Holding Shell Accountable
Shell Oil is putting Providence and the iconic Narragansett Bay at risk.
Shell Oil is putting Providence and the iconic Narragansett Bay at risk.
Extreme weather caused by climate change may damage coastal infrastructure by degrading equipment containing hazardous chemicals or by flooding storage facilities. But fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Shell would rather take their chances and do nothing to ready their facilities. CLF knows, however, that these companies have a legal duty (not to mention an ethical one) to adapt their facilities to the foreseeable effects of climate change.
Tailpipe pollution wreaks havoc on our health.
Tailpipe pollution from idling vehicles wreaks havoc on our environment and our health. Laws to prevent excessive idling are rarely enforced, so CLF is stepping in to hold New England’s biggest tailpipe polluters accountable.
“It’s inexcusable that the companies we trust to transport our children to school are polluting the very air they breathe,” said Alyssa Rayman-Read, Vice President and Director of CLF Massachusetts. “There are laws on the books to prevent this type of air pollution and Transdev is blatantly ignoring them. They need to take responsibility and stop spewing toxic pollution into our neighborhoods.”
Coal plants pollute our air and waterways, and one of the last remaining coal plants in New England – Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire – is doing just that. That’s why CLF and Sierra Club have joined together to sue the plant in federal court, to end its ongoing harm to the Merrimack River.
The Pease Development Authority has a Sept. 20 deadline to complete some terms of a settlement agreement with the Conservation Law Foundation that, if completed, will dismiss a federal lawsuit alleging stormwater from Pease international Tradeport pollutes area waterways.
“Nitrogen pollution is destroying Cape Cod’s bays and beaches and damaging the Cape’s economy,” said Chris Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF. “Illegal sewage discharge from Wychmere Beach Club is wreaking havoc on water quality.”
“It’s unthinkable what this State facility has done to the Merrymeeting River, degrading its health and putting the public’s health at risk with cyanobacteria outbreaks,” said Tom Irwin, Director of CLF New Hampshire. “During the heart of the summer, people want to swim, boat, and enjoy New Hampshire’s rivers and lakes. They don’t want to be told ‘stay out.’ It’s time for our leaders to protect the public health and the health of our waters by putting an end to illegal pollution from this facility.”
“Vermont cannot be a champion of conservation when state authorities are giving towns the green light to dump more toxic pollution into Lake Champlain,” said Elena Mihaly, Staff Attorney, Conservation Law Foundation. “Lake Champlain is a natural treasure and economic driver for Vermont and it is the agency’s obligation to protect our waters. Granting permits that will increase pollution flowing into this iconic lake is irresponsible, reckless, and unlawful.”