E2. Front Line Community Green

Chevron and WSPA remain top spenders for influence and lobbying at the close of 2025

 Sacramento, CA — New lobbying disclosures reveal California fossil fuel companies spent an egregious $34 million influencing lawmakers in Sacramento, not too far below 2024’s $38 million total, which was their highest spending year ever. Influence spending in Q4 was $7.7 million, with 73% of that coming from Chevron and WSPA.

Californians for Energy Independence, an oil industry front group that is heavily funded by companies like Chevron and that advocates for local oil and gas production, also poured $6.7 million into “general issues relating to energy independence in California.” This amount is not included in the total lobbying number, however, as it falls under Chevron’s expenses instead. Almost all of this lobbying spending is found in a payment for Winner And Mandabach Campaigns LLC, a national consulting firm specializing in ballot measure campaigns.

Top 5 lobbying and influence spenders of 2025:

Company/Trade Association Amount

  Chevron U.S.A., Inc. $12,935,583.66 Western States Petroleum Association $12,405,328.58 Californians For Energy Independence $6,737,655.88 Phillips 66 $1,058,331.41 Marathon Petroleum Corporation $877,022.75

Top 5 lobbying and influence spenders of Q4:

Company/Trade Association Amount

  Western States Petroleum Association $3,525,971.27 Chevron U.S.A., Inc. $2,113,122.50 Californians For Energy Independence $1,035,800.00 Phillips 66 $340,529.20 Marathon Petroleum Corporation $210,019.12

Chevron was a leader among Big Oil groups pushing back against key climate bills like the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act, which would hold major corporate climate polluters accountable for their fair share of the climate damages facing the state. Shell and WSPA also lobbied against this bill, which ultimately did not advance last session after industry attacks. The bill’s sponsors remain committed to the campaign for a Polluter Pays Climate Superfund Act, and Tracy, CA recently became the 25th locality to endorse the Act.

SB 237, a gut-and-amend bill rushed through at the end of this legislative session to roll back environmental regulations and allow thousands of new oil and gas wells to be drilled per year, saw lobbying from Valero, Phillips 66, and Exxon Mobil. The bill, opposed by climate and environmental justice organizations, sought to open up Kern County to increased dangerous, toxic drilling, ostensibly in response to the closure of the Phillips 66 refinery in Southern California and upcoming closure of the Valero refinery in Benicia. While frontline communities in Kern County and across California suffer from chronic exposure to pollution due to oil drilling, Big Oil is weaponizing its wealth to secure industry friendly policy that pads their bottom line with disregard to impacted Californians.

“Last year, Big Oil spent big on lobbying in California – and it worked. Oil lobbyists used refinery closures and a campaign of misinformation to pressure the Governor and legislature into big giveaways to the oil industry which do absolutely nothing to benefit the communities living near California’s refineries or the workers who operate them,” said Faraz Rizvi, Policy and Campaigns Manager at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). “In 2026, California has an opportunity to set a new course: responsibly stewarding the energy transition, safeguarding our health and climate progress, and centering the needs of frontline communities and workers along the way.”

“In this vital decade of transitioning away from fossil fuels and creating a cleaner and more affordable economy in California, we are seeing an escalating campaign of disinformation by oil corporations that blames their exit from California on health protective common sense measures in our communities,” said Bahram Fazeli, Director of Research and Policy at Communities for a Better Environment. “However, we all know the real reason is that fossil fuel demand in California is on the decline, and in response California elected officials should prepare visionary transition plans that protects communities and workers during this historic transformation.”

As we approach the start of a new legislative session, California’s ongoing transition off of a waning fossil fuel industry remains a pertinent issue. In his final year of office, Governor Gavin Newsom’s climate legacy faces a critical moment. Climate and environmental justice organizations who saw extreme opposition from fossil fuel companies last year are counting on leadership from lawmakers that prioritizes frontline communities, consumers, and workers over Big Oil profits.

