G2. Local Greens

In this issue:

Calendar of events / Forest Defense Team / Energy Justice Team / Arts Team / Book Club / Washington County Team / 350PDX Reminders: seeking new digs + Take Action page + join our Slack!

With City Council elections coming up, attempts to divert Portland Clean Energy Benefits Fund dollars, and our Energy Justice team taking on building emissions and more, there’s a lot happening! So we’re starting this newsletter with a mini-calendar of upcoming events. Check out team news below for more events and actions.

• July 9 – Rumble on the River

Join us this Thursday for a Rumble on the River focused on the impacts of heat and what solutions (trees! shade!) are possible. We’ll also premier 350PDX’s new mini-documentary about shade equity; work that our coalition has been leading since 2022. Lineup: 5:00 PM tour of the new Bird Alliance site, 5:30 PM tabling, 6:30 PM panel.

• July 13-19 – PNW Climate Week 

Did you know that the only cross-region climate week in North America happens right here in the PNW?! This is a week of community-powered events happening across 7 cities in our region with the mission to transition to an equitable, climate-positive bioregion. The PNW Climate Week kickoff event happens at Lewis & Clark on Monday, July 13. Fall in Love with the Future. Empowering Local Climate Action: Education, Policy and Practice. 

• July 16 – Our Annual Shade Equity Lents to Laurelhurst Pedalpalooza Ride 350PDX is hosting as part of the PNW Climate Week! See Forest Defense Team below for details.

• August 29 – PCEF 82nd Ave Ride to Jade Night Market 4:30 PM, meet at Bird Alliance of Oregon (bike ride).

If you would like an accessible option for the biking or walking tours, email: info@350pdx.org

The Forest Defense Team brings our beautiful state forests to the city. Stop by the Redwood at 7915 SE Stark in Montavilla to see our latest art installation!

Join us Thursday July 16 for our Annual Shade Equity Lents to Laurelhurst Pedalpalooza Ride! The Action Night will begin at 6:00 PM in the SE corner of Lents Park, near SE 92nd & Steele, with speakers, candidates, networking and refreshments, followed by a 7:00 PM ride. This will be our 5th annual ride focused on bringing joy, curiosity, and thoughtful attention to our urban canopy and its inequities which fall along lines of historical racism and income disparities. We will also celebrate all the newly-planted trees receiving establishment care as a result of community organizing. (Not prepared for a hot bike ride? Join us for the 6:00 – 7:00pm Action Night!)

Our team works on a variety of important campaigns, from fighting data centers and transitioning the CEI Hub, to advocating for reducing emissions from our buildings and transportation, and defending PCEF. We meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 6:00 PM. Reach out to Dineen and Cherice if you’d like to join the team: dineen@350pdx.org, cherice@350pdx.org.

Did you know that buildings account for 53% of Portland’s greenhouse gas emissions? Portland is hoping to reduce building emissions through a new policy: Climate and Health Standards for Existing Buildings, which will be proposed this summer!

The policy is for large buildings (>20,000 square feet), and it lowers emissions while ensuring rents stay affordable through tenant protections. Methane “natural” gas lobbyists will likely oppose, so we need to show support!

Councilor Avalos is hosting a community workshop to learn about the policy and share your perspective:

• When: Tuesday, July 14, 6:00-8:00pm

• Where: East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Ave

• RSVP link

As part of learning more about building emissions reduction and to build community, the Energy Justice Team will be volunteering on a home energy retrofit project with Community Energy Project. It’s one step in the PCEF-funded Energy Friendly Homes project. The team would love for others to join the fun! If you are interested, learn more and sign up.

• When: Saturday, August 15, from 8:00am-12:30pm (includes lunch)

• Sign up here, space is limited so make sure to sign up soon!

We’ve recently made progress on climate justice issues because of the ballot measure we helped pass—the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF). Now it’s facing its greatest threat yet: an effort by the Portland Police Association (PPA) and other wealthy special interests to raid PCEF. On Monday, after a signature gathering effort plagued by controversy, the PPA has turned in more than 62,000 signatures. The initiative is likely to qualify for the November ballot.

