In Our Backyard Podcast

Today we’re joined by Jackson Voss, Senior Government Affairs & Policy Advisor at the Alliance for Affordable Energy. He breaks down how energy systems are shaped, regulated, and experienced by everyday people.

In this episode, we explore what the energy landscape looks like in New Orleans and across Louisiana, where climate vulnerability, aging infrastructure, and rising costs all intersect. We talk about what “affordable energy” really means, and what’s driving up costs for households. He also explains how regulators and policymakers make decisions and why those processes matter for your bills and reliability.

We also touch on the future of energy policy, including climate goals, gaps in the current system, and how communities can stay engaged as we transition to cleaner, more equitable energy.

Today I’m joined by Sherrell Byrd who is the Founder and Executive Director at SOWEGA Rising. SOWEGA Rising, an organization doing powerful work to support Southwest Georgia and build a more resilient future. 

Southwest Georgia faces interconnected challenges like limited economic opportunity, healthcare access gaps, aging infrastructure, and the pressures of a largely agriculture-based economy. On top of that, increasing climate risks like extreme heat, flooding, and storms are making these inequalities worse.

We’re talking about some really important work happening here, focusing on community, climate, and grassroots change.

Contact and connect: 

https://www.sowegarising.org/

Today, we’re joined by Julie Bolthouse, Director of Land Use at the Piedmont Environmental Council. With Julie, we talk about the rapid expansion of data centers on the ground and how communities are responding.

Virginia is often called the “data center capital of the world”. Data centers are reshaping landscapes, straining resources, and raising tough questions about growth and sustainability. 

In the episode we talk about the environmental concerns for energy, water, and air. As well as how to balance economic development with long-term environmental and human health protection. 

Piedmont Environmental Council:https://www.pecva.org/ 

Data Center article: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/climate/articles/10.3389/fclim.2026.1648912/full

Today we’re diving into the work happening on the ground in East Tennessee to support farmers, strengthen local food systems, and build healthier, more resilient communities.

I’m joined by Andy Brown and Jillian Gorell from the Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council, an organization that’s been doing incredible work across the region, from farmland conservation and farmer training to expanding food access and supporting local infrastructure.

They’re tackling some big challenges like land access, economic pressures on small farms, and the need for stronger regional food systems, while also creating real, tangible opportunities for farmers and communities to thrive.

Contact and connect: https://arcd.org/

I’m joined by Bill Powers from Living Well Collaborative with Earth Island Institute, an organization based in Bolivia. Bill is an author, ecologist, and storyteller whose work bridges the personal and the environment in a way that feels hopeful.

We’re here to talk about his book Ripple: An Intimate Exchange of Urgency and Hope Between An Ecologist Dad and His Daughter. Through a series of heartfelt letters, Bill weaves together reflections on the environmental crises we face with a deeply personal dialogue about love, responsibility, and the future.

In this conversation, we’ll explore the core ideas behind Ripple, from the “Story of Separation” that shapes modern life, to what it really means to reintegrate with the natural world. We'll also talk about the balance between urgency and hope and how storytelling itself can become a powerful force for change.

Today’s guest is Judy Braus, Executive Director of the North American Association for Environmental Education or NAAEE for short.

NAAEE’s mission is to use the power of education to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement so that people and communities can make informed decisions and take action toward a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable future. They equip educators, leaders, and learners with evidence-based tools and knowledge, to help people across ages and backgrounds understand environmental issues and take meaningful action.

In this episode, we explore how the organization’s mission has evolved, how it bridges research and practice, and how it’s helping shape the future of environmental literacy in the face of climate change, social justice challenges, and digital transformation.

Connect: https://naaee.org/

As the world transitions toward a clean energy future, there is more demand for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements. These minerals are essential for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and even our everyday electronics.

But where do these minerals come from? Who controls their extraction? Who bears the environmental and human costs? How can we ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy doesn’t repeat the extractive injustices of the past?

Today, we’re joined by Will Jamil Wiltschko, who is with the California Trade Justice Coalition, a coalition of organizations working to ensure that Critical Mineral Agreements adhere to international climate, labor, and human rights standards.

Contact and connect: https://criticalmineralsjustice.org/

https://gtwaction.org/the-deadly-cost-of-cobalt-mining-in-the-congo/

I’m joined by Giulio Salerno from the Wild Oyster Project, an organization working to bring native oyster reefs back to San Francisco Bay and other West Coast estuaries. It’s about repairing ecosystems, building climate resilience, and bringing back something that once quietly held entire coastlines together.

The Wild Oyster Project started with a simple but eye-opening realization: oysters used to be everywhere in San Francisco Bay. Huge native reefs filtered the water, stabilized shorelines, created habitat for fish and birds, and helped protect coastal communities from erosion and storms. Then, in what was actually a pretty short span of time, they were nearly wiped out. Overharvesting, pollution, dredging, and development erased more than 99% of the Bay’s native oyster populations. In this episode we talk about this history, the significance of oysters, restoration projects they have, collaborating with others, and more. 

Contact and connect: https://wildoysters.org/

Today we’re joined by Nadia Steinzor, Carnivore Conservation Director with Project Coyote, a national nonprofit working to promote coexistence between people and North America’s native carnivores. Nadia’s work sits at the intersection of science, policy, and community engagement, addressing a complex conservation challenge of how to live alongside predators in a rapidly changing landscape.

When we talk about wild carnivores, we’re referring to species like coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, and other native predators. These animals play a critical role as keystone species as they regulate prey populations, shape ecosystem structure, and even influence biodiversity and landscape health.

Although, despite their ecological value, carnivores are often viewed as competitors or threats, particularly to livestock, game species, or human safety. Much of this is rooted in historical narratives, cultural fear, and political pressure rather than evidence.

Contact and connect: https://projectcoyote.org/

In this episode, I speak with Yuka Nagashima, the Executive Director of Food Shift, she has spent her career working at the intersection of food, equity, and environmental impact. Food Shift is an organization dedicated to transforming our food system by addressing wasted food, redistributing surplus, and building more just, regenerative local food economies. 

Food touches every part of our lives. It shapes our health, our culture, our economy and our planet. Yet in the United States, we throw away up to 40 percent of the food we grow. At the same time, millions of people experience food insecurity every day.

That contradiction tells us something important: this isn’t a problem of not having enough food. It’s a problem rooted in financial insecurity, immigration and labor conditions, land rights, transportation and logistics, and market expectations that demand constant abundance and “perfect” shelves.

Contact and connect with Yuka: yuka@foodshift.net

Food Shift: https://foodshift.net/

Today, we’re joined by David McGuire, Executive Director of Shark Stewards, an organization dedicated to protecting endangered marine species and the critical ocean habitats they depend on.

For more than fifty years, foundational laws such as the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act have served as our nation’s safety net for wildlife and wild places. First enacted under President Nixon, these landmark protections have saved countless species from extinction and safeguarded some of the planet’s most vital ecosystems.

Today, that hard-won legacy is under serious threat. Efforts to weaken or dismantle these laws would create a crisis not only for wildlife, but for the health of our oceans and the coastal communities that rely on them. David is working to defend sharks, rays, and the broader ocean ecosystems they call home.

From combating the global shark fin trade to establishing marine protected areas and engaging communities in hands-on science, Shark Stewards advances conservation from local beaches to international policy arenas.

https://sharkstewards.org/saving-sharks/

My guest is Anupa Asokan, executive director of Fish On, an organization working to ensure that coastal communities and the ecosystems they rely on can thrive for generations to come. Fish On is all about empowering the people who know the water best: the anglers, families, and coastal residents whose lives are tied to healthy oceans. Through community-driven advocacy, science-based policy, and a commitment to fairness and access, they’re helping shape the future of our fisheries from the ground up.

In this conversation, Anupa breaks down what Fish On is and why its mission matters, especially at a time when coastal ecosystems face pressures from climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and outdated management practices. We’ll explore their three core priorities: common-sense fishery management, clean water, and equitable access.

She also talks about how upstream watershed issues can ripple all the way to our coastlines, and the challenges that diverse and historically marginalized fishing communities face when trying to participate in conservation policy. We talk about the balance between short-term needs and long-term sustainability, what she wishes decision-makers understood right now, and a standout project where Fish On helped change policy by lifting up the voices of fishermen themselves.

Contact and connect: https://www.fishon.us/ 

Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Mary Olson, Executive Director of the Generational Radiation Impact Project, or GRIP,  an organization dedicated to understanding and addressing how radiation exposure affects people differently across age, sex, and generation.

Mary has been a longtime advocate for more equitable and science-based radiation protection standards. Her work highlights something too often overlooked in nuclear policy: the fact that our current regulations are based on a so-called “reference man” ,an adult male model that doesn’t reflect the biological realities of women, children, or future generations.

In our conversation, we explore why GRIP was founded and what its mission is, how scientific understanding of radiation’s impacts has evolved, and why the focus on “generational”matters now more than ever, 80 years after the first use of nuclear weapons.

We also talk about what’s changed since we last spoke in 2020: new findings, new allies in science and policy, and what gives Mary hope that we can move toward a more inclusive, protective approach to radiation standards that safeguards everyone.

Today, we’re joined by Mona Shomali, Director of the New Leaders Initiative at the Earth Island Institute,  the organization behind the annual Brower Youth Awards, which recognize some of the most inspiring young environmental leaders in North America.

Earth Island Institute is a hub for grassroots environmental projects around the world, and the New Leaders Initiative focuses specifically on elevating youth leadership in the fight for climate justice.

In this episode, Mona walks us through the legacy of Earth Island founder David Brower, why young people between 13 and 22 are at the forefront of transformational change, and how the environmental movement has evolved and must continue to evolve to support their leadership.

We also talk about the behind-the-scenes support systems that sustain these youth leaders year-round, how the Brower Youth Awards have changed since their founding in 2000, and how Mona’s own journey including her work in the Amazon has informed her work in climate storytelling.

New Leaders Initiative https://www.broweryouthawards.org/about/ 

Water Mamas book: https://www.amazon.com/Water-Mamas-Climate-Spirituality-Indigenous/dp/B0FR3LRTFV

Today, we’re joined by Marquita Bradshaw who is an environmental justice organizer, community advocate, and Executive Director of Sowing Justice.

Marquita made history as the first African American woman to win a major party nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee, all while using a traditional grassroots organizing model.

After that groundbreaking campaign, she founded Sowing Justice,  a nonprofit focused on building power in communities long ignored or harmed by environmental injustice, especially in the Deep South.

In this episode, we talk about injustices in Tennessee, the Elon Musk data centers in Memphis, and the growing fight against TVA’s planned methane gas expansion. From leaking pipelines to regulatory loopholes, we dig into how this public utility’s choices are shaping the lives and futures of people across the Tennessee Valley.

Contact and connect: https://www.sowingjustice.org/ 

https://cleanenergy.org/news/tvas-methane-gas-expansion-is-a-bad-deal-for-memphis/ 

Today, we're joined by Michael Brown, Executive Director of Sustaining Way, a nonprofit based in Greenville, South Carolina, that’s redefining sustainability through equity, education, and faith. 

Through powerful community programs like Annie’s House, youth leadership initiatives, and resilient home interventions, Sustaining Way brings together environmental justice, interfaith values, and hands-on action. I’m excited to dive into how they’re creating a more sustainable and just future.

hello@sustainingway.com

https://sustainingway.org/

Today, we’re diving into a crisis that’s hitting close to home for many North Carolinians, one that sits at the intersection of climate change, corporate accountability, and financial survival: the insurance crisis unfolding in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

I talk with Charles Slidders, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, or CIEL. Charles is a legal expert working on the front lines of climate justice and he’s co-author of a powerful new analysis that reveals a troubling pattern: insurance companies are helping finance the very fossil fuel projects that are driving extreme weather… and then turning around to hike rates or drop coverage when those disasters strike.

When Hurricane Helene tore through the Carolinas, it didn’t just knock down trees or flood neighborhoods, it tore the lid off something deeper. It showed just how shaky our financial systems really are, especially when it comes to insurance.

As the state works to recover, one thing’s clear: it’s not a matter of if another storm will hit, it’s whether we’ll be prepared when it does.

Contact and connect with Charles: https://www.ciel.org/

Today we’re talking with Romain Chuffart is with the Arctic Institute. 

We’re turning our attention to one of the most fragile and rapidly changing regions on Earth — the Arctic.

This vast, icy expanse at the top of the world plays a crucial role in regulating our global climate and is home to unique ecosystems and Indigenous communities whose lives are intertwined with the land and sea. But the Arctic is warming at more than twice the global rate, triggering dramatic changes that ripple far beyond its borders.

In this episode, we’ll unpack what defines the Arctic region, explore the profound impacts climate change is having there, and discuss why these changes matter to all of us. We’ll also dive into international cooperation, governance challenges, and the vital role Indigenous knowledge plays in shaping sustainable policies.

Today, we’re talking with Diane Wilson, the Executive Director of the San Antonio Bay Waterkeeper, about a nuclear proposal that’s raising red flags across the Gulf Coast of Texas.

A company called Dow/Union Carbide wants to build a Small Modular Reactor, the Xe-100 near Long Mott, Texas, just miles from the Guadalupe River and San Antonio Bay. It’s a region already grappling with historic flooding, that just inundated communities along the Guadalupe months ago.

Now, the San Antonio Bay Waterkeeper and other advocates are stepping in, filing the first-ever intervention against a Small Modular Reactor in the U.S.

We speak about the significance of this historic moment, what’s at stake for the environment, the community, and the climate, and how the NRC is pushing forward with an unproven design in a flood-prone region.

Contact and connect with Diane: wilsonalamobay@aol.com

Full press release: https://sanantoniobaywaterkeeper.org/local-group-files-first-ever-legal-challenge-to-smr/

NRC filing: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2518/ML25188A218.pdf

Today we’re diving deep into the fight for environmental justice right here in North Carolina.

Our guest is Dr. Rania Masri, Co-Director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, or NCEJN. It's a powerful grassroots organization committed to supporting communities on the frontlines of environmental harm. NCEJN has been a force in holding polluters and policymakers accountable, while centering the voices of those most impacted.

In this episode, we’ll talk about the origins and mission of NCEJN, how the organization defines and practices environmental justice, and the major issues facing North Carolina, from industrial agriculture to regulatory inaction. We’ll also hear about recent wins, hard lessons, and what it really takes to build power in local communities.

Today, we’re exploring one of the most vital waterways in the Southeast, the Chattahoochee River.

Our guest is Henry Jacobs, Deputy Director at Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an organization that has been on the front lines of river protection since 1994. From drinking water for millions to habitat for countless species, the Chattahoochee is a lifeline, but it also faces serious challenges, from pollution to the impacts of climate change.

In this episode, we’ll talk with Henry about the river’s geography and ecology, the evolution of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s mission, and the innovative programs they’ve launched, from floating classrooms to trash traps, making a real difference on the ground and in the water.

We’ll also hear what the data is telling us about the river’s health and how every one of us can play a role in protecting this critical resource.

Contact and connect: hjacobs@chattahoochee.org

https://chattahoochee.org/our-river/

Today’s episode we're back to Northampton County, North Carolina, where a quiet but critical debate is heating up over the future of farmland and solar energy.

On April 7, 2025, community advocates Sylvia Vincent, Debbie Davis, and Alfred Kwasikpui presented a powerful case to the Northampton County Commissioners. Their message? That insufficient limits on solar farm expansion are threatening the county’s agricultural heritage, local economy, and environmental health, contradicting the very goals laid out in the Northampton County 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

Northampton County leads the state in peanut production and is second in cotton. Agriculture isn't just a way of life here, it’s the backbone of the economy. But with over a dozen large-scale solar farms already operating or approved and more on the way, residents are sounding the alarm about lost farmland, pressured landowners, and long-term environmental concerns. Not to mention, most of these solar farms are going to power large scale data centers like Facebook, not even benefiting the local community.

In today’s episode, we’ll unpack:

• The clash between renewable energy development and farmland preservation
  

• Concerns over land use, decommissioning, and soil restoration
  

• The role of industry influence and the need for independent oversight
  

• And, most importantly, what this means for rural communities across the U.S.
  

This is a conversation about balance, how we embrace clean energy without sacrificing the communities and landscapes that feed us. So, let’s explore the voices, facts, and stakes behind the push for responsible solar farm limits in Northampton County.

I split this episode into two parts, since it was so long. So make sure to come back in two weeks for part two. 

Contact and connect: vincentsy@northampton.k12.nc.us, chemdeb@embarqmail.com, aw6kwas@gmail.com 

Northampton County Against Solar Farms: https://abc11.com/sun-solar-panels-energy/1122081/ 

https://www.personalized.energy/blog/northampton-implements-temporary-ban-on-solar-farms/#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20the%20public,the%20scope%20of%20their%20authority.

Today’s episode takes us to Northampton County, North Carolina, where a quiet but critical debate is heating up over the future of farmland and solar energy.

On April 7, 2025, community advocates Sylvia Vincent, Debbie Davis, and Alfred Kwasikpui presented a powerful case to the Northampton County Commissioners. Their message? That insufficient limits on solar farm expansion are threatening the county’s agricultural heritage, local economy, and environmental health, contradicting the very goals laid out in the Northampton County 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

Northampton County leads the state in peanut production and is second in cotton. Agriculture isn't just a way of life here, it’s the backbone of the economy. But with over a dozen large-scale solar farms already operating or approved and more on the way, residents are sounding the alarm about lost farmland, pressured landowners, and long-term environmental concerns. Not to mention, most of these solar farms are going to power large scale data centers like Facebook, not even benefiting the local community.

In today’s episode, we’ll unpack:

• The clash between renewable energy development and farmland preservation
  

• Concerns over land use, decommissioning, and soil restoration
  

• The role of industry influence and the need for independent oversight
  

• And, most importantly, what this means for rural communities across the U.S.
  

This is a conversation about balance, how we embrace clean energy without sacrificing the communities and landscapes that feed us. So, let’s explore the voices, facts, and stakes behind the push for responsible solar farm limits in Northampton County.

I split this episode into two parts, since it was so long. So make sure to come back in two weeks for part two. 

Contact and connect: vincentsy@northampton.k12.nc.us, chemdeb@embarqmail.com, aw6kwas@gmail.com 

Northampton County Against Solar Farms: https://abc11.com/sun-solar-panels-energy/1122081/ 

https://www.personalized.energy/blog/northampton-implements-temporary-ban-on-solar-farms/#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20the%20public,the%20scope%20of%20their%20authority.

Today, I’m talking with Cindy Lowry, who is the Executive Director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance.

For over 25 years, the Alabama Rivers Alliance has been a powerful voice for the protection and restoration of Alabama’s incredible rivers, a network of waterways that are not only vital to the region’s ecology but also home to some of the richest aquatic biodiversity in the country. From the shimmering banks of the Coosa River to the lush wetlands teeming with unique fish, mussels, and other species.

Cindy shares the Alliance’s inspiring founding story and how it grew into a statewide coalition of over 100 partner organizations, all working together to protect clean water for all. We’ll explore key programs like the Water Infrastructure Resource Hub, designed to support communities with sustainable water solutions.

We’ll also hear about the challenges and victories in balancing hydropower energy needs with restoring natural river flows, a complex effort critical to both people and wildlife. 

Contact and connect with Cindy: clowry@alabamarivers.org 

ARA: https://alabamarivers.org/ 

DRIFT Fund: https://alabamarivers.org/drift/

Today we’re diving into the work of Root Local, an organization on a mission to cultivate sustainability at the neighborhood level across Metro Atlanta.

Joining us are two voices at the heart of this movement — Jamie Lee Perkins Dalton, Executive Director of Root Local, and Butch Whitfield, a Founding Board Member. Together, they’re helping communities grow greener, more connected, and more resilient — one project, one pollinator, one partnership at a time.

In this conversation, we unpack Root Local’s approach to sustainability, the strategy behind their Eco-Map of Metro Atlanta — also known as EMMA — and the growth of their innovative Pollinator Network. We also hear some real-world success stories, explore what’s next for the organization, and learn how everyday people can plug in and make a difference.

So whether you're a longtime advocate for local sustainability or just curious about what's growing in your backyard, this episode is packed with insight and inspiration. Let’s get into it.

Contact and connect: lee@rootlocal.org and butch.whitfield@harrynorman.com 

Root Local: https://rootlocal.org/ 

EMMA: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/c0b04d84d6194a898cfc5ff4c71ac2d0/ 

Today, we’re diving into the world of environmental health and clean water with a leader whose work is improving lives—especially the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable.

Our guest is Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, the Senior Director of Environmental Health and Water Quality at RTI International—a nonprofit institute committed to delivering the promise of science for global good. Jennifer is also the founding director of RTI’s CleanPlus® portfolio, which includes the award-winning Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ program. Under her leadership, this initiative has received national recognition for innovation, impact, and community partnership, including the EBJ Business Achievement Award for Project Merit and the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award.

In this conversation, we’ll talk with Jennifer about RTI’s mission and reach, her work to protect communities from harmful contaminants like PFAS and lead, and why her team is focused on ensuring clean water access—starting with children in schools and childcare centers.

We’ll also explore what utility companies can do to reduce exposure, how environmental health trends are evolving, and how you can support and connect with this important work.

Contact and connect with Jennifer: jredmon@rti.org 

RTI International: https://www.rti.org/focus-area/RTI-CleanPlus-environmental-testing  

Hold My Beer Study: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c11265 

Mairah Clay who is the Southern WV Coordinator and Autumn Crowe who is the Deputy Director of WV Rivers.

Many West Virginians are taking a stand against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Communities across the state are voicing their opposition to a project they say threatens fragile ecosystems, endangers clean water sources, and disregards Indigenous and rural land rights. With the rugged beauty of Appalachia at stake, West Virginians are fighting back—demanding a transition to cleaner energy and a future that protects both people and the land they call home.

A report from West Virginia Rivers Coalition and Downstream Strategies highlighted that 88% of the 139 stream crossings and 89% of the 61 wetland crossings by the MVP in West Virginia were negatively impacted, with 14 stream crossings showing severe decreases in channel stability .​

In March 2025, a federal court invalidated a key water permit for the MVP, emphasizing the project's detrimental effects on West Virginia's rivers and streams. This decision was celebrated by environmental groups as a significant step in protecting the state's water resources from further harm.

Contact and connect with Mariah and Autumn: mclay@wvrivers.org and acrowe@wvrivers.org 

WV Rivers: https://wvrivers.org/ 

MVP Story Map & Petition: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/05ae21f465af43509d576338119b29ad

MVP Audit Report: https://wvrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MVP-November-2024-Audit-Report.pdf

Sara Heilman is Energy Policy Coordinator with NC Warn. We talk about the work that NC Warn does throughout North Carolina and how they are primarily a watchdog organization for what Duke Energy is doing in the state.

We focus on how the town of Carrboro is suing Duke Energy. This is the first lawsuit against an electric utility for deceiving the public about the dangers from burning fossil fuels. Duke Energy leaders have known since the 1960s that fossil fuels are warming the planet, and instead of taking action, they’ve stalled climate action by spewing misinformation about the ties between climate change and fossil fuel use. Duke Energy needs to be held accountable! 

You can amplifying this historic lawsuit by:

1. Posting on social media. Check out this toolkit for sample posts, graphics, and links to resources, and follow us @SueDukeEnergy on all platforms.

2. Sending an email to Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good demanding she change course.

3. Signing your organization on to a letter demanding Duke Energy ditch fossil fuels.

   
   

   Check out the press release and complaint, and coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, NPR, and more. To stay up to date on the lawsuit go to SueDukeEnergy.org.

Lib Hutchby is a member of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in the Triangle Branch, Raging Grannies, Frack Free UNC, and NC Environmental Network.

In Chapel Hill, NC, local residents are rallying against a coal-fired power plant owned by UNC Chapel Hill, as well as a nearby Duke Energy gas build outs. Several community groups are also actively working to promote environmental sustainability by hosting events like World Water Day and attending public hearings.

Recently, UNC submitted a proposal to burn packaging materials and plastics, turning them into pellets to be used as fuel in their coal plant. While this 12-month trial period might reduce some emissions compared to the plant’s current fuel, burning these pellets could also increase levels of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. On top of that, the pellets contain small amounts of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," which are notoriously harmful.

However, thanks in part to the efforts of Chapel Hill's local groups, UNC has withdrawn its application. This victory is a testament to the power of community action in protecting the environment.

Contact and connect with Lib: libhutchby5@gmail.com   

Pellet testing: https://chapelboro.com/news/unc/no-more-coal-chapel-hill-prepares-for-hearing-on-uncs-co-gen-plant-and-potential-new-fuel-source

Dr. Elizabeth Hessami, who is a licensed attorney. She has served as a visiting attorney for the Environmental Law Institute for nearly a decade, researching post-conflict natural resources management and specializing in armed conflict and the environment. As well as my professor at Johns Hopkins. 

We talked at the end of last year and since then, Trump was sworn in as President of the United States again. 

On January 20th at his Inauguration Speech, President Trump stated “drill baby drill” expressing his interest to increase the US’s exploitation and drilling of fossil fuels. He is also a notorious climate change denier. So it comes to no surprise that nationally and internationally there are policies that the Trump Administration will be implementing or receding, - like withdrawing out of the Paris Climate Agreement, that will have an effect on not only the climate globally, but also on international security and relations 

With Dr Hessami we specifically talk about the critical minerals deal with Ukraine - to give an overview, The initial deal called for Ukraine to use its mineral resources to repay the United States $500 billion for military aid previously provided. The agreed upon framework does not designate the rights of $500 billion worth of minerals revenues to the United States nor does it include a security guarantee for Ukraine. Rather, the agreement establishes a reconstruction investment fund with joint U.S. and Ukraine ownership. Ukraine will contribute 50 percent of all revenues earned from the future monetization of all Ukrainian government-owned natural resource assets into the fund.

We also discuss how to stay hopeful and actions we can take ourselves during these changing times.

I also want to note that we recorded this on February 21st of this year before any further meetings and talks between Trump and Zelynskyy happened.

Contact and connect with Dr. Hessami: ehessam1@jhu.edu 

Sources:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/26/europe/ukraine-us-mineral-resources-deal-explained-intl-latam/index.html

https://www.csis.org/analysis/breaking-down-us-ukraine-minerals-deal

Sweden has figured out recycling. This shows, as they are the highest recyclers in the world. 

