Good news! SB 5141-The HEAL Act, made it out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee last Friday! We are thrilled, but with a close 13-12 vote, there is no room for error. We must be methodical in our next steps. Now, our focus turns to passing the HEAL Act out of the Senate chamber. This means … [Read more...]
IN LOUISIANA AND Texas, immigrants seeking asylum are facing dire conditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers hit by this week’s extreme cold. At the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, advocates say parents and children have been living with … [Read more...]
WA lawmakers look to fix climate while solving the housing crisis
Efforts to expand the state’s green building rules would, among other things, phase out gas heat and appliances in most homes and businesses. As Washington lawmakers work to get ahead of a brewing post-pandemic housing catastrophe, efforts are underway to join that effort with responses to … [Read more...]
The Latest Books and Reports Covering Environmental Racism and Justice
The COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed again a fundamental truth about the Anthropocene: When disaster strikes, the vulnerable take the hardest punches. Communities of color have suffered much higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality, both because they are disproportionately … [Read more...]
Conversation with Sam Mace of Save Our wild Salmon and Elliott Moffett and Julian Matthews of the Niimipuu/Nez Perce, Feb. 18, 1 pm
Earlier this month, U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) released a visionary proposal to restore abundant salmon and steelhead to our region and strengthen Northwest communities. Join Backbone Campaign to discuss what this means for wild salmon and the regional economy, in a Conversation … [Read more...]
After Court Rules Dakota Access Pipeline Operating Illegally, Dems Demand Biden It Shut Down
Five Democratic lawmakers on Friday encouraged President Joe Biden to order an immediate shutdown of the Dakota Access pipeline after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week delivered a victory to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe by ruling that DAPL is operating illegally. The … [Read more...]
2021 WA State Environmental Justice Legislation Tracking
Audubon Society has a great document tracking some of the environmental bills going through the WA legislature. Check it out here. Get on their mailing list for additional updates. Earth Ministry also tracks. Check it out here. … [Read more...]
Appeals Court Agrees that Dakota Access Pipeline River Crossing Is Illegal
A federal appeals court has struck another blow against the contested Dakota Access Pipeline. A three-judge panel on the U.S. District Court of Appeals from the D.C. Circuit agreed Tuesday with a lower court ruling that the pipeline's crossing at the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Sioux … [Read more...]
Finding Humanity Podcasts
To unpack some of the biggest threats humanity is grappling with today, each episode will draw on the expertise and life experiences of members of The Elders: former Presidents and Prime Ministers, UN officials, Nobel Peace Laureates, freedom fighters, and human rights champions, brought together by … [Read more...]
Transportation Justice is Racial Justice
Check out this great series, The Coolest Show, featuring the voices of many Backbone and Solutionary Rail partners who are doing essential work and connecting the dots on trucking and transportation justice. Hear from those on the frontlines of transportation injustice, and learn why solutions must … [Read more...]
Washington hosts first climate assembly in the United States
Residents from all over the state begin virtual meetings to decide which climate change solutions to recommend to the Legislature in Olympia. The Washington Climate Assembly is a first-of-its-kind experiment in the United States. Inspired by climate assemblies that have recently taken place in … [Read more...]
Hazardous Homes
An EPA analysis obtained by APM Reports and The Intercept found that more than 9,000 federally subsidized properties — many with hundreds of apartments or townhouses — sit within a mile of Superfund sites. Those properties are in 480 cities in 49 states and territories. But even that is an … [Read more...]
As lawsuits mount, government looks into removing Electron Dam
Just last week, the Puyallup Tribe announced it was suing the owner of the dam, Electron Hydro, LLC, over a long list of environmental hazards and permit violations — including a fish kill that caused the death of thousands of fish and the pollution of the river with un-permitted artificial turf, … [Read more...]
Legislative Actions for the Week (RE Sources)
Given that the legislative session is happening remotely, anyone can sign in “pro”, “con”, or “other” to legislation that will receive a hearing. Previously, this was something that could only be done if you were physically in Olympia. The following bills have hearings next week. Please fill out … [Read more...]
Clean Fuels Bill reintroduced
HB 1091 is the Clean Fuels Bill, reintroduced in the 2021-22 session after failing in 2020. It requires reductions in carbon emissions from transportation fuels. The history of the bill in 2020 may affect the progress of the bill for this session: It directs the Department of Ecology to adopt … [Read more...]
Fluorinated Gases HB 1050
HB 1050 addresses the leakage of HFC (Hydrofluorocarbon), a greenhouse gas approximately 10,000 times as potent as CO2, although it is in much smaller concentrations (parts per trillion) than CO2 (parts per million). It was developed to replace CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) when it was discovered that … [Read more...]
Scientists Warn Humanity in Denial of Looming ‘Collapse of Civilization as We Know It’
In an example to the rest of the scientific community and an effort to wake up people — particularly policymakers — worldwide, 17 scientists penned a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the planet and what the future could hold due to biodiversity loss, climate disruption, human … [Read more...]
Decarbonizing Cities – How to Harmonize Buildings, Mobility and Infrastructure
Why is it so important to decarbonize cities? And how can we do it? The first question is easy to answer: The cities in which more than half of us live account for nearly two-thirds of the CO2 emissions that lie at the root of our planet's looming climate crisis. Skyscrapers in megalopolises, … [Read more...]
What I Know About the Ocean We Need Ocean Justice
Here is what I know. The ocean is not separate from us or our daily concerns. It is our nourishment, protection, livelihood, and the air we breathe. It is culture, joy, and freedom. All this is at risk, and we need ocean justice. Ocean conservation is about people—more specifically, it’s about … [Read more...]
The Most Important Environmental Stories of 2020
Can we flip the calendar already? We had barely made it past January when the memes about how the days felt like weeks and the weeks felt like months began ricocheting around the internet. It only got worse from there: a deadly pandemic and international lockdown, police killings of Black Americans, … [Read more...]
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