Southern Environmental Law Center

Utilities in Georgia, Southeast may be overestimating the AI boom As more and more data centers crop up throughout Georgia and the Southeast, a recent study finds they may need less energy than the industry and utilities have been predicting. That could have substantial implications for energy bills and the planet.

Southern utilities are betting big on a methane gas buildout to power a projected data center boom.

What’s the probability of the level of growth they’re projecting from data centers? Roughly 0.2%: https://selc.link/4rVWFCu

SCC declines to reconsider Chesterfield gas plant approval, advocacy groups appeal air permit • Virginia Mercury The State Corporation Commission reasserted its approval of Dominion Energy’s Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC).

We, along with our clients, are appealing Virginia DEQ’s issuance of an air permit for Dominion's latest dirty & unnecessary gas plant in VA. No new gas in Chesterfield: https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/scc-declines-to-reconsider-chesterfield-gas-plant-approval-advocacy-groups-appeal-air-permit/

This week: How the @selc.bsky.social is fighting for environmental protections in the South. We talk to Program Director Geoff Gisler about the first year of Trump 2.0, and what's ahead. Also: more on the FBI's seizure of Georgia ballots, and a look at Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas."

xAI built an illegal power plant to power its data center Just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line sits dozens of unpermitted gas turbines that power xAI’s Colossus 2 data center while releasing smog-forming pollution, soot, and hazardous chemicals...

BREAKING: xAI built an illegal power plant to power its data center,SELC is planning to sue them for it: https://selc.link/4tFrDjY

Jo and Joy Banner: Reclaiming Home Jo and Joy Banner envision a time, not too distant from now, when travelers visiting their small town along the Mississippi River don’t gawk at the concentration of polluting petrochemical plants near...

Headaches, itchy eyes, and breathing problems: This is life in ‘Cancer Alley.’

Jo and Joy Banner of The Descendants Project are reclaiming their home’s history from petrochemical pollution.

Hear their story. https://selc.link/40a4M2m

We thank @ncgovernor.bsky.social for bringing a diverse array of stakeholders on the Energy Policy Task Force together to chart a responsible energy future as North Carolina grapples with growing energy demand from data centers and rising utility costs: https://governor.nc.gov/NCEPTF

Victory: Lawsuit protects $5 billion federal EV charging program We’re proud to be part of the group of nonprofits and states that challenged the Trump administration’s unlawful freeze of a $5 billion federal initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicl...

Reliable EV charging, lower costs, and cleaner air for all are on the way thanks to our latest federal victory.
https://www.selc.org/news/victory-lawsuit-protects-5-billion-federal-ev-charging-program/

Win: Latest settlement addresses Charleston-area sewage overflows There’s nothing sanitary about the “sanitary sewer overflows” plaguing Charleston.    Sometimes, all it takes is routine rainfall for sewage to flow into the area’s streets, rivers, and residences, pu...

Good news: We just reached an agreement that will protect communities and the environment from the bacteria and pathogens that come with sewage overflows. After years of engagement, we reached the settlement on behalf of Charleston Waterkeeper with Charleston Water System.

https://selc.link/3Zd8yHT

Right now, Congress is considering changes to key federal transportation programs. This could be the most important federal climate legislation of 2026 – the choices we make will decide whether we make progress or take another step back.

Our communities can't wait for clean air Every weekday morning in the small Georgia town of Madison, busy parents hurry their kids into a cheerful daycare just outside downtown. Just a mile away, down a quiet road off the bypass, sits an unr...

LAWSUIT: Millions of Americans will continue breathing cancer-causing gas because the Trump administration gave polluters a pass - SELC is suing: https://selc.link/4qSySn0

A North Carolina county's landfill is polluting drinking water with toxic 'forever chemicals' For tens of thousands of people in Robeson County, turning on the tap should not come with fear.  Yet today, the county is knowingly supplying drinking water contaminated with unsafe levels of toxic PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” These super d...

BREAKING: We just let a rural county in North Carolina know that we’ll sue if it doesn’t protect residents from the county landfill’s PFAS pollution: https://www.selc.org/news/a-north-carolina-countys-landfill-is-polluting-drinking-water-with-toxic-forever-chemicals/

Data center proposal sparks backlash in Stokes County Thousands have signed a petition opposing a proposed data center in Stokes County.

Rural residents in Stokes County, NC are raising alarms over a proposed mega data center along the Dan River, on land that includes burial grounds of enslaved and Indigenous people. A related zoning change would allow data centers countywide: https://selc.link/4sxEGDH

Duke Energy has proposed merging its Carolinas and Progress subsidiaries, a move they say will save ratepayers money.

SELC is stepping in to ensure NC residents receive the full benefits of the merger, enhance affordability & advocate for clean energy: https://selc.link/3LhabB6

Bay Area Gas Explosion Injures at Least 6 and Starts Neighborhood Fire (Gift Article) A gas line explosion in Hayward, Calif., sent multiple victims to the hospital and led to a fire that burned several houses.

A recent gas line explosion in California sent multiple victims to the hospital and burned several houses.

Methane gas poses a danger to our environment, health, and public safety: https://selc.link/44AUg70

SPEED Act vote is another attempt to give polluters a free pass   - Southern Environmental Law Center WASHINGTON- The House vote to approve the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act is another attack on bedrock environmental laws that give people in the South a voice...

