G2. Local Greens

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

Environmental Justice and Compassionate Administration sf-liana Fri, 2025-03-21 16:04 By Gregg Macey and Imari “Mars” Keith

Lost in the deluge of reports of government workers fired or placed on administrative leave are thousands of human moments. One such account comes from Amanda Cronin. In 2023, at the age of 25, she was hired to work for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. Two years later, on February 6, 2025, her office was shuttered. She and 167 other employees tasked with advancing environmental justice under the law were unceremoniously let go. “I took my government ID out and put it in a drawer,” she said. “We were locked out of our computers by the next day and have been in murky purgatory ever since.”

Cronin talks about how her office – created under the George H.W. Bush administration as the “Office of Environmental Equity” – was tasked with responding to a simple fact: that some communities “experience environmental and public health harms disproportionately to the rest of the population.” Many factors contributed to this reality over generations, among them decisions regarding redlining, urban renewal, zoning, air and water quality standard-setting, pollution monitoring, unequal enforcement, and even lack of access to public documents in languages other than English. Some of these decisions were overtly racist; others compounded tragic oversights atop generations of extraction or neglect.

Among a sea of thousands of EPA employees, Cronin and her several dozen colleagues pushed for responsible implementation of underutilized laws, and for more direct engagement with low-income, black, indigenous, and people of color communities who often suffer the most from the indignities of noisy, noxious, encroaching infrastructure and the lack of basic services.    

Cronin’s colleagues, as she describes, are “altruistic”; their power lies in their “compassion.” This, of course, is not how DOGE and its band of software engineers view them, as they respond to executive orders targeting environmental justice. These orders conflate a longstanding body of law with “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” and “immense public waste.” Yet nothing could be less immoral than ensuring government programs avoid discriminating on the basis of race, nationality, and other protected classes. And nothing could be less wasteful than the careful administration of law to protect children and occupational health.      

The dismantling of the administrative state continues apace. It is a challenge to maintain situational awareness as the notices and announcements roll in. At the same time, there is much that we can do to ensure that Cronin’s commitment to compassionate administration endures in our own backyard. A recent report published by the University of California, Irvine and the University of Southern California offers two suggestions.

First, we should push back against reflexive, anticipatory compliance with the current administration’s policies that we see within our state agencies. For example, after the 2024 election, the California Air Resources Board chose not to fully implement its Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. This rule marked “the latest development in CARB’s decades-long history of setting increasingly stringent emission standards” for truck fleets “to protect the public health and welfare of Californians.” Our report found that the single decision by CARB not to seek a waiver from EPA for this program will result in the release of over 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides (a smog-forming pollutant) and 50 tons of particulate matter (which contributes to respiratory problems, heart disease, and premature death) into the air across the Bay Area alone, every year, through 2045.

Second, agencies charged with implementing our laws should avoid the mistakes that limited EPA’s effectiveness in the first place and led to the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice. This means ensuring, as environmental justice is defined under California law, “fair treatment” of our residents and their “meaningful involvement” in decision making. Unfortunately, our report also finds that California agencies have failed to fully meet these criteria. Tragic choices included the sidelining of major decisions about how to reduce cumulative impacts, the lack of integration of state planning with local land use, the inability to identify and address barriers to implementation, and the failure to enforce civil rights laws. Fortunately, the report offers solutions here, including “Indirect Source Rules,” new frameworks that can address these past injustices and limit the disparate impacts of polluting industries.

By acting in the spirit of Amanda Cronin and staying true to her office’s mission, we can overcome these challenges. While the phrase “environmental justice” may be scrubbed from office placards and agency websites, a robust, creative, and dedicated social movement for the compassionate administration of law persists in the world’s fifth largest economy. Its scientists, attorneys, organizers, planners, and leaders are ready to work with the state – including on the design of rules to address new economic trends and dynamics – to ensure responsible regulation, a robust economy, and healthy schools and workplaces. With their experience and expertise, compassionate administration is within reach for Californians and, notwithstanding the turmoil in Washington, for all people. 
 

Clean Energy Environmental Justice Transportation & Compact Growth

I-2066 ruled unconstitutional: a win for Washington families Climate Solutions Fri, 03/21/2025 - 4:01 pm

The operators of a mothballed well site in an East Yorkshire village have been accused of apparently “misusing the planning system for their own benefit”.

Operations at West Newton B in 2 July 2021. Photo: Used with the owner’s consent

The West Newton B oil and gas site, north-east of Hull, has seen no activity since 2022.

But a month before the site’s three-year planning permission was due to expire, the operator, Rathlin Energy, told council planners that work was about to start, keeping the consent alive.

We Said No, a local group, opposed to Rathlin’s operations, criticised the company for apparently “kicking the can down the road”.

It said the news had “again sown fear and anxiety amongst local residents, placing them in the unfair position of having to worry about what may be coming”.

The group said:

“It seems like they [Rathlin] are misusing the planning system for their own benefit”.

The planning permission, granted by East Riding of Yorkshire Council on 17 March 2022, allowed the company three more years to drill another well at West Newton B. The original consent was approved in June 2015.

The time extension required Rathlin to give 14 days’ notice of when work would start.

But since 2022, operations at West Newton-B has been suspended. Plans for a horizontal well were postponed three times and Rathlin’s focus appeared to switch to the neighbouring well site, West Newton A.

The West Newton B well head this week. Photo: We Said No Has the West Newton B permission expired?

This week, on the third anniversary of the 2022 permission, DrillOrDrop.com asked East Riding of Yorkshire Council whether the consent had now expired, given that the site had been mothballed for three years.

The council said it had been formally notified by Rathlin of the start of operations at West Newton-B.

The council said the notification had been sent on 13 February 2025, indicating that work was due to start on 28 February, 17 days before the expiry of the planning permission.

The three-year planning permission will now expire on 28 February 2028, nearly six years after the time extension was granted and nearly 13 years after the original permission.

A spokesperson for Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, said:

“We wrote to East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning department on 13 February 2025 to confirm our intention to commence work at the site. Preliminary activities have since taken place – which are within the parameters of the approved planning application.”

DrillOrDrop.com asked Rathlin what activities have since taken place. A company spokesperson said:

“It is work that is provided for under Rathlin’s planning permission and EA [Environment Agency] permit. 

“They [Rathlin] are currently reconfiguring onsite power supply arrangements to accommodate permitted operations.”

We asked the same question of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. A spokesperson said:

“The work is described as minor civil works at the surface followed by the initial conductor drilling operators to a shallow depth, providing a stable base for the main drilling rig and to protect surface formations during the main drilling operations.” 

We also asked the council whether it had checked what work had been carried out to keep the planning permission alive.

