SELC

In May 2023, Dominion retired the last of its coal units in Chesterfield County, as required by the Virginia Clean Economy Act, but instead of pursuing non-polluting options to meet energy needs it has revived plans to build a 1,000-megawatt gas plant.

This proposal not only runs counter to Virginia’s clean energy laws and future priorities but would leave customers holding the bill for this expensive project and the local community breathing in even more polluted air.

“Real change is needed now to stop poisoning communities and to tackle climate change at the same time,” said SELC staff attorney Rachel James.

These proposed plans are a blow to environmental justice and clean energy in the state and SELC continues to advocate for protecting communities like Chesterfield.

Learn more:

Proposed gas plant threatens community and Virginia's clean energy future Like many counties across Virginia and the Southern United States, Chesterfield’s legacy is greatly intertwined with environmental harms. According to the Department of Environmental Quality’s website, there are 12 Title V operating permits issued in Chesterfield County. These types of permits a...

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Submit your book or article for the Reed Environmental Writing Award. The Reed Award celebrates writers who achieve literary excellence and offer extraordinary insight into the South’s natural treasures and environmental challenges.

Nominations are welcome from anyone, including readers, authors, and publishers.

Make your submission here:

2025 Reed Environmental Writing Award Nominations The Reed Environmental Writing Award celebrates writers who achieve both literary excellence and extraordinary insight into the South’s natural treasures and environmental challenges. Please fill out the form below to nominate a book or journalism piece for the 2025 Reed Environmental Writing Awar...

From Walmart to Waffle House, electric vehicle charging stations are popping up across the South.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, there are now nearly 9,000 public fast-charging sites in the U.S. At this pace, EV charging sites will outnumber gas stations nationwide in about eight years.

With electric vehicle sales taking off, this charging infrastructure is critical to address tailpipe pollution – the leading cause of climate change in the South and nationwide.

Learn more:

US Public EV Chargers Set to Surpass Gas Stations in Eight Years The US added about 700 new public fast-charging stations for electric cars in the second quarter, bringing the nationwide total to nearly 9,000.

WEBINAR: Climate change is here, and SELC knows what’s at stake. The decisions we make over the next five years will impact not only us, but future generations. It’s critical that we make forward-thinking choices.

Join SELC this Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET to learn about some of these key issues playing out in our region and how, together, we advance innovative solutions.

REGISTER: https://www.southernenvironment.org/webinar-registration/?selcsrc=OrganicSocial&utm_source=SELCSocial&utm_medium=SELCSocial&utm_campaign=Webinar

Author and longtime energy journalist Jonathan Mingle’s latest book, “Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future,” digs into how grassroots groups with legal representation from SELC beat the odds against a powerful energy company when no one thought they could, plus the lessons both communities, advocates, and utilities can draw from this case that hits so close to home.

SELC sat down with Mingle to dive further into the fight against the ACP and how we can move beyond methane gas to a truly clean energy future.

Read the Q&A:

Energy expert talks moving beyond methane The takedown of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was a death by a thousand cuts. Four years after the final blow that killed the proposed fossil fuel project, we’re commemorating the remarkable win while bracing for a gas power plant buildout that imperils the fight against climate change. In “Gaslig...

SELC Senior Attorney Megan Huynh quoted fellow attorney and environmental champion, Bruce Babbitt, at a public hearing earlier this year. “The idea of compromising the integrity of this wildlife refuge for the color of toothpaste is inconceivable,”

More than 70,000 people submitted comments to defend the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge prior to the hearing. Yet, the state of Georgia remains on the cusp of permitting a controversial mine right next to it.

SELC is on the forefront of the fight to stop this unnecessary and destructive mining project at the doorstep of the Okefenokee, the largest blackwater swamp in North America.

Learn more:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife invokes federal water rights to protect huge swamp in Georgia Parts of the massive Okefenokee Swamp are a wildlife refuge. Georgia is on the cusp of permitting a titanium dioxide mine next to it, prompting the federal government to invoke federal water rights.

Nestled in North Carolina’s lush wetlands are some of nature’s most fascinating evolutionary wonders — carnivorous plants.

These incredible plants have evolved to consume other organisms to compensate for nutrient-poor soil with a variety of digestive mechanisms. These unique adaptations require a unique home and unfortunately, the wetlands these plants have spent millions of years relying on are threatened.

The South’s biodiversity is what makes our region so unique. The South isn’t the same without iconic flora and SELC will continue to protect and advocate for the communities and wildlife that call our region home.