350PDX is part of a coalition fighting back, and we’ll need your help. Learn more at HandsOffPCEF.com and sign up to get involved!

Photo: John Mullen

Can you join us for the July 350PDX art build on Sunday, July 12, 1:00 – 4:00 PM, 3639 N Mississippi?

We have a gang of Billionaire puppets to create for rallies this fall, and we need to make inspirational screen printed posters, too.

Help us please! Strong climate justice work needs all levels of artists, from level 0 to level 10. Email Donna at murph1949@aol.com if you can make it on July 12!

The 350PDX Book Club meets every month on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM. Every other month is in person and the others are virtual. Reach out to books@350PDX.org with any questions or to join our list, and please RSVP so we can inform you of any meeting changes.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, August 5, 6:30 PM for our next fiction in-person meeting. We’ll discuss Hum by Helen Phillips, an urgent and unflinching portrayal of a woman’s fight for her family’s security in a world shaped by global warming and rapid technological progress. This novel just won the 2026 Climate Fiction Prize. RSVP at books@350PDX.org.

Save the date for our other upcoming discussions:

• No meeting in July

• Wednesday, September 2 at 6:30 PM (Google Meet) – Book to be selected in August

• Wednesday, October 7 at 6:30 PM (In Person) – Book to be selected soon

Do you like to talk about books and climate justice? We are seeking volunteers to help facilitate! Contact books@350PDX.org to learn more.

The Washington County Team is cohosting the Westside Sustainable Living Fair July 18, 9:00 – 1:00 PM, at the Hillsboro Saturday Market. Enjoy interactive exhibits, games, giveaways, prize drawings, and local resources focused on clean energy, electric vehicles, water conservation, urban forestry, waste reduction, watershed health, wildlife-friendly gardening, and more. The Fair is adjacent to the downtown Hillsboro Farmers Market which features fresh local produce and goods, prepared food, and sustainable products. Visit PGE’s Ride & Drive experience on 3rd Avenue between Main and Washington Streets in the Heritage Bank parking lot where you can learn about and test drive a number of electric vehicle options.

Hosted by the City of Hillsboro, Westside Planet Alliance, and 350 Washington County, with support from the Hillsboro Farmers’ Market and sponsorship from PGE.

Our next gathering will be in person for a summer picnic in conjunction with the July 18 event. See details on our Facebook page or check in with 350washco@gmail.com.We always welcome newcomers to our events and to our (mostly) monthly online meetings (6:30 PM on the second Tuesday of the month). For the link, join us here or contact us at 350washco@gmail.com

•  350PDX is still searching for a wonderful, new home. Please reach out to info@350PDX.org if you have ideas for a space where we can have meetings and our arts team can create show-stopping puppets and more!
• Check out our Take Action page which we update regularly. It includes actions that may not be in our newsletter, such as the opportunity to comment on Multnomah County’s Draft Climate Justice Plan.
• If interested in joining the 350PDX community Slack channel, reach out to info@350pdx.org and we can add you to our community chat.

The post 2026 July Newsletter! appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.

? In this webinar from June 9, MEIC gathered three experts to discuss what we know about PFAS in Montana, how we get exposed to these chemicals, and what can be done to prevent and remediate this pollution. We also highlight opportunities to speak up, including comment opportunities at the Montana Legislature Environmental Quality Council …

The post Webinar: PFAS 101 – How Toxic Forever Chemicals Are Changing Montana appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rushing forward on travel management plans for two very different but spectacular areas: Trail Canyon, east of Zion National Park, and Dinosaur North, near Dinosaur National Monument. These travel plans will determine where off-road vehicles (ORVs) are allowed to travel in these areas for decades to come.

These wild landscapes highlight the beauty and diversity of public lands in Utah, from redrock canyons and forested plateaus in Trail Canyon to high plateaus that offer dramatic panoramic views of the Green River in Dinosaur North. Both areas are home to irreplaceable cultural sites and historic resources, spectacular recreation opportunities, and important habitat for elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and other species. 

