“Wood-burning power plants spew harmful emissions that poison the air in surrounding communities,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “They worsen asthma and other respiratory conditions and set us back in reaching our mandatory climate goals. Industrial biomass plants don’t belong in any community, and it’s time for the Commonwealth to stop providing subsidies for toxic power that is hardly renewable.”
“We cannot allow this downward spiral to continue,” said Erica Fuller, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Like the now extinct passenger pigeon, scientists are getting better and better at counting fewer and fewer whales. It’s time to stop pointing fingers and put meaningful protections in place so whales are no longer needlessly killed by boats and fishing gear. Right whales can recover; we just need to stop killing them.”
“Small businesses that serve low-income communities have been left to fend for themselves for too long,” said Darrèll Brown, vice president and director of CLF Rhode Island. “SCLT’s tireless work to make healthy food available to these neighborhoods is absolutely a mission worth supporting. This investment will lead to healthier communities throughout Rhode Island, which is a win for everyone.”
“The EPA’s new plan is a key, first step in the battle to protect communities from these dangerous chemicals,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “But PFAS-type compounds of varying names are still being created, used, and released into the environment. The government must go further to stop this assembly line of ‘forever chemicals’ and hold the manufacturers accountable for the widespread contamination of the nation’s air, land, and water.”
“We’re at a critical point in determining the future of Vermont,” said Elena Mihaly, Vice President CLF Vermont. “Now is the time to do our part to slash climate emissions, prepare our communities to be resilient in the face of the climate crisis, and ensure our natural resources are protected. I’m eager to get to work leading CLF’s efforts in the State House and the courtroom here in Vermont.”
“Companies must be held responsible when they violate environmental laws and threaten public health,” said Heather Govern, Vice President and Director of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “This settlement will reduce children’s exposure to toxic exhaust and ensure cleaner air in Connecticut. It’s time we end unlawful idling and transition away from polluting gas-powered buses.”
“It’s so important that local businesses serving low-income and minority communities have access to affordable financing,” said Maggie Super Church, Vice President of Healthy and Resilient Communities at CLF. “Stop and Compare provides healthy and affordable food to communities sorely lacking these critical resources, and this loan ensures that more Lynn residents will now benefit from everything this store has to offer.”
“President Biden’s announcement is a welcome relief after Trump threw science out the window and slashed protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “Restoring these commonsense safeguards will have an immeasurable impact on species that call the monument home and will result in a healthier ocean overall. With our oceans in peril from human impacts and the climate crisis, it’s time to protect more areas, not less.”
“Pesticides are already poisonous by design, and we now know the risks to human health are even greater than previously thought,” said Maggie Super Church, Vice President of Healthy and Resilient Communities at CLF. “PFAS pose a grave danger to human health, and they have no place being sprayed on lands where they can seep into groundwater. It’s time for state leaders across New England to step up and get serious about reducing exposure to these toxic chemicals.”
“There is a limited window of time to save critically endangered right whales,” said CLF Senior Attorney Erica Fuller. “Closing certain areas to fishing when high numbers of right whales are present is the most effective way to reduce risk. While NOAA’s final rule has not gone nearly far enough to recover the species, this new closure will reduce the chance that whales become entangled in lobster gear in the Gulf of Maine. The Union’s lawsuit seeks to prevent the government from implementing one of the few proven measures and we cannot stand by and let that happen.”
