Hi everyone,
It was incredible to see folks at our panel with the Concerned Citizens yesterday! Look out for reflections on the panel and on the Quarterly Meeting in upcoming newsletters. In today’s news, we wanted to share some big news around factory farming regulations, environmental protections, and Durham City Workers organizing from North Carolina and the US at large.
This week, Food & Water Watch filed an opening brief on behalf of the national advocacy group and 12 other organizations in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this week. The groups are seeking to expand and strengthen factory farm pollution regulation under the Clean Water Act, regulation that the industry has evaded for more than 50 years. This case fights the EPA’s denial of a 2017 petition for rulemaking to revise the agency’s failed regulations. This fight is especially important in light of the fact that factory farming is so large we might need a new name for it.
Governor Cooper recently signed Executive Order 305, which aims to preserve one million acres of wetlands and forests, restore an additional million acres, and plant one million urban trees by 2040. EO305 works to restore protection to the wetlands that was stripped away last year by our state legislature and the US Supreme Court. While this is a monumental decision, we need to work to hold Gov. Cooper and his legislation accountable to EO 305.
On that note, the Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council will hold its next meeting on March 26th, 2024, from 3:00 pm to 6 pm. The meeting location and agenda will be forthcoming on this page: https://governor.nc.gov/issues/environment/environmental-justice
Announcements will continue to be available on the Secretary of State’s public meeting calendar. https://www.sosnc.gov/online_services/calendar/Search
In Triangle organizing news, the Durham City Workers’ Union is still fighting for $25/hour wages! The City of Durham recently stated that the $19.65/hour (roughly $40,000/year) is a liveable wage for this city, ignoring the lived realities of many Durham workers. Show out on March 5th to help the Durham City Workers Union canvas all Durham city worker locations to engage them in the current union campaign! To support further, come out on Monday, March 18 at 6:30pm at City Hall for a Rally and Speak-out for FAIR PAY during Durham City Council’s first Budget Hearing.
Google is working with the Environmental Defense Fund to create a map of methane gas leaks for the world to see. “A satellite that measures methane leaks from oil and gas companies is set to start circulating the Earth 15 times a day next month. Google plans to have the data mapped by the end of the year for the whole world to see.”
Lastly, you can still sign up for the virtual ‘war and the environment’ course, which starts on March 4th! Read more here.
That is a lot of monumental news, and some action steps for folks local to the Triangle. It’s been a busy February, and I’m sure it’ll be an even busier March. We look forward to seeing y’all at future events, and to engaging with everyone virtually! If you have anything you want NCEJN to cover in our newsletter or social media, reach out to me! We want to use our platform to support our network.
Best,
Sanzari Aranyak
Communications Coordinator
sanzari@ncejn.org