Trail Canyon includes places like Moquith Mountain, Orderville Canyon, and the east and north forks of the Virgin River. Dinosaur North encompasses the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area, Browns Park, and the B and C sections of the Green River (well known to river runners).

The BLM is currently accepting public comments on the draft travel management plans, each of which analyzes the varying impacts of four different off-road vehicle travel networks. For both travel plans, only Alternative B—modified by additional route closures—would comply with the BLM’s duties to protect natural and cultural resources and balance conflicts between motorized and non-motorized recreationists. In both cases Alternative B would remove redundant and particularly damaging routes while helping preserve wilderness study areas and other wilderness-quality lands.

Unfortunately, with both plans the BLM has signaled that it intends to prioritize ORVs at the expense of natural and cultural resources and to the detriment of hikers, bikers, hunters, paddlers, and other non-motorized recreationists.

The agency is accepting public comments through Wednesday, July 22. As a redrock advocate, it’s critical that you participate and make your voice heard. While the deadline is the same for each plan, they are being analyzed separately. Please click the links below to comment on each plan.

>> Click here to submit comments on Trail Canyon

>> Click here to submit comments on Dinosaur North

Do you know the Trail Canyon or Dinosaur North area especially well? Comments that draw from firsthand knowledge and experiences in these areas are the most effective. If you have a personal affinity for these landscapes and know them well, you may want to submit your comments directly through the BLM comment portal (found using the links above). Have questions? Send an email to our Utah Organizer Mimi Ortega and she’ll be happy to help guide you through the process. 

Thank you!

The post Take Action to Protect Trail Canyon & Dinosaur North appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

More than 350 gas-powered generators could soon be operating just outside Philadelphia as part of Amazon’s proposed data center in Fairless Hills, Bucks County. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is hosting a public meeting about this proposal July 14. 

Over the July 4 holiday heatwave, existing data centers were instructed to run their gas generators on already polluted days, severely endangering local public health. We need our elected officials to prevent this from happening again.  

On hot summer days, when the region is already struggling with unhealthy air quality, those generators could add significant pollution to the air we breathe. Unless elected officials act now, this proposal could become a model for future data center development across southeastern Pennsylvania. 

Meeting growing electricity demand doesn’t mean building more fossil fuel infrastructure.

Data centers rely on massive amounts of electricity, and how we meet that demand will shape Pennsylvania’s energy future. Electricity costs are rising in Philadelphia, but expanded solar deployment has helped moderate those increases. 

Rather than responding to growing electricity demand with more fossil fuel development, city residents should demand that new data center development bring more solar onto our grid, making it easier for homes and commercial spaces to electrify while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. 

The City is already taking steps in this direction. A planned 1.5 megawatt solar farm near the Northeast Philadelphia Airport would give the City government a set electricity rate for 25 years, in addition to a 20-year contract with a solar farm in Clearfield County, PA, further locking in long-term electricity rates for municipal operations, but not for residents.  

This should be extended to include Pennsylvania households. Pennsylvanians are still waiting for the state legislature to pass House Bill 1155, which would allow households to benefit from community solar projects and see savings on their electric bills while supporting clean energy.   

We can’t allow data center growth to become an excuse for slowing the transition away from fossil fuels. 

Regardless of nearby industrial development, residents can take action on their own. Moving from gas cooking and heating appliances to electric devices will improve air quality inside your home and throughout the region.

In the middle of a polluted, summer heat wave, it doesn’t make much sense to heat a tank of water with an open flame so you can wash your hands. Tankless, electric water heaters that only heat the water you need could have a massive impact on the city’s public health while reducing energy bills.  

Nationwide, electricity consumption is increasing, yet new solar generation — not additional gas-fired power — is meeting much of that demand. Pennsylvania should follow that example.

