Today EPA announced one of the most sweeping climate rollbacks in U.S. history. As the South faces a massive gas buildout, the Trump administration’s repeal of carbon pollution standards for fossil fuel power plants is a free gift to polluters. Read more: https://selc.link/3VvyHms

Residents are sounding the alarm over a data center in Spartanburg County, SC, where secrecy and illegal actions hid the project’s true size and purpose from the community. SELC has moved to halt construction of the facility’s power plant until the lawsuit is resolved. https://selc.link/4d51OmC

TAKE ACTION: Mining in Virginia’s federal waters could threaten ocean wildlife and the seafood industry. Tell BOEM that extractive seabed mining doesn’t belong in our public waters: https://selc.link/4w1ryXU

While millions of Americans struggle to pay their electric bills, we’re taking the Trump administration to court to fight for funding that had been awarded for a groundbreaking program that lowers energy costs for people who need it most: https://selc.link/4fzkGuD

BREAKING: We're ready to take the Trump admin to court to protect wildlife The federal government just took a major step towards attempting to illegally dismantle the Endangered Species Act — pushing the South's rarest species even closer to extinction: https://selc.link/3KTpj7y

Utilities in the Southeast are planning a massive gas buildout & using Big Tech’s data center scramble as justification. SELC Staff Attorney Emma Clancy argues that it’s time for Big Tech to speak up for clean energy & push the utilities to reverse course selc.link/4gr5t0Q

Southern Environmental Law Center: Utilities are building a ton of gas for data centers. It's time for Big Tech to stop them.

Tech companies' arrival brought the possibility of more clean energy to the Southeast. Today, their flip-flopping is threatening that future.

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NEWS: Private companies look to mine in Virginia’s public waters for profit The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management just announced it’s considering opening federal waters off the VA coast to seabed mining. Read more here: https://selc.link/4azup2v (Image credit: Getty)

Rail ridership surged to a new record in Virginia in 2025. This March, Amtrak saw a 5% increase over last year nationwide as people look for relief from high gas prices. Investing in passenger rail cuts emissions and saves people money: https://selc.link/4uBIP9O

Amtrak Virginia carried record number of passengers

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Amtrak carried a record number of passengers in Virginia in 2025, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. Nearly 1.5 million people climbed aboard one of the…

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We just warned four facilities operating on Charleston Harbor that we intend to sue in federal court if they don’t stop polluting Charleston’s waters with microplastics called "nurdles." https://selc.link/4dVAs2d

EPA wants to gut protections against toxic PFAS or “forever chemicals” in drinking water — putting polluters ahead of public health. https://selc.link/42SQ6pU

Good news: Mobile Baykeeper’s lawsuit over Alabama Power’s plan to leave 21 million tons of toxic coal ash beside the Mobile River is moving forward. Image by Julie Dermansky https://selc.link/4dT93yQ #CoalAsh #EnvironmentalJustice

The SC Public Service Commission voted to approve the massive, polluting gas power plant in Canadys on the banks of the Edisto River. Residents and groups like SELC have raised concerns about the impacts on communities, the environment, and the beloved ACE Basin for years. https://selc.link/4oaufDj

Removing unnecessary dams is not just good for rivers and aquatic species like fish and salamanders — undamming rivers makes our communities more resilient to a changing climate: https://selc.link/4wtxZ7x

America the Undammed

nytimes.com

Yesterday, Governor Abigail Spanberger made a stop at SELC’s headquarters in Charlottesville, Va. to sign eight energy affordability bills that were passed during the 2026 legislative session.

By rejoining a regional carbon cutting program, Virginia is building the blueprint for a more resilient and sustainable South. Read more: https://selc.link/4cGlWMb #RGGI #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalJustice

Virginia is so back

Virginia’s landmark return to a regional carbon cutting program promises to protect more people across the state from pollution and the worst effects of climate change, but this victory didn’t come wi...

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When we speak up, they listen. A rural community in NC is encouraged after the Stokes County Board of Commissioners voted last week to formally void its rezoning decision and text amendment that would have cleared the way for a massive data center: https://selc.link/4tL4xrN

We’re taking legal action to protect clean water from a destructive pipeline. The SSEP pipeline could permanently damage aquatic ecosystems in more than 150 streams and wetlands along the pipeline’s path: https://selc.link/42mZSQE

Congrats to NCDOT for building North Carolina's first land bridge in a major win for conservation and safety. The bridge features two distinct passages: One for wildlife and one for hikers. https://selc.link/3Qij4wj #Wildlife #AppalachianTrail #NorthCarolina

North Carolina's first land bridge will help bears and hikers cross NC-143 safely

For the first time, a new way that allows both wildlife and people to cross safely together is coming to North Carolina.

