News & Commentary

Supporting Agroforestry Through the California Healthy Soils Program

August 3, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Arohi Sharma, Dr. Daniel Rath

California can continue its leadership in climate smart agriculture by using the Healthy Soils Program to unlock agroforestry’s full potential to fight climate change.

MVP: Our Fight Continues to Protect Communities

August 2, 2023 Expert BlogVirginia, West VirginiaAmy Mall

A Farm Bill Worth Fighting For

August 2, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C.Allison Johnson, Valerie Baron, Matthew Kaplan

We need a good Farm Bill – that advances climate, health, and worker protections – not one that turns back the clock.

Mapping Urban Heat Islands Is Helping These Neighborhoods Adapt

August 1, 2023 DispatchRaleigh, North Carolina, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

The Urban Heat Island mapping campaign is the largest national effort of its kind to identify why one section of a city can feel so different from another on any given summer day.

The IRA Turns One: An Update on Buildings-Related Programs

July 31, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lauren Urbanek

The past year has been a busy one as federal agencies have begun the early stages of rolling out Inflation Reduction Act funds.

NYC’s New Pizza Oven Rule Will Protect Neighborhood Air Quality

July 31, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, New York CityEric A. Goldstein

The law will target the emissions and other air pollution that come through people’s windows from nearby pizza restaurants.

Advancing Sanitation Equity in the 2023 Farm Bill

July 27, 2023 Expert BlogAlabama, United StatesBecky Hammer

Increased and better-targeted USDA funding could help rural communities address sanitation challenges that threaten public health.

Winter Storm Elliott Report Highlights the Risk of Natural Gas Failures

July 20, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, East, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, TexasDana Ammann

PJM’s report on Winter Storm Elliott found that gas generators were responsible for 70 percent of forced outages during December 2022. Climate change will only intensify future severe weather. 

The Senate Must Defend the Success of DOE Clean Energy Programs

July 19, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Sangina Wright

The House’s Energy and Water bill contains harmful provisions for U.S. households, U.S. competitiveness in the global clean energy race, and our climate fight. 

Poll Shows 82% of People Support Incentives to Farmers for Soil Health

July 18, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lara Bryant, Matthew Kaplan, Dr. Daniel Rath, Claire O'Connor

 Most Americans agree that global warming is a crisis that deserves our attention and action. 

Clean Cars Yield $44 Billion in Benefits for New Mexicans

July 18, 2023 Expert BlogNew MexicoYeh-Tang Huang, Kathy Harris, Alexis Mena

A new study shows that the Advanced Clean Cars II Program can bring $44 billion in benefits to New Mexico. 

Vermont Floods Illustrate the Need for Reforms by FEMA and State

July 18, 2023 Expert BlogVermontRob Moore

Flooding in Vermont has once again exposed serious weaknesses in the state and federal policies that govern floodplain development and ensure that information is provided to people about the risks of flooding. Because Vermont and FEMA’s flood policies fail to…

New York City: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes

July 18, 2023 Expert BlogNew York City, United StatesJoan Leary Matthews

One in five New Yorkers may be drinking lead-contaminated water. The New York City Council needs to replace all lead pipes within 10 years, at no cost to residents.

Campaign Pushes Local Food & Safe Products at Dollar General

July 17, 2023 Expert BlogAlbuquerque, New MexicoSara Imperiale, Margaret Brown

A delegation from the Campaign for Healthier Solutions attended the 2023 Dollar General shareholder meeting in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As shareholders, we urged the corporation to phase out toxic chemicals from its consumer products and move forward with sourcing nutritious, locally…

Organic Needs a Boost in the Farm Bill

July 12, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Iowa, Washington, D.C.Allison Johnson

Our public investments in organic food production have not kept pace with the organic sector’s growth – and that’s a missed opportunity for domestic economic development. The Opportunities in Organic Act would help U.S. farms meet consumer demand by reducing…

Extreme Heat Costs North Carolina Employers and Workers

July 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth CarolinaJuanita Constible

North Carolina workers urgently need formal standards to protect them from the costly health consequences of extreme heat.

The Supreme Court Gets Clean Water Supremely Wrong

June 29, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Jon Devine

The Supreme Court got the facts, the law, and the policy wrong in its recent ruling attacking wetland protections under the Clean Water Act.

Federal Agencies Restore Endangered Species Protections—Mostly

June 23, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lucas Rhoads

U.S. FWS and NMFS proposed to reverse prior rollbacks of protections for imperiled species, but more is needed.

How New Mexico Can Move Forward on Climate and a Just Transition

June 21, 2023 Expert BlogNew MexicoNoah Long, Alexis Mena

The bottom line is that, without significant new action, the state will not meet its targets to cut emissions and will not protect New Mexican communities from the clear, present, and increasing consequences of climate change.

Climate Justice on Juneteenth

June 16, 2023 Expert BlogNew York CityIrene Nielson, Dr. Sabrina Johnson

Honoring Juneteenth requires us to apply commitment and creativity to directing today's unprecedented federal investments toward repairing past harms.