Courts have affirmed that states have the right to set a standard for the air pollution that’s emitted by gas appliances in buildings. Transitioning away from your own household gas appliances is one way to remove gas pollution from your life. Contacting your elected officials to ask them to push back against the hundreds of gas generators proposed in the region is another. 

Click here to tell your state and local officials to support a three-year pause on data center development.

SUWA members are invited to our annual Summer Gathering on Thursday, August 27. We couldn’t do this work without your support and look forward to thanking you in person! If you plan to join us, please RSVP below.

Not sure if your membership is current? Email Membership Coordinator Kelly Burnham at membership@suwa.org or call 801-428-3972. Not yet a member? Join today for just $35 and become part of the nationwide movement to Protect Wild Utah!

● Hors d’oeuvres and non-alcoholic refreshments provided by Brown Brothers Catering
(Vegan and GF options available)
● Remarks by SUWA Executive Director Scott Braden
● A take-home botanical craft for kids and adults alike
● A beautiful garden setting

To help us with the preparations and make sure you’re on the guest list, RSVP here or email Kelly at membership@suwa.org no later than Thursday, August 20. Feel free to call Kelly at 801-428-3972 with any questions.

The post Members Only: Join Us for SUWA’s Summer Gathering on August 27! appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

“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.

Happy Fourth of July! As we celebrate America’s 250th, learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!

Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania’s budget is late for the fifth year in a row – Pennsylvania legislators missed the budget deadline of June 30, for the fifth year in a row. Republicans that lead the Senate have stated they expect the budget deal in the days after the fourth. Democrats that lead the House were less positive about passing a budget soon. Clashes over state spending, revenue sources, and other hot topics all delay budget deals. Without a set budget, many schools, libraries, non-profits, counties, and other recipients of state funds suffer. With transit agencies in all counties across the state heading towards fiscal cliffs, service cuts, and fare increases, a revenue source is absolutely necessary.

PhillyVoice: Here are the road closures and SEPTA detours for the Fourth of July concert and fireworks – Drivers can expect roads around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to be closed this week as the city prepares for the Fourth of July concert and celebration on Saturday. The concert begins on the 4th at 5pm, with doors opening at 3pm, and concluding with fireworks at around 11:30pm. Several roads will be closed from Friday to Monday morning, the full list posted here. Several SEPTA routes will also be adjusted to accommodate the event.

PhillyVoice: PPA starts issuing speeding tickets using traffic cameras along Route 13 after warning period ends – Six traffic cameras have been active on Route 13 since April of this year, and will begin authorizing tickets to drivers exceeding the 25 mph speed limit. The 60-day warning period in Northeast Philadelphia is ending, and fines begin at $100. This is the latest in partnerships between the city and the PPA, aimed to improve traffic safety, and revenue brought in to cover further safety measures.

Philadelphia Today: Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts Completes First Phase of $150 Million AveArts 2.0 Transformation

CBS Pittsburgh: PRT unveils “Spirit of ’76”-inspired “T” train ahead of Fourth of July weekend festivities

BillyPenn: Here’s how road closures for America 250 events may affect your commute

CBS Philadelphia: NJ Transit fares increase by 3% starting July 1

The Inquirer: Spanning 100 Years: See how the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was built a century ago

Montana Residents Challenge State’s Granting of Undisclosed Waiver for Bridger Pipeline Construction Montana DEQ issued illegal waiver by ignoring requirements for public notices and hearings. For Immediate Release: June 26, 2026 Contact: Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice | pwheeler@earthjustice.org Derf Johnson, MEIC | (406) 443-2520, Ext. 103 | djohnson@meic.org   HELENA – Montana residents today challenged the …

The post Press Release: Montana Residents Challenge State’s Granting of Undisclosed Waiver for Bridger Pipeline Construction appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

“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.

The FIFA World Cup is here! Learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!