To talk about recycling we also have to mention all streams of waste - not just the products that are eligible to be recycled. In fact,only 1% of Sweden's trash goes into a landfill. Just to reiterate, 99% of Sweden’s waste is recycled! 52% is burned and converted into energy and then the remaining 47% is recycled and given another life.

Recycling is simply a way of life in Sweden. It is ingrained in the culture and taught to kids at a very young age. Literature says, culture is a huge factor that drives sustainable development - it starts with the mindset of the people. So Sweden is a progressive leader to know this kind of change starts with youth. 

Sweden has strict laws and regulations that not only aid in recycling and recyclability of products, but make it so that certain products aren’t manufactured, packaged, or imported in the first place to end up in the wastestream. They also highly encourage citizens to firstly reduce and reuse before recycling. 

Recycling is just an initial step to work towards climate goals and sustainability. It’s not the end all be all for the climate, but such a foundational place to start. Changing our everyday habits and behavior is where this change will happen and I believe Sweden is leading the way. 

4 Main Ways Sweden Accomplishes 1% of Waste in Landfills: 

Education to Citizens

Social Systems in Place

Extended Producer Responsibility Law

Waste-To-Energy Model  

Sources:

https://unece.org/sustainable-energy/about-methane-management-0

https://www.svenskplastatervinning.se/en/about-plastic-recycling/

https://www.worldcleanupday.org/country/sweden#:~:text=Hela%20Sverige%20plockar%20skr%C3%A4p%202024,sustainable%20and%20litter%20free%20world!&text=On%20this%20day%2C%20Keep%20Sweden,all%20the%20litter%20we%20see.

Steph Gans is an EJ Organizer for Clean Water for North Carolina. Clean Water for North Carolina’s mission is to promote clean, safe water and environments, and empower communities for all North Carolinians through advocacy, outreach, education, and technical assistance.

With Steph we talk about the multiple natural gas build outs and data centers proposed in North Carolina, specifically how it will affect communities, rate payers, and land owners. We also talk about pollution accountability, tools they offer, and motivation for continuing to work towards environmental justice.

Contact and connect:steph@cwfnc.org 

https://cwfnc.org

Sweden is the most sustainable country in the world. For decades they have been paving the way for environmental action. In fact, they were the first country to pass an Environmental Protection Act back in 1967. They are also the highest recyclers in the world - read more about that here. 

I was more than ecstatic to hear all of this - first coming from America where it took so much effort to do your best for the environment and secondly with this new US administration cutting back so many environmental regulations. I thought it would be enlightening to hear about somewhere that heavily prioritizes the environment. 

So how did this Scandinavian country become the sustainable country in the world? I believe there are two HUGE factors that play a major role: culture and policy.

I do also want to point out that Sweden is an incredibly rich country with the world's 14th highest GDP per capita. It is a welfare country that provides many social services to its people including environmental infrastructure. Therefore, the start-up costs for various technologies and infrastructure isn’t a hurdle as it might be for other countries. BUT as mentioned before, the richest countries are the ones polluting the most, so it’s a matter of priority. 

Lisa Sorg is the North Carolina reporter for InsideClimate News. A journalist for 30 years, Sorg covers energy, climate, environment and agriculture, as well as the social justice impacts of pollution and corporate malfeasance.

The past couple of months Lisa has had a 5-story series called “Gaslighting” that breaks down several natural gas projects from gas pipelines, compressor stations, and power plants that are proposed throughout North Carolina. These natural gas projects will emit hundreds of thousands tons of methane into the atmosphere per year. As we know, Methane is a huge driver of climate change and will make matters locally and globally worse. Lisa also talks with the NC communities and people on the ground who will be affected and what it means going forward.

Contact and connect: lisa.sorg@insideclimatenews.org

Gaslighting Series: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29122024/north-carolinas-climate-activists-brace-for-trumps-return/

Younju Lee is from South Korea and based in Paris, France. She is a Masters student for Environmental Policy as well as an intern with the Stakeholder Engagement team at United Nations Climate Change. 

The United Nations is working around the world to cut emissions, pursue nature-based solutions, extend sustainable energy and invest in resilient cities, among many other initiatives.

One of the most pressing initiatives is The Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It then, entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” However, in recent years, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century. 

With Younju we talk about her experience working with the UN, the Paris Agreement, her contributions, challenges of working with an international organization, and COP29.

Contact and connect: younju.lee@sciencespo.fr   

Paris Agreement: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement

Dr. Elizabeth Hessami is a professor at Johns Hopkins University and a licensed attorney. She has served as a visiting attorney for the Environmental Law Institute for nearly a decade, researching post-conflict natural resources management and specializing in armed conflict and the environment. And she was actually my professor for Environmental and Natural Resource Security in my masters program. 

Resource security refers to a state in which a country or region has sustainable, stable, timely, adequate and economical access to necessary natural resources and resource products, and the capability to maintain a sustained state of security.

The UN states: As climate change accelerates, its impacts exacerbate existing social, economic, and environmental challenges in many contexts, which can contribute to insecurity at local levels and internationally. Security concerns linked to climate change include impacts on food, water and energy supplies, increased competition over natural resources, loss of livelihoods, climate-related disasters, and forced migration and displacement.

Despite growing recognition of the interlinkages between climate change, peace and security, few examples of integrated programmatic approaches that address specific risks at the intersection of climate change and insecurity exist.  Conflict and crisis affected contexts are more susceptible to being overwhelmed by climate change, but too often peacebuilding and stabilisation efforts often do not consider climate-related impacts or environmental hazards. At the same time, insecurity hinders climate change adaptation efforts, leaving already vulnerable communities even poorer and less resilient to interlinked climate and security crises, but climate change adaptation initiatives often fail to fully integrate peacebuilding or conflict prevention objectives.

With Dr. Hessami, we talk about her background, work in Afghanistan, the phenomenon of the resource curse, some of the biggest threats, challenges, and what the future looks like.

Contact and connect: ehessam1@jhu.edu 

Environment and Natural Resource Security https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/better-policies-for-development/overview-the-environment-and-natural-resource-security_9789264115958-12-en#page1

Court Lewis is the BREDL chapter President of Unicoi Clear in Unicoi County, TN and currently living in Upstate, South Carolina. 

In late September of this year, category 4 Hurricane Helene caused widespread destruction and death across the Southeast United States including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. More than 230 people have been killed and it has caused more than $2 billion in damages. 

Court witnessed the effects and aftermath of Hurricane Helene first hand. He tells about how unprecedented this disaster was, stories from neighbors and community members, the aftermath and clean up process, and what local organizations you can donate to.

From talking with people from Western NC who were affected - here are 4 steps you can take to help with Hurricane Helene efforts:

1. Donate to Hood Huggers International. They are a resiliency organization in Asheville, NC that are providing immediate and direct support for those hit hardest in the area.

2. Refuse to shrug this off as a natural disaster. Talk to everyone about how unprecedented this was and how the destruction was due to human induced climate change. This can’t be the new normal.

3. Learn - learn how to bring more balance and justice to the world by educating yourself and others.

4. Vote - vote for people who support policies rebuilding impacted communities better before the storm.

Donate: Hood Huggers International: https://hoodhuggers.com/

Helene was NOT a natural disaster: https://www.yahoo.com/news/helene-shows-that-hurricanes-in-the-age-of-climate-change-dont-wreck-just-coastlines-210015013.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJiD87rnbHmYtfOtq6X3HBm-xG6D7RzwZawgYkJwNxh8vbY3jfi_9J1Hns47GF-yMLr5jkYvVoe6MR50wY00NjY8-TlUekQWxaq8g1-Y0Lq32VV-AksvSDQ8QWC4iZzISFEpecHvNRmKS8fCOqku7s7UCI4lempBtfHuwiagYSX1&emci=4e0a2ebe-1780-ef11-8474-6045bda8aae9&emdi=d02158fd-4380-ef11-8474-6045bda8aae9&ceid=1121357&guccounter=2 

Contact and connect with Court: cslewis1@mindspring.com  

Karen Hill is the President of the Tennessee Native Plant Society. The Tennessee Native Plant Society mission is to conserve and celebrate native plant communities and their habitats through education. From the Appalachian Mountains to the floodplains of the Mississippi, Tennessee’s native plant communities make one of the most botanically diverse and interesting states in the nation. 

With Karen we talk about what plants are native to the TN region, which are endangered, how insects play a vital role, and efforts they make to help bring native plants back.

Connect: TNPS@myripples.org https://www.tnps.org/

Abigail Franks who is the Membership and Policy Manager and Alexander Easdale who is the Executive Director at Southeast Climate and Energy Network. 

The Southeast Climate and Energy Network has a mission to confront the climate crisis by creating strategic alignment, growing capacity, and building power among member organizations and their communities in the Southeast. They have a huge focus on grassroots work that prioritizes and uses the knowledge that southerners already have. They know that there are challenges in the South, but there are people on the ground who have the solutions.

Contact: abigail@scen-us.org and alex@scen-us.org 

All the information we talked about can be found: https://www.scen-us.org/

Carlton Turner is the Co-Director / Co-Founder at Sipp Culture. Based in the rural South, “Sipp Culture” is honoring the history and building the future of their community in Utica, MS. 

Sipp Culture supports community development from the ground up through cultural production focused on self-determination and agency designed by them and for them. They believe that history, culture, and food affirm their individual and collective humanity. So, they are strengthening our local food system, advancing health equity, and supporting rural artistic voices – while activating the power of story – all to promote the legacy and vision of our hometown.

With Carlton we talk about SIPPs mission, current projects and the significance of land, stories, and local food.

Erica Hall is Executive Director and Board Chair at Florida Food Policy Council. Executive Committee Member of the Sierra Club, Florida Chapter. As well as a National Board of Director Member of the National Sierra Club. 

The Florida Food Policy Council (FLFPC) works to address gaps and affect policy within the food system through integrity and collaboration for the benefit of all Floridians and the environment. 

Food Policy Councils (FPCs) provide a unique forum for diverse stakeholders to come together and address common concerns regarding food policy including food systems, food security, farm policy, food regulations, health, and nutrition. Stakeholders include people such as farmers, city and state officials, non-profit organizations, chefs, food distributors, food justice advocates, educators, health professionals, and concerned citizens. 

With Erica, we talk about the intersections of her work, challenges in the food systems today, the importance of land, urban agriculture, and their impact in the community. Erica also mentions the Farm Bill, which urgently needs support. 

Contact: https://flfpc.wildapricot.org/ 

Farm Bill: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-bill/index

Hi everyone, we’re back with Debbie Clemens who is with the Outreach Coordinator for Orangutan Outreach. In this episode we talk all about palm oil and its effects. The sourcing of palm oil causes conflict because it has been produced illegally or under conditions associated with labor or human rights violations, ongoing destruction of rainforests, or expansion on carbon-rich peatlands.  

One of the most pressing concerns associated with Palm Oil is its environmental impact. The expansion of palm oil plantations has been linked to deforestation, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. In many cases, pristine rainforests are cleared to make way for these plantations, leading to the loss of critical habitat for endangered species like orangutans, tigers, and rhinoceroses. Deforestation also contributes to climate change by releasing stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

With Debbie we talk about what palm oil is, where you can commonly find it, the ethics around it, and more.

Contact and connect with Debbie: deb@redapes.org 

https://redapes.org/ 

 https://palmdoneright.com/what-is-conflict-palm-oil/ 

In this episode I continue my conversation with Debbie Clemens who is the Outreach Coordinator for Orangutan Outreach. We talk about the behind the scenes work that goes into making field work possible for these creatures. Tune in for the last episode of the series in two weeks.

Contact and connect with Debbie: deb@redapes.org 

https://redapes.org/ 

 https://palmdoneright.com/what-is-conflict-palm-oil/ 

Debbie Clemens is the Outreach Coordinator for Orangutan Outreach. They are a US based charity that focuses on raising awareness and raising funds for their partners in Indonesia. They are personally not doing the orangutan rescue and rehabilitation work themselves, but are supporting those who are. 

Mankind may be one of the orangutans' closest relatives but humans are also the greatest threat to the orangutans' survival. Clear cutting, forest fires and hunting are reducing orangutan numbers to alarmingly low levels. Never before has their very existence been threatened so severely.

Orangutans used to live in many different parts of Southeast Asia, but the places where they can thrive and find food are quickly vanishing. In Borneo and Sumatra, their last remaining homes, large parts of the old growth rainforest are gone, ripped up for farmland, palm oil plantations and urban development. And the precious little forest that is left is disappearing rapidly as palm oil companies continue to illegally clearcut enormous areas of forest.

With Debbie we talk about the behind the scenes work that goes into making field work possible for these creatures. Although we ultimately talk about how saving  orangutans is actually saving ourselves. This is a three part series so - look out for the next episodes in the coming weeks.

Contact and connect with Debbie: deb@redapes.org 

https://redapes.org/ 

 https://palmdoneright.com/what-is-conflict-palm-oil/

Leif Cocks is the Founder of The Orangutan Project. They are a passionate group of people based in Australia and are dedicated to saving the orangutan. They are led by an experienced set of wildlife experts that have been working for over 20 years to protect this species and their environment. And together they are working to protect orangutans from extinction. 

Orangutans are the most intelligent beings on the planet after human beings, and they adapt to the environment by passing on culture through each generation. They are a self-aware being and as intelligent as a six year old child. Also being the slowest reproducing species in the world, they are highly prone to extinction, so if we do not act now we could lose them in our lifetime.

Contact and connect with Leif: leif.cocks@orangutan.org.au 

The Orangutan Project: https://www.theorangutanproject.org/

Ben Frition is the Founder of The REED Center which is a Maryland-based nonprofit that seeks to repair the holistic connection of humans and their environment through research, engaging communities in farm programming, developing self-perpetuating ecosystems, and designing natural landscapes on residential and commercial scales. They strive to inspire and empower humanity to reconnect with Nature and co-create a more resilient, equitable, and abundant future for all communities on the planet.

They also have a Food Forest, that seeks to develop scalable diversified agro-ecosystems to produce both the maximized productively of land in both volume of food, as well as the more important bionutrient density of said food. Ben's work spawned from seeing the failures of reforestation projects that get cut down as the needs of people are unmet. He's been developing agricultural models that meet both the environmental imperative of biodiversity & resilience AND the acute needs of humans.Transitioning from almost three centuries of conventional agriculture into a diverse nature mimicking polyculture, the food forest offers a unique opportunity to study, document, and record the rejuvenation of this land over time. They intend to use this relatively standard agricultural canvas to collect key data, iterate on best practices, and pioneer novel methodologies for regenerative land management.

Contact and connect with Ben: ben@thereedcenter.org 

REED Center: https://thereedcenter.org/

Elizabeth Gillispie is Soil Scientist and Soil Health Vineyard Manager at Washington State University as well as a member of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). 

Soil is the loose surface material that covers most land. It consists of inorganic particles and organic matter. Soils are not only the resource for food production, but they are the support for our structures, the medium for waste disposal, they maintain our playgrounds, distribute and store water and nutrients, and support our environment. They support more life beneath their surface than what exists above. With Elizabeth, we talk about the many different ways soil supports our life and is key in functioning our society. 

Contact and connect: elizabeth.gillispie@wsu.edu 

Soil Science of America: https://www.soils.org/

Lisa Sorg is the Assistant Editor and Environmental Reporter at NC Newsline. She helps manage newsroom operations while covering the environment, climate change, agriculture and energy. She talks with me in two other so listen to episodes 8 and 11 to hear more from her.

Within the episode we mostly reference NC drinking water suppliers, although you can apply this same information to your own area. According to the EPA, there are approximately 150,000 public water systems that provide drinking water to most Americans. Customers that are served by a public water system are able to contact their local water supplier and ask for information on contaminants in their drinking water, and are encouraged to request a copy of their Consumer Confidence Report. This report lists the levels of contaminants that have been detected in the water, including those by EPA, and whether the system meets state and EPA drinking water standards. Then about 10 percent of people in the United States rely on water from private wells. Private wells are not regulated and people who use private wells need to take precautions to ensure their drinking water is safe. 

Contact or connect with Lisa: lsorg@ncnewsline.com 

Consumer Confidence Report: https://www.epa.gov/ccr/ccr-information-consumers

Drinking water info: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-your-drinking-water

Ben Tettlebaum is the Director & Senior Staff Attorney at The Wilderness Society. Across the U.S. there are 618 million acres of federal public lands, including national parks and forests, wildlife refuges and federally managed desert and prairie lands. Many of these special places are threatened by climate change and poor management decisions that favor development over conservation. And they are important to protect as they are a key piece of our natural heritage. 

Within the episode we talk about the Western Arctic, in regards to federal land laws and to give some more background, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge) is a place of spectacular beauty as well as ecological and cultural significance, but right now it's vulnerable to oil and gas development. These industries threaten to pollute our air and water, degrade public lands, and ruin an Indigenous way of life. So we talk about what the Wilderness Society is doing to help there.

BREDL has had a past working relationship with The Wilderness Society. In 1992, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) wanted to relocate U.S. 58 and make it a four-lane highway, bisecting the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area in S.W. Virginia. Citizens formed a BREDL chapter Mountain Heritage Alliance (MHA) and worked with another BREDL chapter Graysonites for Progressive Change to fight the VDOT proposal. The Wilderness Society (TWS) was instrumental in this fight and continues to do great work for public lands to stay public. 

Contact or connect with Ben: Ben_Tettlebaum@tws.org  

How to protect the Arctic: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/5-questions-how-protect-arctic-oil-drilling 

Here’s a brief press release for the victory: https://archive.bredl.org/MHA/may96pr.html

Serenella Linares is a naturalist at Mt Rainier Nature Center and also on the board of The Mycological Association of Washington, DC. (MAWDC for short) 

This episode we talk about mushrooms. When we think of mushrooms, most of us think of the edible ones we can buy at the grocery store, but really they are everywhere and are vital to our ecosystems. First to give some mushroom terminology , mycelium is the root-like structure of a fungus that has networks underground, then fungi is ​​any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter which includes mushrooms, mushrooms are then what we normally think of as a growth with a domed cap.

They are all critically important in most earthbound ecosystems as they provide life-sustaining mineral nutrients to plants while decomposing their remains, and recycling both organic and inorganic byproducts throughout the biome as they grow and reproduce. Through mycelium, mushrooms help other plants share nutrients and communicate through chemical signals. Fungi make nutrients available to plants either through decomposition and nutrient cycling, or by directly transporting nutrients to the plants, or in some cases, both processes occur.

With Serenella we speak about the history of mushrooms, myco-remediation, fungal DNA sequencing, identification and more.

MAWDC: https://www.mawdc.org/ 

Mushroom articles: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-mushrooms-main-character-ecosystems.html#:~:text=Fungi%2C%20which%20produce%20mushrooms%2C%20are,as%20they%20grow%20and%20reproduce.

Andres Chang is the Senior Research Specialist at Greenpeace. Just last year in 2023, Greenpeace came out with a report that Andres was the lead writer on, called Dollars VS. Democracy. The report talks about how Americans overwhelmingly support government action on the climate crisis. As a result, the fossil fuel industry has expanded its playbook to delay the transition to clean energy and protect its profits through efforts that undermine our right to free speech.

Since the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock in 2016, oil and gas companies have played a key role in the creation and spread of anti-protest laws with provisions specifically intended to stifle protest near fossil fuel facilities. 18 states accounting for roughly 60% of oil and gas production have enacted sweeping versions of such legislation. Another four states have enacted narrower versions of the same legislation, which could be exploited by prosecutors seeking to issue trumped-up charges against peaceful protesters. 

Within the episode we talk about all this report, from the creation of it, key points, its significance, and what their plans for it are. BREDL sent documents to Greenpeace to use in this report, so we discuss that as well. The Anti-Slap petition that Andres mentions in the episode will be linked in the show notes below, so please sign on to that as well as a link to the full report.

FULL REPORT: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/dollars-vs-dissent/  

SIGN THE ANTI-SLAP PETITION: https://engage.us.greenpeace.org/kuCKizua206SG48Bs-kTFg2

Jesse Howe is the Assistant Director of the Coastal Conservation Association, Maryland (CCA) whose purpose is to advise and educate the public on the conservation of our marine resources. They seek to conserve, promote and enhance the present and future availability of coastal resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public.

One of the main projects CCA does are living reefs, which are reef balls that they create in the Chesapeake Bay to provide important habitat for oysters and other estuarine critters and they are valued in both fresh and Bay waters. And since the 1700’s oyster populations have seen dramatic decline due to over-harvesting, disease, habitat loss and more and the Bay has really seen the effects of that as oysters are natural filters. Therefore the reef balls offer a place for oysters to come back to the Bay and help maintain healthy waters and the ecosystem. 

With Jesse we talk about why Maryland's coastline is ecologically significant, the goals of the Living Reefs, how they get the community involved, citizen science, and how to support their work.

Contact and connect with Jesse: jhowe@ccamd.org

CCA Maryland: https://www.ccamd.org/ 

https://www.ccamd.org/product/cca-membership/

https://www.ccamd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Vision_Chesapeake_Final.pdf

https://www.instagram.com/cca_md/

https://www.facebook.com/CCAMARYLAND

Ann Rodgers is BREDL’s Grant Writer. In 2021 BREDL received a grant from the EPA, which Ann wrote to fund an air monitoring program, called CARE-4-Air, for our chapters who are experiencing air quality issues in their community. 

I misspoke in my intro as there will be 10 air monitoring sites in TN,NC, SC, GA, and VA. These sites are all currently subject to significant sources of air pollution, including: coal-burning power generation, wood-burning biomass gasification, industrial landfill, biochar production, wood pellet manufacturing, railroad operation, biomass plant operation, coal ash deposition, natural gas compressor stations, prescribed forest burning, and asphalt plants. Many of the affected communities are experiencing documented health impacts associated with air pollution generated by these industrial operations. And then among the 10 sites at which monitoring will be conducted, 6 of them have documented health risks for African American communities. 

BREDL staff and chapters are scheduled to start monitoring this spring to collect further data.

Matt Rutherford is one of the CO-Directors & Expedition Leaders of Ocean Research Project, which is a nonprofit whose mission is to observe the unknown and monitor humanity’s impact on the Ocean through dedicated interdisciplinary field expeditions. Two of the main projects they focus on is research on the melting glaciers in Greenland as well as marine plastic pollution. 

Greenland has a vast coastline and the surrounding waters are largely uncharted and under-monitored due to the harsh conditions and remote location. Therefore, the Ocean Research Project goes out and pursues the observations necessary for scientists to define the conditions for monitoring the effects of climate change on the Arctic marine environment.

Then the other project we talk about is marine debris, ORP has conducted multiple research expeditions in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. ORP completed its first marine debris research expedition in 2013. During this trip, its crew spent 70 days sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, collecting samples of plastic trash in the water and mapping out the eastern side of the North Atlantic garbage patch. They are now doing local work in the Chesapeake Bay and have helped increase the scientific community’s understanding of plastic pollution’s pervasive distribution across oceans from the sea ice to the seabed. 

Ocean Research Project: https://www.oceanresearchproject.org/ 

Articles:

Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea 

PCBs and PBDEs in microplastic particles and zooplankton in open water in the Pacific Ocean and around the coast of Japan

Mitigation strategies to reverse the rising trend of plastics in Polar Regions

Support ORP’s work:

https://www.oceanresearchproject.org/support-ocean-research/ 

Elissa Huffstetler and Theresa Ahrens are Residents of southeastern Person County, NC where Dominion Energy is wanting to put a facility that would include a 25 million gallon liquified natural gas storage tank, and plans submitted by Dominion suggest that a second tank could be built there in the future. The facility could emit 65,579 tons of greenhouse gasses, specifically methane, each year and not to mention, the what is produced there will not be used in the area, but other counties. 

There are many concerns about this facility including air pollution, fire explosion risk, endangered species in the streams and creeks nearby, and loss of local wetland, forestland, and farms. 

On November 9th residents went to a meeting about rezoning the land from rural to industrial for the plant to be placed there and more than 100 people came to speak out about their concerns. Many neighbors at the community meeting said they are concerned about the potential for fires or explosions. Vapor clouds are composed not only of methane, but of flammable refrigerants that can ignite. And they will be continuing the fight at future meetings.

Contact and connect: tahrens50@gmail.com and elfhuff@gmail.com

More info: https://ncnewsline.com/2023/11/03/dominion-plans-large-liquified-natural-gas-facility-in-person-county-near-rougemont/ 

https://bredl.org/resources/person-county-planning-board-recommends-rezoning-for-lng-facility-amid-public-outrage/

Adam Ratner is the Associate Director of Conservation Education at Marine Mammal Center. 

The Marine Mammal Center advances global ocean conservation through rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education. They are the world's largest marine mammal hospital and rescues more marine mammals than any other organization in the world, covering a rescue range that spans 600 miles of California coastline and Hawai‘i.

Within the episode we talk about overfishing. Overfishing simply refers to the process of taking more fish out of the sea than can reproduce and replenish naturally. With the use of massive industrial fishing practices and nets that can stretch for miles, it isn’t only the targeted animals that are at risk, but also other animals that are caught by accident and killed.

With billions of people around the world relying on seafood, the pressure on fish stocks has never been greater. Currently, one-third of all fisheries around the world are overfished, and the rate is increasing drastically so we must take action now to support healthy fish stocks for people and animals.

Contact and connect:

Marine Mammal Center: media@tmmc.org

https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science-conservation/conservation/sustainable-seafood/wild-caught-seafood

Sarah Ludington is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the First Amendment Clinicare and Kyle Compton is a Local News Fellow of the Clinic. 

The First Amendment Clinic at Duke University provides students the opportunity to work directly with clients facing free expression concerns, including defamation, content-discrimination, and reporter’s privilege. Their services are pro bono and open to the public’s use. 

BREDL has used their services as we were waiting for PFAS records from the NC Department of Environmental Quality for 8 months and when we reached out to the Clinic and they sent a demand letter on our behalf, we got the records immediately. 

To contact and connect with the Duke First Amendment Clinic is in the show notes below. Thanks for listening and enjoy the episode. 

