The Center for Effective Government released a new report and interactive map to coincide with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The report demonstrates that the struggle for social justice is far from over. Across the country people of color and the poor are disproportionately impacted by chemical facility hazards, and in many areas, the amount of inequality is profound.

EPA’s final rules establishing limits on carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing coal and oil-fired power plants were published on Oct. 23 in the Federal Register. The rules become effective as of December 22, 2015. The Clean Power Plant rules are the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to address climate change by reducing carbon dioxide from power plants, the nation’s largest source of carbon dioxide pollution.

Before leaving for Congress' traditional August recess, Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee rammed through a bill that would make it harder to protect our lakes, rivers, and streams from pesticide pollution. The committee passed the bill without holding a single public hearing on the issue.

In a decision that will slow the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) to require effective clean air standards, the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked implementation of requirements that limit mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants. The decision may also open the door for industry to challenge and delay other important public protections.