Earthjustice

Parents in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, are relieved after Air Products and Chemicals canceled plans to build the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex, a carbon sequestration project that would have included a CO2 pipeline near Sorrento Primary School. The company cited reasons unrelated to local opposition, while residents had raised health concerns about potential pipeline leaks.

Environmentalists sued Barstow, California, to block the approval of the Barstow International Gateway, a 4,500-acre rail yard in the Mojave Desert. The lawsuit claims the project's environmental impact analysis is flawed, citing increased diesel pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and harm to local wildlife. The city approved the $4 billion BNSF Railway project, which aims to streamline container transport from Asian ports but faces criticism for its environmental and health impacts.

A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to abandon a Biden-era EPA rule imposing stricter standards for soot pollution. The ruling upholds a 2024 standard limiting fine particle pollution to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down from 12 micrograms, and criticizes the EPA's arguments as lacking merit. Environmental groups praised the decision as a public health victory, while opponents argued it would increase costs for businesses and families.

A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to abandon a Biden-era rule that tightens soot pollution standards. The court found the EPA's arguments lacked merit, upholding a 9 microgram per cubic meter annual limit on fine particle pollution. The decision supports public health benefits projected by the Biden-era rule, which aims to reduce asthma cases and premature deaths.

A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to invalidate a Biden-era EPA rule that tightens soot pollution standards. The court upheld the 2024 rule, which reduces annual fine particle pollution limits from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, despite the EPA's argument that it exceeded statutory authority and ignored economic costs. Environmental groups praised the decision as a public health victory.

A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to abandon a Biden-era rule imposing stricter standards on soot pollution. The decision upheld a 2024 rule requiring a tighter annual limit of 9 micrograms of fine particle pollution per cubic meter of air, rejecting the EPA's claim that it exceeded statutory authority. The ruling supports public health benefits projected to prevent thousands of premature deaths and hospital visits.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bayer in the Roundup case, limiting future lawsuits against the company and its subsidiary Monsanto. Patti Goldman of Earthjustice discussed the decision on ChicagoLIVE.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier aims to convert the shuttered 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration facility into a protected environmental area for the Everglades. The facility, facing environmental lawsuits, is closing, with detainees transferred or deported. Environmental groups remain skeptical of Uthmeier's commitment despite his stated plans.

ICE has relocated detainees from the 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility in the Everglades, citing hurricane season safety concerns, but advocacy groups dispute this explanation, alleging a lack of transparency and ongoing operations. Environmental organizations, including Friends of the Everglades, continue legal challenges against the facility, arguing it violates environmental laws, though a court previously ruled it exempt from federal regulations.

Alaska Native tribes are challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a gold mining project in a pristine northwestern Alaska estuary. The project, involving industrial suction dredging, has been approved despite concerns about environmental degradation and threats to tribal subsistence practices.

The Justice Department seeks to dismiss a lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI data center in Mississippi, which is accused of operating natural gas turbines without required air permits, violating the Clean Air Act. The DOJ argues the plant is critical for an AI data center important to the economy and U.S. military, while the NAACP and environmental groups claim it poses health risks to nearby communities.

The US is set to hold an oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with opponents citing climate change impacts and prior lack of industry interest, while supporters argue it could boost production and jobs. Conservation groups have urged major companies like ConocoPhillips and Hilcorp to avoid participating due to legal risks and public opposition, though the Trump administration has mandated lease sales in multiple Alaskan regions. The USGS estimates the refuge's coastal plain may hold significant oil reserves, but drilling remains inactive there.

The Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's stance, affirming the Federal Communications Commission's authority to enforce data privacy fines on telecom companies like Verizon and AT&T. The 8-1 decision allowed the FCC to impose penalties for mishandling customer location data, though companies were granted a regulatory concession to delay payments. Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, while Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing for a clearer path for companies to recoup paid fines.

The Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's support for federal regulators enforcing data privacy laws on telecom companies, preserving the FCC's authority to impose fines. Verizon and AT&T challenged $100 million in penalties, arguing the FCC's process was unconstitutional, but the Court ruled the fines could be ordered without immediate payment.

A dredging project near Port Everglades faces a lawsuit from environmental groups alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act. The project, which involves creating a 10.8-acre offshore pit for sand bypassing, is criticized for threatening endangered staghorn coral populations. Previous dredging projects, such as the 2013 Port Miami expansion, have caused significant coral damage.

Environmentalists opposed Trump administration proposals to weaken coal ash cleanup regulations at former coal plants, criticizing the move as a threat to drinking water. The administration aims to repeal a Biden-era rule requiring utility monitoring of coal ash sites and shift enforcement to states.

Power the Future, a pro-energy advocacy group, is urging Congress to investigate opposition to data centers, alleging that millions in funding from billionaires and potentially foreign sources are fueling environmental nonprofits' campaigns. The group highlights organizations like the Sierra Club and Earthjustice, which it claims are misallocating resources to block data center construction, arguing such infrastructure is critical for U.S. economic and national security.

Power the Future, an energy advocacy group, urges Congress to investigate opposition to data centers, alleging it is funded by billionaires and foreign-backed entities. The group cites nonprofits like the Sierra Club and Earthjustice, which have received millions in donations to oppose data center expansions, arguing such infrastructure is critical for U.S. economic and national security.

Power the Future, a pro-energy advocacy group, alleges that wealthy foreigners and billionaires are funding anti-data center campaigns in the U.S. through nonprofits, urging Congress to investigate. The group claims these efforts threaten critical AI and infrastructure development, while environmental organizations argue data centers harm local communities.

The NAACP filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI, alleging illegal toxic emissions from a datacenter in Southaven, Mississippi, which violates the Clean Air Act. The suit claims unpermitted methane gas generators are polluting Black communities near Memphis, with environmental groups supporting the NAACP's legal action.