“Big Oil sees the writing on the wall: California and the world are moving on to cleaner, cheaper, safer energy. This multimillion-dollar spending spree is an attempt to prop up a declining industry and squeeze out as much profit for fossil fuel shareholders as possible, no matter the costs to public health and the climate. In his last year in office, we hope to work with Governor Newsom to hold Big Oil accountable, redirect state investment to real climate solutions, and establish his legacy as a climate leader.” Woody Hastings, Phase Out Polluting Fuels Program Director for The Climate Center

“Oil and gas lobbyists spend millions to keep drilling next to our schools and homes. They use money to try to drown out the voices of farmworkers who can’t breathe, of children using inhalers, of families watching their loved ones get sick. Corporate lobbying should not overpower community testimony. We know what we need to be healthy: clean air, safe water, and leaders who listen to us, not to the highest bidder. Every dollar spent silencing us is a dollar that could have gone to cleaning up their pollution. Our lungs shouldn’t be worth less than their profits, and our voices shouldn’t cost millions to be heard.” Cesar Aguirre CCEJN, Director, Air and Climate Justice

“While people across California spent 2025 calling on our state leaders to hold polluters accountable for fueling the climate crisis that is costing us billions, Big Oil tried to drown out our voices by spending massive amounts of money to get out of any responsibility for the mess they made. Californians need a future full of clean, sustainable energy, clean air and water, and we need it now – not more Big Oil money in Sacramento.” Nicole Ghio, California Director at Food & Water Watch

Additional information on Q4 and 2025 lobbying activity is available upon request.

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LCA LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge that Sacramento is the traditional home of the Maidu, Miwok and Nisenan people. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.

The post Big Oil spends $34 million to stonewall and roll back critical health and climate policy in 2025 appeared first on Last Chance Alliance.

4 de febrero, 2026

Con una apuesta por la educación como motor de transformación social y ambiental, se desarrolló en Nicaragua un proceso académico de formación en educación ambiental, que culminó con la realización del Primer seminario de educación ambiental y formación docente.

Impulsado por la Universidad Técnica de Comercio, el Centro de Investigación, Capacitación y Formación Ambiental, junto a los miembros de GAIA y Break Free From Plastic, Basura Cero Nicaragua, el proceso incluyó jornadas de formación, un ciclo de seminarios web y espacios de intercambio que permitieron fortalecer capacidades pedagógicas y metodológicas. Como resultado, nueve docentes completaron la certificación y más de 48 personas participaron activamente en las instancias virtuales previas, consolidando una comunidad educativa comprometida con el enfoque basura cero.

Para Karla Escoto, de Basura Cero Nicaragua, este camino respondió a una necesidad urgente. “En Nicaragua, el docente no suele ser considerado protagonista de la educación ambiental”, explica. Sin embargo, la experiencia acumulada en jornadas de trabajo con profesionales de la educación, sumada al involucramiento voluntario de jóvenes que ya desarrollaban acciones en colegios como reciclajes comunitarios, charlas y limpiezas de costa, evidenció que existía una base sólida sobre la cual avanzar.

Ese diagnóstico llevó a  Basura Cero Nicaragua a reflexionar sobre la importancia de incorporar durante 2025 un proceso formativo estructurado. “No se trataba solo de sensibilizar, sino de generar herramientas reales para que docentes y líderes juveniles adolescentes lideraran procesos en sus comunidades, usando los centros educativos como base de acción”, señala Karla. 

Por otro lado, uno de los momentos más significativos del proceso fue tener la oportunidad de contar con espacios de intercambio regional y escuchar las experiencias que compartieron Alicia Franco, de la Alianza Basura Cero Ecuador, Julia Elena Picado, de la Asociación Defensores del Monumento Natural Zona de los Santos, Costa Rica, y Aliz García, de Bioética, Honduras. “Hablar de basura cero en las escuelas exige partir de la experiencia vivida y sistematizada. Eso fue clave en el intercambio regional”, destaca Escoto.

Más allá del intercambio conceptual, el seminario también puso énfasis en el trabajo práctico. Las y los docentes desarrollaron herramientas que pueden aplicarse de inmediato en sus centros educativos como actividades lúdicas vinculadas al buen vivir libre de tóxicos, matrices de planificación, propuestas extracurriculares para reducir plásticos de un solo uso y orientaciones para avanzar hacia colegios basura cero.

Profesora Amalia Angulo Bonilla, Colegio Enrique de Ossó, participante de la formación docente.

Este enfoque, explica Escoto, permite evaluar aprendizajes fuera del aula, identificar liderazgos juveniles y fortalecer el vínculo entre escuelas y comunidades, alineándose además con los ejes de la política educativa nacional. “Las actividades prácticas ayudan a que los y las jóvenes se conecten con experiencias reales y se alejen de dinámicas que afectan especialmente a la adolescencia”, agrega.

