EPA’s first status report fails to report on key issue

February 2, 2022. EPA’s first status report fails to provide an update on one of the key arguments it used in court to delay the final rule until 2023. Over a year ago on May 20, 2021, EPA told the court that the oil industry had blocked access to the reference oils that EPA needed…

Read More

Atypical dispersant use monitoring rules go into effect

  January 24, 2022. Despite last-minute efforts by ALERT, neither the executive nor the legislative branch could stop the rollout of EPA’s final rule on environmental monitoring of “atypical dispersant use situations.” This was defined as “[a]ny subsurface use of dispersant in response to an oil discharge, surface use of dispersant in response to oil…

Read More

Gulf Coast Community Organizations & Allies for Environmental Justice  Request President to Withdraw Rule on Dispersant Use Before It Goes into Effect

For Immediate Release Contacts:  Riki Ott, Founder/Director, ALERT, a project of Earth Island Institute 206-853-2855, [email protected]   Lesley Pacey, Founder/Director, Eastern Shore Community Health Partners, a Mobile Bay, Alabama, initiative to research chronic disease clusters 251-990-3515, [email protected] Berkeley, CA (January 18, 2022) — This week, a group of environmental-justice advocates and allies are calling on…

Read More

EPA drops appeal & Upcoming Court Dates

ALERT, Gulf Coast allies request action from EPA Administrator September 30, 2021.  Gulf coast community organizations and allies for environmental justice sent a letter to EPA Administrator Regan requesting four immediate actions in relation to ongoing dispersant litigation and the associated EPA rulemaking: Let the August 9, 2021, court decision stand – do not appeal…

Read More

ALERT, Gulf Coast allies request action from EPA Administrator

  September 30, 2021.  Gulf coast community organizations and allies for environmental justice sent a letter to EPA Administrator Regan requesting four immediate actions in relation to ongoing dispersant litigation and the associated EPA rulemaking: Let the August 9, 2021, court decision stand – do not appeal it. Withdraw the final rule on monitoring for…

Read More

Court victory!

August 9, 2021.   A federal district court ruled in favor of the public interest by ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its decades-old regulations on the use of toxic chemical dispersants in oil spill responses. Specifically, the court ruled that EPA now has a mandatory “duty to update the NCP when there…

Read More

Judge leans in favor of ALERT at hearing on summary judgment

EPA files its opposition to ALERT’s MSJ and its own Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment May 20, 2021.  In this dual-purpose filing, EPA first countered, and then asked the Court to deny, the plaintiffs’ requests for summary judgment on our unreasonable delay claim and our injunctive relief. Then EPA asked the court for summary judgment in…

Read More