Air pollution caused by factories

Everyone in America deserves the right to clean air, clean water and clean environments in which to live. Achieving these basic human rights for all of us would be a major milestone in building an environmentally just and equitable society — and unfortunately, we’re still far from that goal. In many states, the same familiar story rears its ugly head. Black neighborhoods nationwide are 79 percent more likely than white neighborhoods to be exposed to industrial pollution, often from oil and gas refineries and petrochemical plants. Black and Hispanic communities also bear disproportionate health and economic burdens from air pollution generated by white Americans, with Latino communities experiencing the highest air pollution exposure levels. This is what environmental injustice looks like and it’s harming far too many Americans. These imbalances exist not out of economic necessity or as the result of difficult choices, but because of neglect and intentional political … [Read more...] about Political disenfranchisement is fueling environmental injustice

The White House’s discretionary budget request released Friday includes over $1.4 billion for environmental justice initiatives, which the Biden administration has called a major priority. The budget proposal includes $936 million for the creation of an Accelerating Environmental and Economic Justice initiative within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The initiative would include $100 million to create a community air quality monitoring and notification program to update data in areas with air pollution problems. "The FY 2022 discretionary request for EPA makes historic investments to tackle the climate crisis and to make sure that all communities, regardless of their zip code, have clean air, clean water, and safe places to live and work," EPA Administrator Michael Regan Michael Regan Overnight Energy: EPA pledges new focus on environmental justice | Republicans probe EPA firing of Trump-appointed science advisers | Biden administration asks court to toss … [Read more...] about Biden budget proposes $1.4 billion for environmental justice

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — It’s a little like déjà vu, on Friday Boeing recommended that more than one-dozen of its customers take some of their planes out of service because of a potential electrical issue. In all, U.S. airlines temporarily suspended the use of more than 65 Boeing 737 MAX jets, with 16 carriers. READ MORE: Man Accused Of Murdering Another During Dispute In Grand Prairie Neighborhood The Max was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people. Regulators in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Brazil and other countries cleared the plane to resume flying after Boeing changed an automated flight-control system that played a role in the crashes. Boeing said Friday that the recommendation was made “to allow for verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system.” It did not specify how many aircraft could be involved. American Airlines removed 17 planes form service after getting the information from … [Read more...] about New Boeing 737 Max Electrical Issue Grounds Planes With Both American, Southwest Airlines

NEW ORLEANS - An unofficial vote tally shows a push to unionize an Amazon.com Inc. facility in the U.S. state of Alabama losing by more than a 2-to-1 margin. While Friday's reported results haven't been finalized and could be challenged, they dealt a bitter blow to the U.S. labor movement's efforts to reverse decades of sharp declines in the private sector. At issue was whether 5,800 Amazon workers would join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Voting was done by mail in February and March. The outcome is seen as having far-reaching implications, not just for workers at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Bessemer, Alabama, but also for the company as a whole and the growing U.S. e-commerce sector that has fended off most labor organizing. Amazon hailed the outcome in a blog post , saying workers' "collective voices were finally heard." The company added, "Amazon didn't win – our employees made the choice to vote against joining a union." For its part, … [Read more...] about Amazon Workers Appear to Reject Unionization Push in Alabama

Sign up to get our new weekly column as a newsletter. We're looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. (CNN) The word "trauma" made its way into the English language from the ancient Greek verb that means to "penetrate." The first known use of it came in 1693 when it was described as "a wound from an external cause." But today our notion of trauma goes beyond the physical to include the extreme mental anguish that can penetrate lives. In 2020, we had trauma every which way: a deadly pandemic, an economic plunge, a reckoning over race and a fraught election made for a time that will shape history for decades to come. That we are still coming to terms with all of it was clearer than ever this week. In a Minneapolis courtroom, witnesses relived the pain of George Floyd's public death, as prosecutors revealed that Derek Chauvin, then a police officer and now on trial for the events of last May, knelt on Floyd's neck for … [Read more...] about The year that’s still breaking our hearts