The council spokesperson said:

“There is no requirement to check the work which is being carried out, the submission of the letter was a 14 day notification of the start of the 36 month [permission], and so the 36 month period commences on 28 February 2025 and must therefore cease before 28 February 2028 in accordance with condition 1. 

We Said No told DrillOrDrop.com:

“The local communities have had enough of Rathlin Energy and have suffered for over a decade in one way or another.

“Moving forward Rathlin do not have the financial resource available to drill the horizontal well at West Newton B, let alone several others at West Newton A.

“It seems blatant that East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Rathlin Energy do not have their local constituents’ wellbeing at the forefront of their operations.

“In the meantime, local monitors will be keeping a watchful eye on both sites, and will be recording any movements using whatever means are available at their disposal.”

West Newton official updates

Recent formal stock market announcements about operations at West Newton have suggested that future operations would focus on the West Newton A site, not at West Newton B.

In February 2024, Rathlin’s majority owner, Reabold Resources, announced plans to drill a single new well at West Newton A by the end of 2024, subject to funding. (This did not happen).

In June 2024, Reabold said gas from West Newton A would be exported via a 3.5km pipeline to the National Transmission System.

In September 2024, Reabold said an application had been made to recomplete the existing West Newton A-2 well. It later emerged this was a reservoir stimulation, or small-scale hydraulic fracture.

None of Reabold’s stock market notifications in the past 12 months have specifically referred to operations at West Newton B.

Companies like Reabold that are listed on the AIM stock exchange are required to issue notifications, without delay, about new developments which are not public knowledge, on key changes which would be likely to lead to substantial movement in the price of AIM securities.

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PA House Bill 362 – PA Energy Development Authority

Pennsylvania takes first step to access low-income solar funds – Julie Grant, March 18, 2025 – The Allegheny Front – Solar advocates in Pennsylvania cheered a first-round vote by the state House Energy Committee of HB 362, which allows the state to accept millions in federal money for the Solar for All program. 

Low-income solar installation money inaccessible, for now – by Lauren Jessop, The Center Square, February 10, 2025 – The House Energy Committee heard testimony last week in support of unlocking the [Solar for All] program, which intends to reduce electricity bills for low-to-moderate income households across the commonwealth. Rep. Craig Williams asked Emily Schapira, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Energy Authority, “if she would commit to net metering reform to ensure solar customers share these costs and prevent the financial burden from falling on non-solar customers.”

 

Green Bank Litigation – EPA Actions To Cancel Contracts On Hold 

Judge bars Trump’s EPA from taking back $20B in climate grants – for now – by Zack Colman, Politico, March 18, 2025 – A federal judge temporarily blocked the EPA’s attempt to recoup $20 billion in Biden-era climate grants, dealing the latest judicial setback for President Trump’s attempt to assert unilateral control over spending. Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan prevents EPA from reclaiming money it had deposited at Citibank for the groups Climate United, Coalition for Green Capital and Power Forward Communities. But the decision did not revive those groups’ ability to draw from the funds, postponing that decision until after further court proceedings. The ruling orders EPA and climate change groups to return to court to argue about the fate of the money.

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from terminating $14 billion in ‘green bank’ grants – by Michael Phillis & Matthew Daly, Associated Press – Mar 19, 2025

Judge halts EPA effort to claw back green bank funds by Rachel Frazin, 03/19/25, The Hill – Judge Chutkan ordered that the EPA’s decision to terminate the grants cannot take effect & that the agency and Citibank, which is holding the funds, can’t transfer them elsewhere.

Judge halts Trump EPA bid to kill $14 billion Biden climate grant fund – by Spencer S. Hsu – Wash. Post – March 18, 2025 – The admin. has failed to show “credible evidence” of the fraud it cited to freeze Citibank funds & kill the signature Biden “green bank” program.

District Judge Orders Stay on EPA’s Unlawful Termination of Grant Agreement March 18, 2025 – Climate United Fund Press Release

82 House Members Sign Letter Calling for EPA to Direct Citi to release the CCIA/NCIF Funds – The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to demand that the EPA direct Citibank to immediately release the legally obligated money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. See Letter Here.

 

New Federal Funding/Green Bank Cases Filed This Week  

NEW CASE FILING – Minnesota AG sues Trump administration for holding up green project funds – Keith Ellison says he’s “opposing yet one more illegal power grab by the Trump administration.” by Allison Kite The Minnesota Star Tribune – March 19, 2025

NEW CASE FILING – Nonprofit organizations, cities nationwide challenge Trump administration’s federal funding freeze – Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) – March 19, 2025 – SELC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division, on behalf of 11 nonprofit organizations and six cities.

More than a dozen judges have said Trump and Co. probably broke the law – by Aaron Blake – Washington Post – March 20, 2025 – In more than a dozen cases & in three major rulings this week, a federal judge has ruled that the administration either has violated the law or has probably done so. The total works out to one such finding about every four days.

 

EPA Announces Audit of Solar for All Program

EPA watchdog launches audit of $7B solar program – By Jean Chemnick | 03/20/2025 E&E News – The scrutiny comes as Solar for All and other Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund programs face attacks from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

Audit of the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – Solar for All Program – March 19, 2025 – The U.S. EPA’s Office of Inspector General plans to begin an audit of the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar for All program. This audit is to review and provide information on the Solar for All program and its activities. See EPA OIG Memo Here.

 

Clean Energy Tax Credits: 21 House Republicans Sign Letter of Support

The Republicans Pushing Trump to Save Biden’s Clean Energy Tax Credits – By David Gelles – New York Times – March 17, 2025 – A growing group of Republicans & business leaders is rallying behind an unlikely cause – to protect Biden-era tax credits for wind, solar and other clean energy. President Trump has made dismantling federal efforts to address climate change a signature part of his agenda, eliminating environmental regulations, withholding congressionally approved funding, firing workers, halting permitting for wind energy developments and fast-tracking fossil fuel projects. But the clean energy tax credits, signed into law by President Biden in 2022 as part of the IRA, have helped spur a boom in manufacturing investment in the United States, especially in Republican districts.

Letter signed by 21 House Republicans supporting clean energy tax credits

The Man Behind the Republican Case for Clean Energy – by David Gelles – March 18, 2025 – New York Times – Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York is at the center of a Republican push to save a key part of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s climate agenda. Garbarino starts his pitch to fellow conservatives by trying to separate the tax credits from the IRA, which was deeply unpopular with Republicans. “I voted against the IRA, and there were policies in there that I didn’t agree with, just like every other Republican,” he said.