Contact and connect: firstamendmentclinic@law.duke.edu 

First Amendment Clinic: https://law.duke.edu/firstamendment/

We’re back to continue our conversation with Jay Feldmen who is Executive Director with Beyond Pesticides. Go back to the previous episode to learn the background of Beyond Pesticides and what they are doing. And now here is the rest of our conversation.

Beyond Pesticides are science and research based. They seek to protect healthy air, water, land, and food for ourselves and future generations. By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, they reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. They believe that people must have a voice in decisions that affect them directly and that decisions should not be made for us by chemical companies or by decision-makers who either do not have all of the facts or refuse to consider them.

With Jay, we discuss what pesticides are, common places they are found, effects they give to humans, research they’ve done and are continually doing, alternatives, and how it is all interconnected.

Jay has a wealth of knowledge, so to contact and connect with him will be in the show notes below. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the episode. 

Jay Feldman is the Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides. 

Beyond Pesticides are science and research based. They seek to protect healthy air, water, land, and food for ourselves and future generations. By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, they reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. They believe that people must have a voice in decisions that affect them directly and that decisions should not be made for us by chemical companies or by decision-makers who either do not have all of the facts or refuse to consider them.

With Jay, we discuss what pesticides are, common places they are found, effects they give to humans, research they’ve done and are continually doing, alternatives, and how it is all interconnected.

Jay has a wealth of knowledge, so to contact and connect with him will be in the show notes below. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the episode. 

This episode will be broken into two episodes since it’s longer, so be on the lookout for it in two weeks.

Emily Scarr is with the Maryland Public Interest Research Group. 

Maryland PIRG is an advocate for the public interest. They speak out for the public and stand up to special interests on problems that affect the public's health, safety and wellbeing.

For every issue they work on, they have a bold vision of how to transform our country. Although, they understand that change comes one step at a time, and often powerful interests are standing in the way. The  focus is on making a difference for the public, not just making a statement.

With Emily we speak about the campaigns she is working on from energy issues to PFAS contamination in Maryland. She ends the conversation with saying Maryland can be a great state to be leading the change and then for other states to follow. 

Contact and connect with Emily: emily@marylandpirg.org 

Maryland PIRG: https://pirg.org/maryland/

This is the continuation of last week’s episode of interviews from my week at the International Peace Camp in the Netherlands. Go back to the last episode to get the background of why we were there and actions we did, and those stories. And without further ado, here are the rest of the conversations.

45 of us from around Europe and the U.S. gathered together for a week of actions in protest against the U.S. Nuclear bombs stored at the Volkel Air Base. The Netherlands is one of five NATO members to host US nuclear weapons on its territory as part of a nuclear-sharing agreement. The Dutch air force is assigned approximately 15 B61 nuclear bombs, which are deployed at the Air Base. And The F-35 and F-16 fighter-bombers emit over 10 tons of CO2 per flight hour practicing to bomb the world with new, even ‘better’ nuclear bombs in the next war. And during the week, we heard those fighter-bombers practicing numerous times a day.

First is Marion Kuper from Germany who is speaking at our gathering on Hiroshima Day about the nuclear free work in Germany and reads some of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), then we talk with Judith from Germany, Hubert from Germany, Vera from the U.S., Brian from the U.S., Onnau from Germany, Ria from Germany, Theo from the U.S. and then Susan from the U.S. 

These are just a few stories and testimonies from the week there. You can check out the links below to learn about why we were there and nuclear sharing in general. There is also some background noise, since I record this in person with people, so I apologize for that.

News coverage: https://www.democracynow.org/2023/8/10/nuclear_protests_netherlands

This week's episode is a compilation of short interviews from my week at the International Peace Camp in the Netherlands. 45 of us from around Europe and the U.S. gathered together for a week of actions in protest against the U.S. Nuclear bombs stored at the Volkel Air Base. The Netherlands is one of five NATO members to host US nuclear weapons on its territory as part of a nuclear-sharing agreement. The Dutch air force is assigned approximately 15 B61 nuclear bombs, which are deployed at the Air Base. And The F-35 and F-16 fighter-bombers emit over 10 tons of CO2 per flight hour practicing to bomb the world with new, even ‘better’ nuclear bombs in the next war. And during the week, we heard those fighter-bombers practicing numerous times a day.

First is Marion Kuper from Germany who is speaking at our gathering on Hiroshima Day about the nuclear free work in Germany and reads some of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), then we talk with Judith from Germany, Hubert from Germany, Vera from the U.S., Brian from the U.S., Onnau from Germany, Ria from Germany, Theo from the U.S. and then Susan from the U.S. 

These are just a few stories and testimonies from the week there. You can check out the links below to learn about why we were there and nuclear sharing in general. There is also some background noise, since I record this in person with people, so I apologize for that. Since this episode ended up being about an hour long I cut it into two episodes so look out for part 2 in two weeks.

More on the international camp: https://noelhuis.nl/peace-camp-volkel-2023/ 

https://www.icanw.org/netherlands

News Coverage:

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/8/10/nuclear_protests_netherlands

Steve Preston is the Director of Parks with Parks and People. Parks and People have a single goal in mind: to improve the quality of life for residents of Baltimore by ensuring that everyone is connected to nature through vibrant parks and green spaces. 

According to the Parks and People, the act of reclaiming a vacant lot or beautifying a neglected open space, by even a few residents on a single block, can serve as a catalyst for positive change and growth throughout a community. They have seen this transformation take place time and again. In neighborhoods where someone establishes and maintains open public green spaces: people experience a stronger sense of community, develop closer relationships with their neighbors, and  report feeling safer.

With Steve we talk about the importance of parks in a city, how many parks Balitmorians have access to, what makes a well-designed park, park maintenance, and the possibility of getting Biden Administration funding for public spaces in Baltimore. 

Contact and connect with Steve: steven.preston@parksandpeople.org

Parks and People: https://www.parksandpeople.org/ 

We’re back with the second part of Dr. Claudia Miller’s talk on Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). Go back to part 1 to listen to more of an explanation, but TILT seeks to explain the mystifying range of symptoms suffered by people with chemical intolerances. To listen to the full talk with presentation slides, I have linked the youtube video by Beyond Pesticides below as well as anything that is mentioned in this talk. 

Contact and connect with Dr. Claudia Miller: millercs@uthscsa.edu 

Watch the full presentation from Beyond Pesticides: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8sjxyOZ-Ew 

TILT Website: https://tiltresearch.org/

Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes, 2nd edition 1998: https://tiltresearch.org/provider-resources/publications/

Microbiome video: https://tiltresearch.org/2022/06/20/toxicant-induced-loss-of-tolerance-for-chemicals-foods-and-drugs-a-global-phenomenon/

Full Papers attached:

Mast cells article: https://tiltresearch.org/2021/12/02/overlooked-for-decades-mast-cells-may-explain-chemical-intolerance/

TILT Connection article: https://tiltresearch.org/2021/06/28/new-study-provides-a-link-between-common-chemicals-and-unexplained-chronic-illnesses/

I’m airing Dr. Claudia Miller’s presentation on her theory of TILT. Dr. Miller is a Professor, Allergy/Immunology and Environmental Health at the University of Texas. For decades Dr. Miller has championed a new theory of disease to join the germ theory and the immune theory: Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). TILT explains the mystifying range of symptoms suffered by people with chemical intolerances. It is a two-step process. First, initiation involves acute or chronic exposure to environmental agents such as pesticides, solvents, or indoor air contaminants, followed by triggering of multi-system symptoms by exposure to small quantities of previously tolerated substances such as traffic exhaust, cleaning products, fragrances, foods, drugs, or food-drug combinations.

Dr. Miller gave me permission to air her presentation where she further explains it along with her research and findings. To listen to the full talk with presentation slides, I have linked the youtube video by Beyond Pesticides below.

Contact and connect with Dr. Claudia Miller: millercs@uthscsa.edu 

Watch the full presentation from Beyond Pesticides: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8sjxyOZ-Ew 

TILT Website: https://tiltresearch.org/

Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes, 2nd edition 1998: https://tiltresearch.org/provider-resources/publications/

Microbiome video: https://tiltresearch.org/2022/06/20/toxicant-induced-loss-of-tolerance-for-chemicals-foods-and-drugs-a-global-phenomenon/

Full Papers attached:

Mast cells article: https://tiltresearch.org/2021/12/02/overlooked-for-decades-mast-cells-may-explain-chemical-intolerance/

TILT Connection article: https://tiltresearch.org/2021/06/28/new-study-provides-a-link-between-common-chemicals-and-unexplained-chronic-illnesses/

Susan Crane is a Peace Activist. 

Susan and I met last year at the 2022 International Peace Delegation in Germany. This year that same peace delegation will be held again in the Netherlands at the Volkel Air Base. The 2023 Volkel Peace Delegation will focus on the climate and a nuclear free world. Activists from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the United States and possibly other countries get together for these days of action.

The Netherlands is one of five NATO members to host US nuclear weapons on its territory as part of a nuclear-sharing agreement. The Dutch air force is assigned approximately 15 B61 nuclear bombs, which are deployed at Volkel Air Base. And The F-35 and F-16 fighter-bombers emit over 10 tons of CO2 per flight hour practicing to bomb the world with new, even ‘better’ nuclear bombs in the next war. And when those nuclear bombs are used, it is very harmful to the climate and to all life on earth.

With Susan we talk about the delegation, actions that will take place, the main objectives, why nonviolence, and more. 

Contact and connect with Susan: susan.s.crane@gmail.com 

More on the international camp: https://noelhuis.nl/peace-camp-volkel-2023/ 

https://www.icanw.org/netherlands

Todd Thiele is the president of the Norris Lake Protection Alliance (NLPA).  Norris Lake, also known as Norris Reservoir, is a reservoir that is located in East Tennessee. The lake was created by the Norris Dam on the Clinch River in 1936 by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power. And today, Norris Lake is a recreation hub with 809 miles of shoreline and 33,840 acres of water surface and is the largest reservoir on a tributary of the Tennessee River.

NLPA has a mission to provide a unifying voice to people who regard environmental preservation of Norris Lake as a top priority, enabling current and future generations to enjoy its responsible use. NLPA is currently working to monitor and prevent water contamination from a chicken farm under construction in Sharps Chapel TN. 

With Todd we talked about the history of Norris Lake, why he does this work, the projects they are currently involved in, water monitoring and more.

Contact and connect with Todd: tthiele@harriscompany.com 

NLPA website:  https://hoppyhiker.wixsite.com/nlpa 

More on Norris Lake: https://www.tnvacation.com/local/norris-norris-lake 

https://www.visitknoxville.com/listing/norris-lake/1033/ 

Trey Sherard is a Riverkeeper with Anacostia Riverkeeper. As an organization they aim to create meaningful encounters with the river for all people in order to open opportunities for enjoyment of the Anacostia River. Their primary programmatic goals are centered on trash mitigation, advocacy, water quality, stormwater reduction, and river access. 

The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel and ultimately empties into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. And the river itself is about 8.7 miles long. 

Within the episode we talk about what makes the river unique, the different jurisdictions it's under, what makes a healthy river, trash mitigation, and green infrastructure. 

Contact and connect with Trey: trey@anacostiariverkeeper.org 

Anacostia Riverkeeper: https://www.anacostiariverkeeper.org/programs/

Mike Ross is an assistant professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences’ Sustainable Landscape Design concentration and in the School of Landscape Architecture. Originally he was trained as an organismal biologist and evolutionary ecologist. And now, he translates ecological systems and relationships into design and management strategies.

In the episode we talk about city design in an environmental context. According to the United Nations, more than half the world’s population live in cities. By 2050, an estimated 7 out of 10 people will likely live in urban areas. Cities are drivers of economic growth and contribute more than 80 per cent of global GDP.

In our conversation we talked about a lot of different aspects of city planning and design from elements that make a city well designed, public transportation, and green infrastructure but ultimately we couldn’t talk about city planning without mentioning equity, poverty, homelessness, redlining, privilege, and more. It is all interconnected and complex so we mention some of those aspects as well.

We also discuss suburbs vs cities in an environmental context, and know both have their pros and cons. There is no right answer because again, it’s a complex system, we were just having a conversation about them. And we end it by discussing how we should change some of our languaging from sustainable cities to regenerative cities.

Contact and connect with Mike: mross28@utk.edu or https://archdesign.utk.edu/people/michael-ross/ 

More on sustainable cities: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sustainable-communities 

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/

Julie Griffin and Julie Owen, are residents in Ringgold, VA where they have an industrial, open air landfill in their backyards. The landfill is owned by First Piedmont where they created the landfill after the community had already existed there for 50+ years. The residents have to look at that mess every time they come out of their houses’ and deal with the odor from it 24 hours a day. There is no fence around it so there is high risk with children and pets in this residential area, not to mention what is in the air and water from it. 

They are a chapter of BREDL called, Coalition for a Clean Dan River Region, where they are taking a stand to protect their family, homes and the air and water that we all depend on!

Industrial landfills have industrial waste in them which can contain metals, glass, asphalt, and more. Landfills produced gasses such as methane, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and non methane organic compounds. Not to mention, they produce leachate which is a liquid produced by landfill sites, contaminating nearby water sources, which further damages the ecosystems.

I would highly suggest going to their facebook page “Save our rural community” to see pictures of the  landfill and what they have to deal with daily. 

Contact and connect with Julie Owens and Julie Griffin: julieo495.33@gmail.com 

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/971369563328746/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1599197337212629 

Information about damage of landfills: https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2021/04/15/hidden-damage-landfills 

https://www.epa.gov/landfills/industrial-and-construction-and-demolition-cd-landfills

We’re back with Jason Burns who is Executive Director at Last Call Foundation and he's been a Firefighter since 2006. He has spent much of his career advocating for better and safer working conditions for his firefighters. I talked with Jason at the end of last year in episode 24, about how there is PFAS in firefighters PPE. We ended the conversation on how when they wash their PPE, the PFAS ends up in their waterways. Now we’re picking the conversation back there.

In 2022, there was a test of 114 waterways from across the country, in which 83% were found to contain at least one type of PFAS—dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are widely linked to serious public health and environmental impacts. 

These findings are an important step toward filling in a major data gap and validate the call to EPA for increased and widespread monitoring to gain a complete picture of PFAS contamination in all watersheds across the country.

In spite of the serious health risks, there are currently no universal, science-based limits on the various PFAS chemicals in the United States. For many PFAS chemicals, the EPA has not even set a health advisory limit that would give the public a baseline to determine what amount of PFAS is unhealthy in drinking water. In most cases, the EPA is not doing adequate monitoring for these chemicals, which is why these findings are so unique and important.

Contact and connect with Jason: jasonjburns@comcast.net

Study/survery mentioned: https://waterkeeper.org/news/unprecedented-analysis-reveals-pfas-contamination-in-u-s-waterways-shows-shocking-levels-of-contamination/ 

Dr. Michael McKinney is the Director of Environmental Studies at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I personally did microplastic research with him on invertebrates in local creeks and the Tennessee River. And now, he is teaching a course on microplastics at UTK along with his research. 

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that result from both commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics.  They are classified as less than 5 millimeters in diameter. The problem with microplastics is that—like plastic items of any size—they do not readily break down into harmless molecules. Plastics can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose—and in the meantime, wreak havoc on the environment. They can be from sources such as synthetic clothing, fishing nets, food packaging, cosmetics, PPE, and so much more. There is still so much research being done about them and what dangers they impose.

With Dr. McKinney, we talk about his research on them, how washing clothes put microplastics into our waterways, how they affect wildlife and humans alike, bioaccumulation, and policy solutions.

Contact and connect with Dr. McKinney: mmckinne@utk.edu

Microplastic articles: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/microplastics/ 

Steven Lester is a Toxicologist and the Science Director at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, CHEJ.

We speak about the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment where 38 of its 150 cars derailed while carrying a variety of hazardous chemicals on February 3rd. A few days after the train cars derailed the company, Norfolk Southern, was afraid of a bigger explosion and decided to dump and burn the 5 cars carrying vinyl chloride. 

The burning of this leads to dioxins in the air, soil, water, and farm animals there. “Dioxin” is the name given to a group of persistent, very toxic chemicals that share similar chemical structures. Dioxin is not deliberately manufactured. It is the unintended byproduct of industrial processes that use or burn chlorine. Dioxin exposure can have serious environmental and human health effects such as cancer, reproductive damage, developmental problems, type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, infertility in adults, impairment of the immune system and skin lesions.

The high exposure to this particular chemical puts the community at high risk, but also has the potential to travel through the air and water and have an effect on the produce and animals we consume as it's in the soils. Norfolk Southern and the EPA have been denying and delaying testing for this. Steven along with the community has been putting pressure on them to do accurate and timely testing. Steven also got invited by the community to attend public meetings and is in contact with residents on the ground there. We speak about their concerns and if the area will ever be safe again. 

Contact and connect with Steven: slester@chej.org 

News: https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-derailment/epa-not-testing-for-dioxins-scientist-calls-reason-lame/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-timeline.html 

Guardian article with Steven: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/02/epa-toxins-test-east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-dioxins

Sabrina Webster is a resident of Piney Grove, NC - which is in the 1 mile radius of where the Winston-Salem Weaver Fertilizer Plant Fire that happened in January of last year.

I did four other episodes about the fire itself and stricter regulations that need to be in place, especially for Ammonium Nitrate that the community was exposed to, so listen to episodes 5,6,7, and 8 for that.

There is now a report out about the fire from the Analysis of Publicly Disseminated Air Quality Information During Facility Fire Incident highlights instances when local officials told the public that the air quality was okay and pollutants were just “irritants” when, in fact, levels of Particulate Matter 2.5 were in the EPA’s hazardous and very unhealthy categories. Yet, they told residents it was safe to go back to their homes four days after the fire.

With Sabrina, we talk about the day the fire happened, the process coming back, the rich history of the Piney Grove community, how the media portrays the community, the lack of compensation they got, and now the current situation.

Contact and connect with Sabrina: www.bredl.org

Report: https://archive.bredl.org/air/220803_Weaver_Fire_Air_Analysis.html

Emily Franc is the Vice President of Development & Philanthropy at Potomac Riverkeeper Network.

Freshwater mussels like Eastern Lampmussel, and Alewife floaters are among 16 species native to the Potomac River and its Maryland tributaries, and they once existed in the millions, similar to the oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay. Like oysters, mussels are effective at removing nutrients and toxins, filtering out sediments and improving water quality. The mussels population in the Potomac has suffered due to climate change, increased urbanization, and stormwater erosion. Scientific opinion is unanimous that mussel recovery is an important part of improving the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay; both Maryland and Virginia’s departments of environment have expanded their commitment to the recovery of mussel populations.

With Emily we talk about the history and significance of the Potomac River, why mussels are a vital part of our ecosystem, why we’ve seen a decrease in them, their mussel restoration work, and how we can support this work.

Contact and connect with Emily: emily@prknetwork.org 

Potomac Riverkeeper Network: https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/

https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/50-million-mussel-project/

We check back in with Kathy Andrews where 2 years ago when she was in the middle of the fight against Dominion Energy putting a pipeline through her land in Florence County, SC. Now she is Executive Director of BREDL and she is continuing her work on stopping this same pipeline and protecting people’s properties.

Dominion Energy, one of the nation’s top polluters, they have condemned the land of several African-American heirs and working class citizens as part of their proposed pipeline project, which would run along the Great Pee Dee River and through several communities, including Pamplico, SC.

And now Dominion has installed a gas pipeline in front of Kathy’s home — without notice. She’s lived in it for nearly two decades. Kathy said she walked out of her door to see Dominion Energy workers digging a hole in her front yard; something she said she never gave permission or received a notice for. We talk about this as well as how she is getting her community involved.

Contact and connect with Kathy: gkandrews4932@gmail.com

www.bredl.org 

This is New Mexico, a sacrifice zone for the nuclear industry. From the first testing of a nuclear weapon, the relentless mining of uranium, radioactive areas, and now transportation and storage of nuclear waste. New Mexico and the Indigenous Peoples have experienced far too much neglect and harm - all caused by the nuclear industry.

In September 2022 Jesse Deer In Water, based in Michigan, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a leader in CRAFT (Citizen Resistance At Fermi Two) and I went to visit Leona Morgan in New Mexico, who is a Dine/Navajo woman who has spent a good portion of her life in New Mexico and is fighting against nuclear coming into her communities. (both of whom are co-hosting this 3 part series) Within the episodes and conversations we  learned about their history from the local people and those who are fighting against it.

I saw the injustice and hurt that has gone on here, but also immense strength that has gotten the People where they are today. This is a story of the People in New Mexico, who are fighting for justice and guiding a new generation of activists to write their own narrative. Los Alamos National Lab came into New Mexico in 1943 and were the ones who designed and tested that first nuclear weapon. Beata, who we hear from first, speaks about how Los Alamos National Lab was actually supposed to be a temporary site and they stole the land through eminent domain from the Pueblo Peoples. There is now a narrative from the Lab that the people in the area should strive to work for them, coming into schools and speaking of the good they’re doing. While leaving out the stolen land as well as the vast amounts of radiation they’re consciously exposing them to. Another aspect to this is that they don’t encourage the Native People to work in management roles, rather the clean up and remediation of it.

Contact with Jesse Deer in Water and Leona Morgan: Changethelifeoftheworld@gmail.com leona.morgan.nm@gmail.com

Resources: https://tewawomenunited.org/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/travel/new-mexico-atomic.html

http://www.dinenonukes.org/radiation-monitoring-project/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDgBUwhUAVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0o48EWO-E

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6AHdI1RakU

We’re back with the New Mexico series where Jesse Deer in Water, Leona Morgan and I talk to and learn from the local peoples who are fighting against the nuclear fuel chain in New Mexico. As mentioned, New Mexico has been a sacrifice zone for the nuclear industry. From the first testing of a nuclear weapon, the relentless mining of uranium, radioactive areas, and now transportation and storage of nuclear waste. New Mexico and the Indigenous Peoples have experienced far too much neglect and harm.

Jesse: Now we’re in Churchrock, just east of Gallup, New Mexico. Where the world’s largest uranium spill happened. On July 16th 1979, the United Nuclear Corporation's mill tailings dam collapsed which released the largest amount of radioactive materials in the world. More than 11,000 tons of solid radioactive waste and 94 million gallons of acidic, liquid radioactive tailings made their way into the Puerco River and contaminated more than 80 miles downstream. Residents along the Puerco report smelling chemicals  during heavy rains, even more than 40 years after the spill. In 2015, twice the legal limit of allowable uranium was found in the tap water in Sanders, Arizona just downstream from Churchrock. The community was told not to drink the water and the schools were given bottled water.

Jenn: We’re greeted by Edith Hood and Bertha Nez who live right by the spill and between 3 abandoned uranium mines. We’re in their community center that is open air and surrounded by dirt ground. We felt the harsh wind blowing on us and I felt the sediment blowing and surrounding us that may still be contaminated. In May 2007, the EPA announced that it would join the Navajo Nation tribal government in cleaning up radioactive contamination near the Church Rock mine, although it cannot be cleaned that easily and will be a timely process with many still developing cancer and other illnesses in the meantime. There are still over 500 abandoned uranium mines on Navajo traditional homelands that need to be cleaned up.

Contact with Jesse Deer in Water and Leona Morgan: Changethelifeoftheworld@gmail.com leona.morgan.nm@gmail.com

Resources: https://tewawomenunited.org/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/travel/new-mexico-atomic.html

http://www.dinenonukes.org/radiation-monitoring-project/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDgBUwhUAVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0o48EWO-E

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6AHdI1RakU

Petuuche Gilbert is an elder from the Pueblo of Acoma. He talks about his life in the “Grants Mining District,” and takes us on a tour of cultural sites and abandoned uranium mine lands in the region, where he worked and still lives today.

Uranium extraction in New Mexico was primarily done in the “Grants Mineral Belt,” or “Grants Mining District” –depending who you ask, which is in the northwest part of the state. Residents in this area have had abnormally high rates of lung cancer, from radon gas in poorly ventilated in underground mines. The effect was particularly pronounced among miners, because the incidence of lung cancer is normally low among Indigenous populations. Further south in central New Mexico, on July 16th, 1945, a plume of plutonium mushroomed over New Mexico. Less than 20 miles away from people and communities. This was the United States government's first detonation of a nuclear weapon, a part of the Manhattan Project, one of the first ways New Mexico became a national sacrifice zone for the nuclear industry.

Contact with Jesse Deer in Water and Leona Morgan: Changethelifeoftheworld@gmail.com leona.morgan.nm@gmail.com

Resources: https://tewawomenunited.org/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/travel/new-mexico-atomic.html

http://www.dinenonukes.org/radiation-monitoring-project/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDgBUwhUAVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0o48EWO-E

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6AHdI1RakU

Mark Vick is the Chief Volunteer Firefighter for the Rich Square Volunteer Fire Department and President of the Northampton County Firefighters Association.

As a volunteer firefighter, they’re not only in service of the community, but also a more visible member of the community. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 70 percent of firefighters in the United States are volunteers. As mentioned in the previous two episodes, firefighters are at particular risk of exposure to PFAS from it being in their Personal Protective Gear as well as the foam to put out fires. The research shows that PFAS can leach out of turnout gear onto firefighters' skin and potentially enter their bloodstream.

With Mark, we talk about his experience as a firefighter, when he began to learn about PFAS, where volunteer departments get their funding and what volunteer departments can do to reduce their exposure.

Thanks for a great year everyone and I’ll be back with more episodes in January!

Contact and connect with Mark: mark.l.vick1625@gmail.com

Information on Firefighters exposure to PFAS: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/firefighter-gear-may-contain-chemicals-linked-cancer-rcna44511

https://www.iaff.org/pfas/

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/ig-091522.html

Help your local fire department: https://www.firehouse.com/volunteer-firefighter/article/12213967/how-to-help-your-volunteer-fire-department-step-up-and-stand-out

Jason Burns who is Executive Director at Last Call Foundation and he's been a Firefighter since 2006. He has spent much of his career advocating for better and safer working conditions for his firefighters. He currently serves as a District Vice President for the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts. Jason has also been a part of the team of people who have collaborated on a nation wide effort to rid firefighters’ personal protective equipment of toxic PFAS chemicals.

