Southern Environmental Law Center

Rep. Figures unveils BRIC Act to boost rural disaster funding The bipartisan bill would reform FEMA's aid formula to prioritize vulnerable states.

We appreciate the leadership of @repscfigures.bsky.social and Rep. Edwards in working to make crucial resilience funding more accessible to communities across the South. www.alreporter.com/2025/07/23/r...

No one voted for dirty air and water. The Trump administration is trying to dismantle our bedrock environmental protections. But here at the Southern Environmental Law Center, we’re fighting back – in the courtroom, the halls of governmen...

Together, we can champion ambitious climate action, fight back in the courts to uphold essential environmental protections, and work hand-in-hand with communities to defend our clean air and water, learn how: www.selc.org/page/no-one-...

No one voted for dirty air and water.

Communities across the South are feeling the impacts of federal funding freezes, staffing cuts, and rollbacks of our bedrock environmental laws.

Report compares data center forecasts to global chip production -- "It is not reasonable to believe that data centers in the United States will procure almost all the output of production capacities for AI-related semiconductor chips from the entire world over a six-year period."

From federal litigation to local advocacy, SELC experts will share how we’re stepping up alongside communities, partner organizations, and state leaders to protect what matters most: 

Join us Thursday, July 31 at 12:30 p.m. ET and REGISTER TODAY: selc.link/3Tvlvdf

NEW REPORT: Across the South, electric utilities are pursuing a massive expansion of new pipelines and gas plants in response to unprecedented projected power demand from data centers.

But new research shows that current demand projections are implausible: www.selc.org/press-releas...

The next issue of SELC’s magazine is here.

Our latest issue features everything from life in WNC after Helene, photos from the north GA mountains to the gulf and changemakers big and small.

Want the next one? Sign up to get Issue 6 right to your mailbox, free: www.selc.org/magazine-sig...

We just sued the Trump administration.

Together with our partners at @earthjustice.org, @selc.bsky.social, and @publicrightspro.bsky.social, we’re challenging the illegal termination of environmental justice grants that Congress required by law.

Learn more: L4GG.org/ProtectEJ

ICYMI: The PERMIT Act would weaken federal clean water protections, making it easier for polluters to run rampant.

@repscfigures.bsky.social is standing up for low-income and rural communities across Alabama that would bear the greatest consequences of pollution and flood.

We want to get frontline communities their $3 billion back When the EPA created the Environmental and Climate Justice Block grant programs in 2022, advocates described it as an “unprecedented” and “long overdue” decision.   Now, $3 billion that was supposed t...

Yesterday, we sued the Trump administration for unlawfully terminating $3 billion in environmental and climate justice grants.

Access to clean air, water, and affordable, clean energy should not depend on your zip code, race, or income: www.selc.org/news/we-want...

VICTORY: Okefenokee Swamp is safe from controversial mine After six years of pressure from local partners, advocates, and SELC, a major threat to the Okefenokee Swamp has been defeated.  Twin Pines Minerals LLC is selling its property on Trail Ridge — haltin...

BREAKING: After six years of pressure from local partners, advocates, and SELC, a major threat to the Okefenokee Swamp has been defeated: www.selc.org/news/battle-...

BREAKING: Elon Musk’s xAI facility is polluting South Memphis, we’re taking action.

Get the latest: www.selc.org/news/resista...

Justin Reid: Dear Cumberland supervisors, 'don't poison the well' In 2018, Cumberland County’s then Board of Supervisors agreed to host — some say illegally (litigation is still pending) — the 1,200 ...

The fight against a mega landfill in Cumberland County, Virginia continues as residents wait for the public hearing on the proposal to be rescheduled. Learn more about what’s going on from Cumberland County native Justin G. Reid: farmvilleherald.com/2025/06/just...

The EPA just proposed gutting key limits on harmful pollution from coal plants.

The South hosts 4 of the dirtiest plants in the U.S. — and our communities will pay the price.

We need clean air, not more pollution: www.selc.org/press-releas...

GREAT NEWS: Last month, @markwarner.bsky.social reintroduced the Shenandoah Mountain Act, which would designate more than 92k acres of Virginia’s George Washington National Forest as the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area.

Local county and city governments have also endorsed the proposal.

COMMENTS FILED: Thanks to you and our partners we just hand delivered nearly 1,700 letters from Georgians who don’t want to be on the hook for dirty, expensive fossil fuels so Georgia Power can cash in on data centers.

AI could keep us dependent on natural gas for decades to come AI data centers are driving a surge in new natural-gas power plants around the country. What does that mean for our clean-energy aspirations?