21 House Republicans oppose cutting clean energy credits to pay for tax cuts by Lamar Johnson – Utility Dive – March 11, 2025 – “Both our constituencies and the energy industry alike remain concerned about disruptive changes to our nation’s energy tax structure,” the letter led by Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said.

 

New Arguments To Defend IRA Clean Energy Tax Credits  

Want Cheap Power, Fast? Solar and Wind Firms Have a Suggestion. – By Brad Plumer Reporting from Houston – New York Times – March 17, 2025 – Renewable energy companies are shifting strategy under President Trump, emphasizing the economic benefits of low-carbon electricity. Because an environmental argument won’t get far with a president who dismisses global warming, many wind and solar companies are now casting their industries as essential to achieving U.S. energy abundance.

Gutting clean energy incentives would drive up electric bills by Jeff St. John – Canary Media – March 20, 2025 – Rising energy costs are a problem in the U.S. Ending IRA tax credits and ramping up fossil fuels would make it even worse. “We looked at a state-by-state level at energy bills as well as jobs and economic growth,” said Robbie Orvis, Energy Innovation’s director of modeling and analysis. ​“Across the board, repealing the IRA is going to make it more expensive for the average household — and in some states, dramatically.”

 

Four New Reports on IRA Cuts & Rising Consumer Costs

1. Inflation Reduction Act Repeal Harms State Economies, Raises Consumer Costs Energy Innovation – March 19, 2025 – IRA repeal will increase cumulative household energy costs by $32 billion from 2025-2035. REPEALING FEDERAL ENERGY TAX CREDITS AND FUNDING WILL HARM PENNSYLVANIA’S ECONOMY (2-Pages) Energy Innovation – March 19, 2025
2. Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) Report – A Report from the Clean Energy Buyers Association, an industry trade group, found that repealing two of the tax credits “would raise average U.S. residential electricity prices by nearly 7 percent by 2026,” amounting to an annual increase of more than $110 for the average American residential customer. Repealing Clean Energy Tax Credits Would Raise Electricity Prices for American Families and Job Creators Across the United States– February 25, 2025 Clean Energy Buyers Association State by State Breakout of Cost Increases
3. Congressional Republicans’ Plan To Cut Clean Energy Investments Would Cause Higher Energy Bills and Job Losses Across States – The clean energy supply chain spurred by U.S. investment has created jobs and helped to lower electricity costs; repealing these investments midstream would increase electricity prices for households and businesses in nearly every state. – Center for American Progress – March 19, 2025. See Chart – Impacts of repealing clean energy investments would be felt across states
4. Brattle Group/ConservAmerica Report – a conservative environmental group, estimated that repealing IRA tax credits could cause U.S. electricity costs to rise by $51 billion per year by 2035, largely because wind and solar additions would decline by 50 percent and become more expensive. A Wide Array of Resources is Needed to Meet Growing U.S. Energy Demand – Brattle Group – February 2025

 

Great Explainer Paragraph – Why clean power is cheaper power

The reason repealing these tax credits would drive up costs is simple, Orvis said. Solar and wind energy can supply U.S. power grids with electricity at lower long-term cost than alternatives such as coal, gas, and nuclear power plants. The more of it that can be built, the more it can supplant those costlier resources.

Over the past decade, solar and wind power have become the cheapest source of new electricity generation across the majority of the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Those cost advantages have been driven primarily by technology improvements and economies of scale of production as well as the deployment of solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, and wind turbines, although government subsidies have played an important role.

In the U.S., newly built solar and wind farms can provide power at a cheaper rate than 99% of the country’s remaining coal plants. Even fossil gas, the workhorse of the U.S. grid, struggles to compete with new clean energy. A study from think tank RMI found that portfolios of solar, wind, and batteries paired with utility energy-efficiency investments can serve grid needs at a lower cost than newly built gas-fired power plants.

What’s more, the cost of solar and wind power isn’t tied to fluctuations in the price of fossil gas, which has driven significant electricity price increases in the past several years, Orvis said. That lack of fuel cost, along with lower operations and maintenance costs, make wind and solar a long-run winner financially.

[From Gutting clean energy will drive up electric bills by Jeff St. John Canary Media – 3/20/25]

 

Environmental Protection Network

NEW – Federal Funding Opportunities and Guidance – March 19, 2025

The post BIL/IRA Implementation Digest — March 21, 2025 appeared first on Ohio River Valley Institute.

The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) was always a questionable prospect. Since 2021, the Ohio River Valley Institute has asserted that carbon capture and blue hydrogen, the technologies underpinning what later became the hub, are prohibitively expensive and only possible if ratepayers and taxpayers foot the bill.

This is why just four months after being allocated $7 billion, ARCH2 and the other designated hydrogen hubs called on the Department of Treasury to loosen restrictions for accessing the 45V clean hydrogen production tax credit. In other words, years before any projects would break ground, all seven of the federally funded hydrogen hubs were already asking for more money. Even the hub’s supporters admit that these technologies are uneconomic for most target applications without additional public support. 

Now, the pattern of project cancellations and partner exits we’ve seen emerge over the last two and a half years is starting to look like an existential threat to the hub. With CNX suspending its ARCH2 project, we’re watching the first major domino fall. This is a turning point for the hub – a moment when we need to ask: How much more do our public leaders need to see before they start questioning these misguided investments?

The hub has always been a distraction from proven, more effective, and cheaper decarbonization pathways. In 2022, there was no time to waste on false climate solutions; there is even less now. Organizations across Appalachia have been fighting for decades to chart new visions for our shared future. It’s time for our leaders to catch up and begin putting serious political and economic weight behind the policies and investments that will actually benefit our communities.

CNX’s Suspension: The Latest and Largest Crack in ARCH2

Earlier this month, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported that CNX is hitting “pause” on its ARCH2 project in Southern West Virginia, citing an “onerous” federal environment. This development came as no surprise given the long-awaited final rules released by the Department of Treasury in January. CNX, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and other political allies had lobbied Treasury to support CNX’s plans to produce hydrogen from coal mine methane. Thankfully, federal officials refused, maintaining the tax credit’s original purpose of supporting truly clean hydrogen and preventing CNX and other companies from profiting from wasteful coal mining practices.

The importance of this scheme to CNX’s bottom line was made clear in the following weeks when CNX’s stock price plummeted more than 20%. Unsurprisingly, the fallout from the tax credit rules dominated the company’s latest earnings call. However, as significant as this development is, it’s only the latest sign the entire hydrogen hub is in jeopardy.

