beirouk from the COP 22, to which she is accredited, because she listed her nationality as Western Sahara, and used an African Union passport, the UNFCCC has told Inner City Press.

What will UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, slated to attend, do?

Ban gave in to Morocco's demand to pull out 83 members of its MINURSO mission in Western Sahara and has yet to get most of the returned.

Now Ban's UN is proposing to give in further, sources have exclusively told Inner City Press, even as it has been restricted to minders in the UN since being ousted without due process in February by Spain's highest UN official, Cristina Gallach.

And Morocco's Ambassador Omar Hilale on November 7 approached Inner City Press and said he understands and agrees with those who "have a problem" with Inner City Press, and that the parliamentarian banned from attending COP 22 in Morocco was not accredited by the UN. Audio here.

But a document Inner City Press has obtained and published on Scribd, here, shows the individual has been accredited by the UNFCCC. While Ban's spokespeople have told Inner City Press to “ask UNFCCC” and that Ban's Secretariat has been speaking with UNFCCC about Ms Beirouk's situation because Ban believes all accreditees should be able to attend, the UNFCC's timely response to Inner City Press leaves unclear if she will continue to be Banned. Inner City Press asked:

“Please state UNFCCC's understanding of the status of Ms. Beirouk, and position on Morocco blocking her attendance. Separately, since UNFCCC's logo is used on COP22.ma, please state UNFCCC's position and action on the statements on that website about Morocco having a border with Mauritania and a land mass that includes Western Sahara.”

  UNFCCC's spokesperson Nick Nuttal responded:

“Dear Mathew, This is our understanding of the situation. When we (UNFCCC) heard about this situation, we sought clarification from the Moroccan Government. We were advised that the Ms Beirouk was travelling on an African Union passport and specified her nationality as Western Sahara and for Morocco this is not considered a valid travel document.
 We were also advised that Ms Beirouk has a Spanish passport and has traveled freely in and out of Morocco on that many times. Mathew as for your second questions—I don’t know the answer right now and need to ask one of our experts. I’ll get back as quickly as I can.”

   It's appreciated. First, the claim that Ms.Beirouk is not accredited appears to be false. Second, if the only Ban is Morocco's position on her passport, then Ban should act on what his spokespeople say his position is. We'll have more on this.

Morocco PR Denied Existence Of This UNFCCC Accreditation to Inner City Press by Matthew Russell Lee on Scribd

November 7, 2016

We'll be covering COP 22 - including the use of the UNFCCC's logo along with a scam map, here.

October 31, 2016

ICP on Dakota Access Pipeline Asks UN Expert, Then Ban Ki-moon's Spox, “No Communication,” Like Haiti

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 28  -- After the UN under Ban Ki-moon killed more than 10,000 people in Haiti by bringing cholera, Ban spent years dodging court papers and the issue.

Now the UN is dodging on the assault on protesters to the Dakota Access Pipeline, again under Ban Ki-moon reflexively and slavishly defending its host country and main funder the US. Inner City Press got a credible answer on #NoDAPL from the UN's independent expert on cultural heritage on October 27, video here, but from outgoing UN spokesman Dujarric on October 28, only lip service.

Ban backed down to the US on Haiti cholera - the US Mission won't answer -- just as it did to Saudi led, US support coalition killing children in Yemen. From the UN's October 28 transcriptOctober 24, 2016

The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center has filed a letter serving notice that it intends to sue Detroit Renewable Power, the operator of the incinerator.

October 17, 2016

In response to a lawsuit from community groups in Texas and Louisiana, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today agreed to re-examine the accuracy of its estimates of air pollution from the flares at oil and gas drilling sites.

The agreement is in a consent decree that EPA lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The decision is a victory for Air Alliance Houston, Community In-Power and Development Association, Inc., Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, which were represented in their lawsuit by the Environmental Integrity Project.

October 10, 2016

EJ trend was acknowledged by a 2014 report by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which stated that “people who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalized are especially vulnerable to climate change.”
October 3, 2016

For all the work by many to shed light on environmental justice issues in the past 40 years, the federal agency specifically tasked with that job “never made a formal finding of discrimination in its entire history,” according to a new U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report.

September 26, 2016

California lawmakers failed to approve Democratic legislation seeking to make the state's largest air quality agency more sympathetic to the poor and minority communities disproportionately affected by air pollution. The vote last month avoids a power shake-up at the powerful South Coast Air Quality Management District.

September 19, 2016

This, we like: http://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen

September 12, 2016

Florida: "climate leaders from across the Southeast region gathered in Orlando to take part in Power Shift Southeast—an event that aims to mobilize young people to “demand that decision-makers and future leaders of our country take bold action on climate change - including fracking....

September 5, 2016

Rest in Peace: "A long-time Baton Rouge-based environmental activist and winner of the Heinz Award for her work in Louisiana’s industrial corridor, died Wednesday, according to her friends and environmental co-workers. Florence Robinson, 77, was born in Monroe in 1938, and attended Southern University as an undergraduate, received a master’s degree in zoology from the University of California and then attended Cornell University....“Within a short period of time you noticed changes in the swamp,” she said in a video done for the siteSoLa2050.org"

August 29, 2016

Big: "research shows that nearly two-thirds of anthropogenic carbon emissions originated in just 90 companies and government-run industries"

August 22, 2016

In and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana, "tens of thousands have been evacuated, at least 11 are dead, and property destruction is sure to be in the many billions of dollars. The Red Cross is calling it the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy. Against the backdrop of the flood and the suffering, communities across the Gulf region are organizing to protest an auction for rights to drill in the Gulf."

August 15, 2016

From California: "Pushing a wheelbarrow filled with 350,000 petition signatures, concerned Californians gathered outside the capitol Tuesday to urge Gov. Brown and the California Water Resources Control Board to stop the potentially dangerous practice of using wastewater from oil drilling to irrigate California's crops.

The wastewater, sold by Chevron and California Resources Corporation, is now being used to irrigate more than 90,000 acres in the Cawelo Irrigation District and the North Kern Water Management District and is slated to expand in the near future to other districts." And what did Ban Ki-moon have to say about this?

August 8, 2016

 Will Theresa May's "shale wealth fund" in UK be replicated in the US?

August 1, 2016

From Nigeria: After promising to implement the UNEP Report, President Buhari has approved the Governing Council and Board of Trustees for UNEP Report on Ogoniland -This means that Ken Saro Wiwa and other sons of Ogoniland who fought hard for environment justice did not fight in Vain Following the historic Presidential launch of the Implementation of the UNEP Report on June 2, 2016, in Bodo, Rivers State, President Buhari has approved the composition of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees, key elements of the governance structure required for the Clean up of Ogoniland. This is in line with Mr. President’s promise to implement the UNEP Report. The Hon. Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed said in a statement that President Buhari has approved the inauguration of a 13-person Governing Council and a 10-person Board of Trustees (BOT).

July 25, 2016

From NJ, 100 Ramapough Lunaape will make the journey from Mahwah to Philadelphia on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. They don't expect to make it to the sports arena filled with delegates and big money donors...  It's the March for a Clean Energy Revolution, which calls for a ban on fracking

July 18, 2016

So Newark, NJ will from now on require developers requesting environmental permits to inform the municipality of any environmental impacts. Good.

July 11, 2016

Bloomberg on EJ: "Stewart, now counsel in Vinson & Elkins LLP’s environmental and natural resources group, said supplemental environmental project increases could reflect an effort by the EPA to promote awareness of these projects and to encourage larger ones, particularly in environmental justice areas.

Trend Up on Penalties, Complying Action Costs

The average penalty reached a high of $463,576 in 2009-2012 after increasing in each of the previous four-year periods since 1997. The average is $311,677 in the 2013-to-date period."

July 4, 2016

Gulf Coast letter to "Big Green" http://rahc504.com/blog/2016/6/27/an-open-letter-demanding-respect-and-solidarity

June 27, 2016

In NC the "Department of Environmental Quality performed a review on a new lined storage space for coal ash in Wilmington near the Sutton Steam Station... Similar reviews will take place everywhere that Duke Energy proposes to store the material in landfills."

June 20, 2016

In River Rouge, Michigan, the local utility says it will retire coal plants in the community that operate without modern pollution controls and are a major contributor to the area’s high rates of asthma. We'll see.

June 13, 2016

In Los Angeles, "City Attorney Mike Feuer said Thursday a South Los Angeles oil field must remain closed until the operator, AllenCo Energy Co., shows it has adhered to all regulations, with even the smallest leak potentially triggering another closure, under a court order issued this month. Allen Co voluntarily closed its oil field, at 814 W. 23rd St., in 2013, amid complaints by neighboring residents they were getting sick due to fumes coming from the facility."

June 6, 2016

Here it is: EPA's EJ 2020 Action Agenda: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-05/documents/052216_ej_2020_strategic_plan_final_0.pdf

May 30, 2016

In Vermont State Police is investigating an incident at the home of Vermont Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia.Environmental protesters were at Recchia’s house just after 6 a.m. Wednesday. Police say the group blocked Recchia’s driveway with cones, and built a fake oil derrick, which they placed on his lawn. The group said it wanted to discuss its concerns over the state's natural gas pipeline, per Henry Harris, a spokesman for a group that calls itself the People’s Department of Environmental Justice.

May 23, 2016

Minneapolis: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is pushing to revoke the air quality permit of Northern Metal Recycling, saying the firm has misled the agency and is sending "high levels" of metals into the north Minneapolis air.

Northern Metal runs a metal shredder at 2800 Pacific St. believed to be the main source of "particulate emissions that have repeatedly violated state air quality standards near the site since 2014," the MPCA said in a statement Thursday.

May 16, 2016

Can you say, SLAPP?   In Uniontown, Alabama, the owner of a 1,200-acre landfill has filed a $15 million lawsuit against three local activists...

May 9, 2016

Environmental justice activist Jacqueline Patterson will discuss the impacts of polluting industries and climate change on communities of color and low-income communities at UC Riverside on Wednesday, May 11.

May 2, 2016

"Among Flint’s 100,000 residents, 57 percent are African-American, another 8 percent are Latino or of mixed race, and 42 percent live below the poverty line."

April 25, 2016

Amid Climate Hoopla, ICP Asks NRDC & Oxfam of ICAO and REDD Offset Scams

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 22 -- On the day of signing of the Paris Accord at the UN, Inner City Press asked three civil society groups about the exclusion of aviation and shipping from the Paris Accord, about the IMO, ICAO and the Montreal Protocol and specifically about scam offsets like REDD.

Natural Resources Defense Council president Rhea Suh told Inner City Press the Paris Accord is directed at nations and aviation is global; she said there is a strategy for both IMO and ICAO.

   CAN International director Wael Hmaidan said there is political movement at the IMO, though put off until October, and at the IMO.  Oxfam America's Heather Coleman said at IMO, there probably will be “market based” offsets; she acknowledged that there are a range of views of this, but said her focus is whether the revenues are directed to climate finance needs.

   Another correspondent brought up the UN eliminated bike racks; Inner City Press previously exposed the UN's faux recycling - that on the very day the UN Correspondents Association and Ban Ki-moon's spokespeople ordered Inner City Press out of the UN Press briefing room.

Half an hour earlier, Inner City Press asked US official Jonathan Pershing about the exclusion of aviation and shipping from the Accord, if the Coalition(s) will target IMO and ICAO and if offsets like the REDD+ scam will be considered.

  Pershing said yes, there is work for the Coalition to do at IMO and ICAO and on the Montreal Protocol. Afterward, when Inner City Press asked him specifically about REDD, he acknowledged there are issues but said that's different from the question of aviation and shipping being covered.

   Inner City Press notes for example the Air France REDD scam in Madagascar. There are more. Watch this site.

April 18, 2016

From Grist: "The inability to really acknowledge the people who are most affected by environmental racism and climate change was evident this past weekend when Clinton made a campaign stop at Industry City, a contentious symbol of gentrification in Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Sunset Park neighborhood. The chic warehouse complex stands a few blocks away from UPROSE‘s Climate Justice Community Resiliency Center, which was created in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Elizabeth Yeampierre, who runs UPROSE, helped organize a protest against the venue while Clinton was there. One of the key points in Clinton’s plan is to “[p]rotect communities from the impacts of climate change by investing in resilient infrastructure” — precisely the kind of work UPROSE is already taking on. “I don’t think [Clinton’s plan] goes far enough or has an understanding of how these core, densely populated urban areas can actually use these spaces to build for a climate adaptable future,” says Yeampierre."
April 11, 2016

 So at the Apollo Theater on April 11, Bernie Sanders said, we don't need to see 1 in 4 kids in the South Bronx have asthma... No, we don't.

April 4, 2016

The new New York state budget has $300 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, a $123 million increase....

March 28, 2016

Minnesota regulators said Thursday that they’re concerned about airborne lead particles in violation of state standards in an industrial area of north Minneapolis that is near a residential area.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found lead levels at two of its monitors that were substantially higher than those detected by its monitoring equipment at other locations in the state. It also found levels of chromium, cobalt and nickel above health-based guidelines used by state and federal agencies, although actual standards for those metals haven’t been set.

March 21, 2016

Australian Securities and Investments Commission has been alerted about  a number of Australian creditors who would be at risk should Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private sector coal company, file for bankruptcy...

March 14, 2016

 When the White House held a call about its agreements with Canada, it held a conference call - then it got asked about at the UN including to Segolene Royal, to whom ICP asked about not only the Global compact and the environment but also the rapes in CAR by the French Sangaris force, we'll have more on this....

March 7, 2016

At least 3,300 kids in St. Louis have toxic levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to decreased intelligence, learning disabilities, stunted growth and other health problems. The problem isn’t in the tap water; it’s in old houses with lead-contaminated paint....

February 29, 2016

"The construction of a new gas-fired electric plant will mean $2 million for a community environmental fund in Bridgeport. PSEG Power Connecticut and Mayor Joseph P. Ganim on Thursday signed an agreement in conjunction with the construction the plant to establish a fund to pay for health, environmental and renewable projects." But is it enough?

February 22, 2016

The Feb 17 settlement with the EPA, approved by the federal district court for the Southern District of New York, requires EPA to begin a rulemaking process immediately and to finalize spill prevention rules within three and a half years.  The forthcoming protections will cover over 350 hazardous chemicals, and will apply broadly to tens of thousands of industrial facilities across the country.

February 15, 2016

Hats off, including on environmental justice grounds, to the Moral March on downtown Raleigh NC...

February 1, 2016

On Coal, ICP Asks UNFCCC's Figueres Of Funding by Banks in Global Compact

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 28 -- When Christiana Figueres of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change came with three others to take questions on green investment on January 27, Inner City Press asked her about banks continuing to fund coal -- including banks who are members of the UN Global Compact -- and about murky supply chains. Video here.

  Figueres responded on coal, saying it is on the way out in the US due in part to shale gas (or hydro-fracking); she said unabated coal has no place in the energy system. So, again, what are these banks funding it? We'll have more on this - especially the UN Global Compact members.

 Appearing with Figueres on January 27 were Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller; ; Michael Liebreich of the Advisory Board, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Philippe Defosses, CEO, public pension fund for French civil servants (ERAFP).