Más sobre Basura Cero Nicaragua:

• Basura Cero Nicaragua en redes sociales: Instagram / Facebook / TikTok
• Basura Cero Nicaragua: Producción agroecológica en patios por mujeres rurales

The post Basura Cero Nicaragua fortalece la educación ambiental con su primer seminario de educación ambiental y formación docente first appeared on GAIA.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2026

Berkeley, CA — In response to ongoing violence, deaths, and repression caused by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) issued the following statement:

GAIA stands in solidarity with the people of Minneapolis and with communities across the country that are resisting these violent occupations and repressive tactics. What we are witnessing is not public safety, it is state violence. The people of Minneapolis and other communities are standing up to protect their neighbors, resisting repression, and protesting against this authoritarian federal government.

The right to speak out and protest is fundamental to a functioning democracy and a critical tool for communities defending their safety, health, land, and futures. GAIA and our members rely on this right every day to challenge environmental injustice, corporate impunity, and policies that sacrifice frontline communities while undermining the right to a clean and healthy environment for all. The current U.S. administration is deploying federal agencies implementing militarized enforcement tactics to suppress both protest and community-led resistance, intimidate and criminalize those documenting abuses, and silence those who speak out against injustice.

Since the start of this year, at least nine deaths have been reported in connection with ICE custody or enforcement actions. We mourn the deaths of Keith Porter, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, Luis Beltran Yanez–Cruz, Victor Manuel Diaz, Parady La, Heber Sanchez Dominguez, Renee Nicole Good, and Alex Pretti, whose killings reveal a pattern of escalating state violence, systemic failures, and blatant disregard for human life.

We are seeing in real time the lawlessness of this agency, exemplified in the mounting reports of abuse and neglect of detainees, which include children. This is the same administration that rolled back the Flores protections and continues to challenge legal safeguards for detained minors, allowing ICE to hold children in unsafe and inhumane conditions for longer periods.

GAIA demands immediate accountability from DHS, ICE, and CBP for all deaths, abuses, and violations committed under their authority. We call for an end to violent enforcement practices, the protection of the right to protest, and policies rooted in care, dignity, and community power.

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The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is a member-based, environmental justice network working at the intersection of waste, climate, and justice. In the United States and Canada, GAIA supports grassroots organizations that advance zero waste solutions, challenge the plastics and petrochemical industries, reduce methane emissions, and promote safe, sustainable practices for electric vehicle battery production and recycling.

Press contacts:

María Guillén, Communications & Network Development Manager

mariaguillen@no-burn.org

The post GAIA Denounces the Ongoing Violence and Deaths at the Hands of ICE and CBP first appeared on GAIA.

Federal immigration raids and militarized enforcement are terrorizing our neighborhoods. Families are being torn apart. Communities are being destabilized. Human rights are being violated under systemic policies rooted in colonialism, racism, and xenophobia.

Across the country, our communities are rising up. People are refusing to stay silent in the face of authoritarian terror, violence, and fear. We are organizing, mobilizing, and demanding a liberated future rooted in dignity and justice.

These attacks don’t exist in isolation. Poverty, racism, war, and climate change are deeply interconnected crises that shape people’s lives and force millions to leave their homes in search of safety and survival. Climate-driven droughts, floods, rising heat, and extreme weather are already displacing people worldwide and making entire regions unlivable. Borders do not stop climate collapse, and they should not be utilized to deny people their freedom, humanity, and dignity.

Climate justice is inseparable from migrant justice. Both are rooted in a deep tradition of creating a just and livable future for everyone. Both demand collective, bold solutions led by frontline communities. Solutions that build a world where everyone can thrive.

This is a moment to act — together.

We call on our communities to get involved locally. Join or build mutual aid networks that support impacted families. Show up at protests and community meetings. Organize or participate in direct actions in your community. Boycott corporations that profit from detention and deportation. Call your members of Congress and demand an end to policies that criminalize migration and real action to dismantle systems of detention, deportation, including the abolition of ICE.

We stand with migrant communities everywhere. We fight for dignity, safety, and freedom of movement for ALL PEOPLE. 

 

Artwork by Angelica Fausto @nerdybrownkid

Artwork by Ryan Numair @ryannumair.art

Artwork by Lane Lloyd @Coyotesnout

Artwork by Jessica Thornton @jessicathorntondesigns

Artwork by Willa Goettling @willakatrin

Artwork by Javier Maldonado O’Farrill – AgitArte / Papel Machete @jmofarrill

Artwork from the Regenerative Economy Poster Portfolio and from the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative series of images opposing ICE.

