Jun 9, 2022 | DSCEJ General News, Press Releases, Research and Policy News, The Latest News
NEW ORLEANS – Today, the New Orleans City Council passed Resolution NO. R-22-219 after passing through the committee unanimously. Brought forward by Councilmember Helena Moreno, this resolution urges the prohibition of underground storage of carbon dioxide and facilities for this purpose.
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) commends the city’s leaders for taking action to protect Louisiana and New Orleans from the risks of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and related technology.
The DSCEJ has been pushing local and federal leaders to consider the potential consequences of CCS on Black communities around the Gulf Coast who have dealt with the consequences of the oil and gas industry’s careless pollution on their health and livelihood for decades.
“I am proud of New Orleans for being a trailblazer in policies that protect local communities from CCS technologies,” said Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice.
“As I said when Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited recently, supporting CCS will encourage the growth of fossil fuel industries and continue the injustice of putting profits over communities of color. Instead, we need to develop and implement an energy plan for Louisiana that cleans our air and powers our homes and vehicles while prioritizing equitable investments in communities and investing in people to get the necessary training for clean energy jobs of the future. We encourage other local municipalities around the country to follow New Orleans’ lead to prohibit CCS technology.”
There is evidence that shows that carbon capture could lead to significant environmental, health, and safety risks, including:
- Unregulated collection of carbon dioxide at industrial facilities, which can mix in other toxic chemicals;
- New pipelines to transport corrosive carbon streams that will cause leaks over time; and
- Underground disposal, can break down wells, move through abandoned wells, contaminate groundwater, and potentially cause earthquakes.
As the federal government considers a massive investment into carbon capture and storage, DSCEJ calls on Congress to fund an impact analysis on carbon capture and storage to be conducted by EPA, DOE, and other relevant agencies.
Contact:
Ginger LeBlanc
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
gingerl@dscej.org
(504) 298-9878
May 25, 2022 | Dr. Beverly Wright News, DSCEJ General News, Research and Policy News, The Latest News
Energy Secretary Encourages Community Participation in Equitable Energy Investments
May 25, 2022
NEW ORLEANS – The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and the Alliance for Affordable Energy sent a letter urging Governor Edwards to establish an energy plan to make Louisiana competitive for the billions of dollars available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law administered by the Department of Energy. Their letter follows a historic meeting in New Orleans in which the US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm met with community, environmental justice, and energy consumer advocates yesterday. She encouraged them to participate in decisions on equitable energy investments. Currently, the DOE reports that $62 billion in funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are now available for energy projects.
Inaction on an energy plan for Louisiana limits opportunities to fund projects that can save lives during power outages by innovating the electric grid, as well as support the transition to an equitable renewable energy economy.
In their letter, the groups urge Governor Edwards to develop a state energy plan with public participation and focus on communities who are harmed by oil and gas industries, have yet to recover from past hurricanes, struggle to pay electric and gas bills, and are disconnected from efficient and renewable energy.
The text of the letter follows.
Dear Governor Edwards:
We respectfully urge you to take action on establishing an energy plan for Louisiana. As you know, without this plan, Louisiana is less competitive for the billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that are awarded by the US Department of Energy. We recommend a plan that prioritizes investments in Louisiana communities harmed by oil and gas industries and a transition to an equitable and renewable energy economy that creates opportunities for workers.
Louisiana residents have been failed by a poorly maintained energy grid with extended power outages that have resulted in deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning and excessive heat. Fenceline communities are exposed to toxic air from oil refineries, gas production facilities, abandoned wells, and oil waste disposal. Families struggle to pay electric and gas bills with soaring fuel charges. Many homes in Louisiana are in need of weatherization to use energy efficiently. The climate crisis we face is fueled by energy we must transition away from in order to sustain our future. After decades of denying climate change, the oil and gas industry is seeking to expand in the state with unproven and highly risky technology called carbon capture and storage. We need an energy plan for Louisiana that provides real solutions.
Solar power with battery storage, wind energy, and energy efficiency can clean our air, keep the power on, create new jobs for Louisiana, and help us to meet the climate goal. A plan focused on strategies for achieving these solutions is urgently needed to improve our environment and economy.
We offer our support to assist your office in developing an energy plan that is centered on equity. We strongly recommend meaningful and effective engagement with communities across the state to provide input in developing this plan.
We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and your staff to get to work on an equitable energy plan for Louisiana.
