Insights

Plastics Litigation Tracker

Updated 10.3.22
Launched 7.15.22

The Plastics Litigation Tracker tracks cases addressing plastics across federal and state courts, including resolved and pending cases. The tracker will be updated as cases are resolved and new cases are filed.

WOTUS, SCOTUS, and Pigs, Oh My!

The Supreme Court is starting up its new term next week. What is on its environmental docket, you ask? Could it be bigger than last year? Quite possibly!

EJ Statutes Grow at the State Level

Several states have started to address the disproportionate and inequitable effects that their low-income and minority communities have long faced through new statutes that impose permitting limits or enshrine additional environmental review requirements.

EJ Issue to Watch: Governor Hochul Sitting on Passed Cumulative Impact Analysis Bill

Student Blog Series

The passage of New York’s cumulative impacts analysis bill by the state legislature in April 2022 was heralded by environmental justice groups as groundbreaking. If Governor Hochul signs the bill, New York can pave the way toward environmental equity in the state.

FERC Judicial Review Tracker

Updated 9.1.22
Launched 2.14.22

This tracker collects court decisions reviewing orders of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and includes the underlying orders in each case, information about the commissioner composition, and the outcome of judicial review. The tracker also includes brief analysis of the data.

Who will protect communities of color from climate disaster?

"Communities of color cannot bear mistreatment any longer. We look forward to the [FERC] commissioners’ visit to Texas and Louisiana, where they will see firsthand all that hangs in the balance for our children, our communities and our future."

No Longer a Major Question About the Court’s New Direction

September-October 2022 • This past term, the Supreme Court had a chance to remake environmental law—and it took that opportunity.

How the Biden Administration is Shaping State AG Enforcement Efforts

Student Blog Series

Eighteen months into Biden’s presidency, it is clear that there has been a significant shift within environmental work by state attorneys general.

Can Crypto Mining Ever Go Green?

Student Blog Series

Even as the crypto market fluctuates dramatically, it seems the industry is here to stay. This begs the question: now what? With our climate in crisis and that future at risk, crypto-billionaires and climate activists alike need to find common ground in sustainable, renewable-fueled crypto.

It's Gettin' Hot in Here: Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Islands

Heat islands create a multitude of issues, such as health problems, increased energy consumption and related costs, and various ecological issues. Many are working on solutions to this growing concern.

Something’s in the Water: Litigation and Community Action Against Polluting Industrial Farms

Student Blog Series

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are disproportionately placed in EJ communities. This is an area where states have a lot of potential to change the environmental landscape positively.

Environmental Justice in the Sunshine State

Student Blog Series

The state of Florida has a wide range of pressing environmental challenges that disproportionately affect underserved communities. This post covers the three issues at the forefront of Florida’s EJ battle, and highlights EJ activism in the state.