Crossposted from Facing South. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule this week requiring power plants in 27 states in the eastern half of the U.S.
By Ariella Cohen, crossposted from The Lens. In January 2002, a mound of powdery chemical catalyst used to make gasoline collapsed on a worker doing routine cleanup at the Marathon Ashland Petroleum refinery in Garyville, La.
At the last minute I planned a friendly gathering in Gulfport, Mississippi for the July 4th weekend. Well, it ended up just being myself and my friend, fellow Mississippi Gulf Coast activist Laurel Lockamy. That was alright with us, because we accomplished what we set out to do: to inform, educate and possibly save a child or someone from getting sick from being in the waters of our Gulf.
This is an expanded version of a story originally published on The Loop21 Black news and opinion website. In New Orleans’ federal courthouse, five police officers are currently facing charges of killing unarmed Black civilians and conspiring for more than four years to cover-up their crime.
An uproar of local angry fishermen spoke out about sea turtle deaths yesterday at a public scoping meeting on Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
Editor's note: Today, a guest bloggerexplains some of the legal obstacles and opportunities for whistleblowers in the BP disaster. Lindsey Williams of the National Whistleblowers Center describes how a law signed by Abraham Lincoln could be used to protect whistleblowers on the Gulf Coast, and make negligent corporations pay.
One year has passed since the announcement was made that the oil had stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. I remember that day explicitly because it was the same day I went on national television and asked, demanded really, that the President come down and meet with the people being affected.
Originally published on TheLoop21.com. A year ago today, BP capped the blown-out Macondo well, stopping the flood of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
A year ago to the day, I attended a packed town hall meeting deep in the Louisiana bayou featuring newly-hired BP claims administrator Ken Feinberg. The faces in the crowd were diverse and anxious; Cajun, Vietnamese, African American, all pressed together in the sweltering heat, trying to find out how to salvage their lives after the worst oil spill in history.
I would like to speak to the care and keeping of you, especially if you had previously decided to pick up the call, in some way, of the care and keeping of the people of Earth.
Rethink is a non-profit organization that brings youth voice into changing New Orleans' public schools. This summer we studied health epidemics ---- childhood obesity and type II diabetes ---- and came up with our own solutions. Take a look!
Over the last few months people across this great Gulf, and nation, have been organizing. I wish to make you aware of not only the effort, but of the possibility of your part in it, should you decide to answer the call.
The intent of the below actions are to be all-inclusive. The reason for that is, as my friend Fritzi said recently, “Sticks in a bundle cannot be broken”. There is a way for you to participate in saving the Gulf and her people - and further our world.
In the Times Picayune today, Norris Henderson writes about how the Jim Crow-era charter that governs the New Orleans City Council threatens democracy in the city.
Crossposted from HealthyGulf.org. Whew! After months of negotiations, wrangling and missteps, a Senate bill has finally been introduced to use BP's clean water act fines to jumpstart restoratio
In the aftermath of BP oil drilling disaster, it seemed that an overwhelming (albeit needed) amount of attention was given to restoring the environment, protecting animals, and the money – always the money. Very little attention was given to actually providing health care to people impacted by the oil disaster or the response to the disaster.
This new statement by the Women’s Health & Justice Initiative condemns the irresponsible and demeaning use of drug testing to police the lives of welfare recipients. We urge you to use the statement, and credit us, when addressing these intersecting issues, even if your political work is not centered around low-income women or women of color.
The Manchester neighborhood in Houston is completely surrounded by Valero, Texas Recycling, a car crushing facility, the Port of Houston, Highway 610, a rail yard and a waste water treatment plant. These are two aerial photos of the Manchester community that my dad, Juan Parras, took a few years ago. The area in green is of course Manchester. The third image is a shot of the Houston Ship Channel.
This was originally posted on 
At the last minute I planned a friendly gathering in Gulfport, Mississippi for the July 4th weekend. Well, it ended up just being myself and my friend, fellow Mississippi Gulf Coast activist Laurel Lockamy. That was alright with us, because we accomplished what we set out to do: to inform, educate and possibly save a child or someone from getting sick from being in the waters of our Gulf. 
This is an expanded version of a story originally published on 
An uproar of local angry fishermen spoke out about sea turtle deaths yesterday at a public scoping meeting on Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 
Editor's note: Today, a guest blogger explains some of the legal obstacles and opportunities for whistleblowers in the BP disaster. Lindsey Williams of the 
One year has passed since the announcement was made that the oil had stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. I remember that day explicitly because it was the same day I went on national television and asked, demanded really, that the President come down and meet with the people being affected. 
Originally published on TheLoop21.com
I would like to speak to the care and keeping of you, especially if you had previously decided to pick up the call, in some way, of the care and keeping of the people of Earth. 
Over the last few months people across this great Gulf, and nation, have been organizing. I wish to make you aware of not only the effort, but of the possibility of your part in it, should you decide to answer the call. 
Crossposted from 
In the aftermath of BP oil drilling disaster, it seemed that an overwhelming (albeit needed) amount of attention was given to restoring the environment, protecting animals, and the money – always the money. Very little attention was given to actually providing health care to people impacted by the oil disaster or the response to the disaster.
This new statement by the 
The Manchester neighborhood in Houston is completely surrounded by Valero, Texas Recycling, a car crushing facility, the Port of Houston, Highway 610, a rail yard and a waste water treatment plant. These are two aerial photos of the Manchester community that my dad, Juan Parras, took a few years ago. The area in green is of course Manchester. The third image is a shot of the Houston Ship Channel.