Some of the most pressing environmental issues facing the South are now being debated in Congress. What’s at stake for our region in measures before the House and Senate? Who’s behind them? Will they make it to the floor in this session? Find out from Public Lands leader David Carr and Legislative Director Nat Mund.
Did you know that if the Southeast were viewed as a country, it would rank seventh in the world for its contribution to global warming? Our region now has the responsibility - and the opportunity - to chart a new course that could help solve the growing global warming problem. See what SELC is doing today to improve air quality and reduce the Southeast's impact on global climate change.
The South is a special - and especially threatened - region. Watch our introduction to the Southern Environmental Law Center, and learn how we are using law and policy advocacy to protect the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the special places you love.
Get the inside story on SELC's unanimous Supreme Court victory against Duke Energy. SELC attorneys Blan Holman and Cale Jaffe will summarize key points of SELC's Duke Energy case - along with a favorable 5-4 ruling handed down the same day concerning the government’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide. Together, these two decisions strongly affirm the intent and power of the Clean Air Act in the face of government rollbacks and industry noncompliance and delay.
Grab a front row seat to hear about SELC's pivotal Supreme Court case against Duke Energy. For decades, due to a loophole in the Clean Air Act, utilities across the country have continued to operate old, outdated power plants without modern pollution controls - allowing each facility to belch out four to ten times more pollution than a modern plant. What questions were asked at our November 1st hearing? By which Justices? What might happen next in this make-or-break case for healthier air?
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains the largest unbroken roadless area east of the Mississippi in federal hands and is a national treasure recognized worldwide for its plant and animal diversity. But the National Park Service is now evaluating a proposal to cut a 34-mile road through its heart. Get the inside story from SELC attorney DJ Gerken and learn how SELC is helping to protect our country's most visited national park.
Tailpipes and smokestacks are the two major sources of air pollution in the South. Nearly 20 million people in the Southeast live with unhealthy air - and chances are you’re one of them, since more than 130 counties throughout our region fail to meet federal standards for ozone and soot pollution. Find out how SELC is helping reduce air pollution across the Southeast by moving our region ahead of weakening federal standards.
A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court came dangerously close to stripping federal protection from millions of acres of wetlands across the country. While that bullet has been dodged - for now - a split decision by the High Court has left the fate of our wetlands uncertain. Listen in as Derb Carter, director of SELC's NC/SC office and head of our wetlands program, takes an in-depth look at the Court's decision and its implications for the future of wetlands protection in the South.
