Media Center

Water Shutoff Moratorium Passes Michigan House: Next Stop, Governor Whitmer’s Desk

December 17, 2020 Press ReleaseMichigan

Water insecurity is an issue statewide for rural and urban communities

P&G Shareholders Deliver Overwhelming Vote for Better Forest Sourcing

October 13, 2020 Press ReleaseCincinnati

Investors at Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) annual shareholder meeting today sent a clear directive to the company that it needs to address its forest sourcing, with 67% of shareholders voting for a resolution that calls on the company to eliminate…

Gov. Whitmer Issues Most Ambitious Action on Climate in the Midwest, Advocates Call for Additional Community Centered Climate Solutions

September 23, 2020 Press ReleaseMichigan

Gov. Whitmer issued an executive order today that commits Michigan to the most ambitious path to combat the climate crisis in the Midwest to date. The order sets a goal of dramatically cutting carbon pollution and achieving carbon-neutrality across the…

Lightfoot Administration Announces Start of Lead Water Pipe Replacement Program

September 10, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

The Lightfoot administration announced today that it will begin a program to replace lead service lines next year. Chicago code required lead service lines far longer than most American cities, until 1986, leaving Chicago with the dubious distinction of having…

Chicago Southeast Side Residents to Mayor: Deny General Iron’s Move if You are Serious about Equity

July 27, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Chicago officials released a report over the weekend that highlights the disproportionate air pollution burden faced by the city’s communities of color in the South and West Sides and promised a new “reform agenda” in response.

Ohio Needs a New Energy Vision

July 24, 2020 Press ReleaseOhio

In response to an alleged bribery scandal, Governor Mike DeWine has joined a chorus of bi-partisan Ohio legislators in calling for the repeal of the controversial House Bill 6 that bails out the state’s nuclear fleet, funnels money to a pair…

Another Chicago Southeast Side Little League Field with Dangerous Levels of Toxic Metals

July 15, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Tests show another Southeast Side little league field with  dangerously high levels of heavy metals that may result in a federal clean-up.

IEPA Approves General Iron’s Move from Affluent Lincoln Park to Vulnerable Community of Color

June 25, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

The Illinois EPA today granted a permit allowing the notorious polluter, General Iron, to move its operation from the affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood to the working class community of color in Chicago’s Southeast Side.

Southeast Siders Call on Mayor Lightfoot for Moratorium on Any Approvals for Metals Recyclers During Pandemic

May 29, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Southeast Side residents are calling on Mayor Lightfoot to place a moratorium during the pandemic on all approvals needed for the construction or operation of new or expanded metal recycling facilities. General Iron, the notorious Lincoln Park metal shredder that…

Southeast Side Groups React To General Iron Incident

May 18, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

A coalition of community groups fighting the relocation of a controversial metal shredding operation from the North Side of Chicago to the Southeast Side of the city had a very simple reaction to the explosions that rocked the General Iron facility earlier today:  “Don’t…

City of St. Louis Becomes the First in the Midwest to Pass a Building Energy Performance Standard

May 7, 2020 Press ReleaseMissouri

Mayor Lyda Krewson has signed an ambitious bill that would require buildings in the City of St. Louis to meet energy efficiency standards and establishes resources to help building owners achieve the savings that come with decreased energy usage. The…

Detroit Residents Face Water Shut-offs, But Indebted Coke and Pepsi’s Taps Never Run Dry

April 23, 2020 Press ReleaseDetroit

National Moratorium on Water Shut-offs Boosted by New Investigation From Consumer Reports

Sens. Duckworth and Durbin Call on USEPA to Monitor Chicago Southeast Side Metal Scrappers

April 21, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin urged USEPA Region 5 today to require four metals facilities on Chicago’s Southeast Side, a heavily burdened environmental justice community, to install monitors for toxic metals and other air pollutants. In the past year…

Michigan to Reconnect Homes to Water, End Shut-offs During COVID-19 Crisis

March 29, 2020 Press ReleaseMichigan

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer today issued a moratorium on the practice of shutting off water in homes with unpaid bills. The order also requires already disconnected homes to be safely reconnected to water. For years, community activists in Detroit and…

Michigan Advances Stronger Standards on “Forever Chemicals” in Drinking Water

February 27, 2020 Press ReleaseMichigan

Michigan’s proposed standards to reduce “forever chemicals” contaminating drinking water for millions of people across the state were advanced today in a vote by the Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC). The standards now head to the Joint Committee on Administrative…

Peoria-Area Grantees Announced Today Following $8.6 Million Settlement with Energy Company

February 21, 2020 Press ReleaseIllinois

Following a multi-million dollar settlement with the owner of the E.D. Edwards coal plant, Peoria-area organizations met today at Mt. Zion Baptist Church to celebrate the grants being awarded as part of the settlement process.

New BP Toxic Petcoke Operations to Impact Residents of East Chicago Superfund Site

January 29, 2020 Press ReleaseIndiana

Residents of East Chicago, Indiana are bracing for a significant expansion of the transportation of toxic petcoke in a city that has been ravaged by industrial pollution and drinking water contamination.

Senators Stand for the Climate in Opposing USMCA

January 16, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States, Mexico, Canada

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he voted against the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement today on the grounds that it doesn’t combat dangerous climate change.

Trade and Climate Protection Must Go Hand-in-Hand

December 19, 2019 Press ReleaseUnited States, Mexico, Canada

The House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade accord that failed to address the urgency of combating dangerous climate change.

New Federal Rule Undermine Increases Ohio’s Energy Costs

December 19, 2019 Press ReleaseOhio

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today imposed rules on the 13-state PJM region that will reward fossil fuel generators with billions of dollars in unnecessary payments from consumers. The order could prevent power plants supported by state policies from competing…