January 25, 2016

At UN, Fake Recycling Can Mixes Glass, Paper & Waste, Ban & Press Say Nothing

By Matthew Russell Lee, Expose

UNITED NATIONS, January 22 -- While the UN purported to be recycling, its garbage cans with separately holes for glass, paper and waste in fact have a single bag behind them: nothing is separated. Video here.

 On January 22, Inner City Press tweeted a phototweeted a photograph of the faux-recycling garbage can on the UN's third floor.

Photo: At the #UN right now, garbage cans pretend to separate for recycling - but it is all one bag pic.twitter.com/1Vp8mIlFTM

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) January 23, 2016

Then after interaction, Inner City Press broadcast the garbage can live on Periscope, preserved on YouTube here.

Isn't this hypocrisy? Why didn't the media using this scam garbage can -- CBS, Voice of America, Foreign Policy, Reuters and AFP from down the hall, the UN Correspondents Association right next door -- say anything about this?

  Inner City Press, aware of UNCA's and these media's attempts to censor and even through the investigative Press out of the UN, filmed it and puts it online here.

Amid self-congratulations about the Paris Agreement on climate change, several environmental groups even inside the conference site on December 12 were critical. But when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon took three softball questions from correspondents at the UN on December 14, it was another stage in Ban and his enablers' use of the UN to campaign for a Nobel Prize. The first question was, by CBS, to ask Ban about his legacy.

The next, by the outgoing vice president of the UN Correspondents Association -- selling seats with Ban for $6000 on Wall Street -- was, There is criticism, what is your response? But not a single criticism was listed: the easiest question possible. The last was, from UNCA's earlier in the day question, was What should be do?

  Inner City Press asked loudly about corpses dumped in the streets over the weekend in Burundi, where several UN member states are warning of a new genocide, and on which Ban and his office have yet to comment. Ban had no response - he returned to say he will brief the General Assembly; his spokesman said he will take more questions on December 16: also pre-selected?

  Later in the day, Ban and his UN Censorship Alliance which sells access with him will be reviving and re-establishing UN corruption in the wake of the indictments of former President of the General Assembly John Ash, Sheri Yan, the founder of South South News and Ng Lap Seng. Watch this site.

January 18, 2016

The draft USDA Environmental Justice Strategic Plan is available here: USDA Environmental Strategic Plan.

Comments on the Plan may be submitted via email to EJStrategy@usda.gov beginning January 15, 2016. Comments are due by February 14, 2016.

January 11, 2016

 Look at how Michigan declared an emergency about Flint's poisonous water - after have a role in it: http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-57577_57657-372653--,00.html
January 4, 2016

EJ hotspot in Denver: Globeville, Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods, and the Mousetrap...

December 28, 2015

Per the City of New York Department of Sanitation, there are 20 waste transfer stations in Brooklyn, handling 10,551 tons of waste daily. Williamsburg and Greenpoint host 15 transfer stations, and handle between 30 and 40 percent of the waste of the five boroughs. ...

December 21, 2015

Headline of the week, from IndyBay: "Jerry Brown grandstands in Paris but fails to protect Latino children from fracking."

December 14, 2015

On Paris Agreement on Climate, Grumbles Even at COP 21, of TPP and Ban's Travel

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 12 -- Amid self-congratulations about the Paris Agreement on climate change, several environmental groups even inside the conference site were critical. An NGO from the United States pointed out that President Barack Obama is pushing the Trans Pacific Partnership, which will undercut climate change efforts; Obama's “climate change hiatus” after the failure of the Waxman Markey bill failed in 2009.

  An NGO from the Philippines called the agreement less concrete than in the past; another called it a “huge disappointment” on human rights. But there was Ban Ki-moon, talking about all his travel in the past nine years (and, one surmised, campaigning of a Nobel Peace Prize, with an eye on the Korean peninsula). A stream of press releases ensued; we'll have more on this.

  Back on November 20 in the run-up to the talks, Inner City Press asked UN official Janos Pasztor if commitments on adaptation funding will be increased, about corporations making sometimes dubious pledges in connection with CoP21 and specifically about requests that the Green Climate Fund not accredit HSBC or Credit Agricole, given their track records.

December 7, 2015

Anything for a hotel, EJ be damned: "The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has determined that the cleanup requirements to address contamination related to the 2477 Third Avenue Property site (“site”) located at 2477 Third Avenue, Bronx, NY under New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) have been or will be met."November 30, 2015

Baltimore Sun: "Baltimore, where 63.1 percent of the population is black. Baltimore currently has three times the national rate of lead poisoning among children. The effects of lead exposure can be severe, leading many times to behavioral problems such as aggressive tendencies, lack of impulse control and ADHD, among other learning disabilities. Exposure to high doses, while uncommon, can even lead to death. Lead poisoning is highly preventable; however, Baltimore's neglect of its deteriorating housing stock makes it difficult to address the issue. While rates of poisoning have steadily declined overall, black families are still suffering the burden of this legacy."

 We'll be covering Paris...

November 23, 2015

On Climate Change, ICP Asks UN's Pasztor of Adaptation, GCF & HSBC

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 20 -- In the run-up the the climate change talks in Paris, Inner City Press asked UN official Janos Pasztor on November 20 if commitments on adaptation funding will be increased, about corporations making sometimes dubious pledges in connection with CoP21 and specifically about requests that the Green Climate Fund not accredit HSBC or Credit Agricole, given their track records.

  Pasztor earnestly answered the questions, though he said he was unaware of the request to the GCF about the two banks (see here); he also said that while the march planned in Paris for November 29 has been canceled by the government, marches can be held elsewhere - in other countries.

   Agence France Presse, before other journalists got even one question, cut in with repeated “follow-ups.” France is branding CoP21, while now limited civil society participation - except for corporations.

  Relatedly, when the UNFCCC held a press conference in Bonn earlier in the week, the corporate media in the room had no questions, then few questions. But the selection of questions submitted by social media trended toward Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Climate Group; press questions submitted by Twitter and email were never answered. We'll have more on this.

November 16, 2015

New York City Councilman Ben Kallow is pushing legislation to require tests to make sure New Yorkers aren't ingesting toxins near the city's marine waste transfer stations, not only the one proposed as Asphalt Green but alsoMidtown, Greenwich Village, Gowanus and Gravesend, Brooklyn, and College Point, Queens...

November 9, 2015

Staying with Pennsylvia: The regulatory process surrounding Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s expansion plan illustrates how Pennsylvania’s 1980s-era waste-management laws need an overhaul, a member of Friends of Lackawanna told the state Environmental Justice Advisory Board on Thursday. The state Department of Environmental Protection designated a low-income part of Dunmore near the Dunham Drive landfill as an environmental justice community, which triggered a process designed to give people who live there more education about the proposal and a voice in the review.

November 2, 2015

So Pennsylvania's EJ director is... Carl E. Jones Jr., an attorney in the Tucker Law Group LLC, in Philadelphia for the last two years, has been appointed to head the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Environmental Justice. DEP Secretary John Quigley announced the appointment of Mr. Jones, 33, last week to head the office, which has not been staffed by a director or any employees for more than two months.

According to Neil Shader, a DEP spokesman, Mr. Jones was offered the job just before a state government hiring freeze necessitated by the budget impasse took effect.
October 26, 2015

The Pennsylvania Office of Environmental Justice is belatedly getting a new director, and fracking for natural gas will be on the agenda. The Department of Environmental Protection says gas-drilling permit applications once again will trigger extra notification and community involvement - but can fracking be denied?

October 19, 2015

On Climate Change, ICP Asks UN's Pasztor of Carbon Tax, Critiques of OECD

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 13 -- In the run-up the the climate change talks in Paris in December, Inner City Press on October 13 asked the UN's Janos Pasztor about criticism of the OECD's claims about developed countries' progress toward $100 billion in 2020, and about the IMF's or Christine Lagarde's call for a carbon tax. Video here.

  Pasztor replied that at the meeting in Peru, finance ministers had raised questions about the OECD's methodology, which he said the OECD Secretary General had responded to. He called Lagarde's proposals “an important way that countries can address this issue.”

  Back on September 21 the 2015 Equator Prize winners were announced at a UN press conference featuring Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin, UNDP's Helen Clark and UNFCCC's Christiana Figueres, about whose 3 degree Celsius prediction Inner City Press asked last week.

October 12, 2015

In Sri Lanka, a court directed the Attorney General that the documents pertaining to the Colombo Port City including the government's stance on the project be submitted in Court on November 17...

October 5, 2015

After Rousseff Lays Out Brazil's INDC, ICP Asks of Deforestation, Livestock

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 27 -- After President Dilma Rousseff announced Brazil's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution on September 27, Inner City Press -- having fought from being excluded -- asked her how the INDC proposes to offset for continued deforestation and subsidies to the livestock industry. Video here.

September 28, 2015

ICP Asked Peru's Humala If TPP Investors' Rights Provision Undercut  Environment

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 27 -- When Peru's President Ollanta Humala Tasso held a UN stakeout to present his country's climate change Intended Nationally Determined Contribution document to UNFCCC chief Figueres, Inner City Press asked Humala about the impact on the INDC of the pending Trans Pacific Partnership, particularly corporate suing of government provision. Video here.

  Humala said TPP is 90% finished, and that Peru is committed to the environment. But what about corporations suing regulations that “hinder” them? This wasn't answered.

 And the next day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon when on a podium with Humala and French President Hollande told the Press that Humala regretted not being there. But he WAS there. Respect.

September 21, 2015

On Climate Change, ICP Asks Pasztor of 3 Degrees C, Murky Climate Finance

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 18, more here -- In the run up the climate change events during UN General Assembly week, Inner City Press on September 17 asked UN's Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change Janos Pasztor whether INDCs to date would raised temperatures by 3 degrees Celsuis, as Christiana Figueres has said, or 2.5 degree as the Guardian has an unnamed UK official saying. Video here.

  Pasztor's answer to Inner City Press included "3.5 degrees;" Figueres' spokesperson chimes in this is the difference between frying and cooking. But who was the Guardian's anonymous "merely warming" source?

  Amina Mohammed, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning, spoke about financing issues, on which Inner City Press asked about how to count if the $100 billion goal is reached by 2020.

Back on August 11 after the climate change announcement of Australia, Inner City Press on August 11 asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it, video here

September 14, 2015

In Madison, Wisc., residents are concerned about health and environmental impacts and want to delay the coming demolition of the state’s sprawling, century-old Central Services Facility on the Near East Side....

September 7, 2015

Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Inspector General has that continued delays in issuing or finalizing environmental justice guidance limits the EPA’s ability to consider the principles during the rule-making process and puts affected communities at risk. According to a report issued by the OIG, the EPA was three years behind schedule in issuing the final "Environmental Justice in Rulemaking Guide," which was finalized in May. Also, the draft "EJ Technical Guidance" — planned to be a technical complement to the rule-making guide — is not projected to be final until 2016...

August 31, 2015

Good review: the Climate Justice Convergence at Dillard University marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, part of the #GulfSouthRising commemorative events...

August 24, 2015

Here's a devastating series on EPA and environmental justice

on which EPA offered... no comment. August 17, 2015

A California firm has filed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. government has deprived “future generations” of their constitutional rights by allowing climate change to occur, having known since 1965 about the health dangers of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels...

August 10, 2015

  Here's the lack of seriousness in enforcement of environmental justice: "Deborah Reade got a certified letter from the Environmental Protection Agency that was nearly a decade in the making. 'During the course of the EPA’s investigation, it was determined that additional information is needed to clarify this allegation.' Her original complaint to the EPA’s Office of Civil Rights, in 2002...

August 3, 2015

We've been following: FERC's environmental scoping on Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.’s proposed Northeast Energy Direct project...
July 27, 2015

We're following the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that aims to require the EPA to better regulate facilities over hazardous-substance spills. It cites the need to protect low-income communities and areas with a high percentage of people of color: environmental justice.
July 20, 2015

 The US government reports that, in recent years, more and more crude oil is being transported across the country on railways. This past year, 493,140 carloads of crude oil traveled over railways in this country, according to Ed Greenberg, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Association of American Railroads. The year before, in 2013, crude oil was transported in 407,761 train freight cars. Even though those carloads represent about 1.6 percent of the total rail traffic for those years, crude-oil transport by rail has experienced a 4,000 percent increase, according to industry watchers..

July 13, 2015

Thirty years ago, the Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior" was sunk by a French secret agent...

July 6, 2015

ICP Asks UN of Climate Finance Shortfall & the Pope, No TPP to Redford

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 29, more here -- Alongside the UN's “high level meeting on climate change” on June 29, Inner City Press asked Janos Pasztor and Amina Mohammed of the UN about the critique by Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) that the developed world is not moving toward $100 billion a year in climate finance by 2020. Also, Inner City Press asked the Cardinal on the panel, what does the Pope think of it?

  Pasztor said the key is credible measuring of financing, and that Ban Ki-moon has spoken to the G-7. The Cardinal said the Pope's two principles are solidarity and subsidiarity. The SDG connection will become clear when the UN uploads the briefing video.

  But -- this press conference at least was substantive. Two hours later, the UN presented Robert Redford, solo, taking questions ranging from his movies to Obama and called it climate change. The UN Correspondents Assocation, which didn't even have a question for Ban on climate change earlier in the day, was given the first question to Redford; it was sloppily asked and is almost sure not to be written up. No one asked, or was permitted to ask, about fracking or the Trans Pacific Partnership. And so it goes at the UN.

  Back on June 18 when the UN gave a climate change briefing by UNDP's Cassie Flynn, and Jo Scheuer, on June 18 Inner City Press asked about the under-funding of the Least Development Countries Fund, and if South Korea is backsliding in its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. Video here.

  The answers, on film, were to promote other funding vehicles, and to say that South Korea has still yet to file its INDC.

June 29, 2015

 Last week's decision by the Supreme Court upholding disparate impact theory for fair housing may have implications for environmental justice. For now, here's the final paragraph of the majority decision:

"Much progress remains to be made in our Nation’s continuing struggle against racial isolation. In striving to achieve our “historic commitment to creating an integrated society,” Parents Involved, supra, at 797 (KENNEDY, J.,concurring in part and concurring in judgment), we must remain wary of policies that reduce homeowners to nothing more than their race. But since the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 and against the backdrop of disparate-impact liability in nearly every jurisdiction, many cities have become more diverse. The FHA must play an important part in avoiding the Kerner Commission’s grim prophecy that “[o]ur Nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” Kerner Commission Report 1. The Court acknowledges the Fair Housing Act’s continuing role in moving the Nation toward a more integrated society. "

June 22, 2015

On Climate, ICP Asks UN of LDC Fund Under-Funded, S. Korea Backsliding

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 18, more here -- When the UN gave a climate change briefing by UNDP's Cassie Flynn, and Jo Scheuer, on June 18 Inner City Press asked about the under-funding of the Least Development Countries Fund, and if South Korea is backsliding in its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. Video here.

  The answers, on film, were to promote other funding vehicles, and to say that South Korea has still yet to file its INDC.