PFAS is used in fire fighter turnout gear and poses an unnecessary occupational threat. Recent studies have shown that all three layers of firefighter turnout gear contain Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), a class of fluorinated chemicals known as “forever chemicals” which have been linked to cancer and other serious health effects. These studies highlight the risks associated with the materials and finishes used in turnout gear even before it is exposed to its first fire.

With Jason, we talk about his experience as a firefighter, what he’s seen in the field, the nation wide effort he’s apart of, what risk this puts firefighters at, and alternatives fire departments can use instead.

Contact and connect with Jason: jasonjburns@comcast.net

Jason’s Organization: https://www.lastcallfoundation.org/about

PFAS in PPE: https://www.iaff.org/pfas/

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/ig-091522.html

Kevin Ferrara is considered a PFAS subject matter expert who has 34-years of fire service experience, and agile Fire Protection and Emergency Service (FPES) consulting expertise, to emergency service affiliated organizations around the world.

In the episode we speak about Kevin’s personal experience and exposure with PFAS during his years of service and specifically Aqueous Film Forming Foam or (AFFF) which is a fire suppressant used by firefighters. In order to make the mixture foamy and create a film that helps extinguish fires, AFFF contains chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

Two of the most common types of PFAS found in AFFF are perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and/or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These chemicals are human-made compounds and don’t occur naturally in the environment. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, they are harmful if a person suffers long-term exposure. The chemicals build up in the body and may cause negative health effects, including cancer.

Lab studies have found that PFOS and PFOA are toxic to animals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found evidence suggesting that PFOS and PFOA may cause cancer.

With Kevin we talk about his experience as a firefighter, risks involved with AFFF, how people can test for exposure, his advocacy about it, and his response from the military, fire departments, and the VA.

Contact and connect with Kevin: kferrara@afso21.com

AFFF: https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/afff/

PFAS in blood: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/blood-testing.html

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm

Dean Rivkin is an attorney as well as a professor at University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Law. His work includes civil rights, air pollution, public interest, protecting the environment, and more.

He has been counsel in public interest litigation concerning issues such as air pollution, TVA, and a challenge to the Tennessee Barratry Statute.  As well as he was a member of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Initiative, a comprehensive effort to combat the adverse effects of air pollution on the national parks and wilderness areas in the Southeast.

With Dean we speak about how he got into law, people’s expectation of lawyers in Appalachia, the term “petty disturbances”, what he’s currently working on, and how he thinks citizen groups can make the most effective change.

Contact and connect with Dean: drivkin@utk.edu

https://law.utk.edu/directory/dean-rivkin-2/

Grace Tuttle Development & Programs Coordinator at Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR).

POWHR is an interstate coalition representing individuals and groups from Virginia and West Virginia dedicated to protecting water, land, and communities from harms caused by the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).

The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline system that spans approximately 303 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia.

Current happenings of the MVP are that, they have asked FERC to amend its ‘certificate’ to allow it to bore under water bodies to install pipes and they applied to the US Army Corps of Engineers for a Clean Water permit to cross waters.

With Grace we talk about the people power and frontline communities that are fighting against the MVP and what litigation comes their way. As well as ways to combat environmental injustice and meaningfully address the climate crisis.

Contact and connect with Grace: grace@powhr.org

POWEHR: https://powhr.org/

Freeda Cathcart who is the Mothers Out Front Team Coordinator.

We talk all about the Manchin Bill which is proposed by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin. It's a bill with an outline of tax, climate, energy, and healthcare measures that speeds up fossil fuel and clean energy projects. In the episode we will focus on its effects on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, MVP.

Manchin’s bill includes a mandate for agencies to approve the contentious Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline project. Many Virginia communities have revolted against the venture. The pipeline, proposed will run through West Virginia, Virginia and a sliver of North Carolina, has had multiple permits repeatedly struck down since it was initially approved in 2017. It is now expected to cost more than $6 billion to complete, more than double the original cost estimate.

The Manchin bill would move the legal venue for challenges to Mountain Valley from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond to the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The bill text also includes a provision imposing a two-year deadline on permitting reviews for major projects under NEPA, and one year for projects with less impact.

With Freeda we talk about the work she does, the bill, the effects it has on the MVP, how the MVP effects communities and energy permitting provisions.

Contact and connect with Freeda: contactfreeda@gmail.com

Voting: https://www.coxenterprises.com/cox-conserves/cox-conserves-heroes/vote/freeda-cathcart

Manchin Bill: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/21/joe-manchin-energy-bill-fossil-fuels

https://www.elliottdavis.com/whats-in-the-manchin-shumer-bill-on-taxes-climate-energy-and-healthcare/

Beth Markesino is the founder of the non-profit North Carolina Stop GenX.

North Carolina Stop GenX in Our Waters is a group wanting to stop the contamination of GenX and other harmful chemicals in North Carolina waters. GenX is a Chemours trademark name for a synthetic, short-chain chemical compound. The chemicals are used in products such as food packaging, paints, cleaning products, non-stick coatings, outdoor fabrics, and firefighting foam. In North Carolina, the Chemours Fayetteville plant released GenX compounds into the Cape Fear River, which is a drinking water source for the Wilmington area.

With Beth we speak about what got her into this work, what GenX is and where it comes from, environmental racism from corporations, her personal experience with these chemicals, the report she helped with, and how people can protect themselves.

Contact and connect with Beth: bethamarkesino@gmail.com

North Carolina Stop GenX: https://ncstopgenx.org/

Articles: https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2022/07/new-report-calls-for-expanded-pfas-testing-for-people-with-history-of-elevated-exposure-offers-advice-for-clinical-treatment

Leona Morgan (Diné/Navajo, she/her) is an indigenous community organizer and activist who has been fighting nuclear colonialism since 2007. Her work includes stopping: new uranium mining, transport of radioactive materials, and nuclear waste dumping in the Southwestern United States.

Uranium mining in New Mexico was a significant industry from the early 1950s until the early 1980s. New Mexico has the second largest identified uranium ore reserves of any state (after Wyoming). Although uranium has not been mined in the state since 1998, it left behind a legacy of contamination. New Mexican uranium miners and people nearby have had abnormally high rates of lung cancer, from radon gas in poorly ventilated underground mines, contaminated water, and other serious health effects.

The legacy of uranium in New Mexico, shows the decades of indifference from uranium companies and the federal government to the health and lives of people who’ve lived near uranium mines and mills. This deserves to be more widely known, especially the disproportionate effects on Indigenous populations and the communities that live in the region. And now New Mexicans are dealing with nuclear waste and storage in their communities.

With Leona we talk about her family history that brought her to this work, nuclear issues NM faces, uranium mining, what locals think about nuclear, and what she’s looking forward to in the future.

Contact and connect with Leona: leona.morgan.nm@gmail.com

Legacy of Uranium mining: https://nmindepth.com/2022/the-toxic-legacy-of-uranium-mining-in-new-mexico/

https://www.propublica.org/events/new-mexicos-death-map-uranium-and-nuclear-energy-in-the-us

Theaux Le Gardeur who is executive director of Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®, they are a grassroots, advocacy-based membership organization charged with protecting, conserving and restoring the Gunpowder, Bird and Bush Rivers and their Watersheds located in Monkton, MD.

Because of the economic, biological and recreational importance of the Gunpowder River, there exists a pressing need for independent, comprehensive baseline environmental monitoring and mapping of the river and its watershed. They participate in monitoring projects such as temperature, pH, dissolved solids, Chlorophyll A, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and bacteria are collected throughout the watershed. This data will be visualized with GIS mapping and shared with regulatory agencies.

With Theaux we talk about the river itself, what problems the river is facing, projects and sampling they’re working on, and NASA satellite training that they’re a part of.

And to give more information on the NASA satellite training we attended, every day, several NASA satellites circle the globe from the North to the South Pole. As the earth turns, these satellite routes will cross over the entire planet, one swath at a time. Some of these satellites take pictures of the ever-changing waters of the earth.

This program is designed to ground truth the satellite data by comparing information from samples obtained in the field to the satellite data to determine how precisely the space images capture water quality data.

Contact and connect with Theaux: gunpowderriverkeeper@gmail.com

Gunpowder and their work: https://gunpowderriverkeeper.org/

NASA and SERC collaboration: https://gunpowderriverkeeper.org/reflecting-on-a-successful-training-with-the-smithsonian-environmental-research-center/

Charles Utley is Associate Director of BREDL. He was last on the podcast 2 years ago in Episode 45 called “What’s Happening at Plant Vogtle?” so go back and listen to that one. Now, I check back in with Charles to get updates on what’s been happening with his projects and BREDL for the past two years.

We speak about the Shell Bluff for Concerned Citizens chapter, the zero waste plan for Augusta, GA, industries coming into the area, Plant Vogtle, and what he’s looking forward to in the future.

Charles mentioned a chemical company that is coming to Augusta and they called Aurubis and they are a world leader in recycling copper, precious metals and other non-ferrous metals, which sounds good, but they are known for contaminating waterways during this process and that is the last thing the city of Augusta needs in their community.

Contact and connect with Charles: bredlutley@gmail.com

Aurubis: https://www.postandcourier.com/northaugusta/news/a-copper-smelting-plant-is-coming-to-augusta-a-local-group-is-warning-of-the/article_6968b31e-e1be-11ec-a85e-a3ddc4fe9bb7.html

Zero waste plan for Augusta: https://www.augustaga.gov/1298/Augusta-Sustainable-Development-Agenda

https://www.augustaga.gov/2501/Recycling

Jesse Deer In Water, based in Michigan,  is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a leader in CRAFT (Citizen Resistance At Fermi Two). This grassroots, Indigenous-led environmental activism group is focused on protecting the Great Lakes. The Fermi 2 Power Plant, on the shore of Lake Erie in Newport, Michigan, supplies 20 percent of the power generated by DTE Energy.

Fermi 2 power plant and a neighboring coal plant are polluting the water, air, and land of this area. CRAFT originally formed after the Christmas Day 1993 incident at Fermi2 that resulted in radioactive release due to damage to one of the main turbines, subsequently dumping 1.5 million gallons of untreated toxic, radioactive water into Lake Erie.

With Jesse we talk about what got him into this work, the dangers of the Fermi 2 plant, actions his organization has done, the tie between the Fermi plant and nearby coal plant, and what is stopping the government from making changes.

Contact and connect with Jesse: Changethelifeoftheworld@gmail.com

CRAFT: https://home.schoolcraft.edu/college-news/2021/04/12/native-american-club-will-explore-fermi-2-dangers

Steph Compton is a Baltimore Organizer for Energy Justice Network, she has been working on Environmental justice issues since 2012 and she is currently working on all things pertaining to zero waste.

Baltimore currently has a large waste incinerator in the middle of the city that burns not only Baltimore’s trash but surrounding states and counties trash. This makes for some of the most dangerous air to breathe in the nation. MIT researchers showed that Baltimore City had the deadliest air in the nation in 2005. According to the EPA, in 2014, Baltimore was the 81st most air polluted locality in the nation (out of over 9,000) and is the most polluted city in Maryland. In 2018, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked Baltimore as the 33rd worst asthma capital in the nation. This law we’ve been working on would force the city’s largest air polluter (the Wheelabrator Baltimore trash incinerator) and the nation’s largest medical waste incinerator (Curtis Bay Energy) to abide by the nation’s strictest standards or shut down.

With Steph we talk about how she’s going about tackling this incinerator, zero waste and recycling, organizing in Baltimore, politics of the city, deconstruction, and what she’s looking forward to in the future.

Contact and connect with Steph: Steph@energyjustice.net

Clean Air Baltimore: https://www.cleanairbmore.org/

Baltimore Waste Incinerator: http://www.energyjustice.net/md/moco

In this re-release episode I talk with John LaForge who is the co-director of NukeWatch. We highlight his work advocating the issue of the U.S. nuclear bombs in Germany. To give some historical background, Despite the end of the Cold War, about 20 US nuclear bombs are still deployed in Germany. German pilots are both trained and obligated to take off with these bombs in their Tornado jet fighter-bombers and, if the orders come from a US president through NATO, to use them on their targets. This terrifying NATO war plan is part of the “nuclear sharing agreement” between the US and Germany, and includes a first-strike option. NATO calls this nuclear proliferation “Power and Burden Sharing.”

Because of this every year a Peace Delegation is held in Germany to bring together people and organziations to send the existing U.S. nuclear weapons back home, and to halt production of the new B61-12 nuclear bomb to be deployed in five European countries as well as to pressure the government and remind lawmakers to permanently remove the US weapons.I will be attending the Germany Peace Delegation at the Büchel Air Base from July 11-17th to participate in direct actions towards this goal.

With John we talk about Germany and the US relationship with nuclear weapons, differences in direct actions between the two countries, the goals of the Peace delegation they hold every year, if Germany is making itself a target by having these nuclear weapons, and the relationship Germany has with other NATO countries.

Contact and connect with John: nukewatch1@lakeland.ws

NukeWatch: https://nukewatchinfo.org/category/nuclear-weapons/

US and Germany history/ background: https://nukewatchinfo.org/category/direct-action/us-bombs-out-of-germany/ https://www.dw.com/en/us-set-to-upgrade-controversial-nukes-stationed-in-germany/a-52855886

Nonproliferation Treaty: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/

Germany’s progessive stances: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2015/11/germany-renewable-energy-revolution/

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=99&nr=24&menu=1449

Germany Peace Delegation: https://nukewatchinfo.org/action-alerts/

Two Plus Four Treaty: https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/politics/germany-europe/two-plus-four-treaty

In this episode I check back in with Ruth Ann Tesanovich of the Madison County Clean Power Coalition Chapter (MCCPC) and retired Medical Laboratory Scientist from UGA.

When I last talked to Ruth Ann 2 years ago, they were in the middle of their fight to ban the burning of creosote railroad ties at the biomass plant in their small agricultural community. Now we talk about their massive success in getting the State of Georgia to unanimously pass the bill to ban the burning of them across the entire state. And how they are now working on the noise pollution and water quality concerning the plant.

Contact and connect with Ruth Ann and MCCPC chapter: rtesanovich@outlook.com https://www.facebook.com/madisoncleanpower/

Learn more about MCCPC and their efforts: https://www.madisoncleanpowercoalition.com/

Learn more about biomass: https://www.leonardodicaprio.org/dangerous-delusions-biomass-is-not-a-renewable-energy-source/ https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sasha-stashwick/health-groups-congress-burning-biomass-bad-health

This episode I bring back Lisa Sorg after 2 years on the podcast, she is an Environmental Reporter for N.C. Policy Watch. She has been a journalist for 22 years covering environmental issues, including social justice, pollution, climate change and energy policy. To listen to your previous episode is episode 8, called Inside the Mind of An Environmental Reporter.

With Lisa we talk about what’s been going in terms of her environmental reporting in the last 2 years, her recent articles about Hurricane Matthew victims, microplastics, her motivation to write these articles, and what she’s looking forward to in the future.

Contact and connect with Lisa: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com or lisa@ncpolicywatch.com or https://twitter.com/lisasorg

Read Lisa’s stories here: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/author/lisa-sorg/

Jennifer Wilson is a member of CHASE which is a chapter of BREDL. CHASE stands for Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment based in Georgia.

Metro Green is a recycling plant that is placed in a residential area of StoneCrest, GA. The community there has been fighting this facility for the past 2 years over their health and the pollutants it gives off and the environment.

Jennifer lives directly across from this plant and with her we discuss the health effects, Metro Green’s motive, their current litigation case against them, and getting involved in your own community.

Jennifer cannot answer questions at the moment due to the litigation case, but if you could like to contatc and connect with Renne Cail who is the organizer of CHASE, her contact information will be in the show notes below.

Contact and connect with Renee: disoni7@yahoo.com

Metro Green articles:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10225085279265762&id=1431983484&ref=m_notif&notif_t=story_reshare

https://cwatlanta.cbslocal.com/video/4681339-dekalb-county-recycling-center-delayed/

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2020/08/26/dekalb-residents-fight-metro-green-recycling-center/

https://www.wabe.org/judge-blocks-work-at-industrial-facility-in-dekalb-opposed-by-community-advocates/

https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/in-south-dekalb-black-neighborhoods-fight-environmental-racism/SCJUPP3HQVAJ3B5VNYJ3GEJ6FA/

Elise Traywick is a Masters student of Public Administration at UNC Chapel Hill. She’s been doing research with BREDL on all about 1,4 Dioxane in North Carolina landfills.

1,4-Dioxane is used as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethane and trichloroethylene. 1 It can also be an unintended contaminant of chemical ingredients used in consumer products including bubble bath, shampoo, laundry detergent, soap, skin cleanser, adhesives, and antifreeze. Causing this chemical is in NC landfills and has been getting into their groundwater. In water, it dissolves completely, even at high concentrations and does not evaporate readily. These properties make 1,4-dioxane difficult to remove from water.

With Elise we talk about how 1,4 dioxane is ending up in landfills, where it's going, what products it's in, testing methods and research, and how we can prevent this from occurring.

Contact and connect with Elise: ctraywick@unc.edu

1,4 articles: https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/14-Dioxane-Another-forever-chemical/98/i43

https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/potential-contaminants-cosmetics/14-dioxane-cosmetics-manufacturing-byproduct

Darya Minovi, MPH, is a CPR Policy Analyst. She is a public health advocate passionate about environmental justice and the use of research to inform policies that protect human health and safeguard the environment.

This is our last episode on the topic of the Winston-Salem Fertilizer plant fire. This one is centered around the public and environmental health surrounding it.

With Darya we talk about the air quality, what chemicals were released and how long they stay in the air, what can be done now, and overall public health concerns today.

Contact and connect with Darya: DMinovi@progressivereform.org  

CRP report:http://progressivereform.org/our-work/energy-environment/preventing-double-disasters/

Other news: https://ncpolicywatch.com/2022/02/08/winston-salem-fertilizer-fire-reveals-regulatory-loopholes-spurs-hard-questions-about-building-and-workplace-safety/

https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2022/disaster-at-winston-salem-fertilizer-plant-is-unacceptable-unnecessary-and-entirely-preventable?fbclid=IwAR1PIVGOJTNVCSPbDSc5qVjM-Vgwh7y6Q97WjDsAqtbfQ2fb8RceomIYVus

Sidney A. Shapiro is the Frank U. Fletcher Chair in Law at  Wake Forest University and Vice-President at the Center for Progressive Reform. We talk further about the Winston-Salem fertilizer plant disaster that happened earlier this year. You can listen to the past two episodes to get further details on the disaster.

With Sidney we talk about his personal experience with the evacuation, the demographic that lived directly by it, EPA’s role in this, reform that should be put into place, and how lucky they were that this plant didn’t explode.

Contact and connect with Sidney: https://law.wfu.edu/faculty/profile/shapirsa/

http://progressivereform.net/ShapiroSidneyBio.cfm

CRP report:http://progressivereform.org/our-work/energy-environment/preventing-double-disasters/

Other news: https://ncpolicywatch.com/2022/02/08/winston-salem-fertilizer-fire-reveals-regulatory-loopholes-spurs-hard-questions-about-building-and-workplace-safety/

Other news: https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2022/disaster-at-winston-salem-fertilizer-plant-is-unacceptable-unnecessary-and-entirely-preventable?fbclid=IwAR1PIVGOJTNVCSPbDSc5qVjM-Vgwh7y6Q97WjDsAqtbfQ2fb8RceomIYVus

In our last episode with David Flores we spoke all about the disaster in Winston-Salem NC that just occured where nearly 600 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire at the Weaver fertilizer plant on Jan. 31 and burned for four days. The risk of explosion was so great that Winston-Salem officials asked people to evacuate within a mile radius, temporarily displacing 6,000 residents. Now with Deena Tumeh who is an Associate Attorney at Earthjustice, we speak about the reform that she and others have been working on for hazardous chemicals like this.

With Deena we talk about the cases and reform she is working on, why industries are pushing back these laws, if it was preventable, and how we can keep EPA and other federal lawmakers accountable.

Contact and connect with Deena: dtumeh@earthjustice.org

Winston Salem disaster: https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2022/disaster-at-winston-salem-fertilizer-plant-is-unacceptable-unnecessary-and-entirely-preventable?fbclid=IwAR1PIVGOJTNVCSPbDSc5qVjM-Vgwh7y6Q97WjDsAqtbfQ2fb8RceomIYVus

David Flores, J.D., is a CPR Senior Policy Analyst. He joined CPR in 2016 to work on climate adaptation policy and advocacy.

We talk specifically about the disaster in Winston-Salem NC that just occurred where nearly 600 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire at the Weaver fertilizer plant on Jan. 31 and burned for four days. The risk of explosion was so great that Winston-Salem officials asked people to evacuate within a mile radius, temporarily displacing 6,000 residents. The Center for Progressive Reform came out with an article that emphasized the need to prevent double disasters, which implies that hazardous chemical releases by industrial facilities are worsened by inadequate action in the face of conditions of climate change and natural disasters. As the global climate crisis intensifies, coastal and inland communities are increasingly at risk of natural disasters.”

With David, we talk about the incident, what preventable measurements could have taken place, who was affected, EPA’s risk management preventions, and what reform can be done on a national level.

Contact and connect with David: dflores@progressivereform.org 

CRP report:http://progressivereform.org/our-work/energy-environment/preventing-double-disasters/

Other news: https://ncpolicywatch.com/2022/02/08/winston-salem-fertilizer-fire-reveals-regulatory-loopholes-spurs-hard-questions-about-building-and-workplace-safety/

Therese Vick is the NC Sustainable Economic Development Coordinator/ Community Organizer for us here at BREDL. Community groups, especially our BREDL chapters, often use air monitoring as a tool for organizing. They are often concerned about the quality of the air they breathe and how it may affect their health or the health of family and friends. With smaller, low-cost sensors available, groups have become increasingly engaged in monitoring the air quality in their neighborhoods to understand and reduce potential health risks.

To define it, air monitoring is the systematic, long-term assessment of pollutant levels by measuring the quantity and types of certain pollutants in the surrounding, outdoor air. There are many reasons to do air monitoring such as:

• assess the extent of pollution;
• provide air pollution data to the general public in a timely manner;
• support implementation of air quality goals or standards;
• evaluate the effectiveness of emissions control strategies;
• provide information on air quality trends;
• provide data for the evaluation of air quality models; and
• support research (e.g., long-term studies of the health effects of air pollution).

With Therese we discuss the validity of community air monitoring, the process for a good air monitoring set up, what people can do with this information after, and how to keep these industries accountable for polluting our air.

Contact and connect with Therese: therese.vick@gmail.com

Air Monitoring resources: https://www.epa.gov/air-quality-management-process/managing-air-quality-ambient-air-monitoring https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data

Sign up for local air notices: ​​https://www.airnow.gov/

Leanna Powell is the Director of Development and Communications at Blue Water Baltimore whose mission is to restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers, streams and Harbor to foster a healthy environment, a strong economy and thriving communities.

For too long, Baltimore’s waterways have been plagued by trash, toxins, sewage, and polluted stormwater. These problems do more than harm our environment; they threaten the health and well-being of our residents, communities, and local businesses. They work to change this.

With Leanna we talk about water quality issues Baltimore is facing, toxic pollution, historical aspects of the city that have led to water issues, educating and listening to citizens, and how to get involved with water issues near you.

Contact and connect with Leanna: lpowell@bluewaterbaltimore.org

Blue Water Baltimore: https://bluewaterbaltimore.org/

Find a local water keeper: https://waterkeeper.org/

Geeta Kapur is a civil rights attorney and an activist; she is an alumna of UNC-Chapel Hill and its law school. She is also the author of the book about UNC, "To Drink from the Well: The Struggle for Racial Equality at the Nation's Oldest Public University."

With Geeta we talk about her experience attending UNC for undergrad and law school, the racial history of UNC, environmental racism, and what motivated her to write this book.

Contact and connect with Geeta: https://twitter.com/geetankapur or gkapuratty@aol.com

Geeta’s book:https://www.blairpub.com/shop/to-drink-from-the-well

UNC’s racial history: https://www.facingsouth.org/2021/07/voices-uncs-troubled-racial-past-and-present

https://www.facingsouth.org/2021/09/voices-uncs-horrifying-history-environmental-racism https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2021/09/university-drink-from-the-well-feature

Lyndsey Gilpin is the founder + executive editor of Southerly. Southerly is a nonprofit that serves communities in the South who face environmental injustice and are most at risk of the effects of climate change. They do this by equipping them with the journalism, resources, and information they need to make their communities healthier and safer, to hold power to account, and to have agency over their future.

With Lyndsey we talk about their approach to equipping people with journalism, how they reach people in rural places, how they create their well-rounded stories, and some of the main environmental concerns they write about.

Contact and connect with Lyndsey: lgilpin@southerlymag.org 

Southerly: https://southerlymag.org/

This is the final episode to finish out the Real Cost of Nuclear season! And it’s all about how nuclear can’t solve the climate crisis. I talk with Don Safer, who is with the Tennessee Environmental Council and does local work with the Sierra Club. There are a lot of claims that nuclear can solve or be a bridge to the climate crisis - but in this episode we question if that is just the industry propaganda that is blinding us to actual solutions?

With Don, we talk about how nuclear does produce Co2, factors that make it unsustainable, the factor of time in the climate crisis, and how clean energy solutions can fix many of our environmental problems.

Contact and connect with Don: dsafer@comcast.net  

This is another re-release episode where I talk with Ralph Hutchinson who is the coordinator of The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. OREPA is committed to nonviolence and believes in using every tool in the toolbox. Their main focus is stopping nuclear weapons production at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and protecting the environment threatened by legacy and ongoing activities at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reservation. We discuss background on Y12 and Oak Ridge, the dangers of nuclear weapons productions, the environmental impacts of the nuclear weapon chain, how we are in a new nuclear arms race, getting to the base of why these nuclear weapons are being invested in and made, and then what you can do to get involved.