Images are intended to be shared online and/or printed out and distributed. Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative encourages you to use them as imagery for flyers, action announcements, demonstrations, in home and storefront windows, and any other public spaces. Images that are part of the package are not to be used for profit and are published under creative commons license -Attribution – NonCommercial-ShareAlike.

The post Migrant Justice is Climate Justice – And Our Communities are Rising appeared first on Climate Justice Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2026

Berkeley, CA — In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to stop accounting for the economic value of health benefits, including lives saved, when setting air pollution standards, Denaya Shorter, Senior Director of the U.S. & Canada Region at the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), issued the following statement:

“As a global network of environmental justice organizations, GAIA rejects the idea that human life should be reduced to an economic calculation in the first place. But if economic frameworks are being used, no polluting facility, plastics plant, incinerator, or corporate balance sheet should ever be valued above people’s lives or their right to a clean environment.

By effectively valuing human life at zero, this administration is prioritizing industry profits over public health, dismantling long-standing safeguards, and rewriting the rules to shield polluters from accountability. This decision exacerbates inequity and disproportionately impacts the most marginalized members of our society, often low-income and communities of color, and it will cost the US more than just dollars — it will cost lives.

We have seen this industry-driven “cost-first” narrative before. It has been used to weaken environmental protections and justify toxic plastics, waste incineration, and environmental racism across the globe. When industry costs are put above human lives, the result is not balanced policymaking but a system that treats frontline communities as expendable and disregards decades of established science.

At GAIA, we remain bold, determined, and unwavering in our mission to strengthen grassroots movements toward a just, zero waste world rooted in respect for ecological limits and community rights, and where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution. Our voices and resolve are stronger than their power.”

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The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is a member-based, environmental justice network working at the intersection of waste, climate, and justice. In the United States and Canada, GAIA supports grassroots organizations that advance zero waste solutions, challenge the plastics and petrochemical industries, reduce methane emissions, and promote safe, sustainable practices for electric vehicle battery production and recycling.

Press contacts:

María Guillén, Communications & Network Development Manager

mariaguillen@no-burn.org

The post GAIA Condemns EPA Decision to Prioritize Industry Profits Over Human Life first appeared on GAIA.

Environmental leaders, community advocates, and policy experts from across the Asia Pacific convened on January 22 for Fire or Ice: Growth of Bioplastics in the Asia Pacific, an online discussion examining regulatory, policy, and investment trends driving the expansion of bioplastics and their implications for communities, climate, and human health.

Panelists warned that the unchecked growth of bioplastics risks repeating the environmental and social harms of conventional plastics, particularly when promoted as a quick fix rather than part of a broader system change.

Arpita Bhagat, Plastic Policy Officer at GAIA Asia Pacific and moderator of the panel, stressed the need to move beyond material substitution. “Bioplastics are often framed as sustainable by default, whereas the material combinations keep evolving without minimum design standards or safe safeguards. Without chemical transparency, strong regulations, and a clear focus on the reduction of single-use material, they are another false narrative that wastes precious resources and delays real action. Therefore, our governments must reevaluate their policy incentives for bioplastics promotion,” she said.

Participants examined the scale of bioplastics production in the region, noting that Asia has already become the largest producer and exporter. Panelists cautioned that this rapid growth is being driven more by market incentives than by environmental safeguards.

Pichmol Rugrod, Plastic-Free Future Project Lead of Greenpeace Thailand, highlighted how national policies can unintentionally reinforce harmful narratives. “Thailand is promoting itself as a biodegradable hub through investment incentives and policy frameworks like the bio-circular-green economy. But this does not address plastic pollution at its root. Plastic packaging, even when labeled biodegradable, does not truly biodegrade in real-world conditions and therefore is not the real solution. Reuse and refill systems are,” she said. 

The discussion also centered on Indigenous and frontline community perspectives. Rufino Varea, Director of the Pacific Indigenous Climate Action Network (PICAN) in Fiji, said, “Bioplastics are a regrettable solution that only creates a false sense of security about addressing the plastic crisis. They do not fit our Global South realities. We already face disproportionate waste burdens threatening our ecosystems, affecting marine food webs, and causing toxicity to our waters. Our Indigenous knowledge systems have the heritage of organic materials that are inherently circular, regenerative, and in harmony with the  economy.”

Chemical safety and environmental health risks were raised as major concerns. Jam Lorenzo, Deputy Executive Director of BAN Toxics, emphasized that bioplastics are not inherently safer. “Studies show that more than half of tested bioplastics contain toxic chemicals similar to those found in conventional plastics, including substances like lead and cadmium when production is poorly regulated,” he said. “Our position is simple. No data, no market.”