June 15, 2015

So EPA has released a new mapping and screening tool called EJSCREEN. EPA says allowing users “high resolution access to environmental and demographic information”

June 8, 2015

ICP Asks UN Why Of CDM's UNspent Funds, South Korea Backsliding

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 5, more here -- When the UN's Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change Janos Pasztor held a press conference on June 4, Inner City Press asked him about unspent funds at the Clean Development Mechanism in Bonn, and about reported backsliding by South Korea on its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions on greenhouse gas reduction.

  Pasztor said that the CDM is still needed; he said country have committed not to backslide. Video here. (South Korea has yet to submit its INDCs, it seems). Inner City Press asked Pasztor to provide a comment, if he has one, once South Korea's filing is made.

  The Pope's encyclical, he said, is due on June 18...

Back on May 5, Inner City Press asked him about criticism of the Green Climate Fund, including at the recent Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Video here

June 1, 2015

In South Africa, ArcelorMittal SA has been asked why it has resisted releasing the company’s internal study into environmental issues Vanderbijlpark despite an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act....

May 25, 2015

Ok, we'll do a PSA: http://www2.epa.gov/communities

May 18, 2015

 President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino 3rd claims his government is seriously pursuing charges against the importer and customs agents who allowed the entry of hazardous wastes from Canada. Philippine-based importer Chronic Plastics for smuggling in the garbage, which was misdeclared as “plastic scraps” intended for recycling. Although he admitted that the waste shipment poses a risk to public health, Aquino said the trash will not be returned to Canada but will be incinerated or buried in a landfill. The illegal shipment is an international crime under the Basel Convention, to which Canada and the Philippines are parties.

May 11, 2015

ICP Asks UN Why Green Climate Fund Will Finance Coal, Of Pension Fund

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 5, more here -- When the UN's Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change Janos Pasztor held a press conference on May 5, Inner City Press asked him about criticism of the Green Climate Fund, including at the recent Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Video here and embedded below.

  Specifically, why will the "Green" Climate Fund provide financial for coal-powered plants? Pasztor replied that some felt that an exclusion for coal would have been divisive. On statements at the PFII that the UN is helping to "monetize" nature, Pasztor replied that most states feel differently. But what about the indigenous?
  
  Pasztor in his opening statement had praised the UN Pension Fund for now investing in "green equities" and "green bonds." Since the UN has responded to Press questions about irregularities alleged at the Pension Fund by emphasizing how separate and independent it is, Inner City Press asked Pazstor if the UN Secretariat had brought about this Pension Fund decision.

 Pazstor replied that the Pension Fund answers to the Secretary General and that "she" - Carolyn Boykin, presumably - had made this decision. We'll have more on this, after noting Pasztor by no means the least responsive UN official...

May 4, 2015

This, we like: Bushwick Campus’ four high schools celebrated Earth Week with EcoStation:NY with tours of the Bushwick Campus Farm and Greenhouse, cooking demonstrations, food tastings, compost workshops, hydroponic and aquaponic workshops in the greenhouse as well as musical, dance and spoken word performances. “We wanted to see better food in the neighborhood,” said EcoStation:NY.

 So do we.

April 27, 2015

On Chevron: "Faced with endless legal costs, one of the plaintiffs’ funders, a lobbying firm and a technical consulting firm have jumped ship.

The government of Ecuador has not, despite the fact that Chevron reportedly lobbied successfully to terminate valuable trade preferences the country had in U.S. markets. Donzinger, who has devoted 20 years to this case, has been demonized in the media by Chevron’s unrelenting and lavishly financed public relations campaign. But he’s not giving up, nor are Amazon Watch, the Amazon Defense Coalition and other environmental groups that know that Chevron is guilty of a major environmental crime."

April 20, 2015

The Environmental Protection Agency is asking for public comment on the draft EJ 2020 Action Agenda (EJ 2020) framework, the EPA’s next overarching strategic plan for environmental justice.
EJ 2020 is a strategy to advance environmental justice through EPA’s programs, policies and activities, and will support the cross-agency strategy on making a visible difference in environmentally overburdened, underserved, and economically-distressed communities. Stakeholders and the general public can review the framework and submit comments, starting today through June 15, 2015, by visiting www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/ej2020/.

April 13, 2015

Seems Pope Francis is writing an encyclical in the run-up to the UN Climate Summit in September, and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) to be held in Paris in December...

April 6, 2015

Including on EJ grounds, Sunset Park groups are raising concerns about Jamestown Properties' $1 billion dollar redevelopment and rezoning proposal for Industry City...

March 30, 2015

In Houston, 66 some to 200 Bakken oil train cars go through every week, per the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Chron. The rail lines that carry them run from northwest Houston right through downtown and then split into multiple tracks in the East End before reaching the Houston Ship Channel and refinery district. “Living in Houston is like sitting on top of an oil-train time-bomb, and all it takes is a drive along the freight-train tracks to see that.”

March 23, 2015

This, we like: the Environmental Justice atlas: https://ejatlas.org/

March 16, 2015

So today the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, which advises the EPA, will hold a public meeting to discuss—among other rulemaking and policy issues—the Clean Power Plan rule...

March 9, 2015

The law: On December 29, 2014, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina held that the plaintiffs in a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA")/Clean Water Act (CWA) Citizens Suit against the owners and operator of a swine farm had the right to have the case tried before a jury. The case is North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, et al., v. Taylor, et al., 2014 WL 7384970. It is alleged that the defendants illegally dumped swine waste into the waters and onto the lands surrounding the swine farm. The defendants challenged the demand for a jury trial, and both sides argued that a 1987 Supreme Court decision, Tull v. U.S., 481 U. S. 412, supported their positions. After reviewing the Tull case and other precedents, the court held that the Tull decision, which discussed the right to a jury trial when the federal government was seeking civil penalties, was a Seventh Amendment right available to either side in a Citizen Suit case.

March 2, 2015

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio's administration is promising to expand community outreach and agency participation in its April update to PlaNYC, a sprawling assessment of the city's infrastructure and detailed game plan for how New York will address climate change.The de Blasio administration will roll out the plan on April 22, Earth Day. We'll have more on this.

February 23, 2015

News from the border: Alamar Creek on Tijuana’s eastern side, "under a federal flood control project launched in 2011, the entire creek was to be turned into a concrete channel.Now, after a four-year campaign to preserve this small riparian corridor, local residents and environmental activists are celebrating partial success. Mexico’s National Water Commission, or Conagua, has agreed to work with them on an alternative channeling plan for a two-mile stretch of the creek."
February 16, 2015

Hey - the 20th Annual Summit on Environmental Law and Policy to be held on February 27-28th, 2015 at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans will have Grégor Trumel, Consul General of France -- “Appointed by decree of the President of the French Republic, Mr. Grégor Trumel (1975) assumed his duties of Consul General of France in New Orleans in August 2014. He previously was First Counsellor, Press Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of France in Denmark. Joining the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Le Quai d’Orsay) in 2000, Grégor Trumel focused his career on European diplomacy, especially during the Danish Presidency of the EU in 2012. He also specialized in Human Resources Management and was in charge in Paris of the Executives Management”...

February 9, 2015

We support the anti-fracking march through Oakland, this is needed elsewhere...

February 2, 2015

We note the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s August 2014 decision in Center for Community Action & Environmental Justice v. BNSF Railway holding that air emissions do not constitute a “disposal” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)[3] because, as the definition is written, it does not specifically include “emitting,” and instead “includes only conduct that results in the placement of solid waste ‘into or on any land or water.’ That placement, in turn, must be ‘so that such solid waste . . . may enter the environment or be emitted into the air, or discharged into any waters.’ . . . [T]herefore ‘disposal’ occurs where the solid waste is first placed ‘into or on any land or water’ and is thereafter ‘emitted into the air....

January 26, 2015

VOCs in the Bronx: “The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has determined that the cleanup requirements to address contamination related to the Former Nessen Lamps (aka PS 51X) site (“site”) located at 3200 Jerome Avenue in the Bronx under New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program have been or will be met. The cleanup activities were performed by The Rinzler Family Limited Partnership ("Volunteer") with oversight provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). NYSDEC has approved a Final Engineering Report and issued a Certificate of Completion for the site.... Injection of chemical oxidant into the groundwater table to treat volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater (known as in-situ chemical oxidation); Construction and maintenance of a cover system consisting of the existing building slab and the restored building slab in all excavated areas...

January 19, 2015

In San Francisco, h/t Bay View: “We have sought and received input from the community and our partner, the city,” acknowledged Lennar San Francisco President Kofi Bonner in a statement cited by columnists Matier & Ross in the Chronicle. As a result, Bonner added, “Lennar intends to withdraw its request to implode the stadium.”

January 12, 2015

From the always excellent Grist:

For Brent Newell, legal director of the Oakland, Calif.-based Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, progress has as much to do with historic civil rights as it does with present-day policies around regulating greenhouse gases:

“During 2014, the intersection between climate change and environmental justice came to the forefront as Gina McCarthy advanced her most important rule and the centerpiece of President Obama’s climate policy: the Clean Power Plan. National progress on environmental justice in 2015 will ultimately be measured by what happens with the Clean Power Plan. Though EPA touted public health benefits in its media strategy, the proposed rule seeks to allow states to use pollution trading schemes like “cap and trade,” which allows power plants to avoid on-site pollution reductions by purchasing “offsets,” or pollution reductions from somewhere else (e.g. a tree planting operation in Brazil). EJ communities already suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change, they should not also suffer from the impacts of climate policy. Whether environmental justice will progress at the national level in 2015 will depend on whether McCarthy will use her existing authority under the Clean Air Act and Civil Rights Act to protect communities. And also, whether the big green groups will change their positions by opposing cap and trade.”

January 5, 2015

In Pennsylvania, the Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living sued the DEP under the Civil Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the case in 1998. But the DEP created an Office of Environmental Advocate and developed policies on how to handle environmental justice areas. And now?

December 29, 2014

In Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco, they're talking about blowing up Candlestick Park. But what about the particulate matter?

December 22, 2014

RIP to EJ hero Daymon Morgan, who served as chairperson of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth in 1990-91 and received the Berea College Service Award in 2010, was a plainspoken farmer and forester, who counted what he called "the true cost of coal" in lost drinking water, timber, wildlife habitat and plant species....

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/12/17/3599211/daymon-morgan-defender-of-kentuckys.html#storylink=cpy

December 15, 2014

 From Peru, this report: "The U.N. insists that all NGOs accredited to attend the talks clear any public actions ahead of time; if they don’t, the groups can be banned from the conference site and lose access to future U.N. summits. There are regulations governing what the groups can and can’t do, but the U.N. hasn’t been very forthcoming about them."  UN and censorship? We've seen it before, and will have more.

December 8, 2014

From Philly [.com] a profile of Betty Reid who still remembers the excitement from the late 1970s as she and her husband were moving into a newly built brick-and-siding rowhouse on a leafy, almost suburban street at the edge of Eastwick - the city's southwestern fringe, in the shadow of jumbo jets landing at nearby Philadelphia International Airport. The now-81-year-old retiree recalls a brochure for the new Eastwick community from the developer Korman Homes that showed kids playing and sliding down the steep hill in back of the development, pushing "how much fun it would be for the children." But it wasn't long after moving in that the Reids weren't able to open their window on a warm night because of the noxious odor of burning garbage - and they realized the fumes were coming from that hillside in the cheerful brochure, a disposal site that the locals called Heller's Dump but was officially known as the Clearview Landfill. (Today the southwest section of Eastwick encompassing the landfill is called simply Clearview.)

  That is environmental (in)justice...

December 1, 2014

In South Africa, “ArcelorMittal lost a court appeal to keep secret its environmental plans for an area polluted by the company’s biggest steel-producing plant. The Supreme Court of Appeal upheld a ruling that Amsa, as the unit of the world’s largest steelmaker is known, must hand over documents detailing its environmental-protection plan for the Vanderbijlpark plant in Gauteng.”

Secret environmental plans?

November 24, 2014

It's worth noting, from an environmental justice perspective, that US EPA had a representative at the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) meeting in Geneva, and an October 7, 2014 meeting in Berkeley about environmental issues that will come up in the 2015 UPR...

November 17, 2014

In LA the Board of Supervisors has voted to have county attorneys evaluate options to force a shutdown of the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon and the clean-up of contamination in nearby neighborhoods. In September, Brown signed a bill requiring the Department of Toxic Substances Control to either issue a permanent permit or shut the plant down by the end of 2015. The Exide plant has been closed since mid-March while management works to upgrade pollution controls and meet other regulatory requirements. State regulators announced an enforcement order last week that requires Exide to spend $9 million to clean up contamination in Boyle Heights and Maywood and set aside more than $38 million to cover the cost of potentially closing the plant. Regulators said today the $9 million will be enough to pay to clean up 215 homes and that the order is binding, even if Exide is liquidated...

November 10, 2014

In Ecuador, activists are urging Roberta Jacobson from the U.S. State Department to demand Chevron “abide by the rule of law and pay its $9.5 billion Ecuador pollution liability when she makes a surprise visit to the Andean nation’s capital this week. The villagers are also demanding that the official,, reject the State Department’s longstanding practice of lobbying top Ecuadorian government officials on Chevron’s behalf, said Pablo Fajardo, the lead lawyer for dozens of rainforest communities who won the judgment against the oil company. Jacobsen is the Assistant Secretary of State overseeing U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.”

November 3, 2014

Look - a group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is seeking “unpaid interns to assist their Environmental Community Organizer with implementing a NYSDEC Environmental Justice grant.” Who does this exclude?

October 27, 2014

Looking south: "According to a new ranking published by the Environmental Justice Atlas, Peru is the tenth most environmentally conflicted country in the world.India, with 112 conflicts, far outpaces even the second-place country, Colombia, where there are 72 environmental conflicts. Rounding out the top ten are Brazil and Nigeria with 58, Ecuador with 48, Turkey with 45, the United States with 34, Spain with 33, Argentina with 32, and Peru with 31. Chile is close behind in 11th place, with 30 conflicts recorded by the Environmental Justice Atlas." We'll have more on this.

October 20, 2014

 This week: illegal fishing: "EU to ban fish from Sri Lanka, saying lax on illegal fishing

The European Commission proposed a ban on imports of fish from Sri Lanka for not tackling illegal fishing properly.. 'Our policy of resolute cooperation is yielding results,' EU Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki said in a statement. 'Five countries receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Sri Lanka.' Since 2010 the EU has taken action against countries that do not follow international standards to prevent over-fishing, such as policing their waters for unlicensed fishing vessels and imposing sanctions to ensure adherence to rules against illegal fishing. Damanaki said Sri Lanka did not even have proper legislation in place to prevent and fight illegal fishing, which led the Commission to put forward the import ban."

 But what about the EU's fishing off of Western Sahara? We'll have more on this.

October 13, 2014

In Connecticut last week in a 17-1 vote with the presence of Mayor Bill Finch, the Bridgeport City Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for the "retirement" of the Bridgeport Harbor Station coal plant...