Contact and connect with Ralph:  orep@earthlink.net or https://orepa.org/

Register or learn more about Stop The New Nuclear Arms Race event: https://orepa.org/stop-the-new-nuclear-arms-race-registration-open/

President Trump’s 2020 Budget for Uranium Processing Facilities: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/budget

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/us/politics/trump-budget-nuclear-missiles.html

Universities who are investing or engaging in nuclear weapons: https://www.icanw.org/us_universities_are_complicit_in_nuclear_weapons_production_new_ican_report_reveals

Articles on the dangers of Nuclear Weapons: https://futureoflife.org/background/the-risk-of-nuclear-weapons/?cn-reloaded=1

https://www.nap.edu/read/11282/chapter/8#77

Ian Zabarte is the Principle Man of the Western Bands of the Shoshone Nation of Indians and works with the Native Community Action Council. He lives in Las Vegas, NV and has worked on nuclear issues for 30+ years.

We specifically talk about Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, which is a proposed deep geological repository storage facility within Yucca Mountain to store spent nuclear fuel, in other terms, nuclear waste and other high-level radioactive waste. The project was approved in 2002 by the 107th United States Congress, but federal funding for the site ended in 2011. With no federal funding it’s up to the NRC and DOE but there has not been a final decision on the repository license application. The project has encountered many difficulties and was highly contested by the Western Shoshone peoples and non-local public. As of 2019 the status of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain remains uncertain.

We discuss the significant impacts Yucca Mountain has for the Shoshone people, the significance of land and water for Indiginious people, what a nuclear waste repository is, the relationship between tribal governments and the federal government, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), and then what you can do to take action.

Contact and connect with Ian: mrizabarte@gmail.com

Learn more about the Native Community Action Council: http://www.nativecommunityactioncouncil.org/index.html

Treaty of Ruby Valley: https://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/shoshone/ruby_valley.html

Yucca Mountain Resources: https://www.yuccamountain.org/ http://www.nativecommunityactioncouncil.org/Defend-Yucca-Mountain.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/03/yucca-mountain-congress-works-revive-dormant-nuclear-waste-dump/664153002/

https://www.nirs.org/radioactive-waste/hlw/

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act: https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/947/text

HOLTEC: https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/06/07/halting-holtec-a-challenge-for-nuclear-safety-advocates/

Dave Kraft is the Executive Director and co-founder of Nuclear Energy Information Service or NEIS for short. Dave was responsible for creating the “Know Nukes!” series of videos on nuclear topics in cooperation with CAN-TV Chicago; and is a co-founder of the Radiation Monitoring Project, designed to provide training and field monitors to communities contaminated by radioactive substances.

With Dave we talk about the impacts nuclear has from resources, economics, land use, the climate, and the short and long term effects.

Contact and connect with Dave: ​​dave neis@neis.org

NEIS: https://neis.org/

Solar Panels Plus Farming? Agrivoltaics Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgZBlD-TCFE&list=TLPQMDYxMDIwMjHSbLRM4kKjrA&index=5

Petuuche GIlbert tells his personal experience of living in the Grants Mining District in New Mexico and has been working on nuclear and mining issues for 30+ years. Petuuche is also an environmental and human rights activist as well as a member of the Multicultural Alliance for Safe Environment and President of the Indigenous World Association, a United Nations NGO.

New Mexico has no nuclear power plants, but it does have the nation's second-largest uranium resource equal to nearly one-third of U.S. known uranium reserves. We talk about uranium mining which is the first part of the nuclear fuel chain and is the  process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Uranium from this type of mining is used almost entirely as fuel for nuclear power plants.

The Grants Mining District, where Petuuche lives, was the primary focus of uranium extraction and production activities in New Mexico from the 1950s until the late 1990s. Nuclear is responsible for infusing about $3 billion a year into New Mexico’s economy, Los Alamos National Laboratory is being held up by lab officials, politicians and others as an example of the kind of high-tech economic drivers.

With Petuuche we talk about the Grants Mining District, nuclear activity and funding in New Mexico, Consolidated Interim Storage (CIS), his work in the area, and what his hope for the future is. 

Contact and connect with Petuuche: petuuche@aol.com or petuuche@gmail.com

Grants Mining District: https://www.epa.gov/grants-mining-district

https://www.env.nm.gov/gwqb/grants-mining-district/

Trinity Nuclear Testing: https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/trinity-test-1945

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): https://www.wipp.energy.gov/

New Mexico’s income from nuclear: https://apnews.com/b39a6e39d88441099ed2f99017f9fa4a

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/11/709600915/new-mexico-is-divided-over-the-perfect-site-to-store-nation-s-nuclear-waste

https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/region-state/newmexico.html

https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NM

This week I spoke with Maggie and Arnie Gundersen. Maggie is the president of Fairewinds Energy Education and Arnie is a nuclear engineer and expert witness he is also the chief engineer for Fairewinds Associates, Inc, paralegal services and expert testimony firm. They both previously worked in the nuclear industry when they both came to the conclusion that this is not the future they want to support or work in and began their research and formation of Fairewinds to inform and educate people around the world, legislative officials, and members of the press concerning the scientific and economic issues relating to the production of electricity and the sources of energy used to create power.

With both Maggie and Arnie we talk about the history of nuclear, what resources we need for it, fission vs. fusion, their peer-reviewed publications, and what they're currently working on. To contact and connect with them and Fairewinds Energy Education will be in the show notes below.

Thank you so much to both Maggie and Arnie for speaking with me. To read their peer-reviewed publications and learn more about their organizations Fairewinds will be in the show notes below. And tune in next week where we will talk about how the uranium is mined to get the end product of nuclear. Thanks everyone and have a good week!

Contact and connect with Maggie and Arnie Gundersen: fairewinds@gmail.com

Fairewinds: https://www.fairewinds.org/

Peer Reviewed Papers: https://www.fairewinds.org/fairewinds-peer-reviewed-papers

Hi everyone and welcome back to the In Our Backyard Podcast and if you’re new, welcome. In the Real Cost of Nuclear season, I thought I would start things out with a re-release episode with Kevin Kamps who is with Beyond Nuclear. He specializes in high-level waste management and transportation; new and existing reactors; decommissioning; Congress watch; climate change; and federal subsidies.

We talk about all things nuclear: breaking down nuclear jargon and terms, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), how likely it is that another accident will happen, and how Kevin got into anti-nuclear himself.

To contact and connect with Kevin will be in the show notes below and I hope you enjoy the episode.

Thanks Kevin for speaking with me, if you have any suggestions for future episodes contact BREDL through their website bredl.org or on one of our social media platforms in the show notes. Thanks for tuning in and come back next week for another episode of the Real Cost of Nuclear season.

Contact and connect with Kevin: kevin@beyondnuclear.org

Beyond Nuclear: http://www.beyondnuclear.org

Institute for Energy and Environmental Research: https://ieer.org/

Insurmountable Risks Book: https://www.amazon.com/Insurmountable-Risks-Dangers-Nuclear-Climate/dp/1571431624

Consolidated Interim Storage Facilities (CISF): https://www.nirs.org/campaigns/dont-waste-america/cis/ https://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/consolidated.cfm

Decommissioning: https://www.nei.org/resources/fact-sheets/decommissioning-nuclear-power-plants

Deep Isolation: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/01/31/can-we-drill-a-hole-deep-enough-for-our-nuclear-waste/#960b74a68a7b

BREDL: https://www.bredl.org/index.htm 

Hi everyone, it’s your host Jenn Galler and I’m back with another season of the In Our Backyard Podcast and it’s all about Nuclear Energy. We’ve heard pros and cons of what nuclear power can entail, and in this season I’ll be breaking down what the real costs of nuclear power are. From the mining of uranium, transportation of the fuel, the use of it, where the waste will go, and whether it’s a long term energy solution. I’ll also be breaking down nuclear jargon along the way, discuss if it’s an essential energy source, and the safety of it. I’ll be talking with nuclear experts, learning facts, propaganda, and what’s happening with the nuclear industry today. I’m excited to dive into this topic with you all, so let’s get started!

Jacqueline Fahrenholz is a rising second year master’s student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. She is pursuing a dual master’s degree in Environmental Management focusing in Ecosystem Science and Conservation along with a master’s degree in Forestry. Jackie worked with BREDL as a GIS Specialist this past summer, helping the organization get familiarized with the program as well as identifying tools necessary for completing tasks that have already been Identified. Some of the projects the team has focused on, include but is not limited to AERMOD modeling and the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate extension.

With Jackie we break down what GIS is, how environmental groups can use it, what got her interested in the environmental field, and what her plans for the future are.

Contact and connect with Jackie: jacqueline.fahrenholz@duke.edu 

Leija Helling is a Community Organizing Associate with Center for Health Environment and Justice (CHEJ). The campaign that she is working on is called Make Polluters Pay which is making polluting corporations pay for their contamination.

To give some background, there are currently 1,388 toxic waste sites in the United States that are so dangerous they have been designated “Superfund” sites by the federal government. But there’s no money left to clean up the contamination. Originally, big polluting companies paid into a fund that was used to clean up their messes. But in 1995, Congress let the Polluters Pay Tax expire. By 2003, our Superfund was broke. Ever since, cleanup efforts have slowed to a crawl while all of us as taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Today, some of the biggest polluting corporations are making billions of dollars per year in profits and paying zero dollars in taxes. As climate change causes more flooding, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, increasing the risk of widespread toxic exposure from these sites, there is no time to waste.

With Lejiah we talk about what got her into organizing work, the Make Polluters Pay campaign, why young people should / are involved in the climate movement, and imaging a better future.

Contact and connect with Leijah: leijahelling@gmail.com

Make Pollutors Pay: http://chej.org/makepolluterspay/

This week we will be diverting from the Youth in the Climate Season to bring you a bonus episode about the No Coal UNC rally happening today at UNC Chapel Hill. Today at 11, there will be a Kick off rally where people will be using their voices and presences to demand justice for the dirty coal that UNC is continuing to burn. You can listen to episodes 3 on the Road to Renewable Season with Jovita Lee and 1 on this season with Amelia Covington if you want to hear more on the UNC coal plant. On this episode is Chris Carlton and Liz Evans who are apart of a group called Raging Grannies which are grannies who are using creative actions to speak out for social issues.

CLEAN ENERGY NOW!

(Tune: “Bella Ciao” Song of the Italian Resistance WWll)  New lyrics by Chris Carlson for the Raging Grannies

We need to wake up! We need to wise up!

We need to open our eyes

And do it NOW! NOW! NOW!

We need to stop this toxic coal plant

And we need to stop it now!

They’ve been mining, they’ve been burning,  They’ve been dumping their coal ash

For a hundred years!

Hardest hit/ are poor communities,

And that’s got to stop right now!

Coal is burning. It’s quite concerning.

We’ve got to solve it, get involved

And do it NOW! NOW! NOW!

DAQ! we’re telling you:

Restore the Heat Input Limit, Now!

We’re on a campus/ that’s in a crisis

They’re full of shit! Useless permit!

Change it NOW! NOW! NOW!

We need the proof/ that you’re complying

With the Clean Air Act right now!!

No point in waiting/ or hesitating;

We must get wise to their lies

If we’re to stay alive!

We need to build/ a Clean New Future,

And we’re gonna start right Now!!

Contact with Chris and Liz: cmneuok@gmail.com and emevans500@aol.com  

This episode is a re-release from a few months ago where I talk with Nick Trombetta who is a part of the Sunrise Movement which is a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. They’re building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.

With Nick we discuss the Sunrise Movement's mission, why it is important for youth to be involved in the climate movement, the Green New Deal, and actions they’re taking locally.

In the episode there are talks about politicians, but BREDL does not endorse any politician or political party. Thanks for listening and if you like it, please share with a friend!

Contact and connect with Nick: nicktrombetta1373@gmail.com

Sunrise Movement: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/?ms=SunriseMovement-WeAreTheClimateRevolution

How to get involved: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/take-action/?ms=HowtoTakeActionwithSunrise

Madeline Parker is from NC Warn. Madeline is a Youth Climate Justice Organizer, which is an arm of the organization that was created in 2017. Their intention is to further develop and deepen NC WARN’s commitment to actively involving youth in the fight for climate justice and against the climate crisis, working both in school settings and out in the general community.

We are all impacted by the climate crisis, but youth are the ones most impacted and all too often are not invited to the conversation or able to amplify their voices and engage in the movement.

With Madeline, we discuss her work, working with Youth who are already engaged in the Climate Movement, why there has been an uprising in youth speaking out, challenging the status quo, how youth are keeping engaged in COVID and more. Thank you for listening and if you enjoy it please share with a friend!

Contact and connect with Madeline: madeline@ncwarn.org

NC Warn: https://www.ncwarn.org/our-work/youth-climate-justice-organizing/

This week I’m bringing you a very special episode because it is, Lou Zeller, our Executive Director at Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League last week with us as he retires. This month is also marking his 35-year career with BREDL including nine years as executive director. BREDL’s founding principles of earth stewardship, environmental democracy, social justice and community empowerment is the embodiment and legacy that Lou has and will still carry on.  Lou, the communities, people, organization, and the environment are forever grateful for your time and contributions you’ve made, you will be greatly missed! In the episode we celebrate and reminisce about his time at the organization and talk about his plans for the future and retirement.

We also discuss:

• His beginnings in the organization and how he got involved
• How he has seen the organization change and grow through the years
• Some of the successful or creative campaigns that stood out to him
• The most memorable moments for him personally
• His hope going forward leaving BREDL
• His plans for the future and retirement

Contact and connect with Lou: bredl@skybest.com

Contribute to Lou’s Kudos board: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/jnD54X3S

Keep up to date with BREDL: https://www.bredl.org/index.htm

Margot Franchini is a high school senior from Chapel Hill in North Carolina, Margot is apart of Earth Uprising, a youth led organization who describe themselves as “team of young people who want to save the planet.” They have strong values and principles, some of which are to “listen, believe and act on science and scientific facts,” use “ non-violent” words and actions, and be inclusive of all ethnicities, genders, cultures, and backgrounds. Margot’s organization, Earth Uprising knows that they are the generation that will have to deal with the consequences of our neglect of climate change so they are rising up to take action. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Contact and connect with Margot: mhfrancini@gmail.com

Earth Uprising:  info@earthuprising.org

Last week, we wrapped up our Road to Renewables season and wow what amazing variety of people we got to speak with. We are now following the season up with our new topic, Youth in the Climate Movement. We will be talking to all sorts of experts and people on the ground about the action being made amongst the young millennial and generation Z. We are kicking off the season by chatting with Amelia Covington from Climate Action. Amelia’s organization uses activism in Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte, to advocate for sound environmental policies both locally and within the wider nation. Amelia will discuss their overarching goal to progress North Carolina towards a clean energy future, and how she got involved in the climate movement and activism herself. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy!

Contact and connect with Amelia: acovingtonlcv@gmail.com

Climate Action NC: https://www.facebook.com/climateactionnc/, https://twitter.com/climateactionnc?lang=en

Hi everyone, it’s your host, Jenn Galler, and I am back for a new season and it’s all about Youth in the Climate Movement. We will be investigating what millennials and generation Z are doing to contribute to and really lead the climate movement forward. Within the season, we hear from an array of youth who are refusing to sit passively by and are stepping up to take action to protect the future of our planet. Young people’s unprecedented initiative around the world shows the massive power they possess to hold decision-makers accountable and make climate change an urgent priority. Whether through education, community organizing, science, or technology, young people are scaling up their efforts and using their skills to accelerate climate action. I’m excited to dive into this topic with you all so let’s get started!

In this episode, Perrin will discuss the UNC coal plant and why we should be more alarmed about the lack of action being taken to remove it or at least reduce the emissions. Coal plants are not just an issue contributing to the climate crisis but also to public health and endangered species. And Perrin works as an attorney on these matters in North Carolina.  Coal contains trace amounts of naturally occurring radioactive elements. This means some coal plants emit more radiation than a nuclear power plant and can cause acid rain, affecting our plants and wildlife. Perrin also goes into depth about the personal health complications he had from growing up near a coal power plant. With its abundance and inexpensive tendencies, coal has been one of the United States' leading energy resources. However, the air pollution and water pollution alone have counteracted these benefits, not to mention the inhabitants, waste, mining destruction, and significant contribution to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. It's up to us to put pressure on these coal plants, legislators, and energy companies to put a stop to coal power.

Contact and connect with Perrin: PdeJong@biologicaldiversity.org

Center for Biological Diversity: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/

Follow BREDL’s Instagram: BREDL_HQ

Today we are speaking with Dr Tim Johnson. A common argument against renewable energy is the perceived unreliable nature of it, the sun isn’t always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing. Luckily, we have those issues being solved by people like Dr Johnson. He works in the more logistical side of renewables, conducting research on systems planning and management on resources. He also spends his time as a professor at Duke University, teaching in the Nicholas graduate school about energy system planning and management. We unpack the intersection between energy system design’s environmental quality and human health, the economic influences on our journey to renewables, and the present and future plans for energy storage. His notable publications include investigations on solar power, the economics within sustainability bio energy and its relationship with agriculture, and the assessment of the environmental effects from gasoline and ethanol production.

Contact and connect with Dr. Johnson: https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/johnson-0

Contact BREDL on Instagram: BREDL_HQ

This week, we are bringing back one of our previous podcast that follows the theme of our season, Road to Renewables. We chatted with Brianna Kinsley who has a degree in sustainable development and works for Appalachian Voices assisting the people of East Tennessee to address the energy efficiency needs. This podcast looks further into how Appalachian Voices is assisting in energy democracy, the local people having control of how their electricity is produced and distributed to ensure everyone has access to affordable and clean power. With the help of solar, wind and hydro power, Appalachian Voices is helping citizens decrease their carbon footprint by allowing them to choose clean, renewable energy. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Contact and connect with Briana: brianna@appvoices.org   

Appalachian Voices: https://appvoices.org/energydemocracy/tennessee/

Micheal Walton, Executive Director and Gabrielle Chevalier, Director of Marketing and Community Outreach with Green | Spaces. Green | Spaces a nonprofit working toward regional sustainability by progressing the way we live, work, and build in Chattanooga and the surrounding region. They have a focus on making awareness and application of sustainable practice accessible to the wider community.

In recent years, “sustainability” has been a focus for Chattanooga's economy. The city has received three national awards for outstanding livability and 9 Gunther Blue Ribbon Awards for excellence in housing and consolidated planning.

Contact and connect with Micheal and Gabrielle: michael@greenspaceschattanooga.com

gabrielle@greenspaceschattanooga.com

Green Spaces: http://www.greenspaceschattanooga.org/

Integrated Community Sustainability Plan: http://www.greenspaceschattanooga.org/integrated-community-sustainability-plan

Sandy Kurtz is co -president of BREDL’s board of directors and she works with numerous other environmental organizations. We will be discussing how renewable energy has changed and advanced within her lifetime and all the work she has been doing along the way. And from the beginning BREDL has supported communities and organizations, big and small, in making internal changes to achieve their renewable energy goals. Sandy will speak some about that and ways you personally can reduce energy consumption.

Contact and connect with Sandy: sandykurtz4@gmail.com

Follow BREDL’s Instagram: BREDL_HQ

Jovita Lee is with the Center for Biological Diversity. By applying law, science and creative media, the Center for Biological Diversity believes that to fight the climate emergency and extinction crisis, we must revolutionize our world to be entirely powered by clean, renewable, wildlife-friendly and democratic energy. They wage innovative legal and grassroots campaigns to drive this urgent transition for energy justice. Recently in North Carolina, a permit was approved for livestock liquid waste to be transformed into natural gas and Jovita will begin by covering what the new bio gas permit in North Carolina means for halting the Road to Renewables and other projects she’s working on.

Thank you so much to Jovita for speaking with me about your passion and expertise. BREDL along with the Center for Biological Diversity does not approve of biogas for CFAOS as a renewable energy source and you can read why in our Smoke and Mirrors report in the show notes below. And tune in next Friday where I talk with Sandy Kurtz and how renewable energy has changed in her lifetime.

Contact and connect with Jovita: JLee@biologicaldiversity.org

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/

Center for Biological Diversity: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/

John Farrell works with the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a national research and advocacy organization fighting corporate control to develop the intersection between the economy and the environment. John Farrell is the director of their Energy Democracy Initiative, which, as the name suggests, is a movement to allow more public choice in energy source consumption. The cause hopes to take the decision of energy sources from larger utilities and corporations and give it to us as individuals, so we have more options in our energy resources and hence can choose a more sustainable, renewable energy source. Join me as we learn more from John what the Energy Democracy Initiative means for us and progression to sustainability.

Contact and connect with John: jfarrell@ilsr.org  

ILSR: https://ilsr.org/about-the-institute-for-local-self-reliance/staff-and-board/john-farrell/ https://ilsr.org/energy/ 

Maggie Shober is the Director of Utility Reform at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Maggie works to speed the clean energy transformation in the Southeast through analysis and advocacy. She has expertise in renewable energy, energy efficiency, coal retirements, energy market modeling, and transmission. In this episode, we unpack and identify the key concepts, goals, and logistics in moving toward a more renewable future. We will hear the definition of what “clean energy” is and a breakdown of common terminology used in the discussion. Maggie also gives us some great tips on what you as listeners can do from home. Part of Maggie’s work includes researching developments related to the transition to clean energy and then breaking it down to a format more digestible to the public in her blog posts. You can read her pieces at cleanenergy.org/blog/staff/maggie-shober and I hope you enjoy the episode!

Contact and connect with Maggie: maggie@cleanenergy.org 

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy: cleanenergy.org 

Smoke and Mirrors report (why we are in opposition of bio fuels): https://www.bredl.org/search-results.htm?cx=010984996806542994840%3A5bo6_yjam9k&cof=FORID%3A11&q=smoke+and+mirrios&sa=Search

Hello all! It’s your host, Jenn Galler bringing you new season called The Road to Renewables. We will be learning the basics of renewable energy. As well as acknowledging the progress we have made and the steps we still have to take to achieve clean energy from our renewable resources. Before we get started, so we are all on the same page, I would like to identify our renewable resources. Firstly we have solar energy – from the sun, wind energy, hydroelectric- harnessed by hydro dams in lakes, ocean energy- harnessed by tidal patterns, geothermal energy- harnessed from the earth’s surface and biomass – energy produced by living organisms like plants. Renewable energy tends to be carbon neutral, meaning its consumption leads to no added output of carbon dioxide into our earth's atmosphere and thus has no detrimental effects to our earth, climate and ecosystems.

Non renewable resources on the other hand are our more traditional energies such as our fossil fuels - coal, crude oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels are finite, unsustainable and emit substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and contribute a huge amount to our climate crisis.

Within the season, we will further unpack what experts, activists, and people on the ground are doing on a local, state, and national level to move us further on a just road to renewable energy. I am super excited to unpack this topic with you all so let's get started!

Court Lewis is President of the Executive Committee of Unicoi Clear. The asphalt company, Summers-Taylor Materials Corp. has revised its application for an air quality permit to expand operations at the former Construction Asphalt Paving Services plant in Unicoi, TN.

The town of Unicoi joined in the request for a public hearing in June following a Unicoi Planning Commission meeting in which town residents addressed concerns including:

• An increase in emissions beyond those permitted by the state since the plant began operations in the 1990s.

• Increases in noise and truck traffic that could negatively impact property values.

• Detrimental impacts on the quality of life, health and property values of residents of more than 100 families who live near the plant.

• TDEC’s failure to publish a notice of Summers-Taylor initial application for a permit to expand operations in Unicoi in a newspaper likely to be read by Unicoi County residents and subsequent award of that permit.

• Summers-Taylor purchase of property adjoining the plant and town zoning ordinances that prohibit asphalt plants outside the two-acre CAPS site.

With Court we discuss Unicoi Clear and why they formed as a group, rezoning of the site, public health and environmental impacts of asphalt plants, proximity of the asphalt plant to residents, and how you can support their work.

Contact and connect with Court: unicoi-air@mindspring.com

More on Summer Taylor’s Asphalt plant: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/summers-taylor-revises-application-for-unicoi-asphalt-plant-expansion-public-hearing-postponed/article_88fae136-d11f-11ea-b0b5-bf48a51a6e5e.html

Elizabeth O’Nan is Chair of Chapel Hill Organization for Clean Energy or CHOCE for short.

Despite past promises by UNC to cut coal by 2020, the administration reneged on that promise a few years later and they are still burning dirty coal. UNC Chapel Hill is the only institute of higher learning in North Carolina still operating a coal-burning plant.

Now, North Carolina’s Division of Air Quality or DAQ for short has just issued a draft of its Title 5 Air Permit for the UNC coal plant which would allow them to burn MORE coal and emit MORE air pollution.

Every major polluting facility in the country must have an air permit to operate. Permits are required by Title V of the Clean Air Act. The permit sets legal allowable limits for how much air pollution a facility can emit. Specifically, the permit regulates sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter/soot, and hazardous air pollutants emitted from the UNC coal plant.

Some of the major impacts of this draft permit is that it will significantly increase pollution and worsen the health impacts on the community.

DAQ has removed the heat input limit from the draft permit. Without a heat input limit, there is no way to enforce the limit on the amount of pollutants that can be released from the coal plant’s smokestack and allows the coal plant to pollute as much as it wants.

This permit will lead to increased asthma attacks, respiratory illness, heart attacks, and premature death for the surrounding communities.

With Elizabeth we discuss this Title 5 permit and what it could mean, health and environmental impacts, and tune in for the last bit to learn how you can take action to oppose this permit!

Contact and connect with Elizabeth: CHOCE.NC@gmail.com

CHOCE FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHOCE

Air Permit information: https://deq.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2021/03/31/release-public-hearing-draft-unc-title-v-permit-be-held-may-4

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/north-carolina-air-regulators-propose-to-eliminate-restrictions-on-harmful-coal-emissions-from-unc-chapel-hill-power-plant-2021-04-26/

https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2021/04/university-coal-plant-concerns-permit-lawsuit

Comments can be submitted by email to DAQ.publiccomments@ncdenr.gov with the subject line ["UNC.15B"] You may also leave a voicemail comment at (919) 707-8726. Comments will be accepted until May 6, 2021 at 5 p.m.

A public hearing will be held (by telephone) May 4th at 6pm Eastern Standard Time.

If you wish to speak at the public hearing, you must register by May 4 at 4 p.m. To register, please visit: https://bit.ly/3clFndZ or call (919) 618-0968.