Meta plans to build a data center with 3 methane gas power plants in Richland Parish, Louisiana.

This proposal is just one of many data centers across the South that tech companies are using to justify a massive methane gas buildout; read more via @technologyreview.com: selc.link/4ko5bqH

Resistance to xAI's pollution builds in South Memphis Hundreds of people are speaking out against xAI’s South Memphis data center, urging local leaders to deny the company’s request for an air permit.   xAI — a company founded by Elon Musk —opened a…

We are proud to support @selc.bsky.social in their fight for South Memphis communities, and we are grateful to our volunteer pilots who can help provide transparency on industrial projects.

Read more:
buff.ly/kmKGITl

GREAT NEWS: This month, @kaine.senate.gov reintroduced the Shenandoah Mountain Act, which would designate more than 92,000 acres of Virginia’s George Washington National Forest as the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area.

Local county and city governments have also endorsed the proposal.

The rural N.C. mayor betting big on clean energy to uplift his… In one of the nation’s poorest towns, the mayor and others are planning to build a solar installation, a weatherization resource center, and a gleaming…

One small, rural town in eastern North Carolina is looking to clean energy to cut electric bills, spur job growth, and achieve energy independence.

Enfield, NC sees more than 260 sunny days a year – making the town an ideal spot for a solar farm: www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...

For Southern communities, coal ash protections are hard-won. We’ll continue to enforce the law to protect communities from the dangers of coal ash and defend our region’s clean water.

Burning coal leaves dangerous waste. Trump's EPA eyes looser rules for handling it Waste from coal plants was one of the Trump administration's recent deregulatory targets. Commonly called coal ash, this waste includes hazardous metals like lead and arsenic and is produced in huge q...

The Trump administration’s EPA is siding with polluters to weaken the federal coal ash protections that help keep our water free from dangerous waste.

Read more: apnews.com/article/trum...

Save the Endangered Species Act Most people remember the first time they saw a bald eagle in the wild.  From their unmistakable white feathered head to their mighty beak and piercing eyes, it’s a bird with Hollywood caliber charisma...

This Endangered Species Day is about more than the species making the South great, it’s about the Endangered Species Act. This powerful law saves from extinction 99% of the species it protects.

Now it’s the ESA’s turn to be protected: www.selc.org/news/save-th...

Up against Musk's Colossus supercomputer, a Memphis neighborhood fights for clean air xAI says it’s working collaboratively with local officials, but Boxtown residents remain wary.

"In coming weeks, the Shelby County Health Department is expected to decide whether to approve xAI’s permit to permanently install 15 gas turbines. Meanwhile, xAI has already purchased another property in nearby Whitehaven to expand its operations in Memphis.

Local residents aren’t backing down. "

Cumulatively, the turbines at xAI in S. Memphis can power 280,000 homes--and emit more smog-causing NOX than the actual gas power plant down the road or a nearby Valero refinery, according to calculations from @selc.bsky.social . That's "essentially running a power plant without a permit."

WEBINAR: Join us and @grist.org for a star panel of climate experts and their take on how federal funding freezes and terminations will impact our future.

REGISTER: www.eventbrite.com/e/funding-th...

🌧️🏘️ A rural Alabama town floods every time it rains — but no one was listening. Pastor Timothy Williams’ call to ABC News started a national story.

🎥 The result? A Reed Environmental Writing Award & a powerful look at environmental racism.

Read more: ow.ly/CLPL50VKPu0

@selc.bsky.social #EarthMonth

Is Georgia Power quietly planning a massive buildout of fossil gas? Watchdog groups and tech giants want more clean energy. But some fear the utility is pursuing a big fossil-gas expansion plan outside of public scrutiny…

Georgia Power is preparing for a tsunami of data centers, but is refusing to say how it plans to power them: www.canarymedia.com/articles/uti...

GREAT NEWS: This Tuesday, the Cumberland County Planning Commission listened to the people — and recommended that the Board of Supervisors reject a proposed landfill that threatens a historic Black community in Virginia: www.wric.com/news/local-n...

Helene debris removal in Little River threatens endangered mussel species, hellbenders Debris removal following Tropical Storm Helene needs to be done more carefully to not destroy high-priority habitat and endangered species.

Helene had a huge impact on river ecosystems. Cleanup is critical — but how we do it matters.

We can restore our rivers and protect the wildlife that makes Appalachia a global biodiversity hotspot — but we must use smarter, science-backed cleanup methods: www.blueridgenow.com/story/news/l...