October 6, 2014

“So far, the Obama administration continues to allow the fossil fuel industry to undermine efforts to address climate change by mining and drilling for coal, oil, and gas from our public lands and waters, unlocking huge quantities of carbon pollution,” says Greenpeace USA...

September 29, 2014

At People's Climate March, Bronx Floats & BofA Ban Ki-moon, UN's 2bl Game

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 21, more here -- When the People's Climate March assembled at Manhattan's Columbus Circle on September 21, there were anti-corporate puppets in front of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, speeches by coal miners and from the Marshall Islands.

   Many called on the UN to do better. But UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joined the march mid-way, at Radio City Musical Hall with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Senator Chuck Schumer was on hand, walking by a Bronx contingent chanting how Fresh Direct has broken its promises.

  Inner City Press' 90 second video of the march is here.

  The UN's or "BKM" (Ban Ki-moon) Climate Summit will feature Cargill and Walmart, Credit Agricole and Bank of America. The last of these is the first, in terms of funding mountain top coal removal. These are the contradiction. Inner City Press tweeted photos on @InnerCityPress. More to follow.

  The night before the People's Climate March, the UN buildings on First Avenue lit up with photos and footage of trees and fish and written messages. It is called "illUmiNations." Inner City Press video here.

September 22, 2014

For People's Climate March, UN a Backdrop for Corporations, illUmiNations

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 20 -- The night before the People's Climate March, the UN buildings on First Avenue will be lit up with photos and footage of trees and fish and, it seems, written messages. It is called "illUmiNations."

Photo: Closer-up of #ClimateMarch message pre-screened on #UN: the currency is not money, it's life pic.twitter.com/Nhn1m1gfgK

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) September 20, 2014

Photo: at #UN, late night preview / trial of #ClimateMarch messages in advance of illumiNATIONS pic.twitter.com/Owxcrt1iEB

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) September 20, 2014

   Inner City Press late on September 19, after covering the Ukraine, Iraq, Ebola and Iran nuclear meetings inside the UN, went out and found a sort of trial run for the screening taking place on First Avenue, already lined with NYPD cement blocks. Photo here.

Photo: also at #UN, along with #ClimateMarch messages: huge #NYPD cement blocks. #UNlearningFear pic.twitter.com/C67dfiRv7I

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) September 20, 2014

   Looking back at the UN's press release for the upcoming "VIP Press Screening" -- hard to know how they could exclude non-VIPs from it, or why they would want to -- there were laudatory quotes about UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and:

Obscura Digital has staged similar large-scale architectural mapping projection events on the Sydney Opera House, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. For examples of previous work, please visit the following link http://wdrv.it/1tx7Emd.

 In that video compilation, well worth watching, there are also corporate projects for Coca-Cola and YouTube owned by Google, with history at the UN.

  A message Inner City Press photographed on September 19, here,  was "In nature's economy, the currency is not money but life." Is this true of Coca-Cola?

   There are questions about the UN's UNcritical approach to corporations and corporate "partnerships."

   In the run up to the UN's September 23 Climate Summit, the UN put out a media advisory promoting the participation of 14 corporations ranging from Saudi Aramco through Cargill, McDonald's and Walmart to Bank of America and Credit Agricole.

  Inner City Press on September 16 asked Summit promoter Robert Orr how these 14 were selected for listing in the media advisory, and if the UN had reviewed their wider record. For example, the recent court decision involving Cargill and child slavery in Cote d'Ivoire, or Saudi Aramco not allowing employees in Saudi Arabia to protest.

   Orr mentioned a luncheon during the summit about carbon pricing and the UN Global Compact, a branch of the UN which repeatedly says it does not enforce substantive standards, only encourages reporting and dialogue.  Well, Saudi Aramco did not respond to the complaint about “employees allegedly dismissed after being detained for participation in civil rights protests in Saudi Arabia.”

   And what of the environment? Bank of America has been the number one funder of mountain-top removal coal mining, but Ban Ki-moon made it chairman the chief of his Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

  On behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, Inner City Press asked that those making commitments, like the 14 corporations named, hold question and answer sessions during the summit. We'll see.

September 15, 2014

A new study of Northern Indiana's Gary, East Chicago and Hammond says they have the highest concentration of heavy industrial activity than anywhere else in the state: worst air quality and highly contaminated waters and elevated cancer and asthma rate...

September 8, 2014

In Malaysia, Natalie Lowrey was stopped by immigration department officials at KLIA on grounds she was blacklisted from entering Malaysia. She was not told of the reason for her being blacklisted and was sent back to Bali where she flew in from. Lowrey is an Australia-based environmental justice activist who has been campaigning for the closure of Australian company, Lynas Corporation Ltd’s rare earth plant in Kuantan, Pahang...

September 1, 2014

In a SeafoodSource.com webinar a month ago, Daniel Murphy of the Environmental Justice Foundation said half of Thai seafood workers have reported seeing murder on the job and worker suicide is not uncommon. TruthOut: the US imports 90 percent of the seafood it consumes. Most comes from Asia. China is the largest supplier of tilapia to the United States. Vietnam is our nation's largest supplier of the cheap, white fish pangasius (basa, tra and swai) and Thailand is a major supplier of shrimp, as is Malaysia. Asia-Pacific nations reap $52 billion in illegal profits each year from forced labor in the private sector, says the ILO. Some in Congress are raising questions about the human rights and economic impacts of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership regional free trade agreement...

August 25, 2014

Restriction on environmental documents we disagree with :

“U.S. District Judge Phil Gilbert of Benton properly blocked the access of environmental groups to irrelevant documents that St. Louis lawyer Stephen Tillery filed in a suit against Syngenta Corporation, Seventh District judges ruled on Aug. 20.

They affirmed Gilbert’s decision to preserve seals on documents that Tillery had not cited in his pleadings.

Chief Justice Diane Wood wrote that Gilbert “explicitly declined to consider them after plaintiffs failed to offer a justification for their filing.”

“The public has no right to access these documents, which cannot conceivably aid the understanding of judicial decision making,” Wood wrote

She wrote that “the presumption of public access turns on what the judge did, not on what the parties filed.”

The civil suit itself ended two years ago, after Tillery and Syngenta settled it for $105 million.”

Bogus...

August 18, 2014

So the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today struck down an illegal permit that would have allowed Avenal Power to build a new gas-fired power plant in Avenal, California..

August 11, 2014

Environmental Protection Agency’s new policy on working with Native American tribes became official on July 24, as the Policy on Environmental Justice for Working with Federally Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples.

August 4, 2014

Get ready: The People’s Climate March — scheduled for September 21 — will occur in NYC two days before the United Nations summit; it was discussed at a Times Square press conference last week. We'll have more on this.

July 28, 2014

So EPA has released a “preview of its Request for Information (RFI) on revisions to its Risk Management Program, which tracks information and requires disaster prevention plans from potentially risky chemical facilities. The request represents the next step in the federal process to improve the safety of our nation's chemical plants,” here.

July 21, 2014

Chicago's “data portal is great, but by no means comprehensive, especially in certain areas. Since GreenScore was released to the public at the beginning of the month, Greenhaw said, community groups have been contacting him to complain that it misses a few resources, particularly community gardens that aren't in the city's official list.”

July 14, 2014

In California, air quality regulators have reached an agreement with Exide Technologies that would bar its battery recycling plant in Vernon from resuming operations until it installs new controls on arsenic emissions that pose a health risk to surrounding communities. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is asking its hearing board this week to approve two enforcement actions that have been agreed to by Exide, one of the world’s largest battery recyclers.

July 7, 2014

Ohio residents have filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency against the Kovach enhanced recovery injection well at 9795-9899 Coit Road in Mantua, Shalersville Township. The complaint states that the well has received millions of gallons of waste illegally for years, and asks for an immediate “cease and desist” order to stop further dumping, stating that “injection wells are dumps for oil and gas hazardous waste.”

June 30, 2014

From New Mexico: A draft environmental review of the Four Corners Power Plant and Navajo Mine Energy Project ignores the devastating danger it poses to the climate, people and wildlife, according to comments submitted by environmental groups. The “draft environmental impact statement” for the project, located on Navajo Nation land in northwestern New Mexico, is also riddled with significant flaws and ignores any possibility of shutting down the plant, one of the most polluting in the United States, in favor of cleaner energy.

June 23, 2014

The new bill that passed the NY State Senate Wednesday would direct the New York State Department of Health to study and prepare a plan for dealing with the high incidents of asthma in the Bronx. It now moves to the State Assembly for a vote...

June 16, 2014

In Wasco, California, a local ordinance has approved the expansion of a railroad coal depot next to a Latino neighborhood. The terminal would receive 1.5 million tons of coal annually for a proposed coal-powered plant known as Hydrogen Energy California in neighboring Kern County...

June 9, 2014

This, we like: in Troy, NY “members of the community are transforming the neighborhood one lot at a time. NATURE Lab stands, loosely, for North Troy Art, Technology, Urban Research and Ecology, which suggests the range of activities going on here. At this point, it's not a literal laboratory — although there are plans for that — but a collection of projects such as Collard City Growers, a garden and composting project on a vacant lot on the block.” Right on.

June 2, 2014

The lead California and federal agencies for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels just announced that the public comment period for the draft plan and BDCP draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement has been extended, from June 13 to July 29. The agencies have released the draft Implementing Agreement for the BDCP. The agreement is available here: http://baydeltaconservationplan.com/Libraries/Dynamic_Document_Library/Draft_Implementing_Agreement_5-30-14.sflb.ashx

May 26, 2014

Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice is involved in “blight-removal work” and wants “to make certain that demolition strategies address the dangers of dealing with dust from lead paint.” Hmm.

May 19, 2014

 The nurses’ union had joined residents marching miles from the petcoke piles to the BP oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana, that produces most of the petcoke stored in Chicago. And they will be with the struggle for the long haul, they said, in keeping with their national opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and the growth of tar sands refining – which produces large amounts of the waste material...

May 12, 2014

“Using EPA data and U.S. Census information, we found that populations near facilities – who live every day in danger – have lower average incomes and are more likely to be Black or Latino than the population of the whole U.S,” says Paul Orum, co-author of the report by EJHA, CEG, and Coming Clean.

May 5, 2014

Gina McCarthy of EPA said, "EPA engineers and scientists have found a way to develop and analyze data from inexpensive fence-line air monitoring technology, giving us the potential to provide much more up to date data. These data help us and our industries ensure compliance. And more importantly, they help families living in the shadow of large industries sleep better at night. That's what I call environmental justice. Does that mean we don't need EPA boots on the ground? No way. But it does mean that electronic data and new technologies expand our ability to hold polluters accountable, and to engage more diverse communities in our collective effort to protect public health and the environment."

April 28, 2014

Chevron Corp. plans to run higher- sulfur Alaskan and Middle Eastern crudes when it completes work at Northern California’s largest refinery in 2016, not Bakken oil... Richmond imports mostly light, sour crudes from Saudi Arabia, government data show. It will use the same sources after the work, Barber said. The U.S. supplied 86 percent of its own energy needs last year as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, unlocked supplies from shale formations such as North Dakota’s Bakken and Texas’s Eagle Ford. Imports also climbed from Canada’s tar sands.

April 21, 2014

Now Lisa Garcia, previously of NY then EPA, is going to Earthjustice....

April 14, 2014

  Over 20,000 people submitted comments in response to action alerts by public interest, labor, environmental justice and environmental organizations calling for the federal government to require facilities to use safer chemicals...

April 7, 2014

Here's a question: what are the environmental justice implications of moving the auto shops from Queens to Hunts Point in the South Bronx? The City says, "the relocation of the Sunrise Co-op to their new facility is an as-of-right transaction between two private parties." But what about EJ? Watch this site.

March 31, 2014

In Cali, "environmental justice groups have filed a federal lawsuit against the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and energy company Kinder Morgan after learning that the company has quietly been receiving crude oil by rail at its Richmond facility with the district's approval."

March 24, 2014

Lead paint in Sri Lanka: 97 paint samples from 57 brands were analyzed. Key Nation findings include:

• 59 of the 94 (63%) paints analyzed had lead levels above 90 parts per million (ppm) and would not be permitted for sale in most industrialized countries. Overall, more than three-quarters of the paints analyzed in all seven countries had lead levels above 90 ppm.

• 24 of 94 samples (25%) contained extremely dangerous levels of lead above 10,000 ppm. Overall, at least a quarter of all paints from all countries had lead content above 10,000 ppm.

• Overall, brightly colored paints (green, red and yellow) contained the highest lead levels.

• Some of the major paint brands that had high levels of lead in previously conducted studies in these same countries now have levels below 90 ppm.

• Paints with low levels of lead were available in all markets at prices comparable to the leaded products, suggesting that the technology exists to produce cost effective, lead-safe products.

• None of the paint cans containing lead stated this on the label or explained the hazards associated with lead.

March 17, 2014

Now Albany, NY County Executive Dan McCoy has halted the expansion of crude oil processing at the Hudson River Port of Albany, hub for rail shipments of volatile North Dakota crude to coastal refineries in the last two years. The order requires a health impact study by the county before Mass.-based Global Partners is permitted to add facilities to heat rail cars to liquefy thick crude like that mined in western Canada's tar sands.

March 10, 2014

Thou doth protest too much? The EPA's Gina McCarthy on March 3 defended the Obama administration's record on environmental justice, saying that new vehicle-emission limits will raise the standard of living for residents of heavily trafficked areas. "Millions of Americans still suffer from the health impacts of poor air quality, especially those in urban areas along high-traffic corridors," McCarthy said during a press call. "By reducing these pollutants we're really addressing an environmental-justice issue. Communities that live near major roadways often live, work, and play right along that roadway, and they're disproportionately harmed by air pollution."

March 3, 2014

In the US Congress, Progressive Caucus Cochairs Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva have requested in a letter to be sent to Obama "that the Climate Action Plan explicitly address the unique environmental justice concerns of low-income, minority, indigenous, and Native American communities across the country... Climate change compounds existing inequities. Droughts, floods, wildfires, and extreme weather events increase the vulnerability of people living in areas with limited climate resiliency—communities with poor air quality, unsafe housing, and insufficient resources to plan, prepare and recover from extreme weather."

February 24, 2014

Buffalo-ed: The US General Services Administration is under fire for quashing an August 2012 investigation into the high childhood asthma rate in Buffalo’s West Side, while also conducting a cursory environmental review of a Peace Bridge project. We're following this, as we are Buffalo based M&T and its branch closing plans. Environmental justice and CRA: two sides of the same coin of injustice.

February 17, 2014

In Texas, a protest at Port San Antonio about neighborhood health, environmental and safety concerns they say stem from the increased truck traffic serving the Eagle Ford Shale energy boom. Formerly the Kelly AFB, the inland port and its clients have become a focal point for residents and environmental justice activists who want to keep the trucks out of neighborhoods in the Quintana Road area...

February 10, 2014

In Albany, NY, the state DEC reversed itself and will now make owners of a crude oil terminal seeking to expand at the Port of Albany prepare a way of the predominantly poor and minority South End neighborhood of the plans...

