Aug 07, 2022

U.S. Senate Passes Groundbreaking Climate Bill

“It’s no coincidence that this bill is moving forward at a time when large swaths of the country are baking in yet another heatwave,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “The IRA will help us slash emissions and bolster the country’s clean energy efforts to respond to the climate crisis at our doorsteps. However, this bill still doesn’t get us to where we need to be, so state action to reduce emissions is going to be critical in the years ahead.” 

Jul 29, 2022

Federal Proposal Aims to Protect Endangered Right Whales From Ship Strikes

“Given the glacial pace of new right whale protections over the last decade, immediately curtailing the second biggest threat to their existence would be a game-changer,” said Erica Fuller, senior attorney at Conservation Law Foundation. “This proposed rule is a major step forward, but there’s a five-month gap in protection south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket that should be addressed. Federal officials must now get these protections in place on the water as quickly as possible and effectively enforce them.”

A right whale swimming off the coast of New England
Jul 13, 2022

The Supreme Court’s Recent Blow to National Climate Action Spurs Our Fight Locally

The Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia is a setback, to be sure. But it is also a reminder of the importance of action at the regional, state, and local levels – action that we have been leading here in New England for more than a decade as we waited – and waited – for federal climate rules to come into play.

Trump's Clean Power Plan Replacement would worsen climate and air pollution
Jul 11, 2022

The Truth About “Advanced Recycling” Systems

So-called “advanced recycling” is a ruse. The term is part of a larger disinformation – or greenwashing – campaign. That campaign’s goal: to distract lawmakers and the public from real solutions to the world’s plastic crisis.

Flames
Jun 30, 2022

Supreme Court Deals Severe Blow to EPA

“The Supreme Court’s new majority has hobbled EPA’s ability to reduce pollution from power plants, expanding an obscure doctrine into an all-purpose tool for the Court to stop agencies from acting on the most significant threats to human health and the environment,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell.  “By arbitrarily limiting EPA’s explicit and broad authority under the Clean Air Act to require the use of less polluting systems, the Court has consigned millions of Americans to more illness, shorter lives, and greater poverty in an overheated climate, while giving itself nearly unlimited authority to invalidate protections and safeguards intended by Congress.”  

smoke stack emissions
Jun 27, 2022

Wind farm, environmentalists agree on ways to protect whales

“The vessel speed restrictions and adaptive management measures agreed to by South Fork Wind will go a long way toward protecting these whales from being injured or killed by project vessels,” said Priscilla Brooks, vice president and director of ocean conservation at the Conservation Law Foundation.

May 20, 2022

President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative Promises to Tackle Climate Injustice – But It Needs to Do Better for Communities of Color

New federal and state laws and policies require government agencies to invest in environmental justice populations. The details behind these requirements must recognize the primary predictor to experience environmental burdens: race. CLF is working to ensure that government investments reach the populations who have endured the brunt of pollution and other consequences of climate change.

Joe Biden speaks to a crowd
May 20, 2022

CLF Intervenes in Clean Car Standards Case

“Strong vehicle emissions standards are critical to tackling the climate crisis given that transportation is the nation’s largest source of polluting emissions,” said CLF attorney James Crowley. “Toxic tailpipe pollution wreaks havoc on our health, air quality, and climate. It’s time we act. The Biden Administration made the right call in restoring California’s ability to set stricter standards, and we’re defending the rights for other states to follow suit”

Clean car standards are good for our health, good for the environment, and good for our wallets.
Apr 13, 2022

Global Plastic Treaty Can be a Bold Step in Turning Off the Plastic Tap

For too long, the world has treated plastic as a waste disposal problem. But plastic pollutes from the moment we extract fossil fuels from the ground. To truly tackle this crisis, we need to stop plastic production at its source. And the UN plastic treaty can do just that – on a global scale.

globe in plastic packaging