The Myth of ARCH2’s Viability

CNX’s suspension isn’t an isolated event; it’s part of a longer pattern that underscores the fundamental nature of the Appalachian hydrogen hub. Since ARCH2 was first announced in 2023, four project development partners have exited the hub and five of the original 15 projects have been scrapped. Many remaining project partners are financially struggling or lack experience managing industrial-scale facilities. And now, CNX, one of likely three companies responsible for most of the hub’s planned hydrogen production, has suspended its plans. While the hub’s backers maintain that shifts in the hub’s plans are to be expected, at some point, these disruptions have to be seen as proof that the hub concept itself is inherently unstable and not viable. It’s difficult to draw any other conclusion from these disruptions, especially since several developers cited insufficient public funding as the reason for their decisions.

Despite this disarray, the political and economic conversation around ARCH2 remains wildly out of sync with reality. Billions of dollars in public and private investment have been allocated to a project that simply doesn’t have the economic or technological foundation to succeed and public officials are still set on throwing more public dollars at the problem. Meanwhile, viable, community-focused solutions — cleaner, more sustainable industries that could generate long-term economic benefits — are being overlooked.

The Opportunity Cost of Bad Investments

The continued political and economic support for ARCH2 isn’t just misguided; it’s actively harming the region. Every dollar spent propping up an unviable hydrogen hub is a dollar not spent on real solutions—renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable manufacturing, and job programs that could create lasting prosperity without the environmental and economic risks that come with fossil fuel-based hydrogen.

The communities of Appalachia have long been treated as sacrifice zones for extractive industries, from coal to fracking and now hydrogen. The ARCH2 hub was pitched as a lifeline, but it’s proving to be another industry-driven illusion, prioritizing corporate profits over real economic development.

Time for a Reality Check

How much more do we need to see before our leaders acknowledge that ARCH2 represents a failed past and not a vision of the future? When will we see political will shift toward investments that actually serve the region and its people?

The cracks in ARCH2 are becoming impossible to ignore. CNX’s exit is just the beginning. It’s time for our elected officials and policymakers to stop doubling down on bad bets and start championing real solutions that create sustainable jobs and a healthier environment. The people of Appalachia deserve better.

The moment for a reality check is now.

The post ARCH2: It’s Time for Our Leaders to Start Asking Tough Questions appeared first on Ohio River Valley Institute.

Key Points

• Northern Appalachia has, for a decade and a half, premised its economic development strategies on a strategic triad of natural gas, petrochemicals, and most recently hydrogen.
• Natural gas expansion has proven itself incapable of delivering on promises of jobs and economic prosperity. Meanwhile petrochemicals and hydrogen don’t seem capable of getting off the ground.
• Continued reliance on these industries augurs a future of economic stagnation combined with environmental degradation and continued loss of jobs and population.

 

The Appalachian natural gas boom gave rise to a dazzling vision of industrial and economic prosperity. It was christened “The Shale Crescent” by supporters like Toby Rice, CEO of EQT, the nation’s second largest natural gas producer, who adopted the name “@shalennial” as his X handle.

We were told that the Shale Crescent economy would spin off downstream growth in petrochemicals and a new hydrogen economy. This strategic triad would be an economic game-changer that would bring hundreds of thousands of jobs and new prosperity to a region that has suffered mightily since the collapse of the steel industry forty years ago.

So, how is the Shale Crescent economy’s strategic triad and the communities that depend on it doing? Not well following a brutal four weeks.

Projects were lopped from the Appalachian Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) like dead limbs from a diseased tree. The Shell Petrochemical Complex in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, the lone vestige of the grandiose vision of an Appalachian petrochemical cluster, may be going up for sale. And the most recent data from the federal government’s Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics show that, although the natural gas industry seems to be enjoying growth in prices and demand, the associated expansion still isn’t translating into job growth and prosperity for the region.

In fact, we are witnessing what can fairly be described as an economic calamity. And it could get worse as policymakers continue to labor under the delusion that growth in natural gas and its downstream industries produces prosperity and economic development. Seventeen years after the start of the Appalachian natural gas boom, every key measure of prosperity says otherwise. The number of jobs in the region is smaller now than it was before the gas boom began, the decline in population is even larger, particularly among working-age adults, and income growth lags that of the nation by more than 30%. Compared to the rest of America the major gas-producing counties of Appalachia are getting poorer as their residents become older, and fewer in number. And the last four weeks have illustrated many of the reasons why.

The Appalachian Regional Hydrogen Hub Continues to Collapse

Since the US Department of Energy announced in the fall of 2023 that the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) would receive up to $925 million in federal grants, all the hub has done is shrink, losing six projects and as many development partners along the way. The latest defection is particularly striking.

CNX Energy, one of the largest and most financially stable of the remaining ARCH2 developers, announced that it has “paused” development of a sustainable aviation fuel project at Pittsburgh Airport. This came after the company disappeared from the ARCH2 website following the issuance of a statement that said the Treasury Department’s newly issued rules for hydrogen tax credits “. . . are overly restrictive across a range of feedstocks and do not currently appear to create sufficient economic incentives for the Company to expand its CMM capture operations for hydrogen end use.”

“CMM” stands for “coal mine methane”, which is a feedstock that CNX planned to use for its sustainable aviation fuel project, and “45V” refers to the tax credit that CNX hoped would pay it as much as $3 for every kilogram of hydrogen it produced while making aviation fuel. But the final rule was structured in a way that limits the subsidy’s value for hydrogen derived from methane to 75 cents per kilogram or less.

A month after issuing its statement and seeing its share value plunge by almost a quarter, CNX took down the website it had set up for the SAF project and the company disappeared from ARCH2’s website where it lists participating developers. This is the second CNX/ARCH2 project to fall all into limbo if not vanish altogether. CNX had previously withdrawn from a project which would have used coal mine methane to produce ammonia at a plant in southern West Virginia. When that project was first announced, CNX claimed that it would be the largest ammonia-producing facility in North America.

ARCH2’s timbers shivered again when Plug Power, which is responsible for three ARCH2 projects, implemented massive layoffs. Motley Fool called Plug Power’s business model, which is highly dependent on federal subsidies, “unsustainable.” That puts the company at considerable risk under a Trump administration that seems to place little value on the “green” hydrogen Plug Power provides.

Meanwhile, another ARCH2 developer, KeyState Energy, which was involved in CNX’s sustainable aviation fuel project, also lost a key partner: Nikola, a hydrogen truck manufacturer. KeyState prominently features Nikola, a potential customer for the “blue” hydrogen KeyState plans to produce. However, two weeks ago, Nikola declared bankruptcy and put its assets up for auction.

Is the Shale Crescent’s Greatest Economic Prize Up for Sale?

The petrochemical leg of the Shale Crescent strategic triad also took a blow this past month when it was reported that Shell is considering selling its massive Beaver County, Pennsylvania petrochemical complex that has been in operation for only a little over a year. If the facility is sold into the current market, it will almost certainly be at a major loss as global polyethylene capacity is growing much faster than demand and plant capacity factors are at an all-time low.