Passing the SPEED Act is a holiday gift to the oil and gas industry. Everyone should oppose attempts to block the public from holding polluters or the government accountable when they ignore the law: www.selc.org/press-releas...

The U.S. House just passed the PERMIT Act — a giveaway to industrial polluters that threatens the rivers and streams we rely on for drinking, fishing, and swimming. SELC joined 150+ groups in opposition. Our water is on the line. #ProtectCleanWater protectcleanwater.org/wp-content/u...

As Southern cities grow, smart, equitable transit is the way forward. Voters just approved a major referendum to expand light rail and modernize transit across the region in Charlotte.

More on this historic win: https://selc.link/3Xenwwd

South Carolina gas plant plans finally surface This month, a private pipeline company began informing landowners in Georgia and South Carolina that it's eyeing their property for construction of a pipeline that would serve a proposed methane gas plant in Canadys, South Carolina. With the power of “e...

“This is already on track to be one of the most expensive gas-fired power plants in history, and the health and environmental impacts will reach millions.” - Eddy Moore, @CleanEnergyOrg https://selc.link/4oaufDj

Pellet plants saddle Southerners with nonstop noise, pollution A new, first-of-its-kind study surveyed families living near biomass wood pellet plants in the South, shining a light on the significant and long-lasting harm these facilities have on nearby communiti...

This International Day of Action on #BigBadBiomass, learn more through our community health survey and podcast: www.selc.org/news/pellet-...

Japan has rapidly expanded its use of industrial wood pellets for energy but this so-called “climate solution” is devastating Southern forests and harming nearby communities. SELC’s Heather Hillaker joined a delegation to Japan to share how this false “climate solution” impacts the South.

Clean Transportation Works: An Analysis of U.S. Investments — Coalition Helping America Rebuild and Go Electric A report from CHARGE and Atlas Public Policy finds that clean transportation programs worth billions are cutting costs, creating good-paying jobs, and protecting public health. Four sectoral analyses ...

Cleaner air. Lower costs. More jobs. CHARGE’s new report confirms the benefits of clean transportation programs. Congress—protect and expand these investments. America can’t afford to go backwards.

Learn more: www.chargingusforward.com/charging-for...

In Georgia, Trump’s Cuts to Solar Projects Hit Some of His Voters

“We’re in court fighting because the E.P.A. ripped away this program from families with no basis,” SELC senior attorney Nick Torrey said to the NY Times.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/c...

All around the world, groups are preparing for a day of action to raise awareness of the impacts of the biomass industry. YOU are invited to join them! #BigBadBiomass🪚🌳

You can take part: organise an online or offline action on October 21st. Learn how: environmentalpaper.org/2025/08/idoa...

Will the Southeast’s booming EV sector survive the end of tax credits? Demand for electric vehicles is rising in the region, a new study says. Consumers, utilities, and automakers may help sustain growth despite loss of…

EVs are on the move in the South. Despite efforts in DC to undercut EV demand, EVs are an increasingly popular choice with drivers. In GA, VA, and NC, EVs made up nearly 10% of all new car sales in the first half of this year: https://selc.link/3KCJ7eQ

New LDWF report shows sediment, higher mortality rate on oyster beds in Big Lake New data from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) shows sediment deposits on several public oyster reefs in South Big Lake, as well as an unusual mortality rate on some of the on...

"When the mud covers oyster beds, traps shrimp and kills what’s underneath — it doesn’t just wipe away the catch—it wipes our way of life.” - Anthony Theriot, Cameron Parish fisherman: https://www.kplctv.com/2025/09/26/new-ldwf-report-shows-sediment-higher-mortality-rate-oyster-beds-big-lake/#

How Helene redefined home By Jay Leutze I evacuated when the first bands of Tropical Depression Helene swept into the mountains of western North Carolina in late September. Most, including my friend Ashley Cook, did not. The r...

One year ago, Helene tore through Appalachia — reminding us that climate change isn’t a distant threat. It’s here, now. Author Jay Leutze reflects on the chaotic days following the storm and the strength of his neighbors who are still working together to rebuild. https://selc.link/42zRez5

Durham subdivision runoff lawsuit ends in settlement Durham developer Mungo Homes settles lawsuit over muddy runoff, agreeing to fines, erosion fixes, and funding to protect 62 acres in the Falls Lake watershed.

Congratulations and thank you to @selc.bsky.social and Sound Rivers for using the law to protect water in Falls Lake, NC. www.wral.com/news/local/d...

Are you one of the 900k people that may be drinking contaminated water in the Cape Fear River Basin? You can speak up.

The EPA will be hosting a public hearing about the City of Asheboro’s discharges of cancer-causing 1,4-Dioxane on 10/22: https://selc.link/41Rjf4J

The South’s wildest, most untouched places are on the line and you have just two weeks to stand up for them. Tell the Forest Service we need the roadless rule now: https://selc.link/3V0gvOG

Forsyth County commissioners pass resolution opposing pipeline expansion During Thursday's meeting, Forsyth County residents again voiced environmental and safety concerns.

Last week, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution calling on federal regulators to protect residents and reject a dangerous pipeline.

Learn more: https://selc.link/45MAHK1