Sincerely,
Beverly Wright, Executive Director
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
www.dscej.org
Logan Burke, Executive Director
Alliance for Affordable Energy
www.all4energy.org
Contact:
Logan Burke
Alliance for Affordable Energy
logan@all4energy.org
646-942-7149
Ginger LeBlanc
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
gingerl@dscej.org
(504) 298-9878
May 23, 2022 | Dr. Beverly Wright News, DSCEJ General News, Research and Policy News, The Latest News
US DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm Travels to Louisiana
Today, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) will be among leaders of nonprofit organizations to meet in New Orleans with Secretary Jennifer Granholm, US Department of Energy. This will be the first time for a cabinet official to meet with community, environmental justice, and energy consumer advocates to talk about energy policy and investment in Louisiana.
Dr. Beverly Wright, Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: “I’m looking forward to discussing with Secretary Granholm how local communities are driving policies to transition to an equitable and renewable energy economy in New Orleans that need her support. I would like her to understand that doling out taxpayer dollars for the climate scam of carbon capture and storage would only encourage coal, oil, and gas industries to grow and continue the injustice of sacrificing Black and other communities to these hazardous industries. We need an energy plan for Louisiana that cleans our air and prioritizes equitable investments in communities to efficiently power homes and vehicles with renewable energy, as well as invest in people to get the necessary training for these jobs.”
Apr 6, 2022 | DSCEJ General News, Research and Policy News, Take Action Alert, The Latest News
City Council to Vote on Ethics Ban on Campaign Contributions
On THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2022, join us at City Hall or online to support an ethics ban on campaign contributions from companies regulated or contracted by the City Council. Last week, the Council Utility Committee voted in favor of this ban after hearing from people across the city. Don’t miss your opportunity to be heard on this important issue.
Make your voice heard. Attend the meeting. Call, email or tweet your Councilmembers. Ask everyone you know in New Orleans to do the same.
WHAT DOES THE PROPOSED ETHICS LAW PROHIBIT?
“No Councilmember or candidate seeking the office of Councilmember shall accept or otherwise receive a campaign contribution or any other financial benefit of any value from:
Any entity that provides an electric or gas utility, cable, telecommunications or technology service regulated by the City Council;
Any political action committee, director or executive staff person of a corporation or entity regulated by the City Council;
Any person, firm or entity with a professional service contract awarded by the City Council; or
Any person, firm or entity with a professional service contract awarded by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board.”
Click HERE to view the full text.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Attend the City Council meeting and make a comment in support of the proposed ethics law. The meeting starts at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 7, 2022 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street.
Submit a comment on the Council website. Be sure to send your comment no later than 8:00AM, Thursday, April 7 so that it can be read at the meeting. Select agenda item “Regular 10. Cal. No. 33,367 – By: Councilmember Moreno.” To submit your comment to the Council Utility Committee, click here.
BACKGROUND:
The Greater New Orleans Interfaith Climate Coalition and its partner organizations proposed an ordinance, a local law, to strengthen the City of New Orleans Code of Ethics to prohibit a campaign contribution or other financial benefit from a utility provider or other entity that is regulated or contracted by the New Orleans City Council.
The passage of this ordinance is a necessary safeguard against the potential for undue influence on energy costs, climate policies, and other important issues handled by the Council that impact the daily lives of all New Orleanians.
The Ethics Review Board unanimously voted in favor of the proposed ethics law. The Council Utility Committee also voted in favor after hearing from people across this city who support this law. Councilmember Helena Moreno is sponsoring it, and was recently joined by Councilmembers J.P. Morrell (At-Large), Joe Giarrusso (District A), and Freddie King (District C), as co-sponsors.
GNOICC proposed the ban on campaign contributions from companies regulated or contracted by the City Council, which was approved by the Ethics Review Board in August 2021. Councilmember Helena Moreno introduced the legislation in February that was voted on today by the Utility, Cable, Telecommunications, and Technology Committee of the City Council.
Mar 10, 2022 | Community Engagement News, DSCEJ General News, Research and Policy News, The Latest News
MISSED THE WEBINAR?
Oil and gas companies are targeting Louisiana for the underground disposal of millions of tons of industrial carbon waste.
In this webinar, legal experts pull back the cover of so-called “carbon capture and storage” to present the wide range of safety, health and environmental risks for Louisiana communities. They share their insights on relevant laws and policies, and discuss the actions people can take.
LEARN MORE
Mar 26, 2018 | DSCEJ General News, Research and Policy News, Take Action Alert, The Latest News
While the vote is out of Nguyen’s hands, she says it’s not too late to take concerns to the president of Entergy in New Orleans.
Allowing Entergy to rebuild a plant in a place without doing health disparity studies or anything, just because it was there before makes absolutely no sense,” Beverly Wright said.
The debate over allowing Entergy to build a new gas fire power plant in New Orleans East is not over for some like Wright. As a resident in the East and director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, she questions why the vote for a new plant was not delayed until new incoming City Council members were sworn in.
Click here for more information.