Debra David* is President of Concerned Citizens of Richmond County. They formed to stop Enviva - a biomass wood pellet facility that is riddled with asthma-inducing health impacts. It threatens to destroy natural hardwood forests and is a terrible environmental injustice. Enviva is the world’s largest exporter of wood pellets,and they are threatening the livelihoods of communities, forests, and the climate by proposing to build their fourth wood pellet biomass facility in North Carolina, but the small-town community members of Richmond County rose up to say “No!”

And most recently they have been facing an International Tie Disposal  proposal or ITD for short. The N.C. Department of Air Quality held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments regarding a synthetic minor air quality permit submitted by International Tie Disposal, LLC.

ITD plans to build a biochar plant on property in the Marks Creek community north of Hamlet which was rezoned late last year by the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.

Residents there are already exposed to multiple polluting industries and the county ranks higher than 80% of other counties in proximity to facilities using extremely hazardous substances and millions are spent in medical care for asthma and other breathing problems.

With Debra we discuss background on Concerned Citizens of Richmond County, Enviva and the latest ITD proposal, actions they are taking, and how you can support their work.

Contact and connect with Debra: debradavid600@gmail.com

Enviva: https://cleanaircarolina.org/envivaplant/

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article231156248.html

ITD proposal: https://richmondobserver.com/national-news/item/11346-opposition-dominates-permit-public-hearing-for-proposed-itd-hamlet-plant.html

Hope Taylor is Executive Director Emerita at Clean Water for North Carolina. Their vision is to have clean, safe, accessible water for all North Carolinians, protected by empowered, educated communities and a publicly accountable government and economy.

Campaigns they work on surrounding clean water include: fracking and fracked gas pipelines, water justice, coal ash, and factory farms.

CWFNC’s Hope and BREDL were cohorts on Salisbury asphalt and Blue Ridge (formerly Champion) paper mill campaigns, among many others. As well as involved in the victorious decade-long fight against the Southeast Compact Commission and the eight-state low-level radioactive waste dump.

With Hope we discuss campaigns CWFNC and BREDL have worked on together, her journey to become Executive Director and what she is doing now in retirement, what clean water means to her, and how you can support their work.

Contact and connect with Hope: hope@cwfnc.org

Clean Water for NC: https://cwfnc.org/

Nick Trombetta is an organizer with the Sunrise Movement in Chapel Hill, NC.

The Sunrise Movement is a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. They’re building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.

With Nick we discuss the Sunrise Movement's mission, why it is important for youth to be involved in the climate movement, the Green New Deal, and actions they’re taking locally.

In the episode there are talks about politicians, but BREDL does not endorse any politician or political party.

Contact and connect with Nick: nicktrombetta1373@gmail.com

Sunrise Movement: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/?ms=SunriseMovement-WeAreTheClimateRevolution

How to get involved: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/take-action/?ms=HowtoTakeActionwithSunrise

Cathy Buckly who founded the Raleigh, NC chapter of the Climate Reality Project.

In 2006, former US Vice President Al Gore got the world talking about climate change with the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth.

It was just the beginning of a climate revolution. Later that year, he founded what would become The Climate Reality Project to move the conversation forward and turn awareness into action all across the Earth.

The Climate Reality Project’s mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.

They believe real change comes from the ground up. And that a small-but-committed critical mass of activists can not only transform society, but change the world.

They recruit, train, and mobilize people to become powerful activists, providing the skills, campaigns, and resources to push for aggressive climate action and high-level policies that accelerate a just transition to clean energy.

With Cathy we discuss the background with the climate reality project, some of the biggest factors in climate change today, actions they are doing on a state level, and a climate training you all can participate in.

Contact and connect with Cathy: cbuckleycc@gmail.com

Sign up for the training: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/training

Climate Reality Project Chapters: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/chapters

Maya van Rossum is Executive Director of Delaware River Keepers whose mission is to champion the rights of our communities to the Delaware River and tributary streams that are free-flowing, clean, healthy, and abundant with a diversity of life.

The Delaware is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi, flowing freely for 330 miles as it travels from New York state, through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware to the Atlantic Ocean. The Delaware's 13,539 square mile watershed is only about four-tenths of one percent of the continental U.S. land area, but it supplies water to five percent of the nation's population --- over 15 million people. The lower end of the River and its Estuary host the world’s largest horseshoe crab population and an active commercial fishery, yet are marked by heavy industry and busy shipping traffic. The Delaware River Port Complex is the largest freshwater port in the world and is the largest for steel and paper in North America. The Port is the East Coast’s largest importer of cocoa beans and fruit and as much as seventy percent of the oil shipped to the Atlantic Coast moves through the Estuary. The Delaware River is a beautiful waterway that people from all around enjoy every day. From fishing to swimming, kayaking to paddleboarding - the Delaware River provides us with dozens of recreation opportunities.

The Delaware River Keepers also has an initiative called For The Generations which is a nationwide effort designed to help advance The Green Amendments which are constitutional rights to pure water, clean air and a healthy environment, understanding that only by advancing this call for protection throughout our four watershed states, across the nation and at the federal level will we be able to achieve the highest level of environmental protection we all need, deserve and are entitled to.

With Maya we discuss background on the Delaware River, species in it and the significance of the River, threats that are posed against it, what actions they’re taking, and her movement to pass Green Amendment laws in every state and then move to the federal level.

Contact and connect with Maya: Keepermaya@delawareriverkeeper.org

Delaware River Keepers: https://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/

Green Amendment Book: https://delaware-riverkeeper-network-river-shop.myshopify.com/

For The Generations: A Movement to Pass the Green Amendment: https://forthegenerations.org/

Brianna Knisley is TN Field Coordinator for the Energy Democracy Program at Appalachian Voices. Bri’s passion for rural solutions was formed through her upbringing in a community struggling with economic, social and environmental issues faced by many rural places across the U.S.

In the episode we talk about, “Energy Democracy” which is local people having control of how their electricity is produced and distributed to ensure everyone has access to affordable and clean power.

Two decades into the 21st century, advances in solar panels, battery storage, modernized electric grids and other technologies are revolutionizing how our electricity can be produced and distributed. But large utility companies with monopoly control over the market are keeping us locked into using increasingly expensive polluting fuels like coal and fracked gas to generate our electricity.

But a movement toward Energy Democracy is growing across Appalachia and throughout the country. Local individuals and groups are standing up to demand a seat at the table with decision makers to ensure we transition to a system that is affordable and fair, provides community wealth and jobs, and is built on clean, renewable energy.

With Brianna we discuss what energy democracy is and its importance, what’s going on with energy democracy in TN - specifically with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), actions they do, suggestions to the Biden Administration’s transition team, and how you can support their work.

Appalachian Voices: https://appvoices.org/energydemocracy/tennessee/

Energy Democracy FB group:

Bull Run Plant Closing and next steps: https://www.power-eng.com/coal/tva-offers-qa-on-issues-surrounding-coal-fired-bull-run-closure/#gref https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14022019/tva-coal-power-plants-shut-down-vote-trump-mcconnell-pressure-paradise-kentucky-bull-run-tennessee/

TVA Coal Ash: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/hundreds-workers-who-cleaned-countrys-worst-coal-ash-spill-are-now-sick-and-dying

John Runkle who is a retired Attorney at Law. Over the many years, John shared his legal skills to many BREDL campaigns  – with communities all over North Carolina. Including landfills, coal ash, nuclear plants and more. Some fights were won, others lost, but John was there to make sure folks had legal protection against being trampled by polluters or various government agencies.

Our Executive Director, Lou Zeller has said “John’s the best environmental attorney in the state, bar none,” “What he understands that many attorneys do not is how community organizing campaigns work. He will tell you if that’s a bad idea and won’t work. When we do get into a campaign John is willing to work with us side by side.”

With John we discuss the BREDL campaigns he’s worked on, how to work with attorneys in grassroots campaigns, and challenges he’s seen in his work.

Contact and connect with John: jrunkle@pricecreek.com

Highlighting John’s work:

https://www.ncwarn.org/2018/12/john-runkle-celebrating-a-lifetime/

https://www.coastalreview.org/2014/07/coastal-sketch-john-runkle/

Attorneys in Grassroots Campaigns: https://www.grassrootslaw.org/

This episode we honor Judy Hogan who is retiring as President of Chatham Citizens Against Coal Ash Dump. She has played a critical role in BREDL campaigns with CCAAD which includes victories such as Dec.16, 2020: the Administrative Law Judge Melissa Owens-Lassiter reversed her decision which had allowed coal ash to be disposed of in Chatham and Lee Counties, the communities are announcing another victory. Charah, Inc.- the company that owns the two sites, has dropped their appeal of the 2019 ruling and has agreed that no coal ash will go to Lee and Chatham County.

I also speak with Diana Hales who is a Vice Chair of the Chatham County Commissioners who has worked closely with Judy. And then Debbie Hall who is a member of Environmental Lee or ELEE for short, where she and the two chapters have worked together on past campaigns.

First I talk with Diana Hales about Judy and her work from the County Commissioners perspective. Then I speak with Debbie Hall on her personal experience and organizing with Judy. I then speak with Judy herself, and we discuss her time as President, her victories, and what this work meant to her.

Judy, Diana, and Debbie: judyhogan@mindspring.com, diana.hales@chathamcountync.gov, debhall@windstream.net

Chatham County Commissioners: https://www.chathamcountync.gov/government/board-of-commissioners/commissioner-contacts-bios#hales

Judy’s Books:

Sam Tesh is BREDL’s co-president of the board of directors of BREDL

Sam has been a part of BREDL for several decades and now serves as our Board of Directors Co-President. He has been a critical part of past BREDL campaigns such as fighting ThermalKEM’s hazardous waste incinerator He’s also worked with organizations such as GreenPeace and Sierra Club.

With Sam we discuss his background within the environmental realm, some of the BREDL campaigns he’s worked on, what the biggest problems he sees regarding the environment today, and why he keeps with this work.

Contact and connect with Sam: wtesh@surry.net

See updates and what we're doing: BREDL.org 

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Cathy Cralle Jones is a Senior Litigation Associate at the Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice, Jr. She focuses her practice on environmental litigation and has represented many property owners, business operators, and citizen groups in matters involving mold, groundwater and soil contamination, regulatory compliance, toxic torts, and land use matters. Her experience includes cases involving CERCLA, RCRA, OPHSCA, the Clean Water Act, NEPA, and the Endangered Species Act.

Cathy has been crucial in our environment justice fights in Lee, Chatham County, and surrounding counties in NC. She has written articles regarding the resolution of the challenge to the Coal Ash Fill permits in Chatham and Lee Counties.

With Cathy we discuss her journey to become an environmental attorney, campaigns she’s worked on with BREDL, 2020 victories, patterns she sees, and what keeps her coming back to this work.

Contact and connect with Cathy: http://attybryanbrice.com/our-professionals/attorneys/cathy-cralle-jones/

F Bryan Brice: http://attybryanbrice.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Law-Offices-of-F-Bryan-Brice-Jr-138332119643031/

Michael Arnold was front and center in the campaign to halt ThermalKEM’s incinerator.

On May 22th, 1989, North Carolina Senate Bill 324 (Hazardous Waste Management) was ratified by a bipartisan majority of elected representatives. North Carolina joined a five-state compact that would commit the state to site – and build – a hazardous waste incinerator for ThermalKEM, a private company. This occurred against the backdrop of a notorious incinerator that had been allowed to dangerously operate in Caldwell County with virtually no oversight by the state.

In 1990, the State of North Carolina proposed two sites in Granville County as locations for the incinerator. Residents organized with friends and supporters from around the state and – after eight months of marches, fund-raising, lawsuits, public hearings, civil disobedience, and arrests – succeeded in stopping the incinerator from being built.

Whatever It Takes is a pictorial history of the successful protest campaign. The book’s title comes from the protesters’ pledge to do “whatever it takes” to defeat the incinerator.

With Micheal we discuss his experience in this fight, what impacts a hazardous waste incinerator has, actions they did, and what led to this successful victory.

IAP (Incinerator Archive Project)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDir5d8Yy14AA54YeHHxd2w https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDir5d8Yy14AA54YeHHxd2w 

Website

http://fightoftheirlives.com

Whatever It Takes  (eBook...1,900 + pages. 500MB download)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8YiD_nYU28NMEZ6bFNrRU5kVGs/view?usp=sharing

There's more links/information  at the other video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd-xhinazp0&list=PLbfZIkjeDwoNrDYiBsTZmGA89obAMxG76&pbjreload=101

Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd-xhinazp0&list=PLbfZIkjeDwoNrDYiBsTZmGA89obAMxG76

Doc Ellen Tinsley who is a photojournalist. She is a retired veterinarian of equine medicine (horses), who’s best known for her Jordan Lake bald eagle photos and videos.

The Bald Eagle's recovery is an American success story. Forty years ago, the bald eagle, our national symbol, was in danger of extinction throughout most of its range. Habitat destruction and degradation, illegal shooting, and the contamination of its food source, due to use of the pesticide DDT, decimated the eagle population. Habitat protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act, the federal government’s banning of DDT, and conservation actions taken by the American public helped Bald Eagles make a remarkable recovery. Bald eagles no longer need Endangered Species Act protection because their population is protected, healthy, and growing.  You can find them throughout most of North American and they can be observed and awed by the public.

With Doc Ellen we discuss, what got her into photojournalism, patterns she sees in Bald Eagles through her work, prescribed burning, proper etiquette to observe eagles and what this work means to her.

Contact and connect with Doc Ellen:

https://www.facebook.com/docellen/

https://docellentinsley.smugmug.com

dreamingsongsphotos@icloud.com

http://community-sports-news.com/who-is-doc-ellen/

Prescribed Burning: https://www.nps.gov/articles/what-is-a-prescribed-fire.htm https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/prescribed-fire

Eagle Etiquette: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/viewing.html https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/eagle-viewing/

Bald Eagle history: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/history/index.html

Laura Olah is Executive Director of Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger. The mission of the group is to support, unify and strengthen citizens concerned for the safety of water resources in and around the Badger Army Ammunition Plant; to effect expedient cleanup of any contamination caused by negligent handling of toxic waste; and to exercise means as necessary to guarantee water resources are totally free of toxic contamination for us and the generations to follow.

Virtually every day, the Department of Defense and its contractors burn and detonate unused munitions and raw explosives in the open air with no environmental emissions controls, often releasing toxins near water sources and schools. The facilities operate under legal permits, but their potentially harmful effects for human health aren’t well researched, and EPA records obtained by ProPublica show that these sites have violated their hazardous waste permits thousands of times.

Most active sites, which currently burn or detonate waste into open air, are run by the military and its contractors, according to the EPA and the Pentagon. The Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia, for example, supplies explosives for almost every American bullet fired overseas and is allowed to burn up to 2.9 million pounds of waste every year.

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger’s challenge is to assure that the Pentagon fulfills its commitment to the complete cleanup of toxins that have placed ecological and human health at risk – has been no small task.

With Laura we discuss the negatives of open air burning, PFAS and alternatives, actions they’ve taken on a local, state, and federal level, other communities who are polluting through open air burning

Contact and connect with Laura: info@cswab.org

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger: https://cswab.org/

Open air burning: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-burn-pits-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-may-have-put-veterans-at-risk/#x

https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/burn-sites

Bio accumulation of PFAS: https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_Report.cfm?dirEntryId=349938&Lab=CCTE https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749106006038

Alternatives - supercritical water oxidation: https://www.waterworld.com/environmental/article/16204253/supercritical-water-oxidation-presented-as-alternative-to-incineration https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128104996000103

EPA rules to open air burning: https://www.epa.gov/burnwise/backyard-recreational-fires https://www.epa.gov/hwpermitting/list-example-hazardous-waste-permits-open-burning-and-open-detonation

Jane Williams is Executive Director with California Communities Against Toxics who are inspiring and building a sustainable, healthy, and just future for the East Bay, California, and beyond.

We discuss California’s economy in relation to polluting industries and their GDP last year was $3.2T, representing 14.6% of the total U.S. economy. California's economy is so big that if it were a country, it would be the 5th largest economy in the world, more productive than India and the United Kingdom.

Hexavalent Chromium compounds are common in California and are given off by industry. They have been shown to cause lung cancer in humans when inhaled. The Report on Carcinogens lists hexavalent chromium compounds as known human carcinogens. Studies have consistently shown increased lung cancer rates in workers who were exposed to high levels of chromium in workroom air.

We also talk about new laws in place with California, set to ban all heavy diesel trucks and vans by 2045. And these heavy-duty trucks are responsible for 70% of vehicle air pollution in the state.

With Jane, we discuss California’s economy, what kind of toxins that are common in California, new laws coming in place, and how you can support this work. 

Contact and connect with Jane: dcapjane@aol.com

California Communities Against Toxics: https://ecologycenter.org/directory/directory-entries/california-communities-against-toxics-ccat/

Heavy Duty truck ban: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/06/california-set-to-ban-all-heavy-diesel-trucks-and-vans-by-2045/

Prop 65: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65

CEASE fire campaign: https://cswab.org/cease-fire-campaign/about-the-campaign/

Charles Utley is Associate Director of BREDL. The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle is a two-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia.

Southern Nuclear Company of Georgia, who owns Plant Vogtle wants to build additional nuclear power plants near Waynesboro, GA. This would increase the negative health impacts on nearby residents and increase the cost of electric power.

In Burke County, Georgia, environmental samples contained tritium, cesium-137, strontium-90, plutonium, iodine 129, cobalt-60, according to a recent report by Georgia WAND on “Community Impacts at the Crossroads of Nuclear and Climate Injustices in the U.S. South.”

Of each of these radioactive isotopes, tritium is the element contributing the highest levels of contamination, showing up in air, rain, groundwater, river water, drinking water, fish, milk, crops, leafy vegetation, and deer.

All nuclear power plants routinely release doses of tritium, which can cause birth defects and cancer. Cancer rates rose sharply for all cancers in Burke County while U.S. rates have declined.

CNN television news also aired a report from Shell Bluff in Burke County, discussing how cancer rates in that area are 51 percent higher than the national average.

With Charles we discuss the work he’s done surrounding Plant Vogtle, what’s happening now with the plant and in the future, how they pay for and fund the plant, and what they’re future plans are.

Contact and connect with Charles: bredlutley@gmail.com

More on Plant Vogtle: http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/Vogtle.htm

Health Impacts of living near a nuclear site: https://gawand.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/GA-WAND_Climate_Nuclear_Report_Dec_2017.pdf

https://georgiawatch.org/health-environmental-harms-ignored-at-plant-vogtle-vcm-18-hearings/

Emily Strasser is a writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work has appeared in Catapult, Ploughshares, Guernica, Colorado Review, The New York Times, The Bitter Southerner, The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, and Tricycle, among others, and she was the presenter of the BBC podcast “The Bomb.” She is also working on a book about the intersection of family and national secrets in the nuclear city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

To give some background, Oak Ridge was established in 1942 as a production site for the Manhattan Project—the massive American, British, and Canadian operation that developed the atomic bomb. It’s the site of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, scientific and technological development and still plays a crucial role in the city's economy and culture in general. The location and low population also helped keep the town a secret, though the settlement's population grew from about 3,000-3,750 in 1942 to about 75,000 by 1945.

At the same time, the government is still cleaning up from the sites’ historic roles. In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency designated the Oak Ridge Reservation as a Superfund site.

With Emily, we discuss the history of the nuclear age with Leo Szilard and her grandfather who worked at Y-12, what secrecy means to her within the nuclear industry, how Oak Ridge became a Superfund site and what their clean up process, and what motivated her to write her book.

Contact and connect with Emily: http://emilystrasser.com

BBC podcast The Bomb: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-bomb/id1524778767

Oak Ridge History and Clean Up: https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/oak-ridge-a-look-into-the-superfund-sites-environmental-cleanup/51-552401280

Leo Szilard: https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/leo-szilard https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/biographies/szilard.html

Claire Miller is the Movement Building Director at UU Mass Action in Boston, Massachusetts.

Since 2006 UU Mass Action has been organizing and mobilizing the 20,000 Unitarian Universalists and 142 congregations in Massachusetts to confront oppression. Their pathways to justice are selected by identifying the priorities in which their congregations are engaged, engaging in our coalition partners shared priorities, assessing legislative momentum and identifying who are the most vulnerable people in the Commonwealth.

UU Mass Action is committed to the abolition of fossil fuels and the just transition to 100% renewable clean energy. They believe that the technology is available to make this change, all that is lacking is the political will. They believe that they cannot wait for elected officials to take action – the people must take action.  A change of this magnitude requires a shared vision and effective organizing.  In the words of Naomi Klein, “It’s going to take everyone to change everything.”

With Claire we talk about what environmental injustices in Massachusetts, what legislation they are working on, what got them into this work, and how you can get involved. 

Contact and connect with Claire: clairebwmiller@gmail.com

UUMass Action:https://www.uumassaction.org/

Environmental Justice: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/environmental-justice-movement https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice https://www.sierraclub.org/environmental-justice/history-environmental-justice

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Tom Clements is Director at Savannah River Site Watch or SRS Watch for short. They are working for the public interest by monitoring activities at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina and other DOE and commercial nuclear projects in the southeastern U.S. region and beyond & striving to halt proliferation of weapons-usable materials.

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a nuclear reservation in South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties adjacent to the Savannah River, 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Augusta, Georgia. The site was built during the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for deployment in nuclear weapons.

It is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The management and operating contract is held by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC (SRNS).

Future plans for the site cover a wide range of options, including host to research reactors, a reactor park for power generation, and other possible uses. DOE and its corporate partners are watched by a combination of local, regional and national regulatory agencies and citizen groups.

With Tom, we discuss what projects SRS is working on, who owns the site and what accountability they have, plutonium fuel and the dangers, and how you can get involved.

Contact and connect with Tom: srswatch@gmail.com

Savannah River Site info: https://srswatch.org/

http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/SRS.htm

https://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/savannah-river-site-fact-sheet.aspx

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/deadly-legacy-savannah-river-site-near-aiken-one-of-the-most-contaminated-places-on-earth/article_d325f494-12ff-11e7-9579-6b0721ccae53.html

Joni Arends is Executive Director of Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety in Santa Fe, NM whose mission is to protect all living beings and the environment from the effects of radioactive and other hazardous materials now and in the future.

New Mexico is a hotspot for nuclear activities including: Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory which is the birthplace of atomic age of nuclear weapons design and production nuclear waste dump, the Trinity test site which is the world’s first atomic bomb test site, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is a plutomium bomb waste dump, Holtec, Inc, which is a propsed interim storage site for up to 100,000 tons of radioactive high level waste, and much more.

With Joni we talk about the full circle of the nuclear cycle in NM, the DownWinders and the need for the renewal of the RECA bill, what Los Alamos National Lab is doing, and how you can get involved.

Contact and connect with Joni: jarends@nuclearactive.org

Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety: http://nuclearactive.org/

Map of Nuclear Activities: https://nukewatch.org/Nuclear-New-Mexico.html

Renewal of RECA bill: https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/947/text

Ralph Hutchinson who is the coordinator of The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance whose main focus is stopping nuclear weapons production at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and protecting the environment threatened by legacy and ongoing activities at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reservation.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. It was adopted at the United Nations Conference on July 7, 2017, opened for signatures by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on September 20, 2017,  the 50th country signed the Treaty on October 24th of this year and now will enter into force on January 22, 2021.

For those nations that are party to it, the treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. For nuclear armed states joining the treaty, it provides for a time-bound framework for negotiations leading to the verified and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programs.

The nuclear-weapon-ban treaty, according to its proponents, will constitute an "unambiguous political commitment" to achieve and maintain a nuclear-weapon-free world.

With Ralph, we talk about background on the treaty, what countries have signed it, what happens now that the 50th ratification happened, and ways to get involved for a nuclear free world.

Contact and connect with Ralph: orep@earthlink.net

FB Group: Nuclear Ban Treaty, nuclearbantreatyeif@gmx.com

RESOURCES FOR JAN 22nd: https://orepa.org/nuclear-ban-treaty-entry-into-force-resources/

More on the Treaty: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/ https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26 https://www.nti.org/learn/treaties-and-regimes/treaty-on-the-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/ https://www.icanw.org/historic_milestone_un_treaty_on_the_prohibition_of_nuclear_weapons_reaches_50_ratifications_needed_for_entry_into_force

Haakon ("Hoken") Williams is the Deputy Director of Committee to Bridge the Gap, a nuclear policy organization that works to improve protections from nuclear risks and assists communities near nuclear facilities and contaminated sites. Haakon has worked with Committee to Bridge the Gap since 2018, including helping produce a series of technical reports on the cleanup of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard that received coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle and NBC Bay Area.

The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California (USA), located on 638 acres (258 ha) of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city. The U.S. Navy acquired the site in 1940 and they built, repaired, and did maintenance of ships for the U.S. during World War II.

Later, the U.S. Navy established the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL) in 1946 at HPS to study the effects of and to develop counter measures from nuclear weapons. NRDL operated until 1969 and conducted studies related to ship shielding, radioactive waste for deep-sea disposal, animal research, radiation detection instrumentation development, and other laboratory studies. NRDL also decontaminated and disposed of some ships involved in nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands.

The site currently consists of approximately 866 acres, 446 of which are under water. The base was named redundant as part of the Base Realignment and Closure effort in 1991, and was closed permanently in 1994. Since then the site has been part of a superfund cleanup effort to remediate the leftovers of decades of industrial and radiological use. Parcels have been sold off as they were cleaned up, mostly for condominium development.

With Haakon we discuss the history not many people know about, with the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, the effort to try to clean it up, and what they want to do with the area now.

Contact and connect with Haakon: contact.cbg@gmail.com

Committee to Bridge the Gap: https://www.committeetobridgethegap.org

More on HPNS: https://www.committeetobridgethegap.org/category/hunters-point/

https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/complex/hunters-point-naval-shipyard.html

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco-hunters-point-contamination-cleanup-development/175231/

TetraTech Scandal: https://www.courthousenews.com/developer-sues-tetra-tech-and-feds-over-hunters-point-project/ https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/U-S-sues-Tetra-Tech-over-Hunters-Point-shipyard-13536013.php

Lesie, Scott, and Phil, are all members of Protect Caswell, a chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League that is dedicated to help protect and preserve rights in Caswell County, NC.