The sale, should it take place, will be a sad footnote to what is already a disappointing tale of unfulfilled expectations. From the moment Shell announced that it would build an ethane cracker in Appalachia, the project became the subject of an intense bidding war between the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Pennsylvania ultimately won, when it ponied up a state subsidy totaling $1.6 billion, the largest such incentive ever offered by the commonwealth.

The investment has backfired for Pennsylvania and Beaver County. After a brief surge in construction-related employment related to the cracker, Beaver County has experienced severe economic setbacks:
A 13.3% loss of jobs
A 2.7% loss of population
A 4% loss in the number of businesses

These results are worse than those in any of the Pennsylvania counties contiguous to Beaver County and leave the county with fewer jobs, workers, and businesses than at any time in this century.

Absolute Losses of Jobs and Population in Appalachia’s Natural Gas Counties

Sadly, the kind of economic devastation experienced in Beaver County, PA is typical of the 30 Appalachian counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that produce 95% of the region’s gas.

The following image, titled “Table 14,” is taken from a 2010 economic impact study that was commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute and widely cited by proponents of natural gas development as reason for economic optimism and state assistance. The chart includes a “High Development” scenario in which natural gas production in the year 2020 would reach 18,212 million cubic feet per day in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

From the 2010 report for the American Petroleum Institute on the economic impact of Marellus shale development:

In fact, in 2023 Pennsylvania and West Virginia production nearly reached 30,000 million cubic feet, over 50% more than the API “High Development” scenario.

Even at the lower volume contained in the report, Pennsylvania and West Virginia were expected to add a combined 255,000 jobs. And yet, in reality, the number of jobs in the major gas-producing counties barely budged.

Preliminary figures for an upcoming report ORVI report, titled “Frackalachia: 2025 Update”, show that, despite immense growth in gross domestic product (GDP), the 30 Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia counties that produce 95% of Appalachian natural gas saw jobs decline by 1% even as they grew 14% nationally. Population in these counties shrunk by 3% even though it grew 10% nationally. The labor force shrunk by 6% while it grew 8% nationally. And incomes in the region grew 30% slower than they did nationally.

In a place that was already struggling economically before the fracking boom, it is fair to question whether the boom is responsible for the horrible jobs, population, and income figures or whether it has merely failed to remedy them. However, at the very least, we know from another ORVI study that similarly constituted counties, which did not participate heavily in the natural gas boom, experienced economic outcomes that were equal to or better than the outcomes in the natural gas counties. In other words, natural gas development may not have significantly worsened the economic trajectory of affected counties, but neither has it done anything to improve the trajectories. And, given that the industry’s growth is nearly 50% greater than was expected, after seventeen years of no measurable economic benefit, it’s reasonable to conclude that natural gas expansion is structurally incapable of delivering jobs, income, and population growth however great it is.

A Fraught Future Due to Increasing Dependence on Natural Gas

Finally and perhaps most worryingly, the region’s economic future is clouded by the fact that its economy is poised to grow even more dependent on natural gas and its downstream industries. That dependence has been exacerbated in recent weeks by the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee, which just gave PJM, the organization that manages the region’s electric grid, permission to prioritize the construction of 50 new gas-fired power plants in order to meet expected increases in demand as a result of data center development and transportation electrification. At the same time, the Trump administration has thrown open the gates for development of new liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals, a goal long sought by the industry as a whole and particularly by Toby Rice, CEO of Appalachia-based EQT, the nation’s second largest natural gas producer.

A world of rising demand, rising production, higher prices, and fewer regulatory barriers should be Nirvana for the gas industry. But this scenario is riven with internal contradictions that will be damaging both to the industry and to Appalachia.

First, increased demand for gas-fired power means increased demand for gas-fired power plants. And, as one would expect, that translates into higher production cost from the manufacturers of gas turbines whose production capacity is beyond maxed out. As a consequence, costs to build new gas-fired plants have risen from a little more than $1,000/kw to more than $2,000/kw. Meanwhile, the price of natural gas has also doubled in the past year and the Energy Information Administration expects that it will rise another 10-20% by the end of 2026.

These combined increases in capital expenditures and operating expenditures make gas-fired electricity much more expensive and much less economic than it is right now. And, if on top of that you add the cost of carbon capture and sequestration technologies, which many Republicans and some Democrats in congress would like to fund with tax credits, we’re facing a future of increased electric rates and increased tax expenditures that are likely to result in us having to pay twice as much as we do today for gas-fired power. And, given that natural gas is the source of 60% of the power we currently use, the overall cost impact will be profound.

At the same time, growing lead-times for the construction of gas-fired power plants will make it difficult for gas to meet all of the need for additional generation, or at least to meet it affordably. Renewable energy, improving storage technologies, improving energy efficiency and advanced grid management technologies offer cleaner alternatives that were already price-competitive with natural gas before natural gas prices started rising and the cost to build new gas plants doubled. New nuclear may also become price-competitive with more expensive natural gas to get a piece of the pie. Still, despite its deteriorating economics and its harmful impacts both on climates and local communities, reliance on natural gas is likely to grow.

Conclusion: Will We Detach or Go Down with the Ship?

The industrial triad of natural gas, petrochemicals, and hydrogen upon which the region has premised many of its economic development strategies is fatally flawed and subject not just to adverse external forces, but also contradictory internal forces such as the inherent conflict between the gas industry’s need for rising natural gas prices and the depressing effect rising prices will have on industry expansion as utility bills rise and end-use customers look for better alternatives.

Unless the region starts diversifying its energy economy, it risks falling victim to a kind of energy stagflation in which prices and even GDP may rise, but in which nearly every measure of economic prosperity, including jobs, income, population, and labor force continue to decline.

The post A Month from Hell appeared first on Ohio River Valley Institute.

A new study finds a relationship between lead concentrations in the air and infant deaths.

The post How lead pollution impacts infant health appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

Feeling the urge to get involved with bannering this week? You are in luck. Here is all the Backbone Campaign related bannering happenings:

A few years ago, Pennsylvania gave Shell the largest tax credit in state history to build its massive petrochemical plant in Beaver County. The company may already be thinking about selling the ethane cracker.

The post Report: Shell plant in Beaver County could be up for sale appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

Fracking under Ohio parks is moving forward, but park visitors have mixed reactions about the industry. The ethane cracker in Beaver County has only been operating for a few years, but its owners may be looking to sell. We talk with the lead author of a new study on the connection between infant mortality and lead exposure. 

