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Environmental Justice News
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U.S. Rep. Doug Collins and Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens are pushing legislation in hopes of stopping a tactic environmental groups sometimes use to get stricter regulations known as “sue and settle.” GreenLaw's Stephanie Benfield weighs in.
On Monday, June 10, 2013, a Metro-Atlanta Energy Equity Forum, “Equity Matters”, will be co-hosted by seven, Georgia-based non-profits with the goal of developing mutually beneficial strategies for energy equity in the region.
Fifty years ago, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution carried an article entitled “Jekyll at the Crossroads,” which staked the future of Jekyll Island on the interpretation of the state law limiting development of Jekyll Island to 35 percent of the land area that lies above mean high tide.
A broad group of consumer and environmental advocates, business officials and nonprofit leaders urged Georgia Power to add more renewable energy to its electricity mix over the next two decades.
Although the 65/35 law does not define “land,” Georgia’s Coastal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970 is quite specific in distinguishing between uplands and marshes. Under that law, marshes are neither “land” nor eligible for active use or development, except for strictly limited purposes.
The Jekyll Island Authority is embroiled in an argument with a task force it appointed as part of its update of the island’s master plan.
Jekyll Island Master Plan will be greatly influenced by Georgia’s Attorney General’s opinion of whether marsh can be defined as “land”. Two ways to help preserve Jekyll Island with your voice are outlined.
GreenLaw's environmental justice attorney, MaKara Rumley, spoke at a recent symposium about how the production and consumption of energy affects communities of color. Read more from the cleanenergy.org blog.
The Stone Mountain-Lithonia Patch covered the Dec. 18 EPD public hearing regarding a proposed biomass facility. GreenLaw encouraged residents to attend and is leading the fight against added pollution in DeKalb County.
December 15, 2012: Former Lithonia Mayor Marcia G. Hunter speaks out in the Crossroads News about the pollution from a proposed biomass plant.
CrossRoadsNews, June 15, 2012: In comments filed to the EPD on Green Energy Partners application for an air permit to operate the facility, GreenLaw and Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment (CHASE) said the developer underestimated the amount of pollution the $60 million plant will emit.
Citing clean air and public health concerns, Wednesday GreenLaw filed a petition with the EPA, urging the agency to revise the Title V Operating Permit for Southern Power’s Plant Wansley in Heard County, Ga.
Updates on the proposed biomass facility near Lithonia, GA
Update May 2012: Atlanta City Councilmember Joyce Shepherd recently lead an effort to clean up 30,000 discarded tires in a single day. She also heads up the City of Atlanta Tire Commission. GreenLaw is working with the Tire Commission to present the recommendations to Mayor Reed and the Atlanta City Council.
Atlanta, GA - On May 2, 2012, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution urging the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to take swift action to develop, implement, and enforce regulations and policies to promote environmental justice for the citizens of Fulton County and the entire State of Georgia. The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Emma I. Darnell, was drafted after the release of a report on pollution in the metro Atlanta area from the Georgia environmental organization, GreenLaw.
A new study by the environmental advocacy group GreenLaw identified two sections of Douglas County among the five biggest pollution hot spots in metro Atlanta.
The year-long study also found an issue with the high pollution spots — all were located in areas with a large minority population or high percentage of people who don't speak English.
JOHN BACHMAN: Poor metro Atlanta neighborhoods attract more pollution, that’s according to new research we got today. It highlights 52 air, water and toxic release pollution points throughout in the metro, and a lot of them are in areas where people simply can’t fight to stop the pollution problem from growing.
Charles Edwards for WABE: An environmental advocacy group looked at the problem of pollution in 14 counties in Metro Atlanta.
The results released today highlight 5 areas with more sources of pollution than anywhere else in the region. Researchers say pollution is not the only thing they have in common.
Thomas Wheatley for Creative Loafing: It's not a shocker but it's still depressing to see: According to a new report (PDF) by an environmental law firm and advocacy group, metro Atlanta's minorities, people living on low incomes, and families who speak a language other than English are more likely to live near and be affected by pollution than whites and those with higher incomes. And in contrast to the federal government, the state lags behind when it comes to addressing such environmental justice issues.
Learn about the Patterns of Pollution in metro Atlanta. The report analyzes publicly available information to identify eight types of air, water, and land pollution and compares this pollution information with demographic data on people living in the 14-county region.