Experts also flagged agricultural and food safety impacts. Mageswari Sangaralingam, Chief Executive of the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) in Malaysia, pointed to growing evidence of harm to soils and crops. “Bioplastics are marketed as eco-friendly, but they fragment, break down into microplastics, and release chemical additives that contaminate soil and enter food systems. A 2025 study by Jing Liu found that starch-based plastic is potentially as toxic as petroleum-based plastic. We must put a blanket ban on using bioplastics for mulching films,” she said.

Doun Moon, Policy and Research Officer of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), cautioned against assuming bioplastics are a climate solution. “Switching from petroleum-based plastics to bioplastics does not automatically cut emissions, as there is a large amount of GHG emissions associated with land use, material production, and end-of-life treatments,” she said. She cited South Korea’s experience, where the bioplastics industry is growing slowly despite the government’s encouragement and attempts to pass a promotional bill. 

Legal and regulatory gaps were also highlighted. Madhuvanthi Rajkumar, an independent consultant working at the intersection of law, public policy, and rights-based advocacy from India, mentioned, “While we are seeing unprecedented policy momentum (in India and Asia) in favour of bioplastics, the primary risk is substituting one set of problems for another while believing we’ve solved the crisis. Bioplastics come with the same array of negative environmental, social, and health impacts as conventional fossil-fuel-based plastics, in some ways even worse, while giving a false sense of sustainability that increases consumption and waste generation. It’s not even old wine in a new bottle; It’s old wine in an old bottle but with a “green” label!”

The panel concluded with a shared call for action. Speakers emphasized that the Global Plastics Treaty must prioritize binding measures on plastic production reduction, toxic chemicals, and real reuse-based systems, rather than legitimizing alternative single-use materials. The focus must remain on reuse and refill systems rather than new single-use materials.

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Watch the recording here.

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Press contacts:

Asia Pacific: Robi Kate Miranda, Communications Officer for Campaigns, robi@no-burn.org  

GAIAis a worldwide alliance of more than 1,000 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in over 90 countries. With our work we aim to catalyze a global shift towards environmental justice by strengthening grassroots social movements that advance solutions to waste and pollution. We envision a just, zero waste world built on respect for ecological limits and community rights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution, and resources are sustainably conserved, not burned or dumped.

The post Asia Pacific Experts Urge Caution on Bioplastics at Regional Panel Discussion first appeared on GAIA.

En el Mes Internacional Basura Cero, Fundación Basura comparte las soluciones que están implementando en ferias, escuelas, municipios y espacios públicos como alternativas concretas al modelo de “usar y botar”. Desde la prevención del desperdicio de alimentos hasta la educación ambiental y gestión de residuos en eventos deportivos, el trabajo de la organización demuestra que avanzar hacia modelos basura cero es posible, y se puede adaptar a distintos contextos.

Recolección de residuos orgánicos junto a recicladores de base en feria libre de Santiago. Fundación Basura, 2025. Recolección de donaciones de feriantes en feria libre de Santiago. Fundación Basura, 2025.

Uno de los ejemplos más representativos es el modelo Ferias Libres Cero Desperdicio, implementado desde 2021, que ya cuenta con 35 intervenciones en ferias libres de Santiago y Valparaíso, y que ha logrado que frutas y verduras que antes terminaban en un basurero se redistribuyan a organizaciones comunitarias o se valoricen a través del compostaje o la alimentación animal. Además, gracias a este programa, se han gestionado más de 30 toneladas de residuos orgánicos,  evitando la emisión de 18 toneladas de CO₂ y 3 toneladas de CH₄. 

En 2025, se dio un paso fundamental para el éxito de los modelos basura cero, la incorporación de recicladores y recicladoras de base como parte central del sistema. Su participación no solo fortaleció la recolección y clasificación de residuos, sino que también aportó reconocimiento a su trabajo. En solo dos jornadas piloto, se recuperaron más de 3.300 kilos de residuos, de los cuales 217 kg de alimentos se destinaron a una olla común que beneficia a 180 personas semanalmente, mientras que el resto fue valorizado mediante compostaje municipal. Según la Fundación, resultados como estos demuestran que las ferias libres son espacios estratégicos para soluciones con impacto ambiental y social.

