To rewrite NEPA, the CEQ held only two public hearings, one in Washington DC and the other in Denver. Despite its limited personal commitment, the agency has received more than 1.1 million comments and is required to review them under the CEQ Directive. However, the agency continued the rewritten rule four months later. « The National Environmental Policy Act is the basic legislation that helps affected communities protect special places from poorly designed infrastructure projects such as pipelines and dams. For two decades, the Alabama Rivers Alliance has engaged in the NEPA process to amplify the voices of ordinary people who defend their own lands and waters. The current government`s attempt to overturn 50 years of fundamental environmental rights is an illegal and transparent gift to industry; Another attack on the environment to hit and defeat. We are proud to be part of this important legal challenge to stop these irresponsible setbacks. – Jack West, Director of Policy, Alabama Rivers Alliance. The Court of Appeals saw through Vectren`s plan and accepted the legal arguments of Brad Klein, ELPC`s senior counsel, and our partners Citizens Action Coalition, Vote Solar, Solar United Neighbors, Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counsel, Solarize Indiana and Indiana DG Alliance.
The court found that the Indiana Commission ignored the plain meaning of the current law and inappropriately accepted Vectren`s arguments against solar policy. The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) and the Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) have filed a lawsuit against ArcelorMittal for more than 100 permit violations at its steel mill in Burns Harbor, Indiana. ArcelorMittal`s steel plant is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and adjacent to Indiana Dunes National Park. This steel mill directs pollution to the east arm of the Little Calumet River, which flows directly into Lake Michigan. The lawsuit against ElPC and HEC is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. ELPC runs a number of environmental programs: The Burns Harbor steel mill was owned by ArcelorMittal when ELPC lawyers filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of ELPC and HEC plaintiffs in 2019. The plant has exceeded its Clean Water Act permit limits for releasing ammonia and cyanide dozens of times, including a devastating spill in August 2019 that killed thousands of fish and closed Lake Michigan beaches. Pollution from the steel mill flows into the eastern arm of the Little Calumet River, which flows directly into Lake Michigan. « NEPA has been an important tool in protecting our rivers and communities. We will continue to work with our partners to combat this misguided and illegal removal of one of our country`s most important environmental laws.
– Bill Stangler, Congaree Sentinel. Transport infrastructure can be incredibly expensive and environmentally destructive. New highways can not only damage critical natural resources, but also encourage widespread development that causes further damage while undermining the city`s tax base. In 2012, we stopped the Prairie Parkway, protecting farmland and reducing urban sprawl in Kane, Kendall and Grundy counties in Illinois. In 2002 and 2004, we blocked highways near Petoskey & Traverse City to protect the forests, wetlands, and bustling downtowns of northern Michigan. After nearly a decade of struggle, we successfully blocked the expansion of Route 53 in Chicago`s northern suburbs to protect wetlands, prevent flooding, and save drivers costly tolls. The fastest and most cost-effective way to reduce our environmental impact is simply to use less energy. ELPC ensures that energy efficiency is properly assessed and calculated in tariff cases, supply mergers and long-term energy planning. We also adopt policies and programs to make our homes and businesses more efficient, including: the 2004 and 2009 Illinois Effective Building Codes; the Rural Energy Program for America (REAP) (2002-present); Property Assess Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs, which allow homeowners to pay for their energy investments through their property taxes; and smart thermostat partnerships with Utilities ComEd (IL) and Dominion Energy (OH). CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – A group of 17 environmental organizations in a lawsuit today accused the government of carrying out an industry-friendly rewrite of the National Environmental Policy Act by « cutting corners » and rejecting decades of rule-making guidelines that ensure major legislative changes are made in a fair and transparent manner.
Because of the legal challenge to an ELSC, the state of Iowa had to approve new « anti-degradation » rules, regulations that require communities to make the most « environmentally friendly » decisions, regardless of the cost of improving infrastructure. The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) is a non-profit environmental organization based in the Midwest with offices in Chicago, Columbus (OH), Des Moines (IA), Duluth (MN), Jamestown (ND), Madison (WI), Sioux Falls (SD) and Washington, DC. ELPC`s mission is to drive environmental progress and economic development throughout the Midwest through projects that promote clean energy, clean air, clean water and clean transportation. [1] Work with the Illinois Governor`s Office and the Illinois EPA to develop and adopt a mercury pollution reduction rule, one of the strictest in the country, after building a strong environmental and health coalition to support the adoption of these new standards. We use a combination of tactics to support our mission and work to make our vision of the future a reality. We engage in litigation in the public interest to ensure that existing water laws are enforced. In collaboration with government agencies, we inform water use decisions to leverage the best available science and focus on environmental impacts. We bring together partner organizations and individuals from across the state to advocate for legislation that protects our waters.
We work with key legislators to develop laws and policies that shape a sustainable and environmentally just future for all. We educate citizens and Washington officials about the threats to our watersheds – the rivers, streams, lakes and aquifers that eventually flow into Puget Sound – and foster a sense of responsibility in our communities. Bell Smith Springs is a beautiful part of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, where streams have spawned interesting rock formations and natural springs form large pools of crystal clear water. In the 1990s, the U.S. Forest Service planned a major clearcut for this popular area, which would accelerate soil erosion and reverse decades of previous restoration work. ELSC rushed to the federal courthouse and obtained an injunction to stop logging. The court agreed to stop logging until the Forest Service conducted a thorough environmental scan under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which showed how harmful logging would have been. The project was permanently suspended and Bell Smith Springs was saved. For nearly three decades, the Center for Environmental Law & Policy has been the supreme watchdog and defender of water rights and resources in Washington State. Washington`s water resources have been transferred. Hundreds of streams and rivers are affected by the lack of power.
Nationally, more than two dozen salmon species are listed as endangered, and the lack of adequate river flows is a limiting factor in recovery. Climate change is making matters worse, as rising temperatures have led to a decrease in snowpack, melting glaciers, and more frequent and prolonged droughts. These conditions make CALP`s work to promote the sustainable use of our water resources essential, as we are the only national organization working full-time to change water policy. Interfering with a federal lawsuit to force Dynegy Midwest Generation to implement modern pollution controls for its coal-fired power plants in southern Illinois.