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NPCA and other conservation organizations filed a lawsuit today to protect park wildlife and stop an illegal attempt to bypass Endangered Species Act compliance that benefits oil and gas companies. https://bit.ly/4eqnSJT

We need your help. Our podcast, Broken Ground, is in the running for a Webby award and you can help us win. Follow the link to vote today: https://selc.link/3Q7nYMF

Vote for the best of the internet

I just voted in The Webby People's Voice Awards and checked my voter registration.

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Breaking: We're suing xAI for illegal pollution from its data center power plant. SELC, NAACP, and Earthjustice are taking Elon Musk's company to court for violating the Clean Air Act: https://selc.link/4tFrDjY

xAI built an illegal power plant to power its data center

This article was updated April, 14, 2026 to reflect new litigation. Just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line sits dozens of unpermitted gas turbines that power xAI’s Colossus 2 data center w...

selc.org

BREAKING: The Trump administration moves to gut safeguards that protect communities from toxic coal ash pollution: https://selc.link/4sXeVfH

The South is one of the most car-dependent regions in the country. With gas prices ticking over $4/gallon, many Americans are struggling at the pump, but not EV drivers. In many states, it costs less than $1.50/gallon equivalent to charge at home: https://selc.link/4vf7tOr

What's cheaper: Fueling your car with gas or electricity? » Yale Climate Connections

Here's the answer for every U.S. state.

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Author and environmental justice leader Catherine Coleman Flowers reflects on her ancestry, faith, resilience, and responsibility. #EarthMonth #EnvironmentalJustice #HolyGround https://selc.link/4c8wO4a

Earth Month dialogues: Finding common ground

Catherine Coleman Flowers is a powerful voice in the movement for environmental justice; someone whose work reminds us that the fight for a healthy environment is inseparable from the fight for human ...

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Paying $1B in taxpayer funds to halt two offshore wind projects — one of which is in North Carolina “comes at a terrible time for North Carolina and for the United States generally,” SELC Senior Attorney Munashe Magarira told NC NEWSLINE: https://selc.link/4bBpYoI

NC environmentalists lament decision to scrap offshore wind farm • NC Newsline

TotalEnergies and the U.S. Dept. of the Interior signed an agreement to end two offshore wind leases — one in North Carolina and one in New York.

ncnewsline.com

Great news: As of yesterday, the largest planned offshore wind project in the country is now operational. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, also known as CVOW, started producing clean, fuel-free electricity and will eventually provide energy for up to 666,000 homes.

Charlotte has a chance to repair past harms. With the I-77 toll lane expansion paused, Sustain Charlotte is inviting the public to provide ideas that reconnect neighborhoods, improve mobility, & create healthier public spaces. Submit your vision by 4/6: selc.link/4ly8zQY

Reimagining 77 South: a Vision for Repairing and Reconnecting Charlotte - Sustain Charlotte

Sustain Charlotte invites architects, artists, students, and residents to imagine new possibilities for the I-77 corridor. Submit your vision for a more connected and vibrant Charlotte.

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Pollution from cutting down Southern forests to make biomass energy knows no bounds, and neither does SELC Senior Attorney Heather Hillaker’s work to stop it. Follow her journey from the American South to Japan this International Day of Forests. https://selc.link/3NixHi3

SELC staff is thrilled to participate in another year of the NC Legal Feeding Frenzy. We're joining other legal orgs in donating and volunteering to support the important work of Feeding the Carolinas' Food banks across the Tar Heel State. Learn more: nclegalfeedingfrenzy.com #NCLFF26

NC Legal Feeding Frenzy | Feeding The Carolinas and NC Bar Association

Join NC Attorney General Josh Stein, the Young Lawyers Division of the NC Bar Association and Feeding The Carolinas for the NC Legal Feeding Frenzy. Official site.

nclegalfeedingfrenzy.com

Register for this year’s Reed Environmental Writing Award to hear from Emmy-award winning author, host, and renowned birder Christian Cooper. Join us 3/20 at 5 p.m. for the livestream. https://selc.link/46bd0uH