environmental justice


Photo by Justin McAfee on Unsplash

Michigan Should Reject DTE’s Integrated Resource Plan, Here’s Why

, lead Midwest energy analyst

December 10, 2019 10:09 AM EDT

After hundreds of pages of expert testimony (including testimony from UCS), thousands of public comments, and two rounds of legal briefing, a Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) administrative law judge will issue a recommended decision later this month on whether DTE’s integrated resource plan should be rejected, modified, or approved. UCS and numerous other stakeholders are urging the MPSC to reject DTE’s flawed resource plan and direct the company to redo its analysis. Here’s why. Read more >

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Residentes of East Boston protesting Eversource's proposed substation GreenRoots

Open Letter Demands Clean Energy Alternative to Risky Eversource Substation

, energy analyst

December 5, 2019 1:56 PM EDT

En español

This is the fourth of a four-part blog series on East Boston, a Controversial Substation, and Opportunities for a Clean Energy Transition.  

In recent weeks via this blog we have explored a proposal from Boston-area electric utility Eversource to locate a risky high-voltage substation in a densely populated neighborhood in East Boston. We have covered the characteristics of East Boston and the range of environmental justice issues it faces, the community’s concerns around the project, and our own analysis of a local clean energy alternative.

This blog post is aimed at the decision-makers who are tasked with determining the wisdom of allowing the project to proceed, or of requiring more information and a more reality-based exploration of risks and opportunities. Below is an open letter from Juan Ramos, a Union of Concerned Scientists colleague and a resident of East Boston, asking the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) to listen to the people of East Boston; to base their decision on up-to-date, transparent, and sufficient data; and not to approve the current substation proposal from Eversource. Add your name to this open letter! Read more >

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It’s (Been) Time to Uplift the Voices of Marginalized Communities

, Research Analyst

November 22, 2019 9:35 AM EDT

What prevents the members of impacted communities from playing a more prominent role in the policymaking process? Why are politicians from America, a nation that prides itself on liberty and justice for all, so unable to listen to and tap the vast wealth of knowledge and lived experiences that are found in marginalized communities and respond accordingly? The answer is that, in many cases, dismissing the needs, wants, and aspirations of underserved communities is what our system is founded on and has evolved to do – it is our de facto norm. And the effect of this normal system is the polluting and poisoning of the land, water, and air for millions of marginalized individuals across the nation. Read more >

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Pixnio

The Terrible Thing about EPA’s Restricted Science Rule that We Aren’t Talking About

, Research Analyst

November 15, 2019 12:51 PM EDT

Alarmingly, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attempting to choke off the science that can be considered in the policymaking process in a way that will almost certainly hamper the efforts to monitor and protect people from environmental health hazards throughout the US, but especially in underserved communities. The EPA is about to release a new supplement to its restricted science rule, which will pose incredible harm to the science used throughout the agency and could result in endless analyses at the EPA that stop science-based decisionmaking in its tracks. Read more >

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KTRK via AP

Our Unhealthy Democracy: A New Report and a Call to Action

, Kendall Science Fellow

November 12, 2019 9:54 AM EDT

In a new analysis being released a year out from the 2020 election, the Center for Science and Democracy is recognizing and responding to the erosion of our democratic institutions. Our Unhealthy Democracy: How Voting Restrictions Harm Public Health—and What We Can Do about It, explores the link between electoral representation and constituent health outcomes and finds that disenfranchisement is associated with poor health outcomes. Read more >

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