Environment: September 2009 Archives

Cross-posted from Air America:

After generations of seeing their habitat ravaged by industrial pollution, one Native American community in the Midwest is reclaiming sovereignty over the air they breathe.

A federal appeals court has ruled that a Wisconsin-based Native American community has the right to enjoy a higher standard of clean air under federal environmental regulations, compared to the neighboring state of Michigan.

Judge Diane Wood explains in the decision why Native communities--as long as they are relegated to separate parcels of land and under assault from various pollution sources--should be able to push for separate standards under the Clean Air Act:

The cultural and religious traditions of the Forest County Potawatomi Community... often require the use of pure natural resources derived from a clean environment. Many years ago, the Community became alarmed by increasing pollution levels in its lakes, wetlands, and forests.

Van Jones, special adviser on green jobs to President Obama, has resigned.

The text of his statement follows:

I am resigning my post at the Council on Environmental Quality, effective today.

On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide.

I have been inundated with calls - from across the political spectrum - urging me to "stay and fight."

But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future.

It has been a great honor to serve my country and my President in this capacity. I thank everyone who has offered support and encouragement. I am proud to have been able to make a contribution to the clean energy future. I will continue to do so, in the months and years ahead.

What do you think about how this went down?

You may not have heard of Dickson, Tennessee, but this weekend, the town is center stage in the movement for environmental justice. Civil rights leaders gathered there for a national summit on environmental racism to highlight environmental health issues facing communities of color.

The location was a pointed choice. For about a decade, the town of about 12,000 has been at the center of an environmental lawsuit involving a local family and a contaminated landfill, which is just a stone's throw from dozens of homes in a mostly Black community. The Holts claim that family members have been plagued by health problems due to a toxin from the landfill, trichloroethylene (TCE). Sheila Holt-Orsted and Beatrice Holt, together with the Natural Resources Defense Council, are suing the County alleging that the chemical has poisoned their water system and should be held accountable for the family's struggles with cancer and other ailments.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has a mandate to support “fair treatment for people of all races, cultures, and incomes, regarding the development of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” But the challenge runs much deeper than regulatory statutes or a contaminated well.