Blog Archive
Study: Want to Save Lives? Cut Carbon Emissions.
Reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants will save lives. So says a new study from scientists at Harvard, Syracuse, and Boston University. The researchers found that the Clean Power Plan (the EPAâs proposal to reduce carbon emissions from existing power...
EPA Hosting Public Meeting for Birmingham Superfund Site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has scheduled a public meeting Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the sanctuary of Trinity CME Church (3313 Shuttlesworth Dr., Birmingham, AL 35207). The meeting is about the...
EPA Proposes Adding North Birmingham Site to National Priorities List
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the "35th Avenue Superfund Site" in north Birmingham to the National Priorities List (NPL). According to the EPA, the site poses "risks to human health and the environment." The GASP documentary "Toxic City:...
‘Toxic City’ to be Released on DVD September 16
The short film, produced by GASP, will be released on DVD next Tuesday with bonus features including a screening kit guide, exclusive online access to the film BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — GASP announced today that "Toxic City: Birmingham's Dirty Secret" will be available...
GASP Petitions Board of Health to Disapprove ABC Coke Permit, Requests Hearing
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Aug. 25, 2014) — GASP, a non-profit health advocacy organization, filed a petition Tuesday with the Jefferson County Board of Health requesting a hearing on ABC Cokes Operating Permit. That permit was issued by the Jefferson County Department of...
Lack of Health Research Stands in the Way of Progress
On Wednesday, July 30, the Jefferson County Department of Health held a press conference in which Jefferson County Health Officer Mark Wilson — our Doctor-in-Chief — presented "cancer data, death rate data and birth outcome data related to residents'...
GASP Challenges Twinkle Cavanaugh on Health Benefits of Clean Power Plan
This morning, AL.com published an op-ed challenging Twinkle Cavanaugh, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission, for comments she made live on Good Day Alabama last week in a debate with Dr. Stephen A. Smith of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy...
Is Indoor CO2 Pollution Hurting Our Brain Function?
Vox, a relatively new, data-driven online media outlet, published an article today with a fascinating headline "The carbon dioxide trapped in your meeting is making you think more slowly" that we thought we would investigate. Reporter Joseph Stromberg explains,...
Sign on to Support the Clean Power Plan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this summer proposed the Clean Power Plan, which would reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants by 30 percent by 2030. These new standards are a significant step forward in tackling climate change and protecting...
Alabama Power to Close Coal Units
Last Friday, Alabama Power announced that it is closing two small coal units at Plant Gorgas (the oldest units at the plant), as well as reducing or eliminating coal from four others at Plant Barry and Plant Greene County. The company said the move is to comply with...
Alabama Sixth Most Energy Expensive State
Wallet Hub this week published a report that gives Alabama a dubious ranking: the sixth most energy expensive state. The website used data available from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection...
Dirty Air Won’t Monitor Itself
Makaya Parrish, who appears in our documentary, "Toxic City: Birmingham's Dirty Secret," knows all too well what pollution can do to your health. Makaya has asthma, a debilitating lung condition that keeps her from playing like other kids. Her family lives in the line...
Air Pollution Controls Save Lives
A 17-year longitudinal study by researchers at Duke University released in June shows that air pollution controls implemented in the early 1990s correspond with reductions in death rates from emphysema, asthma and pneumonia. The study, "Long-term dynamics of death...
