SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)

(AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)

Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response

When two towns — one an affluent suburb and the other a poor rural community — faced similar air pollution crises, lopsided government action made clear there was an underlying race and class divide. Reporter Sharon Lerner shares the story behind her award-winning reporting that tells the “Tale of Two Toxic Cities,” in our latest Inside Story Q&A.

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Environmental Justice: "St. James Parish Takes on Big Plastic"

"Beneath a searing Louisiana sun, a crowd gathers on a former sugar cane plantation to commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. Rows of unmarked graves stand nearby—believed to be the resting place of those who’d been enslaved on the plantation. A few people, clad in face masks, hold up a banner: Honoring Our Ancestors. Another sign, staked into the grass, is aimed not at the past, but at the future: FORMOSA: YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE."

Source: Hakai, 06/29/2020

Florida Scientist Says She Was Fired For Not Manipulating COVID-19 Data

"NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Rebekah Jones, a scientist who was fired from Florida's health department, who is now publishing a coronavirus dashboard of her own to track the state's COVID-19 cases."

Source: NPR, 06/29/2020

Mississippi Set To Be 13th State To Criminalize Fossil Fuel Protests

"A bill intended to have a chilling effect threatens seven years in prison for protesters and up to $100,000 in fines for groups supporting them."

Source: HuffPost, 06/17/2020

"Mississippi R.: White House Plots Next Step In Battle Over Yazoo Pumps"

"A controversial flood control and drainage project in Mississippi that EPA vetoed more than a decade ago is aggravating old tensions among environmental groups, lawmakers and agricultural groups in the Magnolia State as the Trump administration plans its next move."

Source: E&E News, 06/16/2020

Louisiana Governor Vetoes Harsh Pipeline Trespass Bill

"Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday vetoed a bill that would have stiffened penalties for trespassing on pipelines, levees and a long list of other facilities in the state. The veto handed a victory to civil liberties advocates and local organizers, who said the bill would have trampled on their right to protest industrial development."

Source: InsideClimate News, 06/15/2020

"Interior To Push Drilling In Florida Waters After November Election"

"The Trump administration is preparing to open the door to oil and gas drilling off Florida’s coast — but will wait until after the November election to avoid blowback in a swing state whose waters both parties have long considered sacrosanct, according to four people familiar with the plan."

Source: Politico, 06/11/2020

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