Inner City
        Press' Environmental Justice Reporter

         Click here for Inner City Press' weekday news reports, from the United Nations and elsewhere.   Click here to Search This Site

  ICP has published a (double) book about a variety of inner city-relevant topics, including racism, environmental and otherwise - click here for sample chapters, here for an interactive maphere for fast ordering and delivery, and here for other ordering information.   CBS MarketWatch of April 23, 2004, says the the novel has "some very funny moments," and that the non-fiction mixes "global statistics and first-person accounts."  The Washington Post of March 15, 2004, calls Predatory Bender: America in the Aughts "the first novel about predatory lending;" the London Times of April 15, 2004, "A Novel Approach," said it "has a cast of colorful characters."  See also, "City Lit: Roman a Klepto [Review of ‘Predatory Bender’]," by Matt Pacenza, City Limits, Sept.-Oct. 2004. The Pittsburgh City Paper says the 100-page afterword makes the "indispensable point that predatory lending is now being aggressively exported to the rest of the globe," and opines that that the "novel Predatory Bender: A Story of Subprime Finance may, in fact, be the first great American lending malfeasance novel" including "low-level loan sharks, class-action lawyers, corporate bigwigs, hired muscle, corrupt politicians, Iraq War veterans, Wall Street analysts, reporters and one watchdog with a Web site."  And environmental justice too!  Click here for that review; for or with more information, contact us.

February 10, 2005

In India, Delhi continues to grapple with severe air pollution, ranking as India’s second most polluted city for the fourth consecutive month in January 2025, according to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The national capital recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 165 micrograms per cubic metre, exceeding the safe limits prescribed by global health standards

February 3, 2025

Tech: In Cyprus, the authorities have identified the source of sewage pollution in Limassol’s Polemidia dam using drone technology,

January 27, 2025

Activists are suing Colorado's air quality commission for failing to protect vulnerable communities from pollution.  Major air polluters in the state have been able to pay a fee instead of monitoring their emissions to keep residents safe

January 20, 2025

UN Diplomats Get Exempted from Congestion Pricing in NYC UN Refuses Press Questions

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 10 – United Nations diplomats have gotten themselves exempted from NYC's $9 Congestion Price payments, even as for example lower income residents of the NYCHA Al Smith Houses and lower Manhattan small businesses complained without recourse about having to pay them. 

   In a notice tucked into the Federal Register of January 6, the US State Department ostensibly notified the public of "exemption from charges assessed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York for entry into its designated 'Congestion Relief Zone' for foreign missions and certain international organizations. This benefit extends to members and personnel of and representatives to such foreign missions and international organizations." 

  Perhaps exemption for other countries' ambassadors is understandable, if those countries similar exempt US diplomats. But why allow already overpaid UN staff - and officials like Antonio Guterres and his bloated UN Security detail - to not pay what other New Yorkers - and for example New Jersey residents - pay? 

  UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric refuses to answer Inner City Press' written questions, after having it thrown out of the UN; Melissa Fleming has ignored a request for dialogue on press freedom from pro bono law firm Quinn Emanuel.  

   Will this change going forward? Watch this site.

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January 13, 2025

The District of Columbia on January 10 filed a lawsuit against the federal government over pollution in the Anacostia River, arguing it has inflicted “catastrophic harm” on the mostly poor and minority communities living along the urban waterway

January 6, 2025

The Biden administration granted California permission Friday to enforce its zero-emission rules for lawn mowers and leaf blowers


December 30, 2024

Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them.

December 23, 2024

  On December 20, Inner City Press live-tweeted oral arguments in SDNY about congestion pricing here

December 16, 2024

A  pipeline company will pay a six-figure fine over violations of the Clean Air Act on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Environmental Protection Agency officials say Arrow Pipeline failed to meet several federal regulations during an inspection last year. The issues include observing smoke and hydrocarbon emissions from several gas compressor stations and failing to meet records management requirements. The EPA says Arrow has corrected the violations and will pay a $450,000 penalty.

