WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Resiliency Coordinator Caleb Smith was featured in a New York Times story on a new bill, Intro 0994, introduced by New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler (D-33) earlier this week, that will establish a maximum indoor air temperature. Similar to the existing law that requires landlords to provide heating in the winter, this bill requires landlords to cool homes down to at least 78 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature reaches 82 degrees Fahrenheit. We have been advocating for this legislation for several years now, and it was one of the key bi ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 4, 2023 Contact:  Jama Joseph, jama.joseph@weact.org, (646) 951-1648   Washington, D.C. – On December 2, 2023 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final rule to reduce methane and other harmful pollution from the oil and gas industry. Clean Air for the Long Haul, a Cohort of Environmental Justice groups, cautiously welcomes this decision, but would also encourage further action towards regulating clean air and climate pollution across sectors.    This decision is an important one, as oil and gas operations are significan ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 3, 2024 Media Contact: Ashley Sullivan, Ashley.Sullivan@weact.org WASHINGTON – Late last week, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled to pause the implementation of a critical clean air regulation known as the Good Neighbor Plan. The rule, finalized in March 2023, aims to significantly reduce harmful smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that impact downwind states ability to attain and maintain air quality standards for ground-level ozone.   In response, the Clean Air for the Long Haul, a group o ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 3, 2024 Contact: Jama Joseph, (646) 951-1648, jamajoseph.weact@gmail.com WASHINGTON – Over the last week, the decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) have caused devastating impacts, including undermining the ability of federal agencies to safeguard public health and the environment. The rulings have put a halt to important measures such as the Good Neighbor Rule, designed to address air pollution that travels across state lines, and overturned the Chevron deference, which previously allowed expert agencies to effectively implement key environmen ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 2024 Media Contact: Ashley Sullivan, ashley.sullivan@weact.org Washington, D.C.  –  At its monthly open meeting yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted to approve the construction and operation of Venture Global’s proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. This decision comes despite broad opposition from frontline community advocates, environmental and environmental justice groups, elected officials, and many other stakeholders who have sounded the alarm for months about the harmful impacts of CP2 and ..read more

Green Stripes Illustration by Michael Luong/YES! Media At the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, leaders across the environmental justice movement, including from here at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, developed 17 Principles of Environmental Justice. These principles have served as a guide for environmental justice work ever since. Principle #2 demands “that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.” In the environmental justice movement, we usually understand this to mean acros ..read more

Weak Leadership and Catering to Wealthy Business Interests Smothered Widespread Support for Key Environmental Justice Bills    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 8, 2024 Contact: Chris Dobens, 718-679-8542, chris@weact.org   ALBANY, NY — As the New York State Legislature’s 2024 session ends, communities of color and low-income communities across the state will continue to suffer from rising energy costs, polluted air, and toxic exposures as elected officials in Albany failed to take action on impactful and common sense environmental justice legislation, including the New Y ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2024 CONTACTAshley Sullivan ashley.sullivan@weact.org Washington, D.C. – Yesterday,  the U.S. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee voted to advance three nominees to serve as Commissioners at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to the Senate floor for consideration. This proceeds from an ENR hearing this past March to consider the nominees consisting of David Rosner, Judy Chang, and Lindsay See. In response, Anastasia Gordon, Federal Policy Director at WE ACT for Environmental Justice had this to say: “Given their testimonies a ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 5, 2024   CONTACT: Ashley Sullivan ashley.sullivan@weact.org    WASHINGTON—The Biden-Harris Administration announced the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Program rebate competition. This initiative, funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, is set to significantly impact the environment and the health of school children and surrounding communities across the nation. In response, WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Federal Policy Manager Yuwa Vosper shared the following,  “We are opt ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 31, 2024 Contacts:  WE ACT for Environmental Justice Ashley Sullivan Ashley.Sullivan@weact.org Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School Angelica Salazar salazara@newschool.edu New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance Brooke Helmick  brooke@njeja.org Deep South Center for Environmental Justice  Ginger LeBlanc gingerl@dscej.org Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy Anahi Naranjo anaranjo@ceed.org Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University Dr. Nicky Sheats newbian8@veriz ..read more