NBC Philadelphia: SEPTA announces next steps of mixed-use development at Germantown Station – SEPTA has announced it is seeking information from local developers to enhance mixed-use development at Germantown Station. The primary target for this development is a vacant lot at 120-128 E Chelten Ave in Historic Germantown. This is part of a larger program, SEPTA’s Transit-Oriented Communities, that develops areas near transit stops and supports the public transit network. Other mixed-use concept locations considered or announced by SEPTA include areas around East Armat St Bridges, Ambler Station, Conshohocken, and Langhorne stations.

Metro Philadelphia: How SEPTA plans to move tens of thousands of World Cup fans – SEPTA has been preparing for the World Cup to arrive in Philly this summer, and now that it’s here, tens of thousands of fans will be riding it around the city, with measured improvements as well. The Broad Street Line has trains going to and leaving from NRG every four to five minutes a few hours leading up to kickoff. NRG has had some upgrades recently as well, such as new roofing, a new ventilation system, and enhanced lighting and signage. These upgrades were in part funded by federal operating money to assist with the World Cup; the general SEPTA budget has yet to be announced by the PA state government, but is due at the end of this month.

The Burg: Regional bus system Rabbittransit to introduce mobile pay, fare raises in July – Buses in Harrisburg are part of the regional system known as Rabbittransit. This week, it was announced that a new smartcard and mobile payment system will be installed next month on the Capital Region, Gettysburg, Shippensburg, and York routes of the public transit system. The rabbitPAY system will launch mid-to-end July, and allow riders to load reusable transit passes through an app, and tap to ride. Also being added is fare capping, meaning riders can pay as they go, and once the cost of a daily or monthly pass is reached, the rest of the rides during that period are free.

The Inquirer: There are plans for an 86-unit apartment complex next to SEPTA’s Jenkintown station

Delco Today: Business Class Seating at Philadelphia International Airport Soars Past Pre-Pandemic Levels

92.5 XTU: Pennsylvania Braces for Record Traffic Amid 250th Independence Day Anniversary

WJAC: Cambria County officials press state lawmakers to fix outdated CamTran payment system

NJ.com: Here’s what N.J. e-bike owners and riders have to do now to avoid a fine under a new law

Block Club Chicago: Chicago’s Bike Lanes Don’t Hurt Businesses, City Report Finds

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting scoping comments on a proposal to sell 44 parcels spanning more than 74,000 acres of public land in Utah for oil and gas development. This sale is an especially bad one for redrock country as it includes a large block of parcels in the northern Dirty Devil region, parcels atop Horse Bench on the West Tavaputs Plateau, parcels scattered throughout the southern Uinta Basin, and several more in the Hatch Point region, just east of Bears Ears National Monument.

The public comment period is open through Thursday, July 16. Please tell the agency to keep oil and gas development out of Utah’s wild places.

The BLM has chosen exceptionally inappropriate places for its lease sale. The Dirty Devil parcels are located only a few miles west of the Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands National Park, immediately north of the Dirty Devil Wilderness Study Area. This region is expansive, remote, and wild.

The parcels atop Horse Bench on the West Tavaputs Plateau overlook the Desolation Canyon stretch of the Green River. To access the plateau, oil tanker trucks and other vehicles would have to pass through Utah’s famed Nine Mile Canyon—often referred to as “the world’s longest art gallery” due to its more than 10,000 unique cultural, historical, and archaeological resources.

The Hatch Point parcels are located near the mouth of Trough Springs Canyon, south of Moab, and encompass the scenic Kane Springs Canyon. This rugged landscape is home to a diversity of wildlife, including the threatened Mexican spotted owl, and provides expansive views of the nearby Bears Ears region.

In its haste to align itself with the Trump administration’s priorities, the BLM has elevated fossil fuel extraction as a primary use of our public lands, even in the face of worsening climate change. With your help, SUWA will challenge this latest proposal and hold the BLM accountable for its failure to follow the law. 