February 3, 2014

Speaking on EJ at Bowdoin on Feb 8 is Angela Park of Diversity Matters (soon to be Mission Critical)...

January 27, 2014

In the city fighting for eminent domain to save under-water mortgaged homes: In August 2012, the Chevron Richmond Refinery in Richmond, California suffered a fire that sent upwards of 15,000 residents to local hospitals complaining of respiratory problems. If the fire had spread to the tanks of anhydrous ammonia at the plant, it could have spelled catastrophe, including potentially fatal exposures, for the 160,000 people who live within the five-mile dispersion zone surrounding the facility....

January 20, 2014

This week: abuse in Bangladesh's shrimp industry: http://www.ejfoundation.org/shrimp/impossiblycheapfilm

January 13, 2014

West Virginia: "a 48,000-gallon storage tank, Tom Aluise, a spokesman for West Virginia’s department of environmental protection, said, 'all we know is that they discovered a hole in the tank, and material was leaking. How that hole got there, we don’t know. The Freedom Industries plant is on the river, a mile from a water treatment facility where the chemical contaminated the tap water, Aluise said. It wasn’t clear how much of the chemical had leaked...

January 6, 2014

While Inner City Press is also focused on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement's threat to globalize the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act circumvention of freedom of the press, exemplified by a August 14, 2013 bad faith DMCA complaint by Reuters UN bureau chief to get a document leaked to Inner City Press banned from Google's search, TPP presents major threats to environmental protection. Bills to allow it to be considered under "Fast Track" may be introduced as early as January 7 in Congress. Watch this site.

December 30, 2013

In The Bronx, New York, 753 Melrose Avenue: "The site was historically operated as a dry cleaner in the 1950's, and had solvent tanks in the rear of the property. Soil vapor and groundwater at the site are contaminated with chlorinated solvents, primarily tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its breakdown products. Due to the concentrations of PCE detected in groundwater and soil vapor, in conjunction with the proximity of occupied buildings to the site, further investigation to evaluate the nature and extent of contamination and the potential for exposures to contamination from the site is warranted."

December 23, 2013

Critique of Obama's climate plan - it should

"Establish a policy that requires all climate change strategies to improve the economic conditions of environmental justice communities. Environmental justice communities suffer a wealth gap as a result of limited economic opportunities, lowered property values, and a degraded quality of life brought on by undesirable land uses that contribute to climate change. This wealth gap sets back the capacity of environmental justice communities to recover from the effects of climate change."

December 16, 2013

In Texas an agreement with Koch Industries’ Flint Hills Resources concerning its planned expansion at its Corpus Christi West Refinery has the company:

• reducing the permitted limits of smog-causing nitrogen oxides by 25 percent and install continuous real-time monitors to ensure these limits are in compliance;

• reducing volatile organic compound emissions from storage tanks by 154 tons per year;

• reducing sulfur dioxide emissions;

• and cap and monitor greenhouse gas emissions from new heaters that will be built as part of the expansion project.

We'll see.

December 9, 2013

At UNEP's United National Environmental Assembly next June in Nairobi, Kenya will be the policy director at Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ), who was in DC for UNEP’s North American Major Groups and Stakeholders Consultation to plan for the June event. US to UN - but is it real?

December 2, 2013

So there's been a settlement in the US Supreme Court case of "Mount Holly Citizens in Action v. Township of Mount Holly," which was scheduled for oral arguments before the Court in December. So disparate impact continues to be... the law of the land, as it should be.

November 25, 2013

In Warsaw, Amid Dispute on Loss & Damage, Ban Says It's Up to (Some?) States

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 20 -- After the developing countries in the Group of 77 walked out of the climate change talks in Warsaw on the issue of "loss and damage," Inner City Press on Wednesday in New York asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Farhan Haq what Ban would like to see happen, since this along with Darfur now Syria are his main issues.

Haq replied that "the Secretary-General has made it clear that that’s an issue to be resolved by the States who are attending these talks. And we are leaving that decision there, in their hands."

  To some this approach seems strange. On Syria, when resolutions were vetoed Ban expressed disappointment. Before Ban even saw Ake Sellstrom's report on chemical weapons he called it overwhelming and said Assad had committed many crimes against humanity.

  After being nearly silent during the slaughter of 40,000 civilians in Sri Lanka in 2009, Ban has come out with, if not issued, a "Rights Up Front" plan which says his Secretariat will take leadership positions. But not on this?

  Some point at the smaller but more powerful -- read, richer -- roster of countries who don't want to deal with "loss and damage" before 2015, and wonder whether "the member states" means SOME member states.

  There was more to Haq's answer, and so in fairness we run this from the UN's transcript, cleaning up the choppiness the UN leaves or inserts we're told at direction to undermine the questions:

Inner City Press: From the climate talks in Warsaw it is reported that a block of developing nations are very angry and walking out due to the failure to address who should pay for damages like the typhoon in the Philippines under the loss and damage provision damage, and that Australia said it should only be discussed after 2015. Given the importance of this issue to so many countries and to the issue of climate change, does the Secretary-General have any view of whether this issue of compensation for damages caused by climate change should be dealt with now, or should be put back beyond 2015?

Acting Deputy Spokesperson Haq: Yes, while he has been speaking in Warsaw, the Secretary-General has made it clear that that’s an issue to be resolved by the States who are attending these talks. And we are leaving that decision there, in their hands.

But, he has been very clear about the need for nations to come together at these talks; he wants the Conference of Parties that is under way in Warsaw to be a useful stepping stone in this process.

And one of the things he said is I agree that we are all in this together. We need to work together. We need to be united and we need to have solidarity among all the people around the world.

No single country, no single organization, can address this problem on its own. Yet, every single country can benefit from climate action at the global level. So, he is urging a unified stance, and let’s see how that develops.

Yeah, let's see. Watch this site.

November 18, 2013

Dry eyes in the City : "Residents of major cities with high levels of air pollution have an increased risk of dry eye syndrome, according to a study presented at the world's largest ophthalmic conference, the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in New Orleans. Study subjects in and around Chicago and New York City were found to be three to four times more likely to be diagnosed with dry eye syndrome compared to less urban areas with relatively little air pollution."

November 11, 2013

California dreaming? Bakersfield, Merced and Fresno top the American Lung Association's list of cities with the most persistant air pollution in the country in 2013....

November 4, 2013

Mobil and Nigeria: Eket, Akwa Ibom State coincided with widespread community protests against the unpaid N26 Billion Naira compensation for the environmental atrocities committed by Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) Unlimited in the state. The aggrieved host communities: Eket, Ibeno, Ona and Esit-Eket are demanding compensation for the numerous oil spills within the state, especially the November 2012 spills which had destructive and deleterious effects on the environment and adversely affected the socio-economic development of the inhabitants of the areas of impact.

October 28, 2013

From Power Shift: In late 2010, Pittsburgh became the first city in the U.S. to ban drilling for natural gas within city limits in response to the health and environmental threats posed by fracking. This unanimous decision of the Pittsburgh City Council followed the May 2010 decision of the Delaware River Basin Commission to enact a moratorium on fracking within the basin, which supplies drinking water for 15 million people in four states.

October 21, 2013

Here's something those at Power Shift 2013 in Pittsburgh might want to consider:

When asked about fracking on Friday, the response of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ignored the impacts on drinking water and instead said that "natural gas had an important role to play as we transition to lower-carbon sources."

The question by Inner City Press came in the context of Canadian authorities arresting and pepper spraying members of the Elsipogtog First Nation as they protested fracking. From the UN's online transcript of its October 18 noon briefing, to which it appended Ban's answer before sending the answer to Inner City Press:

Inner City Press: the Elsipogtog First Nation in Canada yesterday were arrested and pepper-sprayed as they protested fracking or shale gas extraction near their land. So, I wanted to know if the Secretariat is aware of this, if there is any comment on Canada's response. I also wanted to know, the Secretary-General, since he is big in this field of green energy and various kinds of energy, does he have any view of this fracking which many environmental and other activists say is destructive, trying to get the last rinds out of the earth in terms of hydrocarbons?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Well, first of all, we are obviously aware of the reports from Canada, but I don’t have any comment on that at the moment. And with regard to the broader question of fracking, I will have to have to look and see what I can tell you on that, but I don’t have anything at the moment, okay.

If Ban's Spokesperson's office gets an answer in the hours after the noon briefing, they have been asked to e-mail it to the questioner, for use in the reporting the question was asked for. But often Nesirky's office chooses to withhold answers to Inner City Press' questions until they can be given to all at once, put in the transcript or sometimes even given to other media, not Inner City Press, before that. The Free UN Coalition for Access protests this practice, as applies to all correspondents. But it continues. After 8 pm on October 18, this arrived:

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] UN.org
Date: Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 8:05 PM
Subject: Question
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

This was added to today's transcript after your question on fracking:

[The Spokesperson later said that natural gas had an important role to play as we transition to lower-carbon sources but that we must be aware that it cannot meet all our needs. He added that we must ensure that development of gas resources should go hand in hand with promoting clean energy solutions.]

So that's Ban Ki-moon's answer on and understanding of fracking? It'd be like asking about animal cruelty in the industrial production of poultry, and Ban saying, chicken is good, but so are other future foods.

Ban heads to Denmark on October 21 to discuss green energy -- with institutional investors. Is this what the UN has become?

October 14, 2013

Now in South Korea: the arrival of illegally caught fish transported by a Dutch cargo that was recently detected. The illegal cargo of fish is to arrive in the Korean port of Busan in about three weeks’ time, where it will then be sold at the seafood market in Asia. Korean vessel Kum Woong 101 had conducted illegal fishing activities between the 18th and 19th of September,off the coast of Sierra Leone’s Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ), which is off limits to foreign fishing ships. The fish was then transferred on to a Dutch cargo boat, the Holland Klipper, off the coast of Guinea. So why doesn't the Netherlands prove if the Holland Klipper was involved in any illegal fishing activities and issue the appropriate sanctions? We'll see.

October 7, 2013

DN: The oil giant BP is back in court for the April 2010 accident that caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, killing 11 workers and leaking almost five million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. On Monday, the second phase of the trial began with lawyers accusing the oil company of lying about how much oil was leaking..

September 30, 2013

Joan Martínez Alier, from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, says these goals are best achieved by fostering collaboration on environmental health monitoring, legal strategies and evaluation of environmental services. "Academically, this project is pushing the field of statistical political ecology," explains Alier. "In social terms, it makes environmental conflicts more visible. Environmental justice is a major force in making the global economy more sustainable."

September 23, 2013

So: "We don’t need less regulation. Less regulation and looking the other way will give us disaster," said Dr. Robert Bullard at Texas Southern University where he’s the dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. "The environmental justice movement has been advocating for more than three decades we need stronger regulations, we need stronger enforcement, we need a strong EPA,” Bullard said... With the drilling boom in Texas and the expansion of refineries and petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast, Bullard foresees more Texans becoming aware that there’s a potential downside...

September 16, 2013

In South Africa the High Court in Johannesburg has ordered steel giant ArcelorMittal SA to hand over its environmental records to the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance. VEJA had been seeking the documents since 2011. The documents contained Amsa's environmental master plan, which had details about the pollution levels at its plants...

September 9, 2013

Here's a nice case: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/07/18742863.php against Avenal Power Plant, a proposed 600-megawatt facility that would emit hundreds of tons of air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley in California.

September 2, 2013

From the Bangkok Post: "A decision by the National Environment Board (NEB) not to appeal a Phitsanulok Administrative Court order _which called for three tambons in Tak province to be declared environmental protection zones...."

August 26, 2013

EPA's “Draft Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis,” is open for public comment until Sept 6, 2013. - See more at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/07/01/2013-15736/technical-guidance-for-assessing-environmental-justice-in-regulatory-analysis

August 19, 2013

Is this environmental justice? The New York State DEC is "going paperless." Ok for some - but what about the digital divide?

August 12, 2013

Well, alright: Gina McCarthy, the new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said: “I have no intention of leaving behind the environmental justice communities. Those are exactly the same communities that will bear the brunt of a changing climate. We can't just rely on national rules to get the average up. We need to look at who is not winning in this equation." Come on down.

August 5, 2013

Sounds like a CRA officer: "Waste Management... published our 2012 sustainability report, we were able to show that operations associated with recycling and production of renewable and alternative energy increased from 49 percent in 2007 to 57 percent in 2011....This evolution in business focus reflects the importance of sustainability as a business model for our sector – and for any other. Customers seeking environmental services want to be able to demonstrate concrete environmental benefits and resource conservation. Communities know that a sustainable business operates as a good and respectful neighbor. Environmental justice must be a core element of any company’s social responsibility initiatives. --Sue Briggum is Vice President, Federal Public Affairs at Waste Management"

Is it real? We'll see.

July 29, 2013

Since the signing of Executive Order 12898 in 1994, many programs to improve communities focus on small issues like bike paths, parks and sidewalks, but we still plan to send hundreds of coal export trains through low income communities and site landfills in them. (Well said, Triple.) As Bullard says, “there is always the other side of the tracks” for the elderly, the poor, the disabled, the homeless and those without access to cars or to transit systems. Poor communities wind up with a “disproportionate share of the bad stuff and a shortage of libraries, sidewalks, parks and greenspace."

July 22, 2013

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on ways to improve access to justice in the field of the environment. Access to justice – the right to challenge decisions or omissions by public bodies that are suspected of not complying with environmental law – is an international obligation under a UN Convention ratified by the EU in 2005.Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said: "It is very important that citizens and NGOs are able to play an active role in defending the environment. In the words of Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston: 'the fish cannot go to court.'"

They've got that right...

July 15, 2013

Advocates headed to Brussels hoping to end illegal and unreported fishing by the EU fleet, targetting Gabriel Mato MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee, Struan Stevenson, Senior Vice Chair of the Fisheries Committee, and delivering their new report to the 49 members of the Fisheries Committee. EJF will present their findings to the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki's office and other key departments in the European Commission.

July 8, 2013

We recommend: environmental justice comic, Mayah's Lot -- download it here

July 1, 2013

In March 2014, it'll be the 20-year anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 12898, requiring the federal government to address “the environmental and human health conditions in minority communities and low-income communities with the goal of achieving environmental justice.” We'll be there.

June 24, 2013

Haze from fires in Indonesia blanketing Singapore could persist for weeks or longer, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday, as the smoke drove air quality to "hazardous" levels and disrupted business and travel in the region. Illegal burning of forests and other land on Indonesia's Sumatra island to clear space for palm oil plantations is a chronic problem during the June to September dry season...

June 17, 2013

Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA Administrator is required to review and (if necessary) revise the emissions factors used to estimate emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from emission sources at least once every three years. However, according to a notice of intent preceding a lawsuit, “EPA has not reviewed emission factors for flares since 1991,” for wastewater treatment systems since 1998, and emission equations for tanks since 2006.

June 10, 2013

Welcome to Buffalo’s West Side, where heavy car and truck traffic crossing the Peace Bridge has led to high rates of cancer and miscarriage, among other ill effects; and the Town of Tonawanda, where a heavily industrial section produces the highest levels of airborne benzene in the state and where Tonawanda Coke recently was found guilty of violating the federal Clean Air Act and its environmental control officer was convicted of obstructing justice. UB

June 3, 2013

In Lebanon, Suez Environnment has collaborated with contracting company, Al-Jihad for Commerce and Contracting to cover up the huge Siada dump site -- what could go wrong?