Learn more about carnivorous plants and take action to protect North Carolina’s wetlands: https://selc.link/3WfO7rN

Carnivorous plants: Meet the South's feasting flora Nestled in North Carolina’s lush wetlands are some of nature’s most fascinating evolutionary wonders — carnivorous plants.   Having survived and evolved over millions of years, in some of the harshest conditions, the resilience of these plants is incredible. There are 66 carnivorous plant sp...

WE'RE TAKING ACTION: SELC has asked the EPA to step in and protect Georgians from toxic coal ash.

On behalf of our partners Coosa River Basin Initiative, Altamaha Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, Sierra Club and others, we’re petitioning the EPA to revoke Georgia’s dangerous Partial Coal Ash Permit Program. The program pollutes our water by allowing the disposal of toxic ash in unlined pits, submerged in groundwater — a violation of federal law.

Coal ash is the toxic byproduct of burning coal for energy. It pollutes our air, soil, and water with dangerous heavy metals including arsenic, lead, and mercury, which are known to cause cancer and other serious illnesses.

The fate of about 33 million tons of toxic coal ash remains to be decided across the state, with Georgia Power Company planning to leave this waste in unlined pits submerged in groundwater in the banks of rivers and lakes.

“[Georgia] EPD is clinging to the past by seeking to allow these primitive unlined pits to remain in groundwater next to our rivers and lakes, and it is time for EPA to shut the door on such nonsense.”— Chris Bowers, SELC senior attorney.

Learn more: https://www.southernenvironment.org/press-release/conservation-groups-petition-epa-to-revoke-georgias-ccr-permit-program/

Hitting the road this summer? Take an EV for a cleaner ride - and experience big savings at the pump. With more charging available than ever, EVs can go the distance.

Learn more:

Everything You Need to Know About Road Tripping in an Electric Car Here's everything you need to know about road tripping in an electric vehicle, from the best weather conditions for EV travel to charging your electric car on the road.

The nation’s largest public utility, the Tennessee Valley Authority, needs to get greener, and more transparent.

Residents in Cheatham County Tennessee were shocked to learn TVA proposed a 900-megawatt methane gas-fired power plant and pipeline in their small, rural community. This project is one piece of TVA’s multi-billion-dollar gas buildout, including eight methane burning power plants and three gas pipelines across the region. Now there’s a broad push to reign in the utility.

“Nobody should be that powerful. Why is TVA that powerful?”

Learn more: https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/tennessee-valley-authority-faces-push-get-greener-and-more-transparent

Five reasons why the South needs its wetlands:

1) Flood protection: Storing about one million gallons of water per acre, wetlands act like sponges when it floods, keeping our families and homes safe.

2) Water quality: Wetlands help purify and recharge our drinking water sources. Tennessee wetlands, for instance, help recharge the Memphis Sand Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for Memphis and West Tennessee.

3) Wildlife: Protecting our wetlands means protecting amazing, unique wildlife and the recreation that birders, anglers, and hunters love.

4) Jobs and local economies: Our local and regional economies rely on wetlands. In North Carolina alone, the wild-caught seafood industry contributes nearly $300 million a year.

5) Seafood: Supporting the life cycle of nearly all commercially harvested fish and shellfish in our region, wetlands make possible the shrimp and grits, fried catfish, and crawfish boils quintessential to life in the South.

Wetlands are essential to our well-being and way of life in the South. But today, these extraordinary places are under threat. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically limited the scope of protections under the Clean Water Act, leaving half of our nation’s wetlands vulnerable to pollution and destruction. In the decision’s aftermath, some state legislatures have begun stripping state protections from wetlands, too.

Over the next year, we’ll be sharing stories that explore the many ways people across our region love and rely on wetlands – and how we can fight together to protect them.

Learn more about our wondrous wetlands: https://selc.link/4fggPlg

Twin Pines Minerals LLC, the company proposing to open a strip mine right next to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, has an abysmal environmental record.

Even a perfectly operated mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee would create an unacceptable risk. The company and its leaders have a track record of years of environmental harm. We cannot rely Twin Pines to act responsibly and prevent harm to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation reveals a pattern of operational failures and environmental violations by Twin Pines and other subsidiaries of its parent company - Greenfuels.

Since 2016, these companies accumulated more than $1 million in settlements and fines and more than 70 violations in Georgia and three other states. Those facilities include a Twin Pines titanium processing plant in Florida fined for air pollution violations and a Greenfuels subsidiary’s biomass plant in North Carolina fined 64 times by regulators.

