Blogs

River herring spend most of their lives in the Atlantic Ocean. They are anadromous fish species, which means they return to spawn in coastal rivers in the spring. But these small fish are in big trouble. Based on analysis by the National Marine Fisheries Service, their populations have declined more than 98 percent from their historic level.

Autumn’s beauty was on full display in Colorado’s aspen forests late last month.

So was the Obama administration’s schizophrenic approach to climate and public lands policy.

In late September, I was fortunate enough to spend a day each hiking through two roadless areas—Pilot Knob and Sunset—managed by the Gunnison National Forest.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska has paved the way for better monitoring of high-impact trawl boats in the North Pacific, ruling that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the law when it restructured the observer program for the groundfish fisheries.

We’re on the eve of what could be a disastrous vote by the Port of Los Angeles.

There’s something in the air, and Kevin Hamilton knows it all too well. A respiratory therapist in the San Joaquin Valley, Hamilton has watched his patients and his family struggle with the effects of fine particle and ozone pollution for decades.

“They are convinced the air quality is affecting their health and so am I,” he said. “Their asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are acting up more.”

Today, flow will return to two streams on Maui that have been diverted for more than 150 years.

Forty-seven people, including a four-year-old child, died in July 2013 when a train carrying crude oil derailed in Lac Mégantic, Quebec. Sixty-three tank cars derailed and of these, 59 punctured or ripped open and spilled oil, which ignited, exploded and destroyed the downtown. This catastrophe awoke the public to a 4,000 percent increase in the amount of crude oil shipped by rail and the incredible dangers posed by these crude oil trains to communities. 

(First published on Mamás Con Poder / Moms Rising.)

This is a guest blog post by Earthjustice and AIDA partner and client Carolina Herrera, a Latin America Advocate in NRDC's International Program. This blog post was originally posted on NRDC's Switchboard.

Duke Energy announced recently a $10 million "Water Resources Fund" to be allocated for projects that promote clean water, habitat and public access in five southeastern states. While laudable, the action does not distract from the ongoing immense toll to the environment and health being exacted by Duke Energy nationwide.