May 27, 2013

EPA has put out two publications describing how it is integrating environmental justice provisions into its permitting processes. 78 Fed. Reg. 27,220 (5/9/13). Titled “Actions that EPA Regional Offices Are Taking to Promote Meaningful Engagement in the Permitting Process by Overburdened Communities” and “Promising Practices for Permit Applicants Seeking EPA Issued Permits: Ways to Engage Neighboring Communities in the Permitting Process,” they're part of EPA’s “Plan EJ 2014,” which established the goal of including environmental justice considerations into all EPA issued permit processes. We'll see.

May 20, 2013

The owners of a Pennsylvania power plant -- GenOn Power Generation, GenOn REMA, and Dynegy –have agreed to stop burning coal in two generating units and to provide $1 million towards environmental mitigation in Connecticut and New Jersey as part of a clean air settlement outlined in a consent decree filed Wednesday, May 15 in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by New Jersey in 2007 over the greenhouse gases sent downwind from the Portland Generating Station in eastern Pennsylvania. Connecticut intervened in the lawsuit in 2008.

May 13, 2013

The Los Angeles City Council has approved BNSF’s Southern California International Gateway railyard project, 11-2. Uh, disproportionate impacts on low income communities of color...

May 6, 2013

Community groups in Texas and Louisiana have sued to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review archaic and inaccurate formulas used for reporting the levels of toxic emissions from refineries and chemical plants.

April 29, 2013

Manchester, a Houston neighborhoods, is ringed a Rhodia chemical plant; a car crushing facility; a water treatment plant; a train yard for hazardous cargo; a Goodyear synthetic rubber plant; oil refineries belonging to Lyondell Basell, Valero, and Texas Petro-Chemicals... The refineries around Houston have been called the “keystone to Keystone” because they’re expected to process 90 percent of tar sands crude from Alberta if the controversial Keystone XL pipeline is completed....

April 22, 2013

EJ comes to Buffalo: SUNY Buffalo Law School is hosting a housing seminar at the end of the month about sustainable living. "Green and Healthy Homes and Communities in Greater Buffalo: An Environmental Justice Forum," is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 26 at the UB Buffalo Clinical and Translational Research Center, 875 Ellicott St., Buffalo. Speakers will include Matthew Tejada, director of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Justice...

April 15, 2013

In New Hampshire, a jury found Exxon Mobil liable last week in a lawsuit over groundwater contamination by the gasoline additive MTBE, and ordered the polluter to pay $236 million...

April 8, 2013

RIP Emelda West, who died on Saturday, March 30, 2013, activist of Convent, Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi River...

April 1, 2013

In India, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on Saturday ordered closure of Sterlite Industries' copper smelter unit, located in Tuticorin, with immediate effect owing to leaks of noxious gas. The TNPCB, under instructions from district collector Ashish Kumar, issued a notice, directing the Vedanta group company to close the plant.

March 25, 2013

To see TD Bank challenged for funding the Keystone XL pipeline does good for the soul.

March 18, 2013

In Nigeria, the governor of Rivers State Chibuike Amaechi has threatened to sue the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation for indiscriminate pollution of Okrika environment. The governor noted that the UNEP report on Ogoniland which discloses high level of Benzene which causes cancer in underground water.

March 11, 2013

Recently near Philadelphia, Crystal Lameman of the Beaver Lake Cree nation in Alberta, Canada talked about the negative impact of the exploitation of tar sands in her people’s ancestral lands.

March 4, 2013

  Before the Obama administration green-lighted the Keystone SL tar sands pipeline "an estimated 40,000 people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for theForward on Climate Rally in the hopes of urging President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Issues of climate injustice are of particular importance to marginalized communities. Indigenous people, people of color and low-income communities are disproportionately threatened by environmental hazards. A Commission for Racial Justice study found race to be the most potent variable in predicting where toxic and hazardous facilities would be located—more powerful than poverty, land values, and home ownership."

February 25, 2013

A gloss on EJ: “The environmental justice movement was born in September 1982 when a group of poor residents of rural Warren County, North Carolina laid down in front of trucks transporting waste containing toxic PCBs to a nearby landfill. Those primarily African American activists eventually lost their battle to keep toxic waste out of the area, but their actions eventually led to an executive order by President Clinton in 1996.” And?

February 18, 2013

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has given hundreds of permits for Marcellus Shale gas development in Pennsylvania's low income communities of color. But none of those permits has triggered intervention by DEP's Office of Environmental Advocate to inform residents of those communities about potential health and environmental impacts from proposed industrial developments.

That's because Marcellus Shale gas facilities are not included on the list of "trigger permits" the DEP uses to determine when to provide enhanced notification, information and public participation opportunities in those "environmental justice" communities. Holly Cairns, new director of DEP's Office of Environmental Advocate, said that's fine. "[Marcellus permit proposals] were not recognized as a trigger permit at the time this program was developed," she said. "And they're not something that's on the table for consideration at this time."

February 11, 2013

As Fashion week begins in New York, we have this: six leading fashion brands rejected a recent survey which asked about their supply chains, on toxic water pollution and deforestation. Dolce&Gabbana, Chanel, Hermès, Prada, Alberta Ferretti and Trussardi refused to disclose information for the survey....

February 4, 2013

On January 30 the district court in The Hague, The Netherlands, ruled that Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria has to pay compensation to plaintiff Friday Alfred Akpan, a resident of the Nigerian village of Ikot Ada Udo in Akwa Ibom State in the Niger Delta. Applying Nigerian law, the Dutch court found that Shell Nigeria had breached its duty of care and had committed negligence by failing to take sufficient measures to prevent sabotage by third persons to Shell Nigeria’s submerged pipelines near the Nigerian village...

January 28, 2013

Incoming at EPA's Office of EJ, Tejada was asked and said "Tejada: Since Lisa Jackson has been administrator of the EPA, they have systematically gone through what environmental justice means within the agency, and also what environmental justice means outside of the agency, and tried to fill in some very important gaps, whether it be permitting or enforcement or different sorts of rule-making, to make sure environmental justice had its requisite chair at the table. I see it as my job to get in there and make use of these new rules."

But what are his views of Jackson's evasion of FOIA? Will he commit to stop it?

January 21, 2013

"As she prepares to step down as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa P. Jackson says one of the 'prouder moments' of her tenure was President Obama's agreement to have the federal government take the lead in trying to ramp up the lagging Chesapeake Bay restoration effort."

What about the fake e-mail accounts to evade FOIA?

January 14, 2013

The Environmental Protection Agency has tapped a Texan to help integrate the concept of environmental justice into the agency's everyday decision-making. Matthew Tejada, who has led Air Alliance Houston for five years, will start as director of the Office of Environmental Justice in Washington in March, the EPA said Friday.

January 14, 2013

Ranking 378 coal-fired power plants on the basis of toxic emissions and demographic factors, the NAACP has found that more than two-thirds of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired plant. Of the four million people living within three miles of the nation’s 75 "failing plants" – which account for the highest levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides – 53 percent are minorities, while more than three quarters of the people living near the 12 "worst offending plants" are people of color.

December 31, 2012

So Lisa Jackson is out from EPA, perhaps for the right reasons. But her decision to use scam email accounts to evade the Freedom of Information Act, we cannot support. Click here for Inner City Press' FOIA work on the Federal Reserve.

December 24, 2012

EPA's agency’s inspector general has announced plans to begin an audit of “electronic records management practices.... Our objective is to determine whether EPA follows applicable laws and regulations when using private and alias email accounts to conduct official business." The question is whther the agency promoted or encouraged the use of private or alias email accounts to conduct official business and whether employees comply with federal records management requirements pertaining to electronic records from private or alias email accounts. Jackson appeared to use the name Richard Windsor on an official account that she utilized to conduct agency business. The researcher figured it out because he dug up an EPA memo indicating that alias email accounts were created by a former agency head and it appeared that this was common practice at the agency. Now it's in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

December 17, 2012

From FirstMerit's submission to the Federal Reserve about Citizens Republic, the entire "Environmental Matters" section is blacked out, in response to Inner City Press' FOIA request...

December 10, 2012

DOJ brags a Liberian corporation was ordered to pay a $500,000 penalty after pleading guilty to violating a federal pollution law. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan handed down the sentence last week against Tyana Navigation Limited. The case involved a cargo ship owned by the company. The ship dumped engine room sludge directly overboard from late September 2011 until late July 2012, including time when it was in United States waters....

What about Trafigura?

December 3, 2012

The NAACP studied the 378 coal plants in the United States by combining emissions of pollutants – particularly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide – the population within three miles of the plants, and the median income and percentage of minorities living nearby. In this view, 75 plants were identified as having a "disproportionate and considerable impact on people of color and low-income people."

November 26, 2012

What an absurdly low fine of Trafigura Beheer BV for illegally exporting waste to Cote d'Ivoire in 2006. The company's chairman bargained its way to a piddling fine of 67, 000 Euros, barely a slap on the wrist for owner Claude Dauphin. Where is accountability?

November 19, 2012

Ruling: New York City violated State environmental law when it built a Bronx school complex on contaminated land without making public a detailed long-term monitoring plan before construction, the state’s Court of Appeals has ruled, against the City’s Education Department and School Construction Authority. If the city wants to build a school on a polluted site, state law requires it to present in-depth remediation and monitoring plans to the public during the initial environmental review process....

November 12, 2012

  From 1985 through 2000, more than 1200 cases of cancer were reported in Ecuador's oil-producing regions, including Sucumbios, Orellana, Napo, and Pastaza -- this per Ecuador’s National Cancer Registry...

November 5, 2012

HSBC has bankrolled logging companies causing widespread environmental destruction and human rights abuses in Sarawak, Malaysia, violating its sustainability policies and earning around US$130 million in the process, a Global Witness investigation reveals today. The bank is also providing financial services to companies widely suspected of systematic bribery and corruption. Malaysia’s Sarawak region exports more tropical timber than South America and Africa combined and now has just five per cent of its forests left intact following decades of industrial-scale logging and plantation development. The Global Witness report, “In the Future There Will Be No Forests Left”, identifies loans and services to seven of the region’s largest logging conglomerates that would have generated HSBC an estimated US$130 million in interest and fees.

October 29, 2012

In the southwest Detroit neighborhood of Delray the population is now under 3,000 people, down from 30,000 in 1930. Now, the New International Trade Crossing bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, should it get built, would land squarely in the Delray neighborhood. Debate, it's said, is focused too much on Manuel "Matty" Moroun (the Ambassador Bridge owner and financier of a campaign calling the NITC project into question) and Gov. Rick Snyder. We hope to have more on this.

October 22, 2012

At U of Tennessee last week, Robert D. Bullard, was scheduled in the University Center Auditorium. Hosted by the UT Amnesty International chapter, the lecture focused on how environmental justice, racism and corporate accountability relate to human rights. Right on!

October 15, 2012

In Texas, an appeals court on October 12 vacated a sanctions award Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota NA had won against an Austin appraisal district that refused to grant it a property tax break for its pollution control measures, holding the bank didn’t follow tax protest procedures. The case revolves around a former landfill site owned by Wells Fargo that now houses an apartment building and qualified for a pollution control tax break based on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s determination the land has a "positive use"...

Wells Fargo scamming? We've seen it before.

October 8, 2012

In Alaska, "the long dormant Healy Clean Coal Plant, a $300 million state-owned fiasco that shut its doors soon after they were opened, may get a second lease on life, thanks to a commitment by the Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) to spend tens of millions of dollars to reduce pollution at the plant if it fires up again. Utility officials believe that bringing the plant back to life will reduce oil-dependent energy costs in the Interior, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. In a deal stuck with the Environmental Protection Agency and the state, the utility has agreed to pay the state $50 million for the 50-megawatt plant and plunk down more than $40 million on pollution-reduction measures. The utility must also take other steps, including speeding up installation of a $5 million pollution-control system at another coal plant the utility operates."

October 1, 2012

Which way forward? U Mich is asking about the "legacy and future of the environmental justice field" at the Ann Arbor Sheraton Hotel, and celebrating the work (and retirement) of Bunyan Bryant. New era in EJ?

September 24, 2012

Ah, Illinois: "Ameren Corp. will get more time to meet tougher state pollution-control rules that company executives claimed would have cost hundreds of jobs at downstate power plants. The Illinois Pollution Control Board, meeting in Chicago, voted 4-0 to grant the company's request for a five-year delay, to 2020, of new standards for sulfur dioxide emissions from coal plants."

September 17, 2012

The Scotts Miracle-Gro is subject to $4 million in fines after pleading guilty to the illegal application of insecticides to wild bird seed. It's the largest fine in history under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Hear FIFRA roar!

September 10, 2012

We are watching: "The draft California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool would use nvironmental, health & socioeconomic data to assign scores to areas by ZIP code. It would consider ozone pollution, traffic density, pesticide use, the number of hazardous waste dumps and cleanup sites, cancer and asthma rates, and the number of childrens and seniors." How would, for example, The Bronx come out?

September 3, 2012

In Hanford, California, opponents of the California High-Speed Rail Authority project now argue the route violates environmental justice laws. The argument came at a meeting at the Hanford Fraternal Hall to take official public comment on the Fresno-to-Bakersfield draft environmental impact report. The deadline for official comment is Oct. 19, an extension of 30 days over the original deadline of Sept. 20. Game on.

August 27, 2012

In the Philippines, environmentally-minded Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has been picked the new Chief Justice to replace Renato Corona, who was ousted in May. The EcoWaste Coalition said, "under her watch she will revitalize the green courts to serve as bastions of environmental justice upholding our people's constitutional right to a healthful and balanced ecology." We'll see.

August 20, 2012

  In Louisiana, residents near Baton Rouge’s ExxonMobil Chemical Plant last week spoke out against the June 14 spill of naphtha. What’s in the air? How to clear the air? Supposedly there a community dialogue with ExxonMobil... We'll see.

August 13, 2012

The California Supreme Court has ruled that the state can recover money from its insurance carriers part of the cost of cleaning up the Stringfellow acid pits in Jurupa Valley, where 35 million gallons of toxic industrial waste was dumped. The dispute now returns to the trial court to determine the amount the state will receive. A group of 16 insurers, including Lloyd's of London, settled in 2005 for $93 million...

August 6, 2012

In Toronto on July 30, more 150 people showed up to hear two indigenous leaders and two delegates to the People's Summit Rio +20. on Contested Futures: Tar Sands and Environmental Justice....

July 30, 2012

In North Carolina, Taylor Finishing Inc. is being sued in federal court alleging the concentrated animal feeding operation illegally dumped pig waste and pollutants near the coastal plain of the Neuse River Basin...

July 23, 2012

Enviros want North Carolina regulators to force a full clean-up of PCBs in a waterway near the closed Alcoa Inc. aluminum smelter. Alcoa proposes covering a three-acre section of the Badin Lake bottom near the smelter it operated for 90 years to keep PCBs there from moving.

