Activism

All forms of advocacy, esp. environmental groups.

Databases on Data Centers, Brockovich and Beyond

An explosion of new artificial intelligence data centers means potential trouble, as they hoover up power and water, and spew global warming gases. It’s a story with national and global ramifications, certainly. But it’s also one that can be reported locally. Reporter’s Toolbox offers up some handy databases for environmental journalists to find data center stories in their communities. 

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Why the Loss of Voting Rights Is a Climate Crisis

When the Supreme Court further hollowed out the Voting Rights Act this spring, it augured a historic loss of civic power for Black communities. And with that comes a further blow — to progress on the environment. For as Voices of Environmental Justice columnist Yessenia Funes explains, key to climate policy are Black voters, and the Black legislators they bring into office.

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Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads

The Great Lakes region is a top steel producer, but its coal-fired steel mills are also a major source of planet-warming emissions and health-harming pollution. Climate advocates, community members and workers have been pushing to clean up these facilities for decades. Now, foreign funding offers new hope for revitalizing and decarbonizing the region’s steel industry. Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci explains.

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Despite Law, Trump DOJ Wants To Sideline Citizens In Pollution Fights

"In a court filing backing Elon Musk’s AI company, the Trump administration said the federal government can stop Americans from suing over air pollution."

Source: E&E News, 06/18/2026

Trump Wants To Put A $75M Coal Terminal In Oakland. Residents Resist.

"Residents of West Oakland, which suffers from toxic waste and high pollution rates, rally against a coal export facility"

Source: Guardian, 06/17/2026

What Most Battleground House Districts Have In Common: Data Centers

"More than 200 data centers are going up in dozens of competitive House districts — and neither party knows how to handle their political fallout heading into the midterms."

Source: Politico, 06/16/2026

Patagonia Is Suing Pattie Gonia, Drag Queen With Environmental Message

"Days before the beginning of Pride Month in June, a glamorous drag queen with long, wavy red hair, a matching mustache and carabiner earrings stared into a camera and levied a strong accusation against a famous sustainable outdoors apparel brand: "This is a corporation trying to erase an activist."

Source: AP, 06/15/2026

Rebuilding To Endure

"In the days after Hurricane Helene devastated the southern Appalachians in late September 2024, Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout went up in a helicopter to survey the damage. What she saw was deeply troubling. 'When Helene happened, we ended up with 58 landslides spread across 200 linear miles of the parkway,' Swartout says."

Source: National Parks Traveler, 06/15/2026

"On the Historic Route From Selma to Montgomery, an AI Cloud Looms"

"In this rural Alabama community, some residents can’t flush their toilets. Developers want to build a state-of-the-art data center next door."

Source: Inside Climate News, 06/12/2026

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