The Conversation, April 17, 2024, Native American Voices Are Finally Factoring Into Energy Projects – A Hydropower Ruling Is A Victory For Environmental Justice On Tribal Lands As the US shifts from fossil fuels to clean energy, developers are looking for sites to generate electricity from renewable sources. But in an unexpected move, the Federal […]

Tampa Bay Times, April 18, 2024, Recognizing Racist Past, Tampa Will Create Reconciliation Committee More than three years after the Tampa City Council formally apologized for the city’s racist past, the body unanimously approved the formation of a committee tasked with examining and addressing persistent inequities in Florida’s third-largest city. The 13-member Race Reconciliation Committee

Tampa Bay Times, April 17, 2024, The Obscure But Powerful Politicians Who Control Florida’s Energy While the state commission is largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind for regular Floridians, it’s slated to come to Tampa Bay this summer. Customers of Duke Energy and Tampa Electric Co. will be able to speak at several scheduled hearings in Largo and

The New Republic, April 17, 2024, The Republican Plot To Roast Outdoor Workers In the absence of federal action, various localities and even some states (California, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon) have moved to regulate workers’ heat exposure. But after Dallas and Austin imposed their own municipal heat exposure rules, the Republican-controlled Texas state legislature moved to thwart these efforts by passing H.B. 2127. Governor

New Republic, April 11, 2024, An Honest Assessment Of Rural White Resentment Is Long Overdue What isn’t said enough is that rural whites are being told to blame all the wrong people for their very real problems. As we argue in the book, Hollywood liberals didn’t destroy the family farm, college professors didn’t move manufacturing

American Banker, April 11, 2024, Fed Approves $1.3 Billion Merger Of Two New Jersey Banks The merger was approved despite fair lending concerns raised from public commenters about Lakeland. Shortly after the merger was announced, the bank acknowledged that it was being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice over redlining practices in and around Newark between

Grist, April 11, 2024, Biden’s Environmental Justice Scorecard Offers More Questions Than Answers Shortly after being elected president, Joe Biden made a sweeping promise on environmental justice: With a 2021 executive order, he vowed that a full 40% of the benefits of certain federal government climate and environmental investments would reach historically disadvantaged communities. This initiative,

HuffPost, April 11, 2024, White House Hesitates To Bring Back Fair Housing Rule The White House is hesitating to finalize a government policy meant to reduce housing segregation out of fear it would cause a conservative backlash, according to a senior official. The Biden administration’s new proposal is a redo of a fair housing rule that Donald

Axios, April 12, 2024, Big Banks Are In A Race To Get AI Right The leaders of America’s largest banks are convinced that AI will transform their businesses, but they’re mostly struggling to implement more than a handful of AI products, even internally, and can’t agree on what counts as a win.

The New York Times, April 11, 2024, It’s Time To End The Quiet Cruelty Of Property Taxes Property taxes, the lifeblood of local governments and school districts, are among the most powerful and stealthy engines of racism and wealth inequality our nation has ever produced. And while the Biden administration has offered many solutions for

BuisnessInsider, April 9, 2024, Miami Shows How A New Kind Of Gentrification Is Coming To US Cities The climate crisis has made living in many of the city’s low-lying waterfront neighborhoods increasingly perilous despite their desirable ocean views and proximity to the beach. Some of the city’s lower-income communities are farther inland and on higher

HousingWire, April 9, 2024, The Opportunity Cost Of Modern-Day Redlining Modern-day redlining persists, and it’s costing lenders millions in legal fees. Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken a strong stance on redlining, taking direct legal action against bad actors and thrusting the topic into the national spotlight. Last October, Ameris Bank had to pay $9 million to settle

Axios Denver, April 16, 2024, Latest Denver Homeless Encampment Sweep Won’t Come With Housing Options Denver will clear a homeless encampment Tuesday, but for the first time in six months, it won’t provide direct housing options for people affected. Why it matters: It’s a blow to Mayor Mike Johnston’s homeless strategy, which had guaranteed shelter to people being relocated