“We shouldn’t be trusting a company with this track record.” - Megan Huynh, SELC senior attorney

Learn more: https://www.ajc.com/news/investigations/string-of-environmental-violations-raises-concerns-about-firm-linked-to-okefenokee-mine-project/HBPFQKRF2VEXDNNVFX57UHFVCQ/

String of environmental violations raises concerns about firm linked to Okefenokee mine project Twin Pines and others affiliated with its parent company have committed more than 70 violations across multiple states, records show.

When we invest taxpayer resources in new infrastructure, it makes sense to avoid areas prone to flooding. We want our investments to withstand future storms and serve our communities for decades to come. Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency took an important step toward smart and proactive flood resilience by finalizing their Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS).

FFRMS ensures that federal agencies account for climate impacts like sea level rise and stronger storm surge when considering development in flood-prone areas. The more agencies that implement the standard, the bigger the impact in protecting our communities and environment.

“We're excited to see FEMA adopt commonsense policies that will help the agency build in a safer and more resilient way, and we urge more agencies to do the same,” said Liz Zepeda, SELC Federal Regulatory Director. “This will save taxpayer money and protect lives in the long run by reducing risky development, and more immediately, it improves protections for existing communities facing increased flooding and more intense storms.”

Learn more about FFRMS: https://www.southernenvironment.org/news/why-are-we-still-building-in-flood-prone-areas/

Photo by Lauren Petracca

Great news for clean energy access in Virginia.

Dominion Energy has expanded its shared solar program to 200 megawatts. The change prompted by a June memo from the State Corporation Commission went into effect on July 1. Josephus Allmond in our Virginia office expressed excitement that the new laws require state regulators consider the ”benefits of shared solar to the electric grid and to the Commonwealth” when determining the minimum monthly bill for program participants. The SCC previously established a $55 minimum bill for Dominion’s program.

“Having to pay that $55 a month to Dominion still, along with your subscription fee to the solar organization that’s building the shared solar facility, those two things add up to being more expensive than just remaining a normal Dominion customer." - Josephus Allmond, SELC staff attorney.

New laws expand solar access for Virginians The program is designed for renters or people with lots of tree cover and no rooftop panels.

The role of judges is to interpret the law, not to shape it.

SELC President and Executive Director DJ Gerken weighed in on NPR’s Morning Edition about the impact judges have on our environmental laws in the face of climate change, especially given the emphasis, in recent years, on “a partisan take rather than qualifications and experience,” when it comes to judicial appointments.

“I’m not so much worried about the political background of judges, I do think we need a Supreme Court, appellate courts, trial courts that respect the law and respect the facts…” - DJ Gerken, SELC President and Executive Director.

Listen now: npr.org/2024/07/09/nx-s1-4998591/why-judicial-appointments-by-the-next-president-are-important-to-climate-change-law

From power plants to our public lands, the decisions we make over the next five years will impact not only us, but future generations.

Join us on Wednesday, July 31 at 12:30 p.m. ET to hear from SELC experts about the environmental challenges we face and how we can ensure we make the right choices at this critical moment.

SPEAKERS:
DJ Gerken, Executive Director
Amanda Garcia, Senior Attorney
Megan Huynh, Senior Attorney
Alys Campaigne, Climate Initiative Leader

From utilities locking us into fossil fuels through a methane gas grab to the chance to save natural treasures like the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, learn what we are doing to block bad decisions and drive smarter solutions in the South

Register:

Power plants to public lands: Key decisions shaping our future WEBINAR: July 31, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. ET Join SELC for a webinar about key decisions being made now that will chart our future, and how we can ensure the right choices are made. From utilities locking us into fossil fuels through a methane gas grab to the chance to save natural treasures like the [.....

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, EVs qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 to make EVs even more affordable. But this week, some members of Congress have threatened to dismantle the Clean Vehicle Tax Credit.

Learn more about how the South is going electric to clean our air, fight climate change, and save drivers money on gas: https://selc.link/3Yg31RN

VICTORY: Thanks to a lawsuit from the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of a coalition of conservation groups, the U.S. Forest Service scrapped plans to recklessly log an important area of North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest.

The ecologically important area sits above stunning waterfalls, boasts towering trees, and shelters rare plants in a unique, wet microclimate.

As a result of our challenge to this harmful plan, U.S. Forest Service opted to abandon the logging proposal.

“We have been pointing out problems with the agency’s logging plans for this area for years. It’s a shame we had to take the Forest Service to court to achieve this outcome, but we’re glad this incredible place is no longer on the chopping block,” - Patrick Hunter, Managing Attorney of SELC’s Asheville Office.