La prevención de desperdicio de alimentos también llegó a los hogares. A través de los talleres Sabores sin Desperdicio, mujeres jefas de hogar, lideresas comunitarias y emprendedoras aprendieron a aprovechar partes de frutas y verduras que normalmente se descartan. Cáscaras, tallos y hojas se convirtieron en platos nutritivos, reduciendo residuos y fortaleciendo la autonomía alimentaria.

Taller en Peñalolén. Fundación Basura, 2025. Mermelada de cáscaras de sandía. Fundación Basura, 2025. Taller en Santiago. Fundación Basura, 2025.

Asimismo, el programa Conexión Puma combina actividades educativas en escuelas con gestión de residuos en eventos deportivos. En el área educativa, se le enseña a niñas y niños sobre reciclaje y cuidado del medio ambiente mediante una obra de teatro y el libro didáctico “Juguemos el partido del planeta”. A la vez, en el Estadio Monumental se implementan puntos verdes para la correcta segregación de residuos generados durante los partidos de fútbol, promoviendo prácticas responsables a los hinchas.

Niñas en San San Pedro de la Paz beneficiarias de libro “Juguemos el partido del planeta”. Punto Verde en estadio Monumental David Arellano en Gestión de Residuos. Equipo Fundación Basura segregando latas en punto de acopio en Gestión de residuos en estadio Monumental David Arellano.

De cara a los próximos años, Fundación Basura trabaja para ampliar el alcance de estos modelos y compartir herramientas que permitan replicarlos en más ciudades. La experiencia acumulada demuestra que las iniciativas basura cero impulsan transformaciones ambientales y sociales.

Más sobre Fundación Basura:

• El propósito de Fundación Basura es Combatir la crisis climática a través de los residuos para proteger la salud planetaria mediante la Educación, Asesorías e Incidencia Política.
• Sitio web: fundacionbasura.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/fundacionbasura
• Recomendamos: Reducción de las emisiones de metano mediante sistemas de desperdicio cero de alimentos / Cutting Methane Emissions through Zero Food Waste Systems

The post Desde ferias libres hasta estadios: cómo Fundación Basura impulsa soluciones basura cero en Chile first appeared on GAIA.

Trump’s EPA is making moves to make it legal and easier for corporations and industry to pollute waterbodies and wetlands throughout the United States. We firmly oppose these continued attempts by big business and corporate actors to buy out Washington. 

Climate Justice Alliance and 17 other national and local environmental justice organizations submitted a public letter opposing this handout to polluting industries, which if unleashed, will compromise our water supply, harm families, communities, and our overall environment no matter what zip code you live in. Read the details below and why the EPA must stop putting polluters over people and hold corporations accountable.

The Clean Water Act is a bedrock environmental law enacted in 1972, which made it unlawful to discharge pollutants from a point source into “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), without a permit. Recently, the EPA and Army for Civil Works proposed revising the WOTUS definition, in order to limit waterbodies and wetlands that are protected and regulated under federal jurisdiction. This was done in part, to “cut red tape”. 

This proposed rulemaking is dangerous to families and communities. It would reduce federal oversight and protections of water, fast track degraded waters to frontline and environmental justice communities, and threaten our overall public health and Tribal sovereignty.

Read the full letter here.

 

The post CJA Submits Public Letter with 17 EJ Organizations to Oppose More Handouts to Polluting Industries appeared first on Climate Justice Alliance.

La Academia Basura Cero Chile reunió a participantes de distintas regiones del país con el objetivo de fortalecer capacidades para implementar programas basura cero a nivel local. La formación estuvo dirigida a implementadores de proyectos, equipos municipales y personas con roles de decisión comprometidas con un cambio ambiental y social en Chile.

La academia fue ejecutada por la Alianza Basura Cero Chile, con una metodología propuesta por la Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), y se desarrolló en seis sesiones en línea, con un promedio de tres expositores por jornada, y culminó con un encuentro presencial en Melipeuco, donde las y los participantes presentaron sus proyectos finales y conocieron experiencias concretas de implementación de basura cero en el territorio.

En total, 20 personas fueron certificadas, consolidando una red nacional preparada para impulsar, replicar y fortalecer iniciativas basura cero en Chile.

The post Academia Basura Cero Chile 2025: fortaleciendo capacidades para transformar la gestión de residuos first appeared on GAIA.

March 20, 2025—EdSource Higher Education reporter Amy DiPierro and Staff Writer John Fensterwald speak to Public Advocates’ President and CEO Guillermo Mayer on President Trump’s executive order that directs U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to work toward eliminating the Department of Education.

Guillermo Mayer, President and CEO of the nonprofit Public Advocates, attributed the executive order to the Administration’s larger aim.

