Press Releases
Trump administration makes broad commitments to undermine environmental protections
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has made sweeping promises to undermine environmental progress on day one of its second term, including executive orders and other actions intended to dismantle air and water protections and to end...
Lawsuit prompts federal agency to reconsider protections for rare Tennessee salamander
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, reached an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that requires the agency to reconsider listing the...
EPA directs North Carolina to control toxic 1,4-dioxane pollution
EPA letter comes as contamination of drinking water supplies for 1M people spikes CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently confirmed that North Carolina is required to control...
Biden administration announces permanent ban on offshore drilling off Atlantic, Pacific coasts
WASHINGTON — Today, building on a 10-year moratorium on Atlantic offshore drilling put in place by the first Trump administration, the Biden administration permanently protected this area from offshore oil and gas development. The move...
Congress passes Continuing Resolution with disaster relief funding for Hurricane Helene
WASHINGTON — Late last night Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a Continuing Resolution, which included desperately needed funds to help Southern communities recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. The Disaster Supplemental package...
Forest Service urged to amend Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan in wake of Hurricane Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A coalition of conservation groups sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service this week, asking the agency to amend the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan due to the tremendous damage Hurricane Helene...
Conservation group challenges air permit for TVA’s proposed methane gas plant at Kingston site
KINGSTON, Tenn. — The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Appalachian Voices, has appealed the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s air permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s proposed Kingston Gas Plant, saying...
SELC announces finalists for the 2025 Phil Reed Environmental Writing Award
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced the finalists for the 2025 Phillip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award today. The work of this year’s finalists explores a wide array of environmental topics,...
U.S. Supreme Court denies utility effort to block coal ash rule
WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Supreme Court denied a utility’s attempt to block protections against pollution from old coal ash dumps at inactive power plants, which leak arsenic, mercury, lead, and many other pollutants into nearby rivers,...
Alabama quarry developers sued in Circuit Court
BELLE MINA, Ala.-- New Beginnings Covenant Ministries and Belle Mina Methodist Church, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), filed a lawsuit against Stoned LLC and Grayson Carter & Son, Inc. in Limestone County...