They are fighting Carolina Sunrock, LLC, a company that plans to run three large hot mix asphalt plants producing over two and a half million tons of asphalt per year, plus three truck mix cement plants, two stone crushers, and three power generators at three separate sites within 10 miles of each other in their community of Caswell County, NC. Asphalt plants are sources of air pollution that may emit significant levels of both particulate matter and gaseous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These pollutants are considered to be dangerous to human health.

One action that the Protect Caswell Chapter has made is a formal request to the Board of Commissioners for a comprehensive review of existing and proposed paving industry permits in the Prospect Hill and Anderson communities. They said "We submit to you this request for a multiple source review. We believe the draft permits are fatally flawed because they fail to protect public health." She concluded, "We just want all these smokestacks looked at together because they all emit toxic air pollution."

With Leslie, Scott, and Phil, we discuss how they got started as a chapter, how they informed their county commissioners about theses industries coming in, actions they are taking, flaws they found in the asphalt plants permits, and how others can help.

Contact and connect with Protect Caswell: https://www.protectcaswell.org/

More information on asphalt plants: https://www.osha.gov/archive/oshinfo/priorities/asphalt.html http://www.bredl.org/air/asphalt_plants.htm

County Wide Zoning: https://www.sog.unc.edu/resources/legal-summaries/county-zoning https://www.naco.org/resources/featured/planning-ahead-county-planning-land-use-zoning-strategies-affordable-housing

Moratorium on Polluting Industries: https://www.caswellmessenger.com/news/article_e95a2712-ab22-11ea-b1a9-f3c766726a1a.html https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27032020/coronavirus-covid-pandemic-agriculture-plastics-airlines-renewables-coal

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Wanda Bodnar, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC Chapel Hill and serving as the Scientist Program Analyst for the NC PFAS Testing Network. Dr. Bodnar’s specialty is the development and application of qualitative and quantitative mass spectrometry-based methods to improve our understanding of the health effects that result from exposure to environmental contaminants. She is focused on quality control and quality assurance of experimental processes and data generation to ensure scientific rigor.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are man-made compounds that are resistant to water and grease. Some PFAS have been linked with a wide range of health effects from thyroid disease to high cholesterol to lower birth weight, as well as some cancers. PFAS chemicals are likely contaminating the source of drinking water for more than a million North Carolina residents by running from the Haw River into the Cape Fear River.

The PFAS Testing Network is a statewide research collaboration to test for current levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water and air samples across the state. The Network comprises Principal Investigators from NC State, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Charlotte, ECU, and NC A&T who have received NC General Assembly funding through the NC Policy Collaboratory.

The NC PFAST Network was created in response to a legislative mandate and funding by the North Carolina General Assembly to help answer questions about exposure to PFAS chemicals throughout NC.

With Wanda, we talk about the NC PFAS Testing Network, the research on PFAS that they’ve done and are doing, removal of PFAS in the environment, communicating PFAS to the public, and what you all can do.

Contact and connect with Wanda: ncpfastnetwork@unc.edu

NC PFAS Testing Network: https://ncpfastnetwork.com/about/

Updates on PFAS: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article246663348.html?ac_cid=DM309451&ac_bid=-1644846740#storylink=cpy

Check your utilities for levels of PFAS: https://ncpfastnetwork.com/data-and-tools/

Dark Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvAOuhyunhY

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Dale Feik is the Chair of Washington County Citizen Action Network and Project Director of Hillsboro Air & Water. Located in Washington County in OR.

So far this year, fires in Oregon, Washington, and California have burned some 5 million acres, marking the West Coast’s worst fire season in at least 70 years. The blazes have killed at least 35 people, destroyed hundreds of structures, and caused extreme air pollution that has threatened the health of millions of residents. Millions up and down the coast have spent weeks living under thick clouds of smoke and ash. Ecologists also fear the wildfires could inflict lasting damage on species and ecosystems.

Data from two NASA satellites that can detect heat, shows fire activity in California, Oregon and Washington in 2020 has already eclipsed even the worst previous year.

With Dale we talk about his experience with the wildfires in Portland, OR, what work he’s doing/ done to combat air pollution, how wildfires are linked with climate change, and what his hope for the future is.

Contact and connect with Dale: dfeik33@comcast.net

21 Youth Suing Congress: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/03/kids-sue-us-government-climate-change/

https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/juliana-v-us

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/01/17/federal-appeals-court-tosses-landmark-youth-climate-lawsuit-against-us-government/

Carbon Fee: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/basics-carbon-fee-dividend/ https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07032019/carbon-tax-proposals-compare-baker-shultz-exxon-conocophillips-ccl-congress

Wildfires in the west: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/wildfires-continue-western-united-states-biologists-fear-vulnerable-species

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/14/us/gallery/western-wildfires-2020/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/24/climate/fires-worst-year-california-oregon-washington.html

Oleg Bodrov is the Chairperson for NGO Green World. Oleg is an engineer-physicist and environmentalist. After finishing his studies at the Leningrad Polytechnic University (1976) as an engineer-physicist he has been engaged in testing of nuclear submarines. From 1980 till 1993 he was head of a group of the Regional Ecological Laboratory of the Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg. After a visit to the contaminated area of the Chernobyl NPP in 1986, he left the nuclear industry and came to the environmental movement. Since 2005 he has been one of the initiators & head of an international NGO project for a promotion of safe decommissioning of the Russian nuclear power plants and final disposal of, spent nuclear fuel on the basis of the best international practice (Germany, Lithuania, USA, Sweden, Finland).

In 1999, Center for Safe Energy, sponsored 3 weeks of People's Hearings on plutonium fuel in Russia. A delegation of US activists and experts went to Russia as participants in this education effort. Delegates included our executive director Lou Zeller and this is where he met and worked with Oleg. A few years later, Oleg along with his other colleagues from Russia came to the U.S. to advocate and educate against nuclear.

Ultimately, with this foundation, plus local community work in NC, SC and GA. Some legal actions challenging NRC permitting (Duke Energy’s Catawba and McGuire power plants were slated to use the fuel), succeeded in stopping the joint Russian-American project to use plutonium in nuclear electric power plants.  The American factory for fuel manufacture would have been at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.  Indeed, the Dept. of Energy spent $4 billion on it before abandoning the project.

With Oleg, we talk about his transition from nuclear into the environment movement, his experience in Russia before and after Chernobyl happened, his time in the U.S. touring nuclear facilities, the Russian version of the NRC, and current issues he’s working on now.

Contact and connect with Oleg: bodrov@greenworld.org.ru

Documentaries: 1. Wasteland  (about Russian nuclear weapons, reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and consequences for the people and environment) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCmcvyctVrU&t=849s

2. Digging our own grave (about nuclear weapon production in Russia and resistance of Russian society) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJftotBfGnU

3. Vermont state against Vermont Yankee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONrpfBOwkDc&t=593s

4. Everything in our power (about Main Yakee NPP decommissioning)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fvs36in2Qo&t=9s

5. Hanhikivi (About Finnish NPP hanhikivi) and about connection of civil and military technologies) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgwKyZ3gSCs&t=60s

Chernobyl: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-chernobyl-like-today/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/what-s-going-on-in-chernobyl-today/

Decommissioning: https://www.nrc.gov/waste/decommissioning.html https://www.nei.org/advocacy/make-regulations-smarter/decommissioning

Sara El-Amine is a progressive senior strategist who was one of the architects of the Obama grassroots movement, playing key roles outside the US White House to pass and implement health care reform, minimum wage, marriage equality, gun violence prevention, climate protections, and more. She is currently Head of Community Engagement at Lyft, where she oversees driver, passenger, and local non-profit engagement for the company. She is also a mom to 1.5 year old, Julius.

Climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the Western United States. Wildfire risk depends on a number of factors, including temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuel. All these factors have strong direct or indirect ties to climate variability and climate change.

Research shows that changes in climate that create warmer, drier conditions, increased drought, and a longer fire season are boosting these increases in wildfire risk. Once a fire starts—more than 80 percent of U.S. wildfires are caused by people—warmer temperatures and drier conditions can help fires spread and make them harder to put out.

With Sara we discuss the wildfires happening in the West, effects it’s had for her and her family, the correlation with the wildfires and climate change, local and state-wide action, and what actions you can take on climate change.

Contact and connect with Sara: elamine.sara@gmail.com Twitter @sara_ela

Actions you can take on climate change: https://www.curbed.com/2017/6/7/15749900/how-to-stop-climate-change-actions https://www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/6-actions-to-fight-climate-change/ http://participate.lwv.org/c/9217/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=3804

Climate Change and Wildfires: https://www.c2es.org/content/wildfires-and-climate-change/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/climate-change-increases-risk-fires-western-us/

Wildfire Alerts: http://www.alertwildfire.org/

How you can prevent wildfires in your area: https://smokeybear.com/en/smokey-for-kids/preventing-wildfires https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/wildfire/how-to-prevent-wildfires.html

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Brady Watson is the Civic Engagement Coordinator with Southern Alliance for Clean Energy or SACE for short. Brady is based out of Knoxville and is responsible for organizing around ballot initiatives and utility issues that may impact climate and energy policy. He is in charge of a Tennessee state-wide campaign where they want to see lower utility bills for Tennesseans most in need; increase access to solar energy, and put the “public” back in public power.

A part of this large campaign is a more localized campaign called ACT on KUB - KUB is The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) - this is the main utility provider in Knoxville. They have been a long-time, trusted community partner, yet the rules governing KUB have facilitated a drift away from the people KUB serves. Here’s what they’ve done lately:

• Increased its mandatory monthly electrical fixed fee from $6 in 2010 to $20.50 in 2020. All utility fixed fees on customers' bills now exceed $85 per month.
  
• Rushed signing a 20-year long-term contract with power provider TVA, with no meaningful opportunity for public comment even though customers’ dollars are on the line, which has put customers at risk.
  
• Spent hundreds of thousands of customers’ dollars on public relations consultants to boost KUB’s image, even though KUB is a public-power monopoly without competition
  

With Brady we talk about KUB and what they have done lately, impacts and where KUB gets their energy from, actions they’ve done to get the public involved, and other energy related campaigns SACE is working on in TN.

Contact and connect with Brady: brady@cleanenergy.org

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE): https://cleanenergy.org/

ACT on KUB: https://www.actonkub.org/

RenewTN: https://www.renewtn.org/

Register to Vote: https://govotetn.gov/ https://vote.gov/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Shelby Ward a public interest environmental lawyer as well as Director of Sustainable Tennessee and Staff Attorney at the Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC). She is dedicated to serving communities in Tennessee through environmental education and advocacy. She collaborates with stakeholders who share a vision for a sustainable Tennessee and directs the Council’s law and policy program. She is also in charge of the TEC’s Recycle Right, Tennessee program, and it’s goal is to help you understand how to recycle right in your area so we can keep recyclables out of the landfill and in our economy.

And here are some quick facts on recycling:

• A single plastic water bottle saves enough energy to run a laptop for 2.5 hours and and creates 20% air pollution and 50% less water pollution than would be created when making a new bottle
  
• Landfills are one of the biggest contributors to soil pollution and the majority of what’s in the landfill could be avoided or recycled
  
• Clean prescription bottles can be often donated to animal and other shelters, veterinary, and other clinics
  

With Shelby we talk about how to properly recycle, resources to know what not to recycle, economics of recycling, the lifecycle of products and how much goes into landfills, and what’s happening with recycling on a state and local level.

Contact and connect with Shelby: shelby@tectn.org

Tennessee Environmental Council: tectc.org

Learn more about Recycle Right: https://www.tectn.org/recyclerighttennessee.html

Why China is not accepting our recycling: https://e360.yale.edu/features/piling-up-how-chinas-ban-on-importing-waste-has-stalled-global-recycling

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/china-has-stopped-accepting-our-trash/584131/

Landfill facts: https://www.usi.edu/recycle/solid-waste-landfill-facts/ https://www.rubicon.com/blog/statistics-trash-recycling/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Anne is an Environmental Justice Research Assistant intern with us at BREDL and a grad student at Duke University. She is working to help community members learn how to use Zoom and organize digitally and investigate COVID incidence across EJ communities in NC.

Contact and connect with Anne and Nanda: anne.crabill@duke.edu and nandagopal.suresh@duke.edu

PM 2.5: https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/air/pmq_a.htm

https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics

How to find your levels: https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/particulate-matter-pm25-trends

Environmental Justice Communities during COVID: https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/how-environmental-justice-connects-covid-19

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Addyson Rowe is a Research Assistant intern with us at BREDL and graduate student in Environmental Science Policy at Duke University. She has been identifying heired properties that Dominion energy has bought or tried to buy in order to construct the pipeline there. A lot of these properties end up not getting signed off on by the owners because heir properties have so many owners that often don’t even live in the state anymore, so they can’t get in contact with them to sign or they fail to show up to court and Dominion automatically gets the land by default; without having to pay all of the owners. She is calling attention to this as well as identifying the different amounts paid to owners depending on when they agreed to sign.

Gabrielle James is an intern with us a BREDL and a law student at UNC Chapel Hill. She is doing legal research on the Atlantic coast pipelines acquisition of heired property or essentially property that is passed to heirs without a will. This practice significantly disadvantages poor people and communities of color and allows corporations like Dominion who were building the ACP to easily (and often unfairly) acquire property and easements.

Contact and connect with Addyson and Gabrielle: addyson.rowe@duke.edu and gabj23@live.unc.edu

Heired Properties: https://friendsofnelson.com/bredl-releases-report-on-union-hill/

http://www.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/200407_ACP_Invasion_during_Pandemic.htm

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article185036078.html

Cancellation of the ACP: https://atlanticcoastpipeline.com/news/2020/7/5/dominion-energy-and-duke-energy-cancel-the-atlantic-coast-pipeline.aspx

Eminent Domain: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/eminent_domain

https://www.justice.gov/enrd/history-federal-use-eminent-domain

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Brian Terrell is the co-coordinator with Voices for Creative Nonviolence (or Voices for short) located in SW Iowa, they are committed to strategic campaigns and experiments, engaging in active nonviolent resistance such as the electoral and legislative process, protest, and to march and demonstrate. Voices has people and campaigns working in Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Germany and more.

With Brian we talk about his work he does nationally and internationally, what would happen if nuclear weapons are used, why nonviolent direct action is important, drone activism, and how you can take nonviolent action. 

Contact and connect with Brian: brian@vcnv.org

Voices for Creative Nonviolence: http://vcnv.org/

Drone Activism: http://vcnv.org/drone-activism/

Nonviolent action: https://www.usip.org/issue-areas/nonviolent-action

https://peacepresence.org/learn-more/nonviolence/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

John LaForge is the Co-Director with NukeWatch and is currently working and advocating in Hamburg, Germany. Nukewatch has been working for a nuclear-free future since 1979, they bring critical attention to the locations, movements, dangers, and the politics of nuclear weapons and radioactive wastes.

The US is the only government that deploys nuclear weapons in other countries. US B61 nuclear gravity bombs are deployed in Holland (20), Italy (40), Belgium (20) Turkey (50-90), and Germany (20).

Currently, The United States provides about 60 tactical B61 nuclear bombs for use by Germany under a NATO nuclear weapons sharing agreement. The bombs are stored at Büchel Air Base and in time of war would be delivered by Luftwaffe Panavia Tornado warplanes. Many countries believe this violates Articles I and II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), where Germany has committed: which states

"... not to receive the transfer from any transferor whatsoever of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or of control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly ... or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices ...".

With John we talk about Germany and the US relationship with nuclear weapons, differences in direct actions between the two countries, the goals of the Peace delegation they hold every year, if Germany is making itself a target by having these nuclear weapons, and the relationship Germany has with other NATO countries.

Contact and connect with John: nukewatch1@lakeland.ws

NukeWatch: https://nukewatchinfo.org/category/nuclear-weapons/

US and Germany history/ background: https://nukewatchinfo.org/category/direct-action/us-bombs-out-of-germany/ https://www.dw.com/en/us-set-to-upgrade-controversial-nukes-stationed-in-germany/a-52855886

Nonproliferation Treaty: https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/

Germany’s progessive stances: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2015/11/germany-renewable-energy-revolution/

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=99&nr=24&menu=1449

Germany Peace Delegation: https://nukewatchinfo.org/action-alerts/

Two Plus Four Treaty: https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/politics/germany-europe/two-plus-four-treaty

Francine Stephenson, President of BREDL chapter No Pipeline Johnston County (NPJoCo), Tom Clark, member of BREDL chapter Cumberland County Caring Voices (C3V), Marvin Winstead, President of Nash County Stop the Pipeline (NSTP) and BREDL community organizer, and Lou Zeller, Executive director of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL). Francine, Tom, and Marvin were all along the 600 mile long proposed pathway of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline where BREDL strategically organized these chapters.

With Francine she speaks on how there should be a place where citizens can go to know what their rights are, Tom talks about how the ACP caused conflicts within his family and when Dominion cut down his grandfather's pine tree, Marvin speaks on the disadvantages and problems with fracked ‘natural’ gas, and then Lou talks about turning points throughout the six year journey against the ACP and what is next, moving forward from the victory.

No Pipeline Johnston County (NPJoCo)

County: Johnston County, NC

Francine Stephenson, president – francine.stephenson@gmail.com

Facebook: No Pipeline Johnston County

Cumberland County Caring Voices (C3V)

County: Cumberland County, NC

Tom Clark, member - 910.322.0664

Facebook: Cumberland County Caring Voices

Nash Stop The Pipeline (NSTP)

County: Nash County, NC

Marvin Winstead, president – 252-478-5442 / marwinstead@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Nash Stop The Pipeline

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Office 

Lou Zeller: bredl@bestsky.com or 336.982.2691

More on chapters and campaigns: nopipeline.net 

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Valerie Williams is President of BREDL Chapter Concerned Stewards of Halifax County. Valerie has a family farm that was on the proposed pathway of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).

Since 2014, us at BREDL began campaigning to counteract the planning and construction of the Atlantic Coast Natural Gas Pipeline that would stretch 600 miles across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. After six long years of dedicated work, we all succeeded on July 5, 2020 in cancelling its construction due to ongoing delays and increasing cost uncertainty which threatened the economic viability of the project.

One of the key tactics in leading to BREDL’s massive success was uniting community members against the pipeline from all across the political spectrum. By reaching out to people who are both conservative and liberal and everywhere in between, we were able to create a cohesive and extremely powerful bipartisan movement, one that you don’t see often in today’s political climate.

The success of defeating the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is one that should be greatly celebrated. The idea of never giving up fighting for what you believe in and working together despite differences are important themes that led to this victory.

With Valerie we discuss her story of the six year journey she and others have been fighting against this pipeline, actions they took, and what the cancellation means to her and her family.

Contact and connect with Valerie: valwilliams6@gmail.com

BREDL on the ACP Victory: http://www.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/ACP_Cancelled_BREDL_Statements.htm

ACP Supreme Court Cases: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/whose-land-atlantic-coast-pipeline-appalachian-trail-supreme-court-dominion-energy-duke-energy

http://www.springhopeenterprise.com/stories/pipeline-opponent-wants-appraisers-off-his-property,205899#.Xo8hZt-YzOg.facebook

Dominion and Duke Energy’s Statements: https://atlanticcoastpipeline.com/news/2020/7/5/dominion-energy-and-duke-energy-cancel-the-atlantic-coast-pipeline.aspx

Rachel Coyte is a PhD student at Duke University who is the leading author of the last two papers on the occurrence of hexavalent chromium and other contaminants in groundwater in NC. Rachel and Dr. Avner Vengosh have been researching and working on testing wells in NC for Hexavalent Chromium.

Hexavalent chromium is a carcinogen made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich and is far more abundant in drinking water wells in North Carolina than previously thought, a new Duke University study finds.

“About 90 percent of the wells we sampled had detectable levels of hexavalent chromium, and in many cases the contamination is well above recommended levels for safe drinking water. But our analysis clearly shows it is derived from natural sources”

The current drinking water standard for chromium in the United States is 100 parts per billion. This is based on an assumption that most chromium contained in drinking water is composed of a less toxic form known as trivalent chromium. Only California has set a statewide standard of 10 parts per billion for the much more toxic hexavalent form.

The bottom line is that we need to protect the health of North Carolinians from the naturally occurring threat of hexavalent chromium, while also protecting them from harmful contaminants such as arsenic and selenium, which our previous research has shown do derive from leaking coal ash ponds.

With Rachel we talk about the effects of Hexavalent Chromium, where it’s found, if it’s man made or naturally occurring, if it can be filtered, and how people can protect themselves. 

Contact and connect with Rachel: rachel.coyte@duke.edu

Rachel’s articles on Hex Chrome: https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/hexavalent-chromium-widespread-nc-wells-not-linked-coal-ash

https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/avnervengosh/hexavalent-chromium-in-north-carolina/

Geogenic contaminants: https://www.eawag.ch/en/department/sandec/projects/wst/geogenic-contamination/ https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-81-322-3745-7_8

NC health standards: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/planning/classification-standards/surface-water-standards

https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-resources-regulations

Well water testing: https://ehs.ncpublichealth.com/oswp/wells-resources.htm

https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oee/wellwater/howtotest.html

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Petuuche Gilbert is an environmental and human rights activist as well as a member of the Multicultural Alliance for Safe Environment and President of the Indigenous World Association, a United Nations NGO. He lives in the Grants Mining District in New Mexico and has been working on nuclear and mining issues for 30+ years.

New Mexico has no nuclear power plants, but it does have the nation's second-largest uranium resource equal to nearly one-third of U.S. known uranium reserves. We talk about uranium mining which is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. And uranium from mining is used almost entirely as fuel for nuclear power plants.

The Grants Mining District, where Petuuche lives, it was the primary focus of uranium extraction and production activities in New Mexico from the 1950s until the late 1990s. Nuclear is responsible for infusing about $3 billion a year into New Mexico’s economy, Los Alamos National Laboratory is being held up by lab officials, politicians and others as an example of the kind of high-tech economic drivers.

With Petuuche we talk about the Grants Mining District, nuclear activity and funding in New Mexico, what he and others have done to fight against, and what his hope for the future is. 

Contact and connect with Petuuche: petuuche@aol.com or petuuche@gmail.com

Grants Mining District: https://www.epa.gov/grants-mining-district

https://www.env.nm.gov/gwqb/grants-mining-district/

Trinity Nuclear Testing: https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/trinity-test-1945

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/trinity-test

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): https://www.wipp.energy.gov/

New Mexico’s income from nuclear: https://apnews.com/b39a6e39d88441099ed2f99017f9fa4a

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/11/709600915/new-mexico-is-divided-over-the-perfect-site-to-store-nation-s-nuclear-waste

https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/region-state/newmexico.html

https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NM

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Ruth Ann Tesanovich is a retired Medical Laboratory Scientist from UGA, and has been a resident of Madison County, GA for 36 years. She is also secretary and treasurer of the Madison County Clean Power Coalition Chapter (MCCPC) a chapter of BREDL whose mission is to protect the environment and advocate for the communities polluted by the processing and burning of railroad ties.

Biomass includes wood products, agricultural residues or forest waste, and other highly toxic feed stocks such as construction and demolition waste. And in this instance the burning of railroad ties. Burning these materials as fuel for electricity pollutes the air we breathe.

In a powerful new letter signed by the Allergy & Asthma Network, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Lung Association, American Public Health Association, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, National Association of County & City Health Officials, National Environmental Health Association, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, the health community’s message is clear:

“Biomass is far from “clean” – burning biomass creates air pollution that causes a sweeping array of health harms, from asthma attacks to cancer to heart attacks, resulting in emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths.”

With Ruth Ann we talk about the biomass plant in their county, the environmental and health impacts, community involvement, HB 857 they got passed, and what their plans for the future are.

Contact and connect with Ruth Ann and MCCPC chapter: rtesanovich@outlook.com https://www.facebook.com/madisoncleanpower/

Learn more about MCCPC and their efforts: https://www.madisoncleanpowercoalition.com/

Learn more about biomass: https://www.leonardodicaprio.org/dangerous-delusions-biomass-is-not-a-renewable-energy-source/ https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sasha-stashwick/health-groups-congress-burning-biomass-bad-health

HB 857: https://www.madisoncleanpowercoalition.com/post/georgia-house-bill-857

Sister Site in Franking Co: https://www.madisoncleanpowercoalition.com/post/visit-our-sister-site

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Biologist Mary Olson's life’s mission is to bring to light to the disproportionate impact of radiation on girls and women. Through her work as a staff biologist and policy analyst at  Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Olson has spent decades working for greater health and greater protection for people in communities impacted by nuclear activities. After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, Olson decided to pursue questions about greater harm to girls and women from ionizing exposures. Mary is now the founder of Gender + Radiation Impact Project, their mission is to catalyze better choices for preventing unintended exposure to low level ionizing radiation and an overall reduction in harm – for everyone, but especially little girls who are most impacted by radiation exposure.

Ionizing radiation as “radiation with enough energy so that during an interaction with an atom, it can remove tightly bound electrons from the orbit of an atom, causing the atom to become charged or ionized.” Ionizing radiation can be found in many places in our modern world, including residue and waste from the nuclear industry, both electric power and weapon production, medical procedures like x-rays and CT scans, and even air travel. For every two men who develop cancer through exposure to ionizing radiation, three women will get the disease.

With Mary we talk about how radiation impacts girls and women, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima Nagasaki which led her to this work, impacts of her research, and what she hopes to see for girls and women concerning radiation for the future.

Contact and connect with Mary: gender.radiation@gmail.com

Mary’s work: https://www.nirs.org/mary-olson-nirs-medical-consequences-using-nuclear-weapons-radiation-risks-women-girls/

Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS): https://www.nirs.org/

Gender + Radiation Impact Project: https://www.genderandradiation.org/

UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Hiroshima Nagasaki 75: https://www.hiroshimanagasaki75.org/

Reference Man: https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2010125

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Laura Asherman is the Founder of Forage Films LLC and Director of the film Power Lines.