The post BLM Targets Iconic Redrock Landscapes for Oil and Gas Leasing and Development appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

For immediate release: June 25, 2026 Media Contacts: Derf Johnson, MEIC | djohnson@meic.org | 406-443-2520 Andrew Gorder, CFC, andrew@clarkfork.org Additional Community Contact: Jerry O’Connell, Big Blackfoot Riverkeeper, joconnell5613@gmail.com   Conservation groups challenge Montana DEQ’s violation of rights to know and participate in permitting process around Blackfoot River gold mine HELENA – Yesterday, MEIC and Clark …

The post Press Release: Conservation groups challenge Montana DEQ’s violation of rights to know and participate in permitting process around Blackfoot River gold mine appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

June 23, 2026 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Denver, CO – Today, the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on an appeal brought in August 2023 by the State of Utah, Blue Ribbon Coalition, and others challenging President Biden’s October 2021 use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The Circuit Court’s decision did three principal things: (1) it reversed the district court’s dismissal of the underlying lawsuits brought by Utah and others, (2) it affirmed the district court’s dismissal of the Blue Ribbon Coalition and other individual plaintiffs, and (3) it remanded the case to the district court to consider whether President Biden’s 2021 orders were lawful. Below is a statement from SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch and additional information.  

“Today’s decision confirms a key point that the lower court previously got wrong: federal courts can hear challenges to a president’s use of the Antiquities Act to establish or diminish a national monument,” said Steve Bloch, Legal Director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “We are confident that President Biden’s restoration of the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments – which this appeal sought to undermine – was within his powers under the Antiquities Act. His executive orders establishing the monuments protected irreplaceable cultural, biological and geological resources found nowhere else in the world. For over 100 years, no court has ever overturned a President’s use of this authority, and we fully expect President Biden’s actions will be upheld and these National Monuments will remain protected.”

Additional information: 

In August 2022, the State of Utah, along with Garfield and Kane Counties, filed a lawsuit challenging President Biden’s lawful use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in October 2021. The Blue Ribbon Coalition and several individuals filed a separate lawsuit which also challenged restoration of the monuments. Soon afterward, SUWA and a coalition of conservation organizations intervened in these lawsuits on behalf of the U.S. to defend the monuments; five sovereign Tribal Nations also intervened on behalf of the U.S. to defend Bears Ears National Monument. In August 2023, a federal court dismissed the lawsuit and these appeals followed; SUWA’s statement on the 2023 dismissal can be found here.  

### 
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org. 

The post SUWA Statement on Tenth Circuit Decision over Long-Running Attack on National Monuments – 6.23.26 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Bold Nebraska was concerned, like communities across the country, that Big Tech was trampling on property rights and polluting water without regard to anyone’s energy bill or clean air. So we, along with allied groups and citizens across the state, encouraged lawmakers to put guardrails and real accountability in place on data centers.

Bold worked with Senators Spivey, McKinney, and Machalea Cavanaugh on a bill that we believe is the first-in-the-nation to require both a decommissioning plan and a Community Benefits Agreement, while also mandating disclosures on key issues that the community has been demanding, like water and electricity usage.

Nebraska Data Center Law:

LB 1111 is a data center bill that was sponsored by Senators McKinney, Spivey and Machaela Cavanaugh, which was also supported by Bold Nebraska. Key guardrail provisions from LB 1111, including disclosure and transparency, and requiring decommissioning plans and a community benefits agreement, were included in another data center bill, LB 1010, which passed the Nebraska Legislature and was signed into law this year. The new law holds data centers accountable and provides for transparency that no other state has been able to pass. Nebraska is already home to more than 30 data center facilities, operated by tech giants including Meta and Google.

Nebraska is believed to be the first state in the nation to pass a law requiring Community Benefits Agreements for data center projects. A Community Benefits Agreement is an actual contract between the developer and impacted local communities that require the developer to ensure local community members benefit directly from the development activity – so these billion-dollar data center projects are obligated to pay back millions of dollars annually to impacted communities.

Nebraska is also now one of the first states to impose a statutory requirement for data centers to implement decommissioning plans, so that rural communities are not left holding the bag when these massive facilities housing huge amounts of hazardous environmental waste go out of business or are no longer of use.