In another blow to the offshore wind industry, the Environmental Protection Agency has pulled a permit for the Atlantic Shores project in New Jersey. Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County is cancelling this year’s campground reservations, citing staff shortages amid recent federal job cuts and hiring freezes. To help protect wildlife and prevent vehicle collisions with animals, a environmental research group is calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to better support wildlife corridor projects.

The post Episode for March 21, 2025 appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

PhillyVoice: New SEPTA Regional Rail schedules take effect to improve service reliability –  As of Sunday, the schedules of 13 regional rail lines have been adjusted to improve efficiency. These schedule changes, in addition to strategic staffing and maintenance crew deployments, aim to reduce delays and bolster service reliability. Image Source: PhillyVoice

The Inquirer: PATCO will stop running overnight trains to clean its stations – For six months this spring, PATCO will stop running overnight trains, from midnight to 4 a.m., on weekdays as its 13 stations are deep cleaned. The agency is coordinating with the city, social service organizations, and South Jersey municipalities to make stations cleaner and safer. Image Source: The Inquirer

NBC10: PATCO finally has reopening date for long-shuttered Franklin Square Station – On April 3rd, the renovated Franklin Square Station at 7th and Race will reopen for the first time in decades, expanding the PATCO line to 14 stations. Train service to the station will begin in the afternoon following a ceremony at noon. Image Source: The Inquirer

Other Stories

PhillyVoice: Market Street Bridge to close for 14 months starting August 2026 during $149 million rebuild 

The Inquirer: Philly council members tabled a bill over concerns about bringing speed cameras to school zones

PhillyVoice: Reopening of MLK Drive Bridge pushed back to September after cold weather slowed repairs

NBC10: Lights go out in part of 30th Street Station, traffic lights outside also go down

StreetsBlog USA: What Will ‘Safe Streets and Road For All’ Mean Under Sec. Duffy?

Show up in person to urge legislators to invest in climate and affordability Nora Apter Thu, 03/20/2025 - 3:58 pm

Alaska Wilderness League Statement on Interior’s Reckless Giveaway of Alaska to Big Oil  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: 3/20/2025
Contact: Andy Moderow | Andy@alaskawild.org | 907-360-3622

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of the Interior announced plans to vastly expand oil and gas drilling across Alaska’s public lands, revoking protections in the name of President Trump’s "Energy Dominance" agenda and prioritizing corporate polluters over Indigenous rights, public input, and environmental stewardship.  

Under the leadership of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the Bureau of Land Management aims to open up as much as 82% of the Western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve to leasing, reinstate an Arctic Refuge leasing program that was previously scrapped, and revoke protections along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Corridor to pave the way for industrial megaprojects like Ambler Road and the Alaska LNG Pipeline. 

This announcement follows President Trump’s Day-one Executive Orders targeting public lands and environmental protections in Alaska, as well as Secretary Burgum's subsequent Secretarial Orders aimed at expanding fossil fuel extraction on public lands. 

In response to President Trump’s Day-One executive orders, Andy Moderow, Senior Director of Policy at Alaska Wilderness League, criticized the administration’s push to reverse public land protections. At the time, he stated:

“President Trump’s inaugural address and first-day actions make it clear: he’s fixated on dragging our nation’s energy and public land policy backwards. These actions ignore what the free market has declared: there is no industry interest in Arctic Refuge oil extraction. Across Alaska, these are reckless and misguided attempts to industrialize Alaska’s lands and waters—a slap in the face to science, the American public, and Indigenous communities who seek land protections. We’re evaluating each Executive Order, and we are ready to fight off attacks, in Congress and the courtroom, each and every day to protect wild Alaska.” 

Time and time again, the American people have shown there is no economic or industry justification for expanding drilling across Alaska’s public lands. Past lease sales in the Arctic Refuge have failed to attract serious bidders, with major oil companies walking away. Leading financial institutions have refused to fund Arctic drilling, and economic analyses continue to show that these projects are not commercially viable. Yet, despite clear market signals and overwhelming public opposition, the administration is doubling down on a failed fossil fuel agenda—at the expense of Alaska’s lands, waters, and communities.  

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The post Alaska Wilderness League Statement on Interior’s Reckless Giveaway of Alaska to Big Oil   appeared first on Alaska Wilderness League.

Recently our friends in Corte Madera, CA were inspired by our banners and made their own similar one. 

Written by: Hilary Flint

It’s been over two years since the East Palestine train derailment, and yet, every time another chemical disaster happens, I feel like I’m reliving it all over again. In the past few weeks alone, two major chemical incidents have struck Pennsylvania—an explosion at Parker Lord Corporation in Saegertown, near Erie, and a fire at SPS Technologies in Jenkintown, near Philadelphia. Each of these incidents, like East Palestine, serves as another devastating reminder of the risks posed by disaster-causing chemicals, not only to the environment, but to our health and safety.

I used to live in Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, a small town just over the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. When the Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine on February 3, 2023, my family wasn’t in the official evacuation zone. But, toxins don’t stop at an imaginary line on a map. Norfolk Southern made the catastrophic decision to burn five tankers of vinyl chloride in a so-called “controlled release” which the NTSB questioned as even necessary, and which many would later see as the railroads profit-driven rush to get the train back up and running. At any rate, that decision changed everything for us.

We initially evacuated, then after being assured our home was safe, we returned. But within minutes of stepping inside, my eyes burned, my head pounded, and a strange, sweet chemical odor filled the air. Within days, my fingers and toes started turning purple. A few months later, my severe endometriosis, which had been suppressed for years with medication, suddenly flared up. My rheumatoid arthritis pain became unbearable. I had to increase my migraine medication twice.

I know now that vinyl chloride exposure can trigger Raynaud’s syndrome, the condition causing my fingers and toes to discolor. But back then, no one had guidance. No one told us how to protect ourselves from a chemical disaster of this magnitude. And still, to this day, residents in East Palestine, Beaver County, and beyond are left struggling to make sense of the long-term impacts.

Earlier this month, an explosion rocked the Parker Lord Plant in Saegertown, just outside Erie, injuring five Saegertown firefighters, one Edinboro firefighter, and seven LORD staff and forcing residents to shelter in place. The plant makes adhesives, coatings, and specialty materials used in the automotive, aerospace, industrial, and oil and gas industries. 

Less than a week later, a massive fire broke out at SPS Technologies, an aerospace manufacturing facility, in Jenkintown, near Philadelphia, causing 60 employees to evacuate and prompting shelter-in-place orders. The fire luckily didn’t reach many of the hazardous chemicals stored on site. Pennsylvania DEP is continuing to monitor the area. 