July 16, 2012

The city of Los Angeles has charged 4 Los Angeles-area scrap metal recyclers with criminal misdemeanor charges for environmental violations. Central Metal Inc. and its president Jong Uk Byun were charged with three violations of waste discharge requirements of the company's permit by allegedly allowing the discharge of stormwater containing toxic chemicals, such as copper, lead and zinc, and failing to implement best management practices designed to prevent releases of toxic chemicals by allowing lead pipes and aluminum to be stored on the ground, allowing bins containing metal scrap to remain open and peeling, allowing sediment to seep onto a nearby street and causing an oil spill; five violations for failing to label hazardous waste containers; and failing to maintain the facility to prevent spills or releases of hazardous waste.

July 9, 2012

Last on Rio, from the People's Summit / side event to Rio+20. It drew about 15,000 people a day: indigenous groups, environmental activists, unions, land rights groups and others opposing the timidity of proposals coming out of the official convention. Beyond timidity...

July 2, 2012

NY's environmental regulator last week adopted regulations requiring new and expanding power plants to meet stricter carbon dioxide limits and to conduct environmental justice reviews to mitigate pollution in poor communities. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s rule, proposed in January, will take effect July 12 and will apply to all new generating facilities greater than 25 megawatts and expansions greater than 25 megawatts at existing facilities. The rule limits carbon dioxide emissions from new and expanded fossil fuel-fired power plants to 925 pounds...

June 25, 2012

As noted from Rio , the word "reaffirm" is used 59 times in the 49-page document titled "The Future We Want." They reaffirm the need to achieve sustainable development (but not mandating how); reaffirm commitment to strengthening international cooperation (just not right now); and reaffirm the need to achieve economic stability (with no new funding for the poorest nations). And involved? Wal-Mart, Coca Cola and Unilever...

June 18, 2012

From Rio, Nikhil Seth, director of the U.N.'s Division for Sustainable Development, said on June 15 that consensus has been reached on just 28 percent of the Rio+20 outcome document. An estimated 130 heads of state are expected in Rio for the summit's three final days from June 20-22, culminating in the signing of some final document. Among the attendees? Some who are accused of war crimes...

June 11, 2012

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, whom Inner City Press has interviewed at the UN, went to Detroit ostensibly to support the M-1 light rail project. But the outcome is the cash-strapped and environmentally challenged city may have to wait two months longer for a federal verdict. Thanks, Ray....

June 4, 2012

Mexico's National Congress has given the Ministry of the Environment (SEMARNAT) 15 days to report on actions surrounding the environmental impact approvals granted to the controversial Cabo Cortés mega-tourism project. The Congress also urged the Ministry to consider canceling the project’s permits all together. The Cabo Cortés project is proposed by the local subsidiary of Spanish developer Hansa Urbana on land neighboring Cabo Pulmo National Park – a critical marine reserve in Baja California Sur that protects one of the region's most important coral reefs...

May 29, 2012

From a statement by Nnimmo Bassey and Laura Livoti: "Since the end of Biafra and the civil war in Nigeria, another war has been raging here and continues unabated. It is an ecological war. International oil companies are the source of the conflict, with Chevron playing a leading role. The latest front occurred on January 16, 2012 when an explosion rocked a gas well drilling rig at Chevron’s Apoi North field. That explosion killed two workers. This is the same Chevron that made oil rig safety the theme of its last shareholder meeting in May 2011. Following the explosion, Chevron offered initial information and updates on the incident, assuring that steps were being taken to contain and mitigate the disaster. This clearly was a half-hearted public relations gesture." And so: 99! 99!

May 21, 2012

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on May 20 announced the release of the New York City Wetlands Strategy... "The protection and preservation of wetlands is a critical component of the City’s strategy to improve water quality," said Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland. "The ability of wetlands to clean water is exemplified by our award-winning Bluebelt program which, from Staten Island to Queens, and soon the Bronx" --

What? Why does The Bronx come after?

May 14, 2012

In Newark, protests were rejected last week when the city's planning board approved a 655-megawatt natural gas power plant to be built in the East Ward. "The proposed new Hess natural gas power plant … will utilize the best available technologies and be one of the cleanest fossil fuel power plants ever constructed," said Adam Zipkin, Newark’s deputy mayor of economic development. Ah, Cory Booker...

May 7, 2012

At UN, Right to Info Stripped from Rio + 20, Extra Week Set, Indigenous Silenced?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 4 -- In the run up to the Rio + 20 conference, on Friday evening at the UN yet another week of negotiations was arranged, for May 29 to June 2.

  Four hundred paragraphs remain without agreement; Inner City Press asked about those dealing with the "right to information," switched by the US to "legitimate access" to information, limited by trade secrets, patents and copyright.

  After Friday night's deferral, the nine "Major Groups" were given two minutes each to speak. The Indigenous group, which started speaking in Spanish about la Madre Tierra or Pachamama, was cut off by the chair and told to speak in English. Ultimately this was translated by the Local Authorities group.

  Still the Groups hit hard, with Farmers criticizing the mention of the World Trade Organization in the agriculture section, and the Youth group denouncing greenwashing (if not Blue-washing, in a week where Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Myanmar congratulated a company involved in spying technology, as exposed by Inner City Press.)

  At the front of the room was outgoing DESA chief Sha Zukang, urging that at least 90% of the text be agreed before Rio begins. China has put in two names to replace Sha, but Brazil is pushing hard now for the DESA post, as Inner City Press exclusively reported yesterday.

Now, this update: China might accept the top post at the Department of General Assembly and Conference Affairs as long as it also got the Number Two post in DESA, at the Assistant Secretary General level.

  But then what would sub Saharan Africa get? The Department of Public Information has, as Inner City Press reported, been promised to a European. And so it goes at the UN.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, Inner City Press asked about the right to information that was in Rio Principle 10. The response, from Neth Dano of the ETC Group of the Philippines, was that "one delegation" pushed to limited the right to only "legitimate" information.

Inner City Press asked her to name that delegation, but she declined. Afterward she said it was the US, "from the State Department." Meanwhile, the US was expected to make a statement on Friday night about no more funding - will that now come on June 2? Will Obama go to Rio? Watch this site.

April 30, 2012

Welcome to "Southwest Detroit's 48217 zip code area which a study by University of Michigan Professor Paul Mohai concluded was the most polluted in the state of Michigan and third most in all of the United States. Now, the struggle of some 13 residents caught between the near simultaneous erection of Marathon's multi-billion dollar tar sands oil refinery expansion and the city's Waste Water Treatment plant in 2008."

April 23, 2012

In Texas, they haven't had chlorinated drinking water since October of last year and now arsenic has been found in the water. Those are just two of the issues facing one of Nueces County's Colonias. Last week, those issues got a first hand look by a group of people representing several environmental agencies. It was billed as an opportunity for residents of the Cyndie Park Colonias, located about 10 miles North of Banquette, to talk to folks from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U. S. Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group.

And what will come of it?

April 16, 2012

The owner of rental properties in Bridgeport is facing up to $127,150 in Environmental Protection Agency penalties for violating federal lead paint disclosure rules. According to a complaint filed by EPA's New England office, Juan Hernandez allegedly violated lead-based paint disclosure requirements seven times when he rented apartment units in Bridgeport between 2008 and 2010. During the EPA's investigation, all of the apartment buildings owned by Hernandez were located in potential environmental justice areas.

April 9, 2012

The World Bank says it will showcase new initiatives on oceans and the valuation of ecosystem services at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in Brazil in late June, but is attracting criticism from civil society groups for its approach to ‘green growth’. We'll see.

April 2, 2012

A Corpus Christi, Texas group is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to require Citgo to quit storing and using hydrofluoric acid and to switch to a safer alternative. In the letter to EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz, Citizens for Environmental Justice executive director Suzie Canales writes that hydrofluoric acid could kill thousands of people. "Citgo has repeatedly shown that it cannot be trusted to use HF and must be made to switch to a safer alternative for the sake of its employees and the community," the letter states. Could this have something to do with Citgo's ownership?

March 26, 2012

Enviros say President Barack Obama has decided to ignore the environmental devastation associated with tar sands mining and its disproportionate impact on global climate change, and the unconscionable contributions to local air pollution in Port Arthur, Texas. Port Arthur is one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Environmental Justice Showcase Communities” due to a concentration of environmental health risks that disproportionally burden minority communities. They say Keystone XL also poses another risk – a risk to U.S. consumers and the fragile economic recovery. Analysts and economists agree that building the southern leg of this pipeline will alleviate a glut of oil in Cushing, Okla., and allow more oil products to be exported to other countries, thereby reducing domestic supply and raising gas prices.

The southern leg of this pipeline does not bring oil into the country (a goal our organization does not endorse), but does create a clear path to get oil out to export markets. Since refined oil products are now the largest export commodity in the U.S., it seems obvious that pushing more oil to the Gulf Coast will result in more export activity and less supply for Americans....

March 19, 2012

" In response to the State Assembly's budget proposal to sweep up to $200 million in ratepayer-funded clean energy and energy efficiency programs administered by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority, more than 20 environmental, energy and community groups sent a letter to Governor Cuomo, the State Senate, and the Assembly opposing the the use of clean energy funds for non-energy related purposes." Sounds like the states which are trying to put their portion of the $25 billion mortgage settlement into their General Funds...

March 12, 2012

In El Salvador, 14 years have passed since the Environment Law was approved, establishing the creation for agro-environmental courts to hear cases involving contamination and environmental damage, but so far, this has not happened. The Supreme Court, which would be responsible for creating the new chambers, has failed to create them....

March 5, 2012

In New Bedford, Lisa Garcia, EPA's associate assistant administrator for environmental justice, and Curt Spalding, EPA Region 1 administrator, will host a meeting on March 6 at Keith Middle School. EPA says they've heard "a lot of reactions from the community as far as environmental justice concerns." EPA staff working on the Parker Street Waste Site and New Bedford Harbor projects will be at the meeting in order to answer specific questions on those projects...

February 27, 2012

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson now says hydraulic fracturing can be done safely: "I think that fracking as a technology is perfectly capable of being clean. I do. But it requires people who are doing it and innovators who use the technology to take some time to make sure that it's done right. And it requires smart regulation, smart rules of the road," Jackson said at Richard Stockton College in Galloway, New Jersey. Hmm...

February 20, 2012

On Rio + 20: "Twenty years ago, the UN played an important role in calling attention to the dangers that human and nonhuman life runs if the myth of endless economic growth goes on dominating economic policies... Unfortunately, this moment of reflection and hope soon disappeared" -- as did positive UN role. So, alongside the UN Conference, civil society is organizing the Peoples Summit in Rio. We'll have more on this.

February 13, 2012

With the focus on the Canadian government's push to export tar sands bitumen via the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline to Kitimat, and from there by ship to China, the British Colombia government reclaimed some attention on the energy file when it released a strateg. Rabble says: "The short of it is that shale gas from B.C.'s Northeast is to be pipelined to Kitimat and loaded onto tankers in liquid form (LNG) to be exported to China. But while the Enbridge pipeline has huge swaths of B.C. up in arms, particularly First Nations and "environmentalists, the LNG plans, which already have been approved and have an export permit, have not." Until now...

February 6, 2012

"The indisputable health care and humanitarian crises from mountaintop removal coal mining should place it at the forefront of any litmus on President Obama’s commitment to health care, clean energy and dealing with climate change. Dr. Michael Hendryx of West Virginia University released a study that should have headlined every newspaper in the country—and launched an all-out national campaign on the level of the anti-tobacco campaigns of the past. Hendryx concluded: “Living in a mountaintop mining area was a bigger risk for birth defects than smoking.”

January 30, 2012

News from Ohio last week: FirstEnergy is closing units at six of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation. FirstEnergy temporarily idled its Lake Shore plant near Cleveland in 2010 because of lower regional power demand and the increasing costs of running a plant built in 1916 still using a 50 year old boiler. The plant was grandfathered in under the Clean Air Act and the company had avoided putting major new environmental controls on it for decades, even as it emitted a horrific plume of toxins and particulate matter on the surrounding community. The facility a target of the environmental justice movement for years because of its outsized impact on the African American community.

FirstEnergy’s nearly-60-year-old Bay Shore plant shares many of Lake Shore’s problems. But in addition to spewing toxic air pollution and climate changing-CO2 the facility is also one of the nation’s most efficient fish-killing machines. Located at the confluence of the Maumee River and Lake Erie, the plant sits astride one of the world’s most prolific fish spawning areas. Its water intake system and scalding water kill 46 million fish and 2 billion fish larvae annually, taking a significant bite out of the region’s $1.4 billion recreational and commercial fishing economy. Just to put the numbers into perspective, the State of Ohio says that the plant’s aquatic annihilation totals more fish than all the other plants in the state combined. h/t NRDC

January 23, 2012

South Bronx clean up of

"The site lies on the Hunts Point peninsula in the South Bronx. It was the former location of the Con Edison Hunts Point Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP), also known as the Hunts Point Coking Station. The initial coke oven plant at the facility was constructed over the period from 1924 through 1926 and had a capacity of 20 million cubic feet of gas per day. The gas produced was used as a primary source of energy for lighting and heating. Another battery of coke ovens was installed in 1931, increasing gas production capacity by 10 million cubic feet per day. The MGP included 46 buildings or structures and was devoted entirely to the manufacture of gas and its associated by- products, including coal tars, cyanide-contaminated purifier waste, sludge, and oils. The structures included two gas holders. The MGP operated into the 1950s."

January 16, 2012

It was only last month we received a notice from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (“NYSDEC”) Brownfield Cleanup Program (“BCP”), specifically about its draft Final Engineering Report (FER) for the remedial actions performed at the 1800 Southern Boulevard Site....The Site is currently being developed with a new ten (10) story mixed-use building that will provide affordable housing to 68 moderate income households, as well as 12,579 square feet of commercial space and 4,922 square feet of community facility space. Historically the Site has been used as a filling station, auto repair facility and car wash beginning sometime between 1927 and 1940. The car wash operation closed in 1993 and the service station closed in 2003. BP-Amoco was operating the station at the time of closure in 2003.Removal of (17) 550-gallon underground storage tanks

Unstated was that this is where the gas was bought for the Happy Land Social Club mass murder... And now, dated January 13, comes a DEC announcement "that cleanup requirements have been achieved to address contamination related to the 1800 Southern Boulevard Site #C203046 (Bronx), under New York's Brownfield Cleanup Program." That was fast... 

January 9, 2012

NRC in Florida:

The environmental justice impact analysis evaluates the potential for disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects on minority and low-income populations that could result from activities associated with the proposed EPU at St. Lucie Nuclear Plant... The NRC considered the demographic composition of the area within a 50-mi (80.5-km) radius of St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 to determine the location of minority and low-income populations and whether the proposed action may affect them.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (USCB) data for 2000 on minority populations in the vicinity of St. Lucie Units 1 and 2, an estimated 1.2 million people live within a 50-mi (80.5-km) radius of the plant located within parts of nine counties. Minority populations within 50 mi (80.5 km) comprise 27 percent (274,500 persons). The largest minority group was African-American (approximately 135,250 persons or 13.3 percent), followed by Hispanic or Latino (approximately 111,000 persons or 11 percent). The 2000 census block groups containing minority populations were concentrated in Gifford (Indian River County), Fort Pierce (St. Lucie County), Pahokee (Palm Beach County near Lake Okeechobee), the agricultural areas around Lake Okeechobee, and Hobe Sound (Martin County).