The public disclosures that data centers in Nebraska are now required to provide include:

• The name of the proposed data center.
• The names of the developers and owners of the proposed data center.
• The physical size of the proposed data center in square feet.
• The location of the proposed data center, including street address and County.
• The annual electricity demand of the proposed data center.
• The annual water usage of the proposed data center.
• The sales and use tax exemptions that the proposed data center utilizes or expects to utilize.
• Any incentive payments for the proposed data center under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act and the Nebraska Advantage Act.
• All energy efficiency, load management, and conservation measures implemented by the proposed data center.
• All commitments by the proposed data center to use renewable energy.
• The service life of the proposed data center.

Community Organizing Resources:

All of these resources are focused on putting communities first. 

Bold Data Center Resources for Communities & Organizers: 

• View and download (PDF)

Bold Energy Builders Toolkit for Rural Communities

• View and download (PDF)

AI Now: A policy-driven resource that has sample laws, ordinances, white papers, and more.

• https://ainowinstitute.org

NAACP Stop Dirty Data Centers: A coalition site that many groups, including Bold Alliance, helped provide resources for, including sample Community Benefit Agreements (CBA).

• https://naacp.org/campaigns/stop-dirty-data-centers
• bit.ly/naacpcba (NAACP sample CBA for data centers)

“My community is being polluted every single day by a coal plant that stays open largely to power data centers. This bill finally forces public disclosure of the electricity and water demands we’ve been demanding — and couldn’t get. It puts people in the driver’s seat with legally binding Community Benefits Agreements and decommissioning plans, so we’re not left cleaning up a corporate mess decades later.” 

—Nebraska State Senator Terrell McKinney

“Communities deserve to know basic facts about data centers when deciding what’s best for their towns. Nebraska had zero guardrails on data centers before this law, and now developers must, if a community decides this is right for their town, enter into a Community Benefits Agreement and put a decommissioning plan in place. No data center should be able to run roughshod over a community while making billions of dollars. Communities and those who live near these massive projects deserve to generate wealth and be protected from any public health and environmental harms. This law provides guardrails to protect communities and put them first, not big corporations.”

—Jane Kleeb, Bold Alliance Founder and Director 

“We are pleased to see that the Legislature passed LB 1010 on a vote of 49 to zero to establish important guardrails on data centers, including requiring data centers to pay the full cost of electricity and ensuring that no costs are passed on to other retail customers. We greatly appreciate the leadership of Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, Senator Terrell McKinney and Senator Ashlei Spivey in introducing the original legislation and making sure that necessary amendments were added to LB 1010. We want to recognize the importance of requiring data centers to bear all decommissioning costs and requiring them to enter into community benefit agreements with communities affected by the data center. This legislation provides a great opportunity for local communities to tailor their community benefit agreements to meet the needs of their community. This could include projects that mitigate the data center’s use of water or other natural resources, or funding for projects the community cannot otherwise afford such as low-income energy efficiency programs, solar and battery powered community resilience hubs or assistance with affordable housing. These agreements should be funded at a meaningful level and funds should be provided throughout the operational life of the facility because the companies behind data centers are some of the richest corporations on the planet.”
—Ken Winston, Chapter Director of the Nebraska Sierra Club

June 23, 2026 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Salt Lake City, UT – Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced it was moving forward on three Travel Management Plans in Utah: Trail Canyon (east of Zion National Park), Dinosaur North (near Dinosaur National Monument), and the Dolores River (northeast of Moab). Travel plans guide where motorized recreation is and is not allowed on public land; the agency is accepting public comment on the Trail Canyon and Dinosaur North Plans. Below is a statement from SUWA Senior Attorney Laura Peterson and additional information.  

“After years of dragging its feet, the BLM is suddenly racing ahead to finalize three plans for off-road vehicles (ORVs) – plans we expect will wrongly promote motorized recreation over the interests of all other public land visitors,” said Laura Peterson, Senior Attorney at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “These three landscapes highlight the beauty and diversity of public lands in Utah, but one thing unites them: none of them should be transformed from quiet, wild places into motorized playgrounds.”

