Press Releases
City of Charleston bans “slab-on-grade” construction in floodplain
Ordinance prevents worsening flooding in vulnerable locations CHARLESTON, S.C. — Yesterday, Charleston City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning “slab-on-grade” foundations after years of partnership with the Coastal Conservation League, Historic Charleston Foundation, and the...
N.C. Clean Transportation Plan is a good start, but needs action
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The Southern Environmental Law Center issued the following statement regarding the Clean Transportation Plan announced by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The plan’s mission is to develop a list of actionable strategies...
Limits on horseshoe crab harvest protect threatened shorebirds
Imperiled red knots rely on HSC eggs for survival CHARLESTON, S.C. — Yesterday, as a result of our litigation, the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and the Coastal Conservation League,...
RV park threatens rare Dwarf Flowered Heartleaf
Conservation group asks court to reverse approval of site plan SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Yesterday, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed an appeal on behalf of the South Carolina Native Plant Society to challenge the...
Court rejects request to block rule that restores longstanding federal clean water protections
Conservation groups filed friend of the court brief in defense of clearer clean water protections for streams, fisheries, and wetlands that provide habitat and protect communities from storms CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Conservation and outdoor recreation organizations...
NC Utilities Commission Issues Partial Approval of Rooftop Solar Settlement
Order Approves Time-of-Use Rates and Denies Incentives, Leaving More to Be Desired forRooftop Solar Customers in the State RALEIGH, N.C. – Recently, the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC) issued an order partially approving the rooftop solar...
Environmental Justice bill reintroduced as the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act
WASHINGTON—It was announced today that the Environmental Justice for All Act is being reintroduced and renamed the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act. First introduced in Congress in 2021, the bill now carries...
Conservation groups appeal state’s decision to ignore ‘sewer scum’ in Middle Tennessee waterway
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Harpeth Conservancy, has filed an appeal of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s decision to do nothing about a large...
Best way to meet EPA’s new PFAS drinking water standards is pollution control at the source, says SELC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The best way to meet the protective new standards announced today by the Environmental Protection Agency is to stop PFAS or “forever chemicals” pollution at its source before it gets into drinking water...
Additions for two Wilderness Areas reintroduced
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On Thursday, Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner reintroduced the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act of 2023, which would protect 5,600 acres of the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. The bill would expand...