PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS FROM ACROSS ALABAMA Amplifying the voices of those working for change in Alabama by celebrating news, wins of all sizes, milestones, AND ways others could use support! Submit your news so we can celebrate you! - Alabama lost a legacy in the water protection movement this month. Dick Bronson passed away on June 10th. He was a founding member of Lake Watch of Lake Martin, which is one of the groups that helped start the Alabama Rivers Alliance. Dick was one of the first Alabama Water Watch monitors and he was also instrumental in the ADEM Reform Coalition that formed in 2002, which succeeded in, among other things, institutionalizing the opportunity for the public to speak at the Environmental Commission Meetings. He also worked with ADEM to create the Treasured Alabama Lakes designation with Lake Martin becoming the first lake to achieve this designation. Dick was awarded a River Hero award by ARA at our 10th Anniversary Celebration during Alabama Water Rally 2007. He had a profound impact on our waterways in Alabama and he will be greatly missed. Read other remembrances about Dick Bronson from Lake Watch of Lake Martin here.
- Join Coosa Riverkeeper at the EPA's public meetings and submit comments concerning their proposed plan for the OU-4 PCB remediation of Choccolocco Creek! The next public meeting will be in Oxford, AL on July 23, 2024. Find the proposed plan for Choccolocco Creek here and see the proposed plan fact sheet here. Comments are due by July 30th!
- Major recognition and congratulations to Nelson Brooke for 20 years of service to the mighty Black Warrior River as the Black Warrior Riverkeeper! Check out just a few of his wins and, of course, the iconic beard throughout the years here.
- Welcome to the movement, Heather Tucker! Heather was just announced as the new executive director of Wild Alabama, upon Maggie Johnston's retirement. Heather grew up and still lives near the Bankhead National Forest and she is a lifelong educator, learner, and lover of Alabama’s wild places. Read more about her here. Now, who wants to take the over / under on how long Maggie stays retired? ; )
- Alabama Water Watch hosted their 2024 Annual meeting at Kreher Preserve and Nature Center this past month. They recognized their volunteers and monitors of the year and gave program updates for the next year of watching Alabama's waters. See photos & award winners here.
- We're one year past the Allen v Milligan Supreme Court decision that forced Alabama to redraw congressional maps, and we're a few months out from the new 2nd District election. Read more about that case from AL.com here.
- Seeing impacts of a recent drought in your area? Help submit drought conditions to the Citizen Monitoring Observations and Reporting (CMOR) form being sponsored by AU Drought Reach and the AL State Climate Office. Learn more and see the form here.
- We Matter Community Association hosted the first-ever Alabama Gulf Coast Environmental Justice Summit in Mobile Alabama this June. Representatives from the White House, Department of Energy, US Department of Agriculture, EPA, and several powerful nonprofits were present to inspire attendees to pursue federal funding. Read more & get in the know for next year here.
- Check out the Southern Environmental Law Center's recent blog with updates on natural gas pipeline construction plans. These plans impact Alabama and will create a natural gas spiderweb across the Southeast.
- New Supreme Court ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo dealt a severe blow to the ability for federal agencies to make decisions and ended the 40-year-old "Chevron deference" precedent. Here are two takes on what this and other related decisions could mean for environmental law: Center for Progressive Reform & The Hill Opinion.
- ICYMI, good enough to mention twice: EPA announced their final decision to deny Alabama's application from ADEM to run a state coal ash permit program to manage coal ash landfills and impoundments, specifically noting coal ash cannot be closed in a way that allows contact with groundwater. Read press releases from EPA, SELC, and Mobile Baykeeper
This newsletter is created by a small team with limited resources, please use reply to this email or click below to submit newsletter items from your organization! | |
