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.

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.

September 2, 2024

A former landfill at the Jersey Shore with an already controversial past has been hit with a new $297,000 fine by New Jersey regulators.  The July violation against the owner of Aeromarine — Bayridge Realty Corporation — was issued after inspections showed the facility was not properly closed and improper access was provided to the property, according to a penalty notice

August 26, 2024

Counting the costs: there is anger over the Biden administration’s embrace of carbon capture and storage technology, which collects planet-warming carbon dioxide from industrial smokestacks so it can be stored, often in underground wells. Several activists said this can extend the life of dirty facilities because it opens the door for plant operators to argue they are climate-friendly. Meanwhile, their emissions continue to harm those nearby

August 19, 2024

A new study examined the climate effect of the mandated reduction of sulfur in ship exhaust emissions globally since 2020, and it suggests that the shipping regulation has reduced how much light is being reflected back into space, which has likely contributed towards the record warming over the last few years.  International shipping, while invisible to most of us, has a large impact on climate and air quality. There are nearly 100,000 large ships within the global commercial fleet, accounting for over 90% of international trade. Traditionally, ships have burned dirty, high sulfur fuel that emitted large quantities of sulfur gas and aerosol.

August 12, 2024

The New York City subway system is exposing commuters to toxic air that far exceeds health recommendations, a new study has found, with African Americans and Latinos disproportionately impacted

August 5, 2024

Jersey connections: protest at Formosa Plastics’ American headquarters in Livingston NJ led to the arrests of six people on August 2. Formosa Plastics has raised the ire of protesters hoping to bring more attention to the company’s history of pollution in Texas, Louisiana and Vietnam.

July 29, 2024

On July 25 at the UN, hypocritical SG Antonio Guterres intoned, "Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet.  The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.  Thank you."

Then he flew off to Paris, and then who knows where else, on undisclosed publicly funded vacation. From those allowed in (Inner City Press is banned), now questions, only "Mr. Secretary-General, thank you very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing."

July 22, 2024

Noting the plan to build a fourth power plant in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, has been approved by the administration of Governor Phil Murphy, despite opposition from community groups who claim the project would worsen pollution in the area.  Environmentalists and community activists have put pressure on Murphy to halt construction of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission facility, which will provide backup electricity in the event of a power outage. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s compromise would permit PSVC to construct the Ironbound power plant, but only if it could be used in the event of a power outage

July 15, 2024

Marathon Oil Co., which is in deal to be bought by ConocoPhillips in $22.5 billion all-stock deal, has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Government regulators and to pay $241.5 million in penalties over climate- and health-harming emissions in North Dakota.

July 8, 2024

South Carolina environmental groups are suing a Columbia manufacturer for allegedly pumping dangerous "forever chemicals" into the Saluda River, threatening drinking water supplies used by West Columbia and Cayce

July 1, 2024

Water pollution levels in Paris’s River Seine remain much higher than allowed for bathing, data showed on Friday, one month before the Olympics in which the capital’s landmark waterway is meant to be one of the swimming venues

June 24, 2024

there’s clear evidence that the East Palestine train disaster spread pollutants as far as Wisconsin and North Carolina.

June 17, 2024

150 activists crowded in front of Citigroup's headquarters on Greenwich Street near North Moore Street in Tribeca. The protest began the "Summer of Heat on Wall Street," described by organizers as "a months-long campaign of relentless and disruptive protests to end Wall Street funding for oil, coal, and gas." 52 climate activists were arrested for blocking the doors to Citibank's global headquarters in New York City, where 12,000 employees work.

June 10, 2024

Three Colorado environmental groups will sue Suncor Energy over an “egregious” pattern of violations of air pollution rules at the company’s oil refinery north of Denver, activists say...

June 3, 2024

The reduction of smog particles in China, while beneficial for public health, has contributed to extreme ocean warming events known as "The Blob." Aerosol emissions, which shield the planet from solar radiation, are declining globally, leading to unexpected climate impacts, including more intense regional heatwaves. The cleanup of air pollution in China has altered atmospheric patterns, intensifying warming in the Pacific and potentially leading to larger climatic disruptions


May 27, 2024

Dalita Maje, a small mining community in Dobi Ward, Gwagwalada, located on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is facing a dire environmental and public health crisis. The activities of mining companies have led to water pollution, and the community's health facilities and schools are in deplorable state, thereby compounding the residents' hardships. Dalita (Maje) and some other communities in Dobi Ward have relied on a local river for daily water needs but their source of water is being contaminated by miners

May 20, 2024

Defenders of Congestion Pricing Say Plaintiffs Too Late and Environmental Justice Is Not Law

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 17 –  Lawsuits against New York City's congestion pricing plan were heard on May 17 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lewis J. Liman. Inner City Press was there and live tweeted. Thread

May 13, 2024

the lower the index score, the worse the air quality.   The metropolitan area of Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario in California, also known as the ‘Inland Empire’, tops the ranking with an overall index score of just 17.03 – making it the area with the worst air quality. Inland Empire experienced only 54 good air days, where the air quality is satisfactory and air pollutions poses no risk, as well as a staggering 59 unhealthy days for sensitive groups.   Greater Houston, or the metropolitan area of Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land in Texas, comes in second place with an index score of only 28.36. Greater Houston shockingly saw only 38 good days and 21 days that were unhealthy for sensitive groups. 

May 6, 2024

Brooklyn: There weren't many residents out and about on Friday near the site of a massive fire on Bushwick Avenue - but those who were there, were all wearing masks. One lives on the block and says he is worried about the asbestos and chemicals released in the air from the fire. “I can't take the smoke, you know, respiratory things" he explains. He wore a mask Friday