Press Center
To reach media contacts across SELC states and programs, check out our press room.
Pre-disaster mitigation grant program reinstated
WASHINGTON — This week the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it will resume administering the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The announcement comes after a federal judge ruled in December that the Trump administration’s ending of...
Nonprofits, Tribes, and Local Governments Appeal to Restore EPA Grant Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments to determine the fate of more than $3 billion in federal Environmental and Climate Justice Block...
The Energy Bills Relief Act is a real solution for rising costs
WASHINGTON – Rising energy costs continue to strain families’ budgets in the South and across the nation, but a new effort was introduced in Congress today to provide real solutions. SELC supports the Energy Bills Relief Act introduced by 120 House lawmakers led by Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL06) and...
Trump administration guts protections for communities against cancer-causing pollution
WASHINGTON — Today the Trump administration announced plans to roll back federal standards that cut cancer risks of hazardous ethylene oxide pollution by over 90 percent, another reckless federal action that caters...
Community Groups, Residents File Lawsuit Over Stokes County Data Center Rezoning
DANBURY, N.C. (March 12, 2026) — Community groups and Walnut Cove area residents filed a lawsuit today in an effort to protect a way of life that has defined the Dan River corridor for...
N.C. commission seeks public comments on polluter-written PFAS and 1,4-dioxane rules
Proposed rules do not require reduction of toxic pollution into drinking water CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Proposed polluter-written rules regarding PFAS and 1,4-dioxane announced by the state for public comment today do not require polluters to reduce their toxic discharges into drinking water supplies, the Southern Environmental Law Center said.
Mississippi regulators rubber-stamp air permit for xAI power plant, ignoring overwhelming public pushback
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — On Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) issued an air permit to xAI, allowing the company to operate dozens of polluting methane gas turbines at its facility in Southaven,...
Groups reach settlement with Duke Energy in merger proposal
Settlement includes customer protections for South Carolina COLUMBIA, S.C. — Groups in South Carolina reached a settlement with Duke Energy regarding the utility’s request at the South Carolina Public Service Commission to combine...
Government withdraws appeal of RGGI lawsuit in Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On Tuesday, the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and its director withdrew their appeal of a court order striking down the Youngkin Administration’s removal of...
Trump’s cozy deal with Big Tech promotes empty promises to tackle energy affordability
Concerns about energy costs need to include communities in the conversation, not a one size fits all push for more polluting power. WASHINGTON – Today, the White House’s announcement with tech company leaders signaled they want to build more power plants alongside...