When the Supreme Court further hollowed out the Voting Rights Act this spring, it augured a historic loss of civic power for Black communities. And with that comes a further blow — to progress on the environment. For as Voices of Environmental Justice columnist Yessenia Funes explains, key to climate policy are Black voters, and the Black legislators they bring into office.
"The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced that all immigrant detainees have been transferred out of a Florida detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz, effectively shuttering the controversial facility." "The facility, located near the Everglade wetlands, has drawn human rights concerns and lawsuits over its conditions."
"In a court filing backing Elon Musk’s AI company, the Trump administration said the federal government can stop Americans from suing over air pollution."
"Residents of West Oakland, which suffers from toxic waste and high pollution rates, rally against a coal export facility"
"The Trump administration urged a federal court on Monday to dismiss an environmental lawsuit against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, saying the company’s Grok government model and the data centers that power it are crucial to national security. The NAACP alleges that xAI has rushed to build and continue expanding its Colossus Gas Plant in vulnerable and heavily Black communities near the Tennessee-Mississippi border without legally required permits or pollution controls."
"The decision voided the EPA guidance to terminate the $2.8 billion grant program. But it stopped short of requiring the agency to resume administering it."
"In this rural Alabama community, some residents can’t flush their toilets. Developers want to build a state-of-the-art data center next door."
“Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee wants to overhaul the National Historic Preservation Act. That may be a step too far for many Democrats.”
“EPA and Justice Department officials were looking into potential criminal violations by the vast coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice. Then the Office of the Deputy Attorney General told them ‘pencils down.’”