December 9, 2024

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution wrapped up its fifth session, known as INC-5, on 1 December without reaching agreement. 
Just another UN failure...

December 2, 2024

In Iran, “according to statistics, about 40,000 people fall victim each year due to air pollution and $12 billion in damage is inflicted on the country," Tasnim News Agency reported Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarghandi saying on Friday.   Air pollution was one of the health concerns discussed at a meeting of the Academy of Medical Sciences on Friday, attended by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

November 25, 2024

In Houston after months of investigation in the Fifth Ward, one part of the study done by Union Pacific and the Environmental Protection Agency say there are no toxic levels of chemicals in the area where a cancer cluster was identified years ago. Fifth Ward residents are very frustrated with these findings considering they say they’ve been searching for answers for years. The cancer cluster was officially identified back in 2019, but they say it dates back decades.

November 18, 2024

Pennsylvania and other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed are unlikely to meet their 2025 pollution commitments to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution

November 11, 2024

UN climate summits are at risk of “undue corporate influence" and "fossil fuel industry capture”, two corruption watchdogs warned, as oil and gas producer Azerbaijan prepares to host the Cop29 in November.

November 4, 2024

    . A New York judge criticized state Attorney General Letitia James’ pollution lawsuit against PepsiCo as “predatory” in his ruling to dismiss the state's 2023 complaint, which targeted the beverage giant’s supposed role in the pollution of the Buffalo River.  The attorney general’s office conducted a study which found that more than 17% of the trash in the Buffalo River came from PepsiCo products. By its count, the next highest contributor was McDonald’s at 6%.   But New York Supreme Court Justice Emitio Colaiacovo found that James ultimately failed to show that PepsiCo should have warned customers about the risks of the plastics found in its packaging, ruling that company had “no duty” to do so.  “There is no duty to warn of an obvious danger of which the product user is actually aware or should be aware as a result of ordinary observation or as a matter of common sense,” Colaiacovo wrote in a 19-page decision

October 28, 2024

DC's Office of the Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against Fort Myer Construction Corporation on Oct. 17 for repeated violations of the District’s Water Pollution Control Act.

October 21, 2024

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a Biden administration regulation aimed at limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants to remain in place as legal challenges play out. The justices rejected a push to block the Environmental Protection Agency rule, marking the third time this month the majority has left an environmental regulation in place for now. One justice, Clarence Thomas, dissented....

October 14, 2024

The United States Supreme Court will not hear an emergency appeal effort by power plant owners and utility companies that had begged the high court to halt new pollution rules set out by the Biden administration and EPA.  In a one-page order, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts declined to hear the case, essentially leaving in place new toxic air pollution standards that will fall heavily on Montana’s Colstrip plant.

October 7. 2024

Neighbors of Bitcoin Mine in Texas File Nuisance Lawsuit Over Noise Pollution The incessant humming sound from thousands of fans cooling off computers that mine Bitcoin has enraged the community.

September 30, 2024

"As Azerbaijan readies to host the United Nations COP29 climate talks, residents near the capital, Baku, say oil pollution is posing a toxic hazard. The country's fossil-fuel resources have made it a leading player on the international market but people who live near the rigs complain that oil spills are ignored while state officials focus on promoting the country as a clean, thriving economy. "

September 23, 2024

In Houston, Texas the liquid natural gas pipeline fire in La Porte near Deer Park has been continuously burning and despite some officials stating that there's no air quality risk, some experts said it might lead to some air pollution...

September 16, 2024

The Black Warrior Riverkeeper and Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), are filing a lawsuit against Bluestone Coke. The environmental groups allege the company is in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act.

September 9, 2024

Riverkeeper in a swing states: The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has sued the city of Atlanta for allegedly polluting the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says the Clayton Water Facility is discharging illegal levels of pollution. In March of this year, E.coli bacteria in the river was traced back to the facility. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Executive Director Jason Ulseth says the city of Atlanta has allowed operational and maintenance failures at the facility to compound over time, failing to follow through on even the most basic equipment repairs.