“Nobody should be fooled,” he said. “While this order purports to reduce federal bureaucracy, it’s part of a longer-term plan to eliminate federal oversight in education and give states free rein to redirect billions of dollars away from public schools and towards private school vouchers. The ultimate goal is to erode the public’s trust in our system of public education.” 

The post EdSource: Trump signs executive order to dismantle Department of Education appeared first on Public Advocates.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2025
Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952

Public Advocates’ Statement on Trump Plan to Eliminate the Department of Education

Today, in a largely political stunt of questionable consequence, President Trump has issued an executive order directing his Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to dismantle the Department of Education “to the maximum extent…permitted by law.”

This action is not about improving education; it’s a calculated political move that seeks to undermine the notion of any appropriate federal role in public education. The president and his cabinet secretary cannot dismantle the Department or its major funding programs without congressional approval. This posturing requires an act of Congress despite appearances otherwise; last week’s likely illegal elimination of half of the Department’s workforce is potentially more consequentially devastating.

“Nobody should be fooled,” said Guillermo Mayer, President and CEO of Public Advocates. “While this order purports to reduce federal bureaucracy, it’s part of a longer term plan to eliminate federal oversight in education and give states free rein to redirect billions of dollars away from public schools and towards private school vouchers. The ultimate goal is to erode the public’s trust in our system of public education.”

The president’s actions on education have been both ahistorical and contradictory. Education has historically been primarily state and locally controlled and federal law prohibits otherwise. “Ironically, while claiming to reduce federal bureaucracy and overreach, the order doubles down on attempting to impose unprecedented federal control over classroom content by threatening to withhold crucial funding from schools that discuss unconscious bias, diversity and equity,” said John Affeldt, Managing Attorney and Director of Education Equity at Public Advocates.

“The work to improve our public schools is a critical collective endeavor for our nation, and the federal government has been a valuable partner. The research is unequivocal: federal education funding has directly contributed to narrowing achievement gaps that widened during the pandemic; with each additional federal dollar showing measurable improvements in student outcomes. These funds disproportionately support our highest need districts—the very places that are still recovering from economic hardships and the pandemic. Federal education dollars are an important tool for ensuring educational opportunity isn’t determined by zip code,” Affeldt added.

The Department of Education exists to help states support schools in serving all students, and specifically protecting students with disabilities, students of color and poor students who historically were denied equal opportunities to learn, and to protect civil rights in education. If this administration and Congress closed the Department of Education it would disproportionately harm millions—in K12 and higher education—of impoverished students and students with disabilities across rural and urban America, in red states and blue states alike. It would put billions of dollars in jeopardy that serve low-income students and students with disabilities. These funds provide staffing in high needs schools and for students with disabilities, early childhood and pre-K programs, support for after school programs, and closing the achievement gaps. By crippling civil rights enforcement, the EO and its staff reductions hope to undermine protections for students from discrimination and eliminate crucial national data collection that ensures accountability across states.

In this moment of uncertainty, we stand in solidarity with educators, families, students, and advocates across the country who believe in the promise of public education. Together, we will defend our public schools, protect educational equity, and fight for the right of every student to learn in an environment that acknowledges our full history and prepares them for a diverse and democratic society.

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Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity and climate justice.

The post Public Advocates’ Statement on Trump Plan to Eliminate the Department of Education appeared first on Public Advocates.

March 25, 2025 – 12 noon Emergency Call to Action! Resist the Attack on Environmental & Climate Justice! Defend Our Communities and Planet!
Protest in front of the USEPA office in San Francisco, CA, 75 Hawthorne Street.

See the flyers and spread the word!

 

EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION!!!

Resist the Attack on Environmental and Climate Justice!
Defend Our Communities and Our Planet!

Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 12 Noon
Protest in front of the USEPA Region 9 Office, 75 Hawthorne Street,
San Francisco (between 2nd/3rd Streets, Folsom and Howard)

Sponsored by the Emergency Environmental Justice Coalition
contact greenaction@greenaction.org for more info

March 12, 2025

Read the new San Francisco Chronicle article

about Trump’s attack on the USEPA and Environmental Justice, and Greenaction’s comments!

 

Click here to download the PDF

 

 

March 12, 2025—Los Angeles Times’ education reporters Howard Blume, Jaweed Kaleem and Jenny Gold spoke with Public Advocates’ President & CEO Guillermo Mayer on the Trump administration slashing the Department of Education’s workforce in half as part of their on-going effort to dismantle the department and public education in the country.