Noise and dust impacts would be temporary and limited to onsite activities. Minority and low-income populations residing along site access roads could experience increased commuter vehicle traffic during shift changes. Increased demand for inexpensive rental housing during the EPU-related plant modifications could disproportionately affect low-income populations; however, due to the short duration of the EPU-related work and the availability of housing properties, impacts to minority and low-income populations would be of short duration and limited.

Oh really? For comment by February 6... http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-06/html/2012-32.htm

January 2, 2012

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is getting petitions opposing Entergy's application to re-license the Indian Point nuclear power plants for another 20 years. Last summer the Atomic Safety Licensing Board accepted an Environmental Justice contention; there's a "potential for disproportionate impact" on inmates at Sing Sing state prison: "the ability of prisoners to respond to emergencies is completely different to that of the general population."

December 26, 2011

In the NY City Council two new bills on polychlorinated biphenyl will inform parents and school employees of contamination by PCBs, which was banned it in 1979 for its toxicity. Bill 563 makes the Department of Education to notify parents and employees of PCB testing results or if the school uses T12 fluorescents, an outdated type of lamp that often leaks PCB. Bill 566 asks for detailed reports from the DOE on their progress and plan eradicating PCB from schools. Nearly 800 city schools — built between the 1950s and late 1970s — are likely contaminated.

And how many are in The Bronx?

December 19, 2011

   For planning purposes: "July 1-7, 2012, Location to be announced when the time is right., Marcellus Shale Earth First! is working side by side with many local groups, attending meetings, offering workshops and trainings, and helping to build a campaign of direct action that is putting increasing pressure on the drillers, to show all of those fighting fracking that there is effective resistance growing in rural areas."

 From iWatch, "A March 2011 review of OCR by Deloitte Consulting, commissioned by the EPA, found that the office “has drifted in focus and struggled to perform fundamental tasks.” In its partially redacted report, Deloitte criticized OCR for focusing too much on “minor responsibilities” and “not enough on the critical cases affecting … disadvantaged communities.”

The Deloitte report suggested that Jackson and her predecessors were partly to blame for the office’s ineffectiveness. “The Director of OCR has a direct line reporting relationship to the EPA Administrator and takes administrative direction from the Chief of Staff or Deputy Chief of Staff on a day-to-day basis,” the consulting firm found.

In December 2010, Jackson chose Rafael DeLeon to lead the office. He manages an annual budget of $2.3 million and a staff of 38, nine of whom work on Title VI cases, according to the EPA spokeswoman.

In the wake of the damning Deloitte evaluation, DeLeon, who also headed OCR for a time during the Clinton administration, came under fire. The National Whistleblowers Center called for his ouster, alleging that he made disparaging remarks about former EPA whistleblowers and has had “numerous” discrimination complaints filed against him by female staffers.

“We call on you to make a clean break from the past,” Richard Renner, the center’s legal director, wrote in an April letter to Jackson. “We call on you to make a decision that visibly rejects discrimination, retaliation, and intimidation … We need your decisive leadership to end the paralysis of silence.”

December 12, 2011

When an eardrum piercing noise awoke residents of Roosevelt Island and Astoria and Long Island City, Queens last week, no one knew what it was. It can from a power plant run by TransCanada, which refused to answer press inquiries. TransCanada is the owner of the proposed XL Pipeline -- this should be another strike against them...

December 5, 2011

This is about the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (“NYSDEC”) Brownfield Cleanup Program (“BCP”), specifically its draft Final Engineering Report (FER) for the remedial actions performed at the 1800 Southern Boulevard Site....The Site is currently being developed with a new ten (10) story mixed-use building that will provide affordable housing to 68 moderate income households, as well as 12,579 square feet of commercial space and 4,922 square feet of community facility space. Historically the Site has been used as a filling station, auto repair facility and car wash beginning sometime between 1927 and 1940. The car wash operation closed in 1993 and the service station closed in 2003. BP-Amoco was operating the station at the time of closure in 2003.

• Removal of (17) 550-gallon underground storage tanks; and

Unstated: this is where the gas was bought for the Happy Land Social Club mass murder...

November 28, 2011

On reports that the US and Saudi Arabia won't sign on to the Green Climate Fund, Inner City Press asked for the UN Ban Ki-moon's view. Spokesman Martin Nesirky said that beyond the Green Climate Fund, Durban's discussions will include other topics, "we need to wait and see." That is, unlike even the UK, no criticism of the Obama administration's positions...

November 21, 2011

The EPA has promulgated Plan EJ 2014 as its implementation of Executive Order 12898:

Plan EJ 2014 is not a rule or regulation. It is a strategy to help integrate environmental justice into EPA’s day to day activities.

Here is its plan document:

This implementation plan outlines a process by which the workgroup will research, solicit ideas for, prioritize, and then develop a suite of tools to better enable overburdened communities to have full and meaningful access to the permitting process and for permits to address environmental justice issues to the greatest extent practicable. For the first year, our activities will focus on developing a cohesive suite of tools most applicable to EPA-issued permits, and also collecting a larger set of tools for a public database.

Watch this site.

November 14, 2011

While one school under-participated, the Delaware County Alliance for Environmental Justice (DelCo Alliance) and the Chester Green youth group recently hosted Chester city’s first Environmental Justice collective during the last weekend in October during which they offered a tour pointing out all the polluters in Chester. The tour included stops at a coal power plant, two major natural gas burning power plants, a paper mill, the nation’s largest trash incinerator, a sewage sludge incinerator, two oil refineries, and various chemical plants and toxic waste sites. The paper mill, Kimberly Clark, burns waste coal and petroleum coke. It also produces six times more mercury than normal coal...

November 7, 2011

Of Keystone XL, Clayton Thomas-Muller of the Pukatawagan Cree Nation has said, "we were all overcome and awash with inspiration and positive emotion with the election of President Obama. Some of the things he said were very enchanting - that this would be the generation that our grandchildren would look back on and say that's when they took action on climate change. But through the continuation of deep sea exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, the permitting of Shell to drill for offshore oil resources in Bristol Bay in the outer continental shelf of Alaska, with the expansion of the fracking industry and now with the consideration of the Keystone XL pipeline, we know that Obama hasn't been able to meet his commitments to social movements in America that helped get him elected."

October 31, 2011

In Queens, NY until 1996, Jamaica Water Supply pumped millions of gallons of water out of the ground daily. When the City Department of Environmental Protection took over, DEP started bringing water from upstate, leaving the excess water underground with no place to go. In 15 years, the standing ground water level in Southeast Queens has risen to 30 feet, leaving many homeowners to deal with saturated basements each time there is heavy rainfall.

Now they should investigate...

October 24, 2011

The Aarhus Convention provides that environmental challenges should not be “prohibitively expensive." The UK system of “loser pays the costs” violates this. So the Ministry of Justice is proposing "that costs protection should be provided via codification of the rules concerning Protective Costs Orders. That means that a claimant in any public interest case may ask the court for a PCO, to “cap” his liability to pay the other side’s costs to such a figure as does not deter him from bringing those proceedings." We'll see.

October 17, 2011

By Matthew Russell Lee

WALL STREET, October 12 -- New York City police threatened to arrest protesters and the Press in front of a Bank of America branch on lower Broadway Tuesday at dusk, a block from Zuccotti Park which some now call Liberty Plaza. Click here for video by Inner City Press.

  At dusk a non-violent group long concerned with Bank of America funding of mountain-top removal coal mining crossed Broadway from the park. Inner City Press was among them. White suited Reverend Billy began an "exorcism," preaching how Bank of America finances wars -- then the police moved in.

  Other signs in the crowd spoke of Capital One, which in applying to buy ING DIRECT could become the fifth largest bank in the United States. It has sought to evade the protests against the Big Four -- Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase -- by means of comedic advertisements featuring such liberal icons as Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Fallon. Baldwin has yet to respond to mounting requests by NCRC and others that he distance himself from Capital One.

October 10, 2011

In (Occupy) Chicago there's been a call for the closure of the city's coal-fired power plants: Fisk Generating Station, 1111 W. Cermak Rd.—right across from the park—and Crawford Generating Station, 3501 S. Pulaski Rd. in Little Village. Both are owned by Midwest Generation...

September 26, 2011

Activists charges that the World Bank’s promotion of the controversial forest-carbon scheme called REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) harms both forests and forest dependent communities in developing countries, while encouraging continued pollution in vulnerable communities in developed countries like the USA. This follows the announcement of a new sub-national REDD agreement between the states of California, USA, Chiapas, Mexico and Acre, Brazil during the UN Climate Conference in Cancun last December. In Chiapas the REDD project claims to create carbon offset credits by quantifying the carbon stored by trees in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in the Lacandon Jungle. The World Bank has been involved in the global forest/climate program known as REDD through its Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, announced by World Bank President Robet Zoellick, during the 2007 UN Climate Conference in Bali, Indonesia. The announcement met with strong popular protest, and the World Bank continues to draw criticism for its role in promoting schemes that displace forest dependent communities and promote large-scale industrial tree plantations that could potentially include socially and ecologically dangerous genetically engineered trees.

September 19, 2011

In San Fran / Oakland, the Superior Court has blocked the proposed early transfer of the toxic parcels of the Hunters Point Superfund site. “The court finds that the EIR does not adequately inform the public that the developer proposes to remediate portions of the shipyard instead of the Navy under an early transfer agreement. … Therefore, the court orders that the development of a parcel at the shipyard site may not proceed until the CERCLA remediation process for the parcel is complete and approved by regulating agencies as safe for human health and development, unless an early transfer is approved after completion of environmental review in compliance with CEQA,” according to the judge’s ruling. H/t Bayview.

September 12, 2011

The Keystone XL pipeline protest arrests took place in front of a White House without solar panels, that activists note the Obama Administration had promised to install by this spring....

September 5, 2011

Whither -- or wither -- Obama on the environment? He dropped the ozone regulations, just after calling for Congress to extend Bush-era funding for highway projects, and late August's go-ahead from the Obama State Department to construct an oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Will there be a Democratic Party primary challenge to Obama, on this or other issues? Watch this site.

August 29, 2011

Last week, the US State Department released its  for the proposed Keystone XL tar sands  pipeline, predictably finding that there will be no Final Environmental  Impact Statement (FEIS)  significant environmental impact to most resources. Activists say Secretary of State Clinton did not keep her promise to “leave no stone unturned” and the State Department’s pledge to do a “thorough and objective” assessment: the State Department is rushing this project.

August 22, 2011

In Los Angeles, we note the "MTA Cuts to Bus Service Lifelines" event begins at Immanuel Presbyterian in Koreatown about the impact that recent bus service cuts and fare hikes have had. Yes, it's an environmental justice issue...

August 15, 2011

In Kentucky, American Synthetic Rubber in western Louisville says it's "making plans to phase out the use of the moderately toxic chemical toluene. The plant has long used toluene to produce rubber, and it used to emit great quantities of it — as much as 4.7 million pounds in 1991, for example. That compares to 408,000 pounds of toluene emissions in 2009, the most recent year for which U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data is available. The company, which makes rubber for tires, is exploring the change because two replacement chemicals are considered safer and more useful, said Lynn Mann, a spokeswoman for Michelin North America, which owns the plant. It’s seeking a permit from the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, which is accepting public comment through Aug. 30."

August 8, 2011

In California, a Jurupa Valley-based environmental group has filed a lawsuit seeking to set aside Riverside County's approval of an industrial project that would put warehouses next door to a Mira Loma housing tract, contending that Riverside County and developers of the proposed Mira Loma Commerce Center project violated the California Environmental Quality Act by preparing an environmental study that failed to analyze the project's impacts on air quality and traffic. It asks the court to set aside the certification of the environmental impact report and order a new one. A status conference on the lawsuit is set for August 18...

August 1, 2011

In Connecticut the Bridgeport Harbor Station (owned by New Jersey based Public Service Enterprise Group or PSEG) is among the worst polluters, according to an algorithm combining levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions together with demographic factors to calculate the score for the 431 coal-fired power plants in the United States. So - will it be shut down?

July 25, 2011

New Hampshire, too, is a toxic state for coal plants. The TRI fingers PSHN's Merrimack Station as the worst...

July 18, 2011

In Indiana, in addition to the Hammond plant owned by Dominion Resources, Duke Energy’s R. Gallagher Generating Station in New Albany ranked seventh and a plant in Michigan City also received a failing grade...

July 11, 2011

In Michigan a new study gives Holland’s James De Young coal-fired plant a environmental justice grade of ‘F.’ Detroit’s River Rouge Power Plant is ranked as 9th-most harmful in the nation. Other failing plants include Eckert (Lansing); B.C. Cobb (Muskegon); Monroe (Monroe); Trenton Channel (Trenton) and Presque Isle ...

July 4, 2011

Sleazy is as sleazy does: now the Upper East Side of Manhattan is arguing that IT is a environmental justice community, because it has a housing project:

“'I have nightmares just thinking that there’s a possibility that they might come back,' said Ms. Johnson, 66, a disabled resident of the Stanley M. Isaacs Houses, at 94th Street and First Avenue. The proximity of public housing figures prominently in a battle by Upper East Side residents to derail a city plan to reactivate a waste transfer station on the East River at 91st Street. In lawsuits, rallies and lobbying in the State Legislature, they argue that economically disadvantaged residents, already struggling, should not be saddled with additional problems. 'How can you ignore the fact that the closest community is 80 percent minority?' said Anthony Ard, president of the Gracie Point Community Council, a neighborhood group that was founded to fight the plan.”

This argument is made in order to jam the waste transfer station back to the South Bronx. For shame.

June 27, 2011

Union Pacific Corp. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway got letters last week warning to prepare for a federal lawsuit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act if they don't undertake measures to clean up hazardous waste their facilities emit into the air from diesel engines in 16 California rail yards. NRDC argues that minute particles in diesel air pollution, which include lead, cadmium, nickel and other toxic elements, are solid waste. If successful, such a suit could open the door for legal action against similar air pollution sources such as ports, airports or anywhere with a lot of diesel equipment.

June 20, 2011

In Puerto Rico, the owner of the Ponce Municipal Landfill has had to enter a settlement that will reduce water pollution from the landfill into a local stream. Allied Waste of Ponce, Inc. will spend at least $200,000 to build a new sewer line from the Ponce Municipal Landfill through the Barrio La Cotorra community located south of the landfill, which will then connect to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority wastewater treatment plant in Ponce.

June 13, 2011

In New York City, those opposing a waste transfer station on East 91st Street and the East River need to ask themselves: where else should it go? The South Bronx is full of such facilities. It's only fair...

June 6, 2011