On Monday, March 26, GreenLaw and NewFields released a new report, Patterns of Pollution:A Report on Demographics and Pollution in Metro Atlanta
UPDATE: On March 20th, the PSC approved the decertification (retirement) of Plant Branch Units 1 and 2. GreenLaw has let the Georgia Public Service Commission know that Georgia Power isn't going far enough by retiring two aging coal-fired units at Plant Branch near Milledgeville. Georgia Power has proposed the retirement of Plant Branch Units 1 and 2. Based on Georgia Power’s own analysis, additional pollution controls that are required to meet public health standards would render the operation of these units uneconomical. However, Georgia Power is requesting that the PSC approve four power purchase agreements to add a total of 1,562 MWs to its portfolio but is simultaneously deferring the decision to retire several other coal units that are old and uneconomical. Even Georgia Power admits that this would create excess capacity.
GreenLaw is a founding member of the new advocacy group, Georgians for Pastured Poultry (GPP), a coalition made up of Georgia-based farmers, chefs, animal welfare advocates, environmentalists, and health care professionals. GPP released a white paper showing the damage chicken factories are having on the state.
September 15, 2011 - Moody's Investor Services gave DeKalb County some good news Wednesday -- a favorable bond rating for the $412 million it plans to borrow to start upgrading its water-sewer system. Read what GreenLaw attorney David Deganian has to say about it.
GreenLaw is currently engaged in a comprehensive study of the metro-Atlanta area. These efforts are focused on evaluating pollution sources, demographics and a number of other environmental factors and how these factors correlate. Once the study is completed, the report will be released to the general public in an effort to inform communities in Atlanta and surrounding areas of their exposure to toxic pollutants. Coinciding with the report’s release, we will also be unveiling a user-friendly webpage that will allow you to view the pollution sources in your area and to determine if they’ve been complying with the law. It’s anticipated that the report and website will be released in Fall 2011.
DeKalb County's sewer system has repeatedly spilled sewage into local streams and waters. GreenLaw provided detailed comments on a proposed settlement and moved to intervene in the federal lawsuit between DeKalb County and the federal government over these spills.
April 7, 2011 – Today, the South River Watershed Alliance (Alliance), represented by public interest attorneys from GreenLaw, took steps to ensure that the DeKalb residents harmed by years of illegal sewer overflows from DeKalb County will have a seat at the table as regulators finalize a deal with the County on how to fix the ailing sewer system.
While all have a right to live in a clean and healthy environment, the truth is that many do not have equal access to clean air, water, and land. Those without access to these fundamental resources are disproportionately minority and low-income communities. The inequities are particularly disturbing in the Atlanta metropolitan area. For example, Fulton County is home to sixty hazardous waste sites, yet the average number of hazardous sites in any given Georgia county is three. The Metro-Atlanta Environmental Justice Project is bringing needed resources to the most disadvantaged communities by providing education, advocacy and legal representation to stop illegal pollution and protect public health.
January 19, 2011 – Representing six community organizations with interests in the quality of DeKalb County’s waters, GreenLaw attorneys today filed an official public comment urging a stronger Consent Decree between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DeKalb County. While applauding the overall direction of the improvements outlined in the Consent Decree negotiated in December, the citizen groups point out a number of serious omissions in the Decree that weaken its effectiveness as a tool to enforce compliance with environmental protections that DeKalb County has neglected over many years.
By Joseph E. Lowery
January 17, 2010 - “Somehow the forces of justice stand on the side of the universe, so that you can’t ultimately trample over God’s children and profit by it.” — Martin Luther King Jr., “The Birth of a New Nation,” April 7, 1957
I believe that [King] would be crying out against any coal-fired plants, rising anew or already operating, because they spew dangerous pollutants into the air and drain our precious waters. I believe he would be a mighty force in convincing us that coal plants are no longer needed in our beloved Georgia — or anywhere else.
May 2, 2009 - GreenLaw and Georgia Appleseed, with the help of Liberty County resident Meredith Devendorf, are organizing a legal seminar to address the complex issues facing African-American heirs to property in coastal Georgia. Knowing their rights and responsibilities will enable the descendants of slaves who were granted land by General Sherman’s 1865 Field Order, to defend their property in the face of the onslaught of pressures from complex inheritance laws as well as exploitation by real estate developers and industrial facilities.
Working with the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory School of Law, GreenLaw has created a guide just for you in your efforts to protect your community from illegal and unhealthy pollution. Please review this guide for an overview of the laws that apply in Georgia and steps you can take to clean up your community.
A Citizen’s Guide to Environmental Protection and Justice in Georgia
Download Handbook
Learn more about the environmental justice legislation, litigation and issues.
People of color and low-income Americans often suffer disproportionately from the effects of toxic pollution. In the last twenty years, significant evidence has emerged relating to the placement of landfills, truck depots, and incinerators in low-income neighborhoods; the disproportionate impact of air pollution on inner-city urban residents; and the high incidence of lead poisoning in Latino and African-American children. GreenLaw works to make the application and enforcement of Georgia’s environmental laws protect all Georgians equally.
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