EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has issued a memo ending all “diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental justice offices and positions,” and the agency will close 10 of its Environmental Justice Divisions in regions around the country, which has critics arguing that this undermines the agency’s statutory responsibility to help communities of color who have suffered disproportionate harm.
Category: Climate Justice
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Trump’s EPA Just Declared War on Environmental Justice
The White House is trying to claw back $20 billion in federal funds meant to help underserved communities with the effects of global warming, while the nonprofits that received the funds are fighting back in court.
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Apparently, Planting Trees Is a DEI Plot
Support Our Urban Landscape, a Black-run nonprofit in New Orleans, has lost funding from the Trump Administration’s war on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which would have allowed them to plant 5,000 trees across the city to combat the urban heat-island effect.
Posted inHealth
The Sand Branch Solution: One Developer’s Mission for Water and Justice
Derek Avery, a real estate developer with roots in Houston, is working to revitalize underserved communities in southern Dallas County without displacing residents, while also addressing issues such as contaminated wells and lack of running water.
Posted inClimate Justice
EPA Killed a $50M Climate Justice Grant Biden Already Shelved
The Biden Administration canceled a $50 million grant to the Climate Justice Alliance because it supports Palestine, leaving Black and brown communities that suffer from climate change without relief.
Posted inWord In Black
Climate Justice at Risk as Trump EPA Targets $27B Green Fund
The Trump Administration is attempting to claw back $20 billion in grants already distributed by the EPA to combat climate change, raising questions about the integrity of federal contracts and the ability of the government to follow through on its promises.
Posted inWord In Black
After Schools Burn, What Happens to Black Students?
The Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire have impacted Black communities in Los Angeles, causing displacement, learning loss, and increased risk of PTSD, while the federal aid distribution system is stacked against them, leading to further racial inequities in education.
Posted inThis Week
Los Angeles Burned, Now They’re Coming for Karen BassÂ
Conservatives are criticizing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for an environmental disaster that is out of her control, despite the fact that fires don’t care about politics or wealth, and the real issue is the lack of urban planning, budget realities, climate change, and our addiction to fossil fuels.
Posted inHomepage
The End of the EPA’s Environmental Justice Era
Michael S. Regan’s resignation as Environmental Protection Agency administrator marks the end of a failed experiment in seeking environmental justice through regulation, as legal challenges and political opposition have hindered the agency’s ability to investigate environmental injustices.
Posted inClimate Justice
Could a Pro-Palestine Stance Derail $50M in Green Grants?
The Environmental Protection Agency has yet to release $50 million in grants to the Climate Justice Alliance, which is pro-Palestinian, due to pressure from organizers and members of Congress, who argue that the funds are critical for building community resilience against climate change threats.