Additional information: 

The Trail Canyon, Dinosaur North, and Dolores Triangle travel plans – totaling approximately 816,000 acres of public lands – are three of 11 travel plans the BLM is completing as part of a court-supervised settlement agreement between the BLM, conservation groups, and ORV groups. Covering more than 6 million acres of BLM-managed lands in eastern and southern Utah, these plans will determine where motorized vehicles will be allowed on some of Utah’s wildest public lands. To date, the BLM has completed five of the 11 plans and is currently working on new plans for some of Utah’s most beloved landscapes. At the behest of the Trump Administration and some motorized recreation groups, the BLM is reconsidering the previously completed Labyrinth Canyon, San Rafael Swell, and San Rafael Desert plans. Read more about SUWA’s litigation to ensure these travel plans follow federal laws to protect public lands and resources. 

The Trail Canyon plan (draft environmental assessment) has a 30-day public comment period running June 22 – July 22;  the BLM is hosting a public meeting on July 9, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kanab Center (20 N. 100 E., Kanab, UT 84741). The Dinosaur North plan (draft environmental assessment) has a 30-day public comment period running June 22 – July 22. 

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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org. 

The post SUWA Statement on three BLM Travel Management Plans moving forward – 6.23.26 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

June 22, 2026 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Salt Lake City, UT – Last week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a decision approving 10 backcountry airstrips in the BLM’s Canyon Country District, which includes the Moab and Monticello field offices in the heart of Utah’s redrock country. These airstrips, many of which show no signs of recent use and none of which were open to use, are scattered across some of the most remote and ecologically sensitive landscapes in southern Utah—including the Gemini Bridges/Labyrinth Canyon area and the remote backcountry immediately adjacent to Bears Ears National Monument. Below is a statement from SUWA Wildlands Director Neal Clark and additional information. Clark and additional information.

“The BLM continues to push motorized use in remote, wilderness-quality landscapes, to the benefit of a handful of private pilots and the detriment of wildlife, native vegetation, and public lands users seeking quiet, backcountry experiences,” said Neal Clark, Wildlands Director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “The unwillingness of both BLM and the backcountry pilots to acknowledge the reality of conditions on the ground and remove six of the airstrips from consideration – including those adjacent to Bears Ears National Monument – is unfortunate. We’ll be exploring all options to stop new and intrusive backcountry airplanes in these areas.”

Additional information: 

Based on recent on-the-ground fieldwork, SUWA called on the BLM to reject six of the ten proposed airstrips: Spring Canyon, Big Flat, Castle Creek, Nokai Dome, Piute, and Red Canyon; a map of those six airstrips can be found here. None of these airstrips have ever been officially designated, and despite unauthorized past use, many of these locations will require extensive clearing and ground disturbance as they have begun reclaiming and are not functional for takeoff or landing. Reopening them would require removal of mature native plants like blackbrush and junipers, fragmenting habitat and degrading wilderness characteristics. Several locations are within BLM-identified wilderness-quality lands or directly adjacent to Bears Ears National Monument, where aircraft noise and visual intrusions would diminish the solitude, natural soundscapes, and cultural landscapes these areas were meant to protect. 

The Spring Canyon and Big Flat airstrips lie within crucial bighorn habitat along the Green River corridor and near Canyonlands National Park—the same landscape where the BLM already restricts other recreation activities to protect these important species during lambing season. Similarly, raptors nesting near Big Flat, Nokai Dome, and other sites are highly sensitive to aviation noise, which discourages use of otherwise suitable nesting habitat. 

 SUWA’s members submitted over 2,500 comments in opposition to the decision. This decision comes on the heels of BLM approving the Keg Knoll airstrip in the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness on June 12, 2026.  

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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org. 

The post SUWA Statement on Approval of 10 new Backcountry Airstrips in Southern Utah’s Redrock Country – 6.22.26  appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.