Breaking News: The Supreme Court dismantles of half a century of health, environmental, and climate justice advocacy.

Repost from Green New Deal Network

Today, the Supreme Court’s far-right conservative majority has ruled in favor of corporate interests like the Koch brothers, and will be moving to limit the powers of the Clean Air Act, dismantling half a century of health, environmental and climate justice advocacy.

The ruling on West Virginia vs EPA constitutes yet another blow as part of a coordinated attack on the health of Black, brown and low-income communities by the U.S. judicial branch,  greedy corporations and billionaires, religious extremists, and white surpremacists.

But it does not impact Congress’ and Biden’s power to act on urgent priorities for our communities.

Read more to learn about how you can take action!

​Take Action:

• ​Petition for Executive Action: Sign on to a list of executive actions that Biden must take right away to stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure and declare climate change a national emergency.
• Call Congress Tool: Call your senators NOW to express outrage at this decision and at the GOP for stacking the Supreme Court with judges who would rather protect the fossil fuel industry than our communities.

Find an Event Near you

TODAY: 4p ET 
GNDN VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE
Green New Deal Network, key members of Congress, partner organizations and more respond to the Supreme Court to demand climate justice in wake of WV v. EPA decision. 
🔗 WATCH HERE


TODAY: 4p ET 
Climate Action Campaign DC MOBILIZATION
Climate Action Campaign hosts an “organic” activation event at the Supreme Court building along with Moms for Clean Air Force, Climate Reality Project, Sierra Club, Climate Action Network,  Physicians for Social Responsibility and more. 
🔗 EVENT DETAILS
🔗 IN STATE MOBILIZATION PLANS

TODAY: 6p ET 
#ShutDownDC TOUR OF SHAME
Shut Down D.C. together with local chapters of Arm in Arm 4 Climate and Extinction Rebellion lead tour of shame from #SCOTUS to other points of interest on Capitol Hill the evening of a decision. 
🔗 DETAILS
🔗 SHUTDOWN DC TWITTER
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Find an Event Near You

More on the Clean Air Act & the Ruling:
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For over 5 decades, the EPA and the Clean Air Act, have both been massively popular and have held bipartisan support. The Clean Air Act has been key in protecting the often black, brown, and low-income communities who live in the shadows of giant polluters against powerful utilities and the toxic fumes and exorbitant costs their fossil fuel plants drum up. 

The US Supreme Court has voted to sharply limit EPA’s power under the Clean Air Act of 1970, in another wave of disastrous far-right decisions supported by greedy corporations and billionaires like the Koch brothers, religious extremists, and white supremacists. This ruling gives unelected federal judges across the country unprecedented ability to strike down or limit environmental regulations. It strips power from the EPA, and makes it much harder for the agency to regulate fossil fuel power plants and their toxic emissions; blocking the EPA from doing what it was designed to do, protect the environment. 

Together, the Clean Air Act and the EPA have:

• Reduced national climate change causing emissions by 63% between 1980 and 2015.
• Lowered toxic air pollutants levels including lead, arsenic, particulate matter, NOX, and carbon monoxide.
• Repaired the ozone layer by reducing CFCs.
• Reversed the smog and acid rain crises of the 1980s and 1990s.
• Prevented 230,000 early deaths and averted 120,000 emergency room visits in 2020.
• Saved 5.4 million potential lost school days for students who otherwise would suffer debilitating respiratory illness in 2020.
• Created human health and other benefits that exceed the costs by a 30-1 ratio, with most of the economic benefits due to reduced premature mortality.

To be straightforward: this is a terrifying step back in our fight against the climate crisis, and now it will be up to President Biden and Congress to urgently pass executive orders and legislation. President Biden must urge the EPA to set the strongest possible standards to stop carbon pollution,  advance environmental justice and protect our health. President Biden must use his existing executive authority to stop approving fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency now. And Congress must meet this moment and use every power at their disposal to avoid a stalemate before the next election. We need action, and our window is smaller than ever. The GOP won’t stop with their extremism; not when they’ve spent over 50 years planning this court takeover with the help of greedy corporations, religious extremists, and white surpremacists.

Get the Full Rundown in this Fact Sheet