The 30 min documentary follows the construction of an additional two new units at the Plant Vogtle Nuclear Power Plants, which at the time of the documentary was five years behind schedule and more than $13 billion over original cost estimates. These overages directly affect ratepayers across Georgia, who are financing the construction through a fee on their monthly power bills, a process fraught with mismanagement and lacking in transparency. These ratepayer payments significantly enrich Georgia Power's yearly profits, giving them little incentive to ensure the project's timely completion. The film includes interviews with BREDL's Charles Utley and members of our chapter Concerned Citizens of Shell Bluff.

With Laura we discuss her filmmaking process, the issues concerning Plant Vogtle, actions the community is taking, what she learned from the whole process, and new projects she’s working on. There will be excerpts from the film as I talk with Laura.

Contact and connect with Laura: laura@foragefilms.com

Watch the FULL film: https://vimeo.com/300226940

Learn more about Plant Vogtle: http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/Vogtle.htm

http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/200511_BREDL_Petition_to_Intervene_Vogtle_3.htm

https://www.powermag.com/vogtle-project-highly-unlikely-to-meet-deadlines/

AP1000: https://www.powermag.com/now-two-ap1000-reactors-in-commercial-operation-vogtle-makes-progress-too/

Plant Vogtle sinking into the ground: http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/Vogtle.htm

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Kathy Andrews is an advocate, real estate agent, and property owner. She and others are fighting Dominion Energy, a private company, who wants to build a huge pipeline through her and her neighbor’s land. Some of the land Dominion wants to go through is heirs property, the land of working class residents, and rural property bordering the Great Pee Dee River in Florence County- Pamplico, South Carolina. Dominion has representatives offering property owners as low as $345 dollars while paying county officials $10,000.00.  If built, it will devalue  property owners' land, increase health concerns, raise their utility bills, and overall will have no benefit for residents.

Dominion Energy claims to provide affordable, safe, and clean energy, but has a history of predatory rate hikes, accidents, environmental disasters, and insistence on investing in dirty fossil fuels like coal and gas. This proposed pipeline we talk about is not formally a part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, ACP, which is Dominion Energy’s huge project; they have many smaller projects in several states, including the one we talk about here in SC.

Compressor stations are necessary for pipelines and they are above-ground facilities that are typically located every 50 to 100 miles along natural gas transmission pipelines.

With Kathy we talk about why Dominion Energy wants to build the pipeline, the pressure Dominion is putting on landowners, the negative effects of the pipeline, and how she is showing and educating her neighbors that they have rights and don’t have to sign their land away.

Contact and connect with Kathy: thegreatpeedeefarm@gmail.com FB @KathyAndrews Twitter @KathyAndrews

Petition to Stop The Pipeline: https://www.change.org/p/blue-ridge-environmental-defense-league-tell-dominion-no-to-a-pipeline-in-pamplico-sc

Dominion Energy and Sierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/virginia/dominion

https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2019/05/dominion-s-energy-plan-focuses-too-heavily-fossil-fuels

Compressor Stations: https://extension.psu.edu/understanding-natural-gas-compressor-stations

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Kevin Kamps is the Radioactive Waste Specialist with Beyond Nuclear. He specializes in high-level waste management and transportation; new and existing reactors; decommissioning; Congress watch; climate change; and federal subsidies. Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future.

We talk about all things nuclear: how it can’t solve the climate crisis, how likely it is that another accident will happen, breaking down some nuclear jargon and terms, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and how Kevin got into anti-nuclear himself.

Contact and connect with Kevin: kevin@beyondnuclear.org

Beyond Nuclear: http://www.beyondnuclear.org

Institute for Energy and Environmental Research: https://ieer.org/

Insurmountable Risks Book: https://www.amazon.com/Insurmountable-Risks-Dangers-Nuclear-Climate/dp/1571431624

Consolidated Interim Storage Facilities (CISF): https://www.nirs.org/campaigns/dont-waste-america/cis/ https://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/consolidated.cfm

Decommissioning: https://www.nei.org/resources/fact-sheets/decommissioning-nuclear-power-plants

Deep Isolation: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/01/31/can-we-drill-a-hole-deep-enough-for-our-nuclear-waste/#960b74a68a7b

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Dr. Andrew George, is a Community Engagement Scientist and professor at UNC Chapel Hill, his professional focus is community engagement in environmental problem-solving, democratic decision-making, environmental justice, and well-water resources.

Citizen Science (CS), also known as "crowdsourcing" or "crowd-sourced science," is the growing practice of public involvement in the gathering, analyzing, or sorting of scientific data for research purposes. Formally, citizen science refers to "the general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources"

With Dr. Andrew George, we discuss his citizen science approach to well water testing in North Carolina, the two BREDL chapters that are engaging in this testing, the difference between well water and utility water, the contaminants they’re finding, and how he’s engaging his UNC students in this research.

Contact and connect with Dr. Andrew George: andrewg@unc.edu 

Articles on Dr. Andrew George’s work: https://ie.unc.edu/2018/11/26/unc-scientists-partner-with-virginia-tech-on-national-science-foundation-rapid-grant-to-study-well-contamination-in-aftermath-of-hurricane-florence/

Citizen-Science Approach: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/citizen-science https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670719317020

Well Water in NC: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oee/wellwater/figures.html https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2017/07/24/making-nc-well-water-safer/

Environmental Justice Communities: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-your-community https://www.foresightdesign.org/blog/2017/7/19/xcd8aq95i73fy933hw4ppjappv346t

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Don Shafer is with the Tennessee Environmental Council and resident SMR expert.

SMR or SMNR stand for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors,they are nuclear fission reactors that are slated to be built at a smaller size but in larger numbers than most of the world’s current nuclear fleet. “small” because they generate a maximum of about 30 percent as much power as typical current reactors, and “modular” because they can be assembled in factories and shipped to power plant sites. These are only proposed reactors right now and the nuclear industry ‘claims’ that they are the way of the future.

With Don, we discuss the problems and argue the claims of SMR’s including the economical implications, environmental and public health impacts, and where they are a potential threat. We also talk about how nuclear energy should not be classified as ‘clean’ energy and ultimately that SMR’s and nuclear gets in the way of funding and progressing renewable energy.

Contact and connect with Don: https://www.tectn.org/ or http://www.bredl.org/

Learn more about the nuclear industry: http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/index.htm, https://www.nirs.org/, http://www.beyondnuclear.org/,https://www.fairewinds.org/

SMR resources: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/small-modular-reactors

http://www.beyondnuclear.org/the-nuclear-retreat/2015/1/20/small-modular-reactors-may-never-be-viable.html

Idaho and UAMPS: https://www.powermag.com/the-quest-for-next-generation-nuclear-fuels/

TVA and SMR news: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/story/2020/apr/07/tva-work-university-tennessee-small-nuclear-units-oak-ridge/520087/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Debbie Hall, Donna Strickland, and Keely Wood, they are all members of EnvironmentaLEE or ELEE for short which is a chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. ELEE is dedicated to preventing fracking and to protecting the environment and educating the public about environmental issues where they live in Lee County, NC.

Mineral rights which are property rights to exploit an area for the minerals it harbors. Mineral rights can be separate from property ownership. Mineral rights can refer to sedentary minerals that do not move below the Earth's surface or fluid minerals such as oil or natural gas.

We start talking with Debbie to discuss background and history with the ELEE chapter and how they got started, then Keely explains the issues that they are facing now, and we finish with Donna telling us the fundraising methods and events they’ve hosted and how people can support in their efforts.

Contact and connect with Debbie, Donna, or Keely: debhall@windstream.net, dlsart@windstream.net, and keely@bionaturae.com, or elee_directors@environmentalee.org

EnvironmentaLEE chapter: https://www.environmentalee.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentaLEE/

Fracking: https://www.environmentalee.org/fracking-info

Coal ash: https://www.environmentalee.org/coalash-dump-info-2

Fundraising events: https://www.environmentalee.org/fundraiser

Mineral Rights: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mineral-rights.asp

BHARAT Forge: https://www.bharatforge.com/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Jamie Satterfield is an investigative journalist specializing in law and crime with the Knoxville News Sentinel. She’s been a journalist for 28 years and has been crucial in exposing the truth with everything involving the Kingston Coal Ash Spill.

The Kingston Coal Ash spill, it is the worst coal ash disaster in U.S. history. In 2008, a levee ruptured at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Coal Power Plant releasing 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash smothering some 300 acres and spilling into two rivers. With the clean up more than 40 workers have died and more than 250 are still sick or dying. Jacob’s Engineering, who is the contractor for this coal plant and was in charge of the clean up are being sued by the workers.

With Jamie, we talk about the background on this coal spill, what the clean up processes has been like, ways to properly store coal ash, now over 10 years later what is happening to the workers who are seeking justice, and then what you can do to support the workers.

Contact and connect with Jamie: jamie.satterfield@knoxnews.com or Twitter: @jamiescoop

Read some of Jamie’s articles on Kingston Coal Ash: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2019/02/05/kingston-coal-ash-spill-timeline-lawsuit/2767409002/

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/11/07/verdict-reached-favor-sickened-workers-coal-ash-cleanup-lawsuit/1917514002/

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/tvacoalash/2019/10/01/kingston-coal-ash-disaster-workers-fight-keep-coal-ash-safety-rules/2435579001/

RECENT NEWS: TN Regulators deleted and altered radiological tests and Duke Study on Coal Ash: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/05/17/duke-testing-shows-kingston-coal-ash-uranium-triple-report-levels/5209169002/

https://www.knoxnews.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.knoxnews.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftennessee%2Ftvacoalash%2F2020%2F05%2F15%2Ftennessee-regulators-deleted-and-altered-radiological-tests-kingston-coal-ash-spill%2F4928047002%2F

Keep up to date with Jamie and her personal efforts: Twitter: @jamiescoop

Audio clips at beginning of the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGAvO91fDe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j21U6gTjEZc&t=25s

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Sharon Ponton is the Stop the Pipelines Campaign Coordinator with us at BREDL and then George Jones is a student at Paine College studying History and is an intern with BREDL.

Heird Properties are when, deeds were written where entire families, including children, owned properties and then the owner(s) died without a will, therefore, hundreds of their descendants today could own the property in common...meaning no one person has the ability to make decisions regarding the property. This puts all of the owners-in-common at risk of abuse by the industry which wants to condemn the property.

I start by talking with Sharon about her work and courthouse research of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline easement documents recorded in Buckingham County, VA which led them to the heired properties. We also discuss the significance of heird properties and injustices which have led to these them. Then I speak with George about his personal experience learning that he owned heired property and getting to talk with his relatives in Georgia this past summer and also on getting his peers at Paine College involved and aware of heird property

Contact and connect with Sharon and George: ponton913@msn.com and georgejones3rd@icloud.com

Learn more about Heired Properties: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/state_local_government/publications/state_local_law_news/2016-17/fall/restoring_hope_heirs_property_owners_uniform_partition_heirs_property_act/

https://www.thebalance.com/what-does-heir-at-law-mean-3505555

Heired Properties and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline: https://friendsofnelson.com/bredl-releases-report-on-union-hill/

http://www.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/200407_ACP_Invasion_during_Pandemic.htm

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article185036078.html

Heired Property information in Georgia: https://www.gaheirsproperty.org/heirs-property

http://digital.ipcprintservices.com/article/A_Primer_on_Heirs_Property_and_Georgia%E2%80%99s_New_Uniform_Partition_of_Heirs_Property_Act%3A_Protecting_Owners_of_Heirs_Property/1528545/178482/article.html

Keep up to date with what’s happening at BREDL: http://www.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/index.htm

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

David Lamfrom is the Southeast Regional Director of the National Parks Conservation Association, he uses his passion and knowledge of our natural, cultural and historical resources to inspire others to learn about and protect our national parks.

We talk about some of the various campaigns he’s worked on and now is overseeing in the Southeast, bedrock environmental laws, inclusion and diversity within the environmental community, the historical significance of the southeast region, working with legislation to help protect and preserve 3 National Monuments, and the significance of having places being marked as National Monuments.

Contact and connect with David: dlamfrom@npca.org or npca.org

Endangered Species Act: https://www.fws.gov/endangered/laws-policies/

https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/the-us-endangered-species-act

Antiquities Act: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/legal/american-antiquities-act-of-1906.htm

Bedrock Environmental Laws: https://support.nature.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=204

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/09/794857523/trump-administration-proposes-major-changes-to-bedrock-environmental-law

Mojave Trails National Preserve: https://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm

https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/california/mojave-trails-national-monument

Sand to Snow National Monument: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/sand-to-snow-national-monument

Castle Mountains National Monument: https://www.nps.gov/camo/index.htm

Bears Ears National Monument: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/bears-ears-national-monument

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/bears-ears/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Garry Morgan is one of the founding members of Bellefonte Efficiency & Sustainability Team or BEST for short and local expert of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). We talk about the background and structure of the TVA, who provide electricity for 10 million people in parts of 7 southeastern states. We discuss TVA’s relationship with nuclear and then specifically their Bellefonte Nuclear Plant located in Hollywood, AL. It has been named the “Zombie Nuclear Power Plant” because it keeps coming back to life. TVA built this 5 billion dollar nuclear plant, realized economics wouldn't work out, stopped construction, sold parts, and now a couple years later is trying to sell it to Franklin Haney of Nuclear Development LLC who wants to run it as a functioning nuclear plant. We talk about what the BEST chapter did and is still doing to fight against this and what can be done with the plant now.

Contact and connect with Garry: gmorg1@gmail.com

Learn more about the BEST chapter: http://www.matrr.org/

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): https://www.tva.gov/

Bellefonte Nuclear Plant: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/bellefonte-constr-permits.html

https://whnt.com/news/northeast-alabama/nuclear-regulatory-commission-considering-construction-permits-for-bellefonte-nuclear-plant/

Articles on the Zombie Bellefonte Nuclear Plant: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2019/dec/03/nrc-considers-license-transfer-new-owner-fini/509729/

https://www.al.com/news/2019/11/nuclear-development-still-pursuing-plan-to-buy-bellefonte.html

Learn more about what’s happening with Bellefonte:

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2019/dec/03/nrc-considers-license-transfer-new-owner-fini/509729/

https://www.al.com/news/2019/11/nuclear-development-still-pursuing-plan-to-buy-bellefonte.html

https://www.powermag.com/judge-tva-deal-for-bellefonte-nuclear-plant-stays-in-place/

Stay up to date on what happens with Bellefonte: BREDL.org 

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Gustavo Andrade is the Organizing Director with Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ). He is a community organizer, trainer, strategist and advocate for full rights for all people. And previously, Gusatvo worked as a labor organizer with UNITE HERE! and the Change To Win coalition, leading successful campaigns in Northern Virginia, Los Angeles and Toronto. 

We discuss why community organizing exists, the power analysis when starting a campaign, some of his successes in community organizing, how when we come together in community we are more powerful, and then what organizing looks like amidst COVID-19.

Contact or connect with Gustavo: gandrade@chej.org or chej.org

Community Organizing: https://www.racialequitytools.org/act/strategies/community-organizing

http://www.bredl.org/about.htm

Power Analysis: https://ace-ej.org/power_analysis_exercise

http://systems.geofunders.org/systems-resources/power-analysis

Tips for Campaigns: https://callhub.io/community-organizing-strategies-for-community-organizers/

https://www.alternet.org/2010/03/20_principles_for_successful_community_organizing/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

David Nimer is a Masters student at Duke University studying Environmental Economic Policy and was the Pipeline and Finance Researcher intern with us at BREDL. He is researching the regulations surrounding how pipelines are approved and specifically regarding how rates of return on equity (ROE) are guaranteed to pipeline developers. We discuss David’s research,  how economics of pipelines play in the favor of investors, who actually pays for the pipelines, if there is a need for new pipelines, building a data set on gas flows and electricty prices, and then what we can do with all this research.

Contact and connect with David: david.nimer@duke.edu

Pipeline Risks: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/amy-mall/pipeline-incident-statistics-reveal-significant-dangers

https://www.watershedcouncil.org/pipeline-risks.html

Rate of equity: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/returnonequity.asp

Certificate for Public Need and Necessity: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/720a

Mountain Valley Pipeline: http://appvoices.org/fracking/mountain-valley-pipeline/

Atlantic Coast Pipeline:https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/whose-land-atlantic-coast-pipeline-appalachian-trail-supreme-court-dominion-energy-duke-energy

 http://appvoices.org/fracking/atlantic-coast-pipeline/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

In this episode I talk with Ian Zabarte who is the Principle Man of the Western Bands of the Shoshone Nation of Indians and works with the Native Community Action Council. He lives in Las Vegas, NV and has worked on nuclear issues for 30+ years. We specifically talk about Yucca Mountain so before we go further I wanted to give you some background information, the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository is a proposed deep geological repository storage facility within Yucca Mountain to store spent nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste. The project was approved in 2002 by the 107th United States Congress, but federal funding for the site ended in 2011. With no federal funding it’s up to the NRC and DOE but there has not been a final decision on the repository license application. The project has encountered many difficulties and was highly contested by the Western Shoshone peoples and non-local public. As of 2019 the status of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain remains uncertain. We discuss the significant impacts Yucca Mountain has for the Shoshone people, the significance of land and water for Indiginious people, what a nuclear waste repository is, the relationship between tribal governments and the federal government, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), and then what you can do to take action.

Contact and connect with Ian: mrizabarte@gmail.com

Learn more about the Native Community Action Council: http://www.nativecommunityactioncouncil.org/index.html

Treaty of Ruby Valley: https://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/shoshone/ruby_valley.html

Yucca Mountain Resources: https://www.yuccamountain.org/ http://www.nativecommunityactioncouncil.org/Defend-Yucca-Mountain.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/03/yucca-mountain-congress-works-revive-dormant-nuclear-waste-dump/664153002/

https://www.nirs.org/radioactive-waste/hlw/

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act: https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/947/text

HOLTEC: https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/06/07/halting-holtec-a-challenge-for-nuclear-safety-advocates/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode I have a conversation with Lisa Sorg who is an Environmental Reporter for N.C. Policy Watch. She covers environmental issues, including social justice, pollution, climate change and energy policy. Lisa has been a journalist for 22 years, working at magazines, daily newspapers, digital media outlets and alternative newsweeklies. We talk about her experience as an environmental reporter, her process for investigating environmental issues, push back from industries, as well as issues she’s covered such as SuperFund Sites, 1,4 Dioxane, PFAS and landfill leachate. We talk about the ups and downs of her job and ultimately why she finds her work so fulfilling.

Contact and connect with Lisa: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com or lisa@ncpolicywatch.com or https://twitter.com/lisasorg

Read Lisa’s stories here: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/author/lisa-sorg/

Lisa’s 1,4 Dioxane / PFAS article: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2019/11/18/selc-plans-to-sue-burlington-over-pfas-14-dioxane-pollution-in-drinking-water-sludge/

http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2019/08/05/monday-numbers-376/

Lisa’s SuperFund Site articles: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2020/02/21/a-superfund-cleanup-in-jacksonville-failed-without-federal-funding-for-a-fix-contamination-is-spreading/

http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2016/08/25/in-columbus-county-mercury-pcbs-and-a-long-overdue-superfund-cleanup-point-to-a-larger-problem-accountability/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode I talk with Al and Debbie who are co-chairs of Northampton County Citizens Against Coal Ash Chapter. We start by talking about the current coal ash dumps and their effects in their rural community and then how they fought a proposed 850+ acre coal ash dump from coming in by an investor called Vista Green. We talk about the dangers of coal ash, the significance of county-wide zoning, educating the public about coal and dirty jobs, water testing, and how they are now staying active as a chapter to fight any future problem that may arise in their county.

Contact and connect with Debbie and Al: chemdeb@embarqmail.com or aw6kwas@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/Northampton-County-Citizens-Against-Coal-Ash-1630601693623955/

Articles on Northampton County Coal Ash: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2018/08/10/local-officials-residents-deal-setback-to-proposed-coal-ash-storage-site-in-northampton-county/

https://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/2017/03/13/coal-ash-sites-are-no-stranger-to-nhampton/

Dangers of coal ash: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/us/coal-ash-spill-dam-breach.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-danger-of-coal-ash-the-toxic-dust-the-fossil-fuel-leaves-behind

https://www.epa.gov/coalash/coal-ash-basics

Kingston Coal Ash Spill: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash/

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/hundreds-workers-who-cleaned-countrys-worst-coal-ash-spill-are-now-sick-and-dying

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2019/02/05/kingston-coal-ash-spill-timeline-lawsuit/2767409002/

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode I talk with Ralph Hutchinson who is the coordinator of The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. OREPA is committed to nonviolence and believes in using every tool in the toolbox. Their main focus is stopping nuclear weapons production at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and protecting the environment threatened by legacy and ongoing activities at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reservation. We discuss background on Y12 and Oak Ridge, the dangers of nuclear weapons productions, the environmental impacts of the nuclear weapon chain, how we are in a new nuclear arms race, getting to the base of why these nuclear weapons are being invested in and made, and then what you can do to get involved.

Contact and connect with Ralph:  orep@earthlink.net or https://orepa.org/

Register or learn more about Stop The New Nuclear Arms Race event: https://orepa.org/stop-the-new-nuclear-arms-race-registration-open/

President Trump’s 2020 Budget for Uranium Processing Facilities: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/budget

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/us/politics/trump-budget-nuclear-missiles.html

Universities who are investing or engaging in nuclear weapons: https://www.icanw.org/us_universities_are_complicit_in_nuclear_weapons_production_new_ican_report_reveals

Articles on the dangers of Nuclear Weapons: https://futureoflife.org/background/the-risk-of-nuclear-weapons/?cn-reloaded=1

https://www.nap.edu/read/11282/chapter/8#77

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode I talk with Greg Barnes, who is an investigative journalist with NC Health News. Greg has been instrumental in exposing problems with regulating PFAS and 1,4 dioxane. He breaks down the importance / dangers of PFAS, and how industries have been using them since the 40's but there are now increasingly high levels in North Carolina water systems causing adverse health effects. We also talk about another chemical 1,4 dioxane and how that is also showing up in the water. These chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. We discuss ways we can protect ourselves and hold industries accountable for these chemicals.

EPA PFAS definition: PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and an estimated 5,000 types of PFAS. PFAS can be found in everything from Teflon pans to raincoats to food packaging and dental floss just to name a few.

How to contact and connect with Greg: gregbarnes401@gmail.com or northcarolinahealthnews.org

Read all of Greg’s stories here: https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/author/gregbarnes/

https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2020/02/03/new-deq-data-show-high-levels-of-pfas-in-cape-fear-river-basin/

EPA PFAS page: https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas

Check out your State’s PFAS levels: https://www.epa.gov/pfas/us-state-resources-about-pfas

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/anna-reade/epa-yet-again-fails-set-health-protective-levels-pfas

Reverse osmosis Filtration systems: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Kitchen-Water-Filters-Water-Filtration-Systems-Reverse-Osmosis-Systems/N-5yc1vZcdb1

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode I have a conversation with Cherie and Tom who are founding members of the Rabun Gap Chapter in Rabun Gap, GA. We discuss the multitude of environmental justice issues that are happening in the Appalachian community. The main issue we discuss is Rabun Apparel which is a textile mill containing heavy contamination. We also talk about a biomass plant and improper agricultural practices along with the textile mill that are causing terrible health and environmental effects such as dirty drinking water, chemical and river pollution, cancer clusters, and more. We look into what strategies they are taking and how they are pivoting and expanding their mission across multiple states in the Southeast that are also being affected. 

How to contact and connect with Rabun Gap Chapter:

Cherie’s contact information: csfaircloth29@gmail.com, 706.490.2108

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Rabun-Gap-Chapter-Of-The-Blue-Ridge-Environmental-Defense-League-110988260281858/

Press releases on Rabun Gap’s work: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1fY-AL4ol-ZnfnwRSwz8jcYh6qO6yAnwB

2018 Monitoring Report: 

Environmental News:

CNBC article about JPMorgan ending loans/funding to coal: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/25/jpmorgan-says-it-will-fund-200-billion-in-sustainable-deals-this-year.html?fbclid=IwAR2x2KhufaUVKQ0Yr5x1_AVhMy1KzSbv4Kn1n35ZzGnWb4GU4rS2iKeM26w

Always check out what’s happening with BREDL at BREDL.org

Background music credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode I have a conversation with Elizabeth O’Nan, chair of Chapel Hill Organization for Clean Energy (CHOCE). We talk about The University of North Carolina’s reliance on coal as an energy source, what ‘clean’ energy means, how CHOCE is taking action, and what sets CHOCE apart from other organizations fighting this coal plant.

Links to all the articles we referenced:   https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2020/01/coal-lawsuit-0107

https://youtu.be/hqD_qdoPFy8

https://www.ecowatch.com/air-pollution-cardiac-arrests-2644941669.html?fbclid=IwAR3d4xIFvhMUYlVKksPocBj9iuUaj9IjGvwIlL5kV_0KufNlqEPEZB3JtCM

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/health/air-pollution-heart-disease-study/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2dsOAfBiNS3qarGPcNjH1JQQETV1SCOtvR1Cyvy8vBUpc2sS0WJlcMeDg

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsroom/releases/2019/december18/index.cfm?fbclid=IwAR2erjqSBJhAS3t1jem_aI-ssLFR62bE8q820VcC7EG6g01qVLQM2FdzGqo

To contact the CHOCE chapter: chocenc@gmail.com or 828.655.0376

CHOCE FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHOCE/

Always check out what’s happening with BREDL at BREDL.org

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

This episode will explain what Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) does and how we operate as an organization. For more information and see if there is a chapter near you check out BREDL.org 

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music

Welcome to In Our Backyard Podcast this is Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's new podcast where we will be discussing environmental concerns and topics that are right in our backyards.  I’ll dive deep into these environmental issues that communities all over the Southeast and nationally are fighting such as coal plants, pipelines, nuclear waste, fracking and more. I’ll be bringing you interviews from experts / activists / and people on the ground who are fighting for both the health and safety of their community and protection of the planet. I’ll also be updating you on national environmental topics as they come up and discuss what we can do to engage and hold others accountable. Tune in every Friday for a new episode wherever you listen to podcasts! 

Learn more about Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League at BREDL.org 

Background Music Credits:

https://www.youtube.com/c/mbbmusic

https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mbb_music