“These reckless layoffs will sow chaos and confusion throughout our nation’s public school system,” said Guillermo Mayer, president and chief executive of Public Advocates, a California-based law firm and advocacy group. “Instead of bolstering learning outcomes, the immediate effect of these actions is quite cruel. It forces millions of parents, especially parents of students with disabilities, to worry about whether their children will receive the services they need.”

“It strikes fear in the hearts of tens of thousands of low-income students who are now wondering, ‘What will happen to my financial aid? Will I be able to afford college?’” Mayer said.

Read the full story.

The post Los Angeles Times: Trump guts the Education Department with massive layoffs; shock waves reach California appeared first on Public Advocates.

March 10, 2025

Read letter to Trump’s EPA from Greenaction & groups nationwide

Click Here to Download the PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2025
Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952

Statement from Public Advocates on Trump Administration Gutting Department of Education

Today our nation faces a deeply troubling development. The Trump Administration fired nearly half of the workforce serving the Department of Education. This action will not only upend the lives of thousands of civil servants, but disproportionately harm millions—in K12 and higher education—of impoverished students and students with disabilities across rural and urban America, in red states and blue states alike. The department exists to support schools in serving all students, and specifically protecting students with disabilities, students of color and poor students who historically were denied equal opportunities to learn and to protect civil rights in education.

We condemn this likely unlawful action in the strongest possible terms. It represents a dangerous assault not only on students and families but is effectively dismantling the department by hamstringing its efficacy through forced layoffs, including the dismantling of regional civil rights offices. 

“This dangerous action attempts to do by administrative fiat what the President lacks the votes to achieve in Congress. It also shows the administration cares more about dismantling government and eliminating civil rights protections than it does about serving the American people, including the very constituents President Trump claims as his base,” said John Affeldt, Managing Attorney and Director of Education Equity at Public Advocates. “Most of the beneficiaries of federal funding for low-income students and students with disabilities are white Americans, a great many of them in red states.” 

This action is not about improving education. It jeopardizes billions in funding for low-income students, students with disabilities, and families nationwide. The lack of staffing hopes to roll back decades of progress, cripple civil rights enforcement protecting students from discrimination, reduce services for students and families, throw $93 billion in federal student loans into uncertainty, and weaken crucial national data collection and research that ensures accountability across states and transcends political divisions. 

“These reckless layoffs will sow chaos and confusion throughout our nation’s public school system,” said Guillermo Mayer, President & CEO of Public Advocates. “Instead of bolstering learning outcomes, the immediate effect of these actions is quite cruel. It forces millions of parents, especially parents of students with disabilities, to worry about whether their children will receive the services they need. It strikes fear in the hearts of tens of thousands of low-income students who are now wondering, ‘What will happen to my financial aid? Will I be able to afford college?’” 

As an organization committed to justice and equity, we will not remain silent. In this moment of uncertainty, we stand in solidarity with educators, families, students, and advocates across the country who believe in the promise of public education, as well as the thousands of public servants who were unceremoniously locked out of their offices today. Together, we will defend our public schools, protect educational equity, and fight for the right of every student to learn in an environment that acknowledges our full history and prepares them for a diverse and democratic society.

###

Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity and climate justice.

The post Statement from Public Advocates on Trump Administration Gutting Department of Education appeared first on Public Advocates.

March 10, 2025—Public Advocates is named as a renter advocacy group and one of three sponsors of a bill to “require a court to dismiss a nonpayment eviction if at any point before tenants are actually removed from their home, they can pay all the rent accrued up to that date” in CalMatters reporter Felicia Mello’s story.

The legislation would catch California up to 21 other states that ban nonpayment evictions for tenants willing and able to pay up owed rent before they are evicted.

Read the full story.

The post CalMatters: They tried to pay their overdue rent. Their landlord wouldn’t accept it appeared first on Public Advocates.

March 1, 2025—Public Advocates’ Senior Staff Attorney Suzanne Dershowitz is named as an interviewee in the report “Rooted in Marin: Strategies for Anti-Displacement.” The report highlights Salinas’ rent stabilization and just cause for eviction ordinances, and says: “Public Advocates, a legal advocacy organization also played a key role in shaping the ordinance(s) to emphasize community priorities.”

Access the report via the Rooted in Marin website.

The post Rooted in Marin: Strategies for Anti-Displacement appeared first on Public Advocates.

February 2025: Greenaction’s Frontlines of Environmental Justice newsletter

Click Here to Download the PDF