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“...Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty (Bullard et al., 2007) revealed that communities of colour and poor communities were still being used as dumping grounds for all kinds of toxic contaminants. The authors discovered evidence that the clustering of environmental hazards, in addition to single sources of pollution, presented significant threats to communities of colour. Furthermore, the research showed that polluting industries frequently singled out communities of colour in siting decisions, countering the “minority move-in hypothesis”: the claim that people of colour voluntarily move into contaminated communities rather than being targeted in situ by dirty industries.” (122)

“Bullard (1990) has highlighted the problem of “Black Love Canals” throughout the United States, where issues of environmental injustice are deeply connected with environ- mental racism. For example, Bullard highlights the case of toxic DDT water contamination in the African American community of Triana, Alabama. In 1978, in the midst of the national media attention focused on Love Canal, residents in Triana raised complaints over ill-health effects and contaminated fish and waterfowl. Lawsuits in Triana against the Olin Corporation continued throughout the 1980s. Although the case is noted within environ- mental justice histories (see Taylor, 2014), it is not widely recognized or commemorated.” (126)

“Underpinning the slow, structural violence (see Galtung, 1969; Davies, 2019) of unequal and unjust toxic exposures is the problem of “expendability” … Pellow (2018) proposes that indispensability is a key pillar of critical environmental justice studies (alongside intersectionality, scale, and state power). This idea builds on the work of critical race and ethnic studies scholar John Marquez (2014) on “racial expendability” to argue that, within a white-dominated society, people of colour are typically viewed as expendable.” (127)

“National and international media headlines followed the Flint water crisis story as it unfolded, but, after the initial shock, Flint faded from media attention. It shifted from being a spectacular disaster to a case of slow violence. This paral- lels the dynamics of public memory surrounding many toxic disasters, struggles, and legacies.” (128)

The author’s main argument is two-fold. Acute environmental disasters (e.g., Chernobyl, BP Horizon Spill, Hurricane Katrina) that garnered public attention leave behind legacies of increased support for environmental action and legislation, although the public attention span is often too short for lasting change. At the same time, these disasters have received a disproportionate amount of public attention compared to the many more slow-moving toxicity disasters that affect people in more systematic but often less visible ways. Examples of this disparity include the contrast between the 1984 Bhopal disaster coverage, and the persistent toxicity in the area in the time since then in the form of industrial waste and infrastructure that is not maintained. It is additionally important to note that the cases that don’t receive much attention often affect marginalized groups (by race, socioeconomics) disproportionately.

Due to the recession, the bust of the oil market, and growing resistance to fossil-fuel infrastructures, courts have recently ruled to halt the Atlantic Coast and Dakota Access Pipeline projects.

The energy company, MPLX LP, halted plans to construct the Permian to Gulf Coast natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline in response to the collapse in oil prices. Instead, however, the company is now planning to expand thier currently existing pipelines. 

See Full Article on how COVID is impacting different domains of the energy sector.

“John Berger, CEO of Houston-based Sunnova Energy International Inc., a residential solar and storage service company… said that despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, his company's first quarter this year showed nearly 7,000 new customers, the company's best quarter in its history.‘The uncertainty brought upon by COVID-19 has shown us the world may be more fragile than we originally thought, magnifying the importance of being self-reliant and further proving the economic and societal value of solar plus storage,’ he said during a May 15 earnings call.”

Florida has resumed disconnections for non-payment starting in August. Though, there will be assistance programs (discounted rates) for qualifying customers.

"An Oxford study compared green stimulus projects with traditional stimulus, such as measures taken after the 2008 global financial crisis, and found green projects create more jobs, deliver higher short-term returns per pound spent by the government, and lead to increased long-term cost savings." See the full article here.

Utilities are using “accounting orders” that often amount to rate increases for their customers in order to maintain their bottom lines.

“At least 35 states either have granted utilities these writs or are poised to do so. The accounting orders encompass a broad range of costs associated with COVID-19 — but, primarily, the rising “bad debt” associated with unemployed customers who cannot pay their bills. An accounting order stands as a regulator's pinky swear that a utility's other customers, not its shareholders, will pick up that tab.”

“Electric and gas utilities' fortunes should be tied to the wider economy. Shuttered office buildings and small businesses mean fewer kilowatt-hours sold, and mass unemployment leaves ratepayers unable to pay what they owe to the power company. Yet, increasingly, utilities' returns are divorced from the rest of the economy. That is because government regulation of these monopolies — often imagined as protecting consumers — often does more to keep intact utilities' bottom line. Indeed, in the midst of COVID-19, a low-key bailout of these companies already has begun and, unfortunately for utility ratepayers, it's happening on their dime.”

Simon Donner argues that climate determinism colors some of the reporting and rhetoric of the impacts of climate change on impoverished communities and nations. He argues that investment in adaptation is being stunted by claims that certain communities are simply doomed.

This Blog Post ties together an analysis of societal impacts of climate change, pollution related illnesses, racism, and COVID-19.

Though showing signs of recovery, the ongoing pandemic and recent surge across the US threatens oil industry once again.  “Oil prices have made a surprisingly steady return from the collapse ignited by lockdowns as the virus pandemic grew earlier this year. Crude settled above $40 a barrel Monday for the first time since plunging to negative-$37 on April 20, when the world was awash in unwanted oil. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, settled at $38.49 Friday, down slightly from Thursday. … The recovery, however, now looks tenuous, as no one is certain whether the current surge in COVID-19 cases could lead to business shutdowns and depressed consumer activity. Harris County on Friday issued a new ‘stay home, work safe’ advisory, asking residents to stay home except for essential trips, to work from home if possible and to avoid unnecessary travel.”

Economists say the threat of a “double-dip” is contingent on the scale and level of shutdown initiated by state governments in response to the surge. “A double dip in oil demand and prices will depend on whether state and local governments impose widespread lockdowns or allow businesses to remain open with requirements for face masks and social distancing. … Karr Ingham, a petroleum economist with the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, said he can’t imagine that state and local governments would impose the type of widespread and strict lockdowns seen in March and April because of the dire economic consequences that such a move would have. It’s unclear how much political willpower there is to mandate a second lockdown, which would undoubtedly prompt public outrage, he said.”