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Summer may be over, but eyes still need to be on Lake Erie. Toxic algal blooms had another bad year fueled by agricultural runoff from fertilizer and manure, at one point covering 620 square miles of the lake with a thick green scum and microcystin toxins. This impacts safe clean drinking water, the local economy, and recreation. ELPC research released this spring shows that a growing problem in the region is manure runoff in the waterways from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). ELPC recently commissioned J. Ann Selzer to conduct a poll of 500 residents in the area to gauge knowledge and openness to stronger regulations as well as a freeze on any new CAFOs to address the runoff problem. The results show that nearly 3 in 5 residents support action. Read the Toledo Blade coverage here. In addition, on September 24th, Senior ELPC Attorney Rob Michaels was back in Federal Court to continue our case against the U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA to adopt and implement pollution reduction standards to reduce manure and fertilizer runoff pollution. Read full coverage of the case here. |
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On September 16th, ELPC joined Her Honour, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and BMO Financial in co-hosting a bi-national symposium on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment and Great Lakes. A group of approximately 80 American and Canadian thought leaders came together in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite in Toronto for discussions on the state of biodiversity in the Great Lakes as well as ways we can work together to ensure the Great Lakes continue to provide work, recreation and learning opportunities for all in our region.
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“The Trump administration’s attempt to revoke states’ authority to enact strong clean car standards is unsupported by law and a huge step backward as a matter of policy,” said Executive Director Howard Learner. That’s why ELPC joined our fellow NGOs in challenging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) final rule which attempts to remove California’s authority to set environmental standards for vehicles. As NHTSA and U.S. EPA also propose to weaken the federal vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency standards, it’s important to protect California’s ability to set stricter standards, which the Clean Air Act then allows other states to adopt.
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The Edwards power plant, one of the dirtiest coal plants in Illinois, will close within the next three years thanks to ELPC and our colleagues’ long-time persistent Clean Air Act enforcement litigation. A proposed consent decree of $8.6 million would fund job training and community projects in the Peoria area. “This consent decree, if approved, will result in cleaner air and better public health for people in Peoria and the surrounding region as the highly polluting Edwards coal plant is retired in 2022.” Howard Learner said. “ELPC is proud of our legal work in this case to enforce environmental laws and protect healthy communities.”
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A Bright Future Ahead: Cost-Effective Solar in Illinois On October 15, come meet the experts who are working to make solar projects happen in Illinois. This symposium and panel will present and discuss several programs available in the state, what they have accomplished so far and what they see as the future of solar energy in Illinois. RSVP here
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Solar and Energy Storage Midwest is back in the Windy City November 14-15. New this year - Solar and Energy Storage Midwest is featuring energy storage, wind, and installer-specific content. Join solar industry leaders and professionals from the region and gain insight on the latest trends and challenges impacting the Midwest.
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Esosa Aimufua is an Associate Attorney working on ELPC’s clean energy and natural resources protection litigation and policy issues. Ms. Aimufua was an environmental law intern for the Sierra Club, a law clerk for Judge Sherrie R. Bailey of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, and a social performance intern for Shell Exploration and Production Company. J.D., Howard Law School; B.A., Political Science and International Relations, Morgan State University, 2015.
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Caroline Cox is an Associate Attorney working on ELPC’s clean energy and natural resources protection litigation and policy issues in our Columbus, Ohio office. Ms. Cox was a judicial law clerk for a U.S. District Court Judge in Texas. While in law school, she served as the Forum Chair and Editor on the Harvard Law Review and worked as a law intern for the Munger, Tolles & Olson law firm, the Conservation Law Foundation and the American Constitutional Society. J.D., Harvard Law School, 2018; B.A., Social Sciences, Harvard College, 2014.
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Mary Rock is an Associate Attorney working on ELPC’s clean energy and natural resources protection litigation and policy issues. Ms. Rock served as a law clerk for Judge Richard A. Paez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and for Judge Keith P. Ellison of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. She was a law intern for California Rural Legal Assistance and the U.S. Department of Labor, and worked at Stanford's Environmental Law Clinic and Immigrants' Rights Clinic. J.D., Stanford Law School, 2017; M.S., Environment and Resources, Stanford University, 2017; B.A., University of Michigan, 2011.
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