Learn more:

Lawsuit saves important area of North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest Thanks to a lawsuit from the Southern Environmental Law Center and a coalition of conservation groups, the U.S. Forest Service scrapped plans to recklessly log an important area of North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest. In January SELC, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Chatto...

When Twin Pines Minerals LLC first proposed mining adjacent to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in 2019, they had to get approval from the federal government. After Trump-era rollbacks and a U.S. Supreme Court decision eliminated federal water protections for the first phase of the proposed mine, Georgia regulators are on a path towards permitting one of its first controversial and technically challenging wetlands projects without the applicant passing federal muster first.

Now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has asserted its reserved water rights to stop this reckless plan to mine on the doorstep of the wildlife refuge.

Learn more:

With mine permits on the horizon, feds fight for water rights at the Okefenokee Swamp To protect the Okefenokee from mining, the federal government is using federal reserved water rights - a tool never used before in the region.

“Stories about Appalachia are often focused on poverty — on what this region lacks — whether they promote or debunk false claims,” writes Benji Jones, an environmental reporter for Vox, “But this region has an abundance of life. It has a rich diversity of plants and animals that you can't find anywhere else.”

The Appalachian Mountains are home to more salamander species than anywhere else in the world, highlighting our region as a biodiversity hotspot. However, their home -- and survival -- remains at risk.

This article highlights the connection between Appalachia’s long history of exploitation, its globally significant biodiversity and the threats its native amphibians are facing.

There’s a secret wildlife wonderland hidden in the US — and it’s in danger Countless rare animals lurk under the logs in the Appalachian Mountains.

Richmond, Virginia is one of the areas making innovative transportation choices to take Southerners farther — and often faster — than ever before, while curbing pollution.

In 2018, the Richmond region completely revamped its existing bus routes and launched its first express bus — the Pulse. The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) went fare-free during the pandemic, a model that continues today. With an expanded, more efficient, and fare-free system, combined with some transit-friendly land use changes, more people are choosing public transit and ridership rose another 14 percent in just the past year.

Projects like the Pulse can help revitalize economically distressed neighborhoods and significantly expand the range of job opportunities for people by increasing where they can get to within a reasonable commute time.

“What Richmond has done is a model that can be replicated in other places, and a reminder that transit can work well in the South,” -Trip Pollard, SELC’s Land and Community Program Leader

Learn More:

Pulse check: Richmond’s transit success Providing cleaner, more equitable transportation options is one of the best things a locality can do to for its residents and the environment.   Add Richmond, Virginia, as another pin on the map of cities in our region where innovative transportation choices are taking Southerners farther — and ...

A new report from World Resources Institute authored by Princeton researcher Timothy Searchinger and Yale economist Steve Berry confirms what we’ve known for years: burning forests for electricity is worsening the climate crisis.

The biomass energy industry cuts trees from southern forests, turns them into wood pellets, and then ships them overseas where they are burned for power at utility scale. Biomass companies falsely claim this is clean energy, but in reality, burning forests for electricity emits more climate-warming pollution than burning coal.

The new report confirms wood pellet companies’ greenwashing isn’t based in fact.

The report comes as the Biden administration debates giving millions of dollars in clean energy incentives to this dirty industry. It is critical that we don’t waste federal tax dollars on this fake climate solution.

Read more: https://selc.link/4cHTSVO

Access the report: https://selc.link/3VHQPpL

Burning trees for energy really does heat the climate, scientists argue A rising push to pull energy from the world’s forests is heating the planet — despite industry claims otherwise, a new report argues. The report from Princeton researcher Timothy Searchin…

BREAKING: We just sued a carpet manufacturer in Columbia, South Carolina over illegal and harmful PFAS pollution on behalf of Congaree Riverkeeper. By discharging PFAS into the Lower Saluda River without a permit, Shaw Industries threatens the river’s wildlife and the drinking water source for West Columbia and Cayce.

“Shaw is polluting a scenic trout fishery and drinking water source for thousands of South Carolinians with highly toxic PFAS chemicals,” said Carl Brzorad, SELC Senior Associate Attorney. “The case we filed today seeks to stop this unlawful pollution.”

Often called “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not break down in the environment and can build up in the bodies of exposed people and fish. PFAS can be harmful at extremely low levels and have been linked to cancers and other serious illnesses.

The lawsuit in federal court comes after a March letter notifying Shaw of SELC’s intent to sue over the pollution.

Learn more:

Groups sue Columbia carpet manufacturer for "forever chemical” pollution - Southern Environmental Law Center Shaw Industries’ PFAS discharges threaten rivers and drinking water sources  COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit in federal court against Shaw Industries on behalf of Congaree Riverkeeper due to Shaw’s illegal discharges of PFAS chemicals into the Low...