The full extent of chemical exposure from these two incidents remains unclear, but the immediate response from the government and Norfolk Southern has followed the same pattern as East Palestine: vague statements, insufficient testing, and the leaving in the dark of entire communities. The only certainty is that no one is safe as long as petrochemical infrastructure continues to operate. 

According to the Oil and Gas Watch database, there are 233 petrochemical facilities operating in the United States. These facilities include infrastructure to transport, store, process, and refine petrochemicals from its raw oil and gas into more than 6000 products. Spilltracker, which tracks chemical disasters across the U.S., and reports that the U.S. averages one petrochemical incident every 3 days. 

Each time a chemical disaster happens, the same questions emerge: What chemicals were released? Are residents safe? Do we need to evacuate? What are the long-term health risks? Too often, we don’t get real answers. Instead, we’re told, “Everything is fine.” But if there’s anything I’ve learned from my experience, it’s that “fine” is a lie.

So how do we protect ourselves when the systems meant to keep us safe keep failing?

How to Protect Yourself in a Chemical Disaster

If you find yourself in the midst of a chemical spill, fire, or explosion, it’s critical to act quickly. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones:

1. Stay Informed

• Keep your phone and backup batteries charged.
• Download emergency alert apps like FEMA’s and sign up for local emergency notifications.
• Follow reputable news sources and your county’s emergency management page for real-time updates.
• Keep numbers of who to call to report accidents or get answers from: local, state and national emergency management services.

2. Shelter in Place When Advised

• Close all windows, doors, and chimney vents tightly.
• Turn off HVAC systems and any outside air intakes.
• Use damp towels to seal door gaps if the air smells “off” or irritates your lungs.
• Do NOT rely on N95 masks alone—most chemical exposures require more protective respirators, like organic vapor cartridges.
• Follow boil water and do-not-drink water advisories.

3. Be Prepared for Evacuation

• Keep a “go bag” with essentials, including medications, masks, bottled water, and important documents.
• If you have a personal or family emergency preparedness plan, especially for sheltering in place, be sure you have enough drinking water, non-perishable food, and any necessary medical supplies for each member of your household, including service animals and pets.
• Know your evacuation routes ahead of time—many disasters happen in areas with limited road access.
• If you evacuate, document everything: take pictures, save air quality reports, and track symptoms in case you need to file claims later.

4. Monitor Your Health

• Pay attention to new or worsening symptoms like headaches, nausea, skin rashes, breathing issues, or neurological effects.
• If you seek medical care, insist on documentation that includes potential environmental exposure.
• Blood and urine tests for chemical exposure are often time-sensitive, so ask your doctor about testing options ASAP.

5. Demand Accessibility 

• When the crisis has passed, local authorities will issue an all-clear announcement and provide any additional information or instructions for staying safe. Keep in mind that elected officials and corporations alike are often quick to declare an area “safe” without considering the diverse needs of its community members – including those who are disabled.
• Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities have the right to receive information in formats that are accessible to them. This includes emergency alerts, evacuation orders, and other critical communications that must be provided in formats such as large print and Braille, or through sign language interpreters, as necessary.
• The ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act mandate that emergency shelters, medical services, and disaster recovery programs must be accessible to people with disabilities. This means shelters should accommodate mobility devices and service animals, and offer accessible transportation to those who need it.

6. Demand Accountability

• Ask local officials for transparent air, water, and soil testing data.
• Push for independent testing from non-governmental sources when possible.
• Get involved in community organizing efforts to advocate for stronger safety regulations and emergency response measures.

For a detailed preparation guide and list, check out this report from the People over Petro Coalition. 

What happened in East Palestine should have been a wake-up call. Instead, the cycle continues—one disaster after another, with the same government failures and corporate cover-ups. But we are not just statistics in a report. We are living, breathing people whose health and futures are being sacrificed for profit.

If you take away anything from my story, let it be this: Do not wait for someone to tell you to protect yourself. Do your own research. Learn where there is active infrastructure, facilities, junkyards, and rail lines around you. Make your own safety plan. Trust your own body. Know that when disaster strikes, those in power will prioritize their bottom line. It’s up to us to prioritize each other.

Hilary Flint is the Director of Communications and Community Engagement for Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, PA Field Organizing Manager for Center for Oil and Gas Organizing, and a Mutual Aid + Disaster Response Steering Committee Member for Break Free From Plastic. Her expertise spans critical issues, including health harms generated by the petrochemical buildout, natural gas extraction, plastic pollution, railway safety, and overarching corporate greed. As a cancer survivor, chronic illness warrior, and community member affected by the East Palestine train derailment and chemical disaster, Hilary is committed to advocating through the lens of disability justice and supporting communities through mutual aid.

Trump Administration Begins Attacks on National Monuments

This past weekend, President Trump indicated he plans to rescind the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California, which were designated by President Biden in January. Though major news outlets received confirmation that the administration plans to attempt to undo protections for the national monuments, no executive order has been issued and no additional information is available. Confusion and a lack of details, hallmarks of the Trump administration, continue.

“The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the local communities, organizations, and Tribal Nations who supported the establishment of Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments,” said SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch. “Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments have endured similar attacks, making us all too familiar with the chaos and uncertainty caused by Trump’s illegal actions. Our nation’s remarkable public lands are held in trust for all Americans, regardless of income or background; they are not items on a balance sheet to be sold off to the highest bidder. Protected public lands are worth fighting for and we are confident these attacks will not be successful.”

Chuckwalla, near Joshua Tree National Park, protects over 600,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management public land and “. . . spans across the transitional zone where the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts come together, offering stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity, and unique geological features.” Sáttítla Highlands, in Northern California, protects over 200,000 acres of national forest land “. . . and provides protection to tribal ancestral homelands, historic and scientific treasures, rare flora and fauna, and the headwaters of vital sources of water.”

Photo: Chuckwalla National Monument (BLM photo)

Motorized Groups Sue Over San Rafael Swell Travel Plan

Earlier this month, the Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition and others sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over the recently finalized San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan, The planning area encompasses roughly 1,150,000 acres of BLM-managed lands, including the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and 663,000 acres of wilderness designated in 2019 as part of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.

A much-loved backcountry area, the Swell is home to irreplaceable cultural and historic resources, important wildlife habitat, and outstanding recreation opportunities. Though the BLM’s disappointing final travel plan (released on the last day of 2024) designated nearly 1,500 miles of motorized routes in the area, it fortunately did not open numerous overgrown/nonexistent routes and user-created trails running through stream corridors, wash bottoms, and sensitive cultural sites. Off-road vehicle groups want to change that.

