Issue: Environmental/Climate Justice

There are major gaps in the Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Army Corps of Engineers about the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) impacts. The NDN collective has produced a special report on the impacts of the DAPL in light of the D.C. District Court decision on June 22, 2021 dismissing tribe’s case against the Army Corps of Engineers. The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive summary of the DAPL project in the context of critical environmental, engineering, social, economic, and climate justice issues that continue to plague the construction and operation of the pipeline.             

This report offers a series of “climate jobs” recommendations for Maine. These recommendations that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution at scale, create thousands of high-quality jobs, and build more resilient, equitable communities in Maine. Regarding transportation, install 25,000 public EV charging stations by 2030; transition 50% of Maine’s school bus fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles by 2025 and 100% by 2030; double and electrify city bus operations by 2030; and construct high-speed rail to Bangor, Maine. Regarding carbon-free healthy schools, retrofit and install solar on all k-12 public schools by 2035. Regarding buildings, net-zero emissions for new construction by 2030; retrofit 50% of residential units by 2040; and build 19,000 affordable units by 2040. Regarding energy, provide 100% renewable electricity by 2035. Regarding labor, ensure high-quality, union jobs in Maine. all of this will ensure a just transition for Maine.

Energy insecurity is prevalent among low-income households in the U.S. More than 28% of low-income households surveyed recently reported being unable to pay their energy bill, and nearly 20% received a disconnection notice. Black and Hispanic households experience higher levels of energy insecurity: from November 2021 through January 2022, almost 40% of Hispanic respondents and more than 26% of Black respondents were not able to pay an energy bill. Energy insecurity is especially widespread among households with children. Households often forgo other basic household needs to pay their energy bills. To cope with the expense of energy, households often adjust the temperature in their homes to uncomfortable levels and accumulate utility debt.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls – including new polling on the Build Back Better plan, the economic risks of climate change, corporate accountability measures, environmental justice, and voters’ relative trust in the two parties to handle climate change.