"This ruling sidelines the role of agency expertise, and instead shifts power to judges who do not have the expertise of agency staff who live and breathe the science, financial principles, and safety concerns that federal agencies specialize in." —Kym Meyer, SELC Litigation Director, in Grist.org

The Supreme Court overturns Chevron doctrine, gutting federal environmental protections Scrapping the legal precedent could send a "convulsive shock" to decades of federal environmental, financial, and healthcare regulations.

For 20 years Nelson Brooke has patrolled Alabama’s Black Warrior River as Riverkeeper.

Nelson’s work to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries spans from educating the public about the South’s waterways to holding polluters accountable. The Black Warrior River watershed is home to more than 1 million residents and contains 16,145.89 miles of mapped streams.

“A big part of the job is working with individuals and communities on proposed or ongoing pollution issues to ensure they know their rights, avenues for taking action, and generally how to best advocate for themselves and their communities.” — Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper.

Learn more: https://thebamabuzz.com/its-the-20-year-anniversary-of-nelson-brooke-serving-as-the-black-warrior-riverkeeper/

It's the 20 year anniversary of Nelson Brooke serving as the Black Warrior Riverkeeper | The Bama Buzz 🎉 20 YEARS AS RIVERKEEPER: It's the 20 year anniversary of Nelson Brooke serving as the Black Warrior Riverkeeper.

The climate is changing and any delay in reducing planet warming pollution will only exacerbate those risks.

Geoff Gisler, SELC’s Program Director told NPR’s Morning Edition, “Climate change is not abstract anymore, and the connection between how we get our energy and the consequences of climate change, I think it's a very real, tangible thing to folks.”

We need policies that will safeguard our environment, wildlife, and communities not ones that will stifle the progress we’re making in the South.

Learn more:

A second Trump term could slow the shift from fossil fuels as climate threats grow If Donald Trump is reelected, his administration probably couldn’t stop the country’s transition away from fossil fuels. But any slowdown could have big impacts on climate change.

GREAT NEWS: Our lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has prompted the agency to freeze plans to test a chemical that is toxic to birds at a bird sanctuary in North Carolina this summer.

On behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and Sierra Club, SELC filed an emergency request to block plans to use an experimental algaecide on Lake Mattamuskeet.

So far, our legal action has stopped the application of this algaecide for this year only. The federal agency still intends to allow the toxic experiment at the sanctuary starting next April unless we get a favorable opinion from the court.

For now, we’re all relieved these beloved birds will not be exposed to this toxic chemical, but it’s common sense: A bird sanctuary is a bad place to test a chemical known to be harmful to birds.

Learn more: https://selc.link/3yt0Orj

Photo by Neil Jernigan.

Nine out of ten Georgia voters agree — we must protect the Okefenokee Swamp and National Wildlife Refuge from pollution and the threat of developing a strip mine at the doorstep of this iconic wetland.

A new poll conducted by Hart Research Associates found when Georgia voters were asked about Okefenokee, 92% of voters feel it is important to protect the refuge, and its wildlife, from pollution and other environmental dangers.

“This supports exactly what we’ve been hearing across our state for years, that Georgians do not want this mine threatening the Okefenokee,” said SELC senior attorney Bill Sapp.

Learn more: https://selc.link/4cB8w16



Photo by Gregory Miller

Barry Greene Jr's blog champions public infrastructure and equitable communities. Weekly, he rides The Pulse with his two-year-old daughter along Broad Street, celebrating diversity and community interaction along the way.

“It’s so easy to live in a part of town where people seem homogeneous in their class and type of work, but when she’s on the bus, particularly here in Richmond where it’s free, it’s all this mixture,” says Greene. “And I know it’s probably easy as a parent to shield your kid from that, but I just love the idea that she’ll never be in shock when she realizes that everyone is different: some people have it tough while some people have it great.”

Richmond's fare-free transit system exemplifies progress in the South, thanks to advocates like Greene and SELC.

Learn More:

Pulse check: Richmond’s transit success Providing cleaner, more equitable transportation options is one of the best things a locality can do to for its residents and the environment.   Add Richmond, Virginia, as another pin on the map of cities in our region where innovative transportation choices are taking Southerners farther — and ...

Chesterfield community members and their supporters are invited to attend the county Board of Supervisors meeting this Wednesday at 6 p.m. to let local decision makers know that Dominion's polluting gas plant should not be sited in the county and that the Board of Supervisors need to hold a public hearing to ensure community voices are heard before making a determination on site suitability.