“The motorized recreation groups filing this lawsuit are bound and determined to make Utah’s remarkable San Rafael Swell nothing more than a playground for off-road vehicles and side-by-sides, a place where it’s impossible to find peace and quiet. We’re not going to stand by and let that happen,” said SUWA Staff Attorney Laura Peterson. SUWA has moved to intervene in the lawsuit.

>> Read our full press statement

Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA

Mass Firings Throw Federal Workforce into Disarray

Last month the Elon Musk-led Office of Personnel Management began its mass firing campaign affecting more than 24,000 federal workers, including roughly 2,000 at the Interior Department, over 3,000 at the U.S. Forest Service, and hundreds at the Environmental Protection Agency. Lawsuits quickly followed, and last week two federal judges ordered the reinstatement of thousands of employees across 18 government agencies—rulings that have already been appealed by the Trump administration.

The federal firings have left a wake of confusion and uncertainty for public servants who, among other things, manage our nation’s public lands, enforce air and water quality standards, and keep essential services running.

SUWA issued the following statement on February 23rd:

There are tens of thousands of federal workers in Utah, including thousands who work for federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, United States Forest Service, United States Geological Survey, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. These career staff—who live and work in both rural and urban parts of our state—have dedicated their lives to a mission of service on behalf of the common good: America’s federal public lands.

It is heartbreaking to see these federal workers treated so disrespectfully. It’s also completely unacceptable that Utah’s congressional delegation and state elected leaders are either standing idly by or, worse, cheering on Musk’s threats and intimidation tactics. These federal workers are our friends and neighbors; they have our support and respect at this critical time.

>> Read our full press statement

Photo © Geoff Livingston (Wikimedia Commons)

Land Exchange Finalized for Protected Areas in San Rafael Swell

In February, an agreement was finalized between the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Utah Trust Lands Administration (TLA) that swaps state land holdings in recently protected areas of the San Rafael Swell for federal lands elsewhere in the state. The Dingell Act Land Exchange, as it’s known, was a requirement of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 (Dingell Act).

The Dingell Act designated 663,000 acres of BLM-managed wilderness in Utah’s Emery County, established the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, added 63 miles of the Green River to the National Wild and Scenic River System, and designated the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area and Jurassic National Monument. It also established a process for exchanging TLA lands out of designated wilderness and the 217,000-acre recreation area.

“The Dingell Act Land Exchange will result in stronger protections for the outstanding San Rafael Swell in southern Utah,” said SUWA DC Director Travis Hammill. “It ensures the long-term protection of designated wilderness areas in Emery County—federal public lands that will no longer be at risk from the threat of development and inconsistent management that comes with a checkerboard pattern of state and federal land ownership.”

>> Read our full press statement

Photo © Steve Greenwood

Make Your Commitment to Wilderness a Lasting One

Protecting wilderness takes persistence, and monthly giving is one of the most powerful ways to sustain our work. Your reliable support helps us respond to urgent threats and push for lasting protections for America’s public lands.

Already a SUWA member? Consider deepening your commitment by switching to monthly giving and providing the steady foundation we need to keep up the fight, day in and day out.

New to SUWA? Becoming a monthly donor is a great way to join the Protect Wild Utah movement. Membership comes with exclusive perks: three full-color newsletters per year, early access to our popular stewardship trips, and members-only webinars that dive deeply into critical conservation issues.

Signing up is quick and easy. Just visit our monthly giving page, choose an amount that works for you, and know that you can modify or cancel anytime.

Photo © Peter Gatch

The post March 2025 Redrock Report appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

March 20, 2025

Contact:
Stephanie Safdi, stephanie.safdi@YLSClinics.org

Sacramento, CA – A coalition of water advocates, Tribes, environmental justice organizations, and fishing organizations submitted a motion calling on the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to cancel the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Change Petition for the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP). The demand comes after DWR repeatedly failed to comply with mandatory orders to submit historical water use data necessary for evaluating the Change Petition’s potential impacts.

DWR’s Change Petition, filed in February 2024, seeks to modify its water rights permits to facilitate the proposed 45-mile-long underground tunnel, which would divert up to 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from the Sacramento River. However, the Administrative Hearing Officer (AHO) has repeatedly ruled that DWR must submit supplemental data on its historical maximum water diversions prior to 2009 — critical information for determining whether DWR’s requested changes would initiate a new water right.

Despite being granted multiple extensions, DWR has failed to provide the required data. The AHO has underscored that this information is essential to ensuring the proposed project adheres to existing legal limitations and does not harm other legal water users. Yet, at a February 18, 2025 hearing, DWR admitted it had not submitted the bulk of the required supplemental information. When pressed, DWR’s counsel claimed the delays were due to difficulties in reviewing historical records — despite previously stating that the information was readily available.

“This is a clear case of stonewalling,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta. “DWR is trying to push forward a massive water project without proving it has the legal right to do so. The Water Board cannot let DWR skirt the law at the expense of Delta communities and the environment.”

On January 31, 2025, a coalition of protestors filed a Joint Motion demanding cancellation of the Change Petition under Water Code section 1701.4, arguing that DWR’s repeated failures to submit required data render its petition invalid. While the AHO determined that she lacked authority to cancel the petition, she reiterated that the missing data is “fundamental” to determining the project’s legality and potential impacts.

“The law is clear: The Board must cancel DWR’s change petition for the Delta Conveyance Project,” said Stephanie Prufer, student attorney, Yale Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic. “DWR has repeatedly failed to respond to the Administrative Hearing Officer’s request for information about its past use of water to operate the State Water Project. This information is necessary to ensure that the Delta Conveyance Project will not interfere with legal users of water, exceed the scope of DWR’s water rights, or otherwise impair the public interest. Because DWR has not shown good cause for its delays and because starting hearings without this information will prejudice DTEC and the other protestants and prevent a sound decision on DWR’s change petition, we are asking the Board to swiftly cancel these proceedings as the Water Code requires.”

“Because DWR has refused to provide information it was ordered to, and because its application for a water right to operate the proposed Delta Conveyance Project remains woefully incomplete, we’ve asked the State Board to do what California law requires: cancel DWR’s petition until it actually has the necessary information and moves forward in a way that is both legal and consistent the project DWR is proposing,” said Eric Buescher, Managing Attorney with San Francisco Baykeeper. “Failing to hold DWR to account gives it special treatment and status that contravenes California law and perpetuates the harms and inequities that California’s water management has caused to Tribes, ecosystems, and communities, especially in the Delta.”

The AHO also extended DWR’s deadline yet again, pushing the required data submission to May 27, 2025—after critical hearings on DWR’s case-in-chief. Protestants argue that there was no justification for this extension, and that the postponement undermines due process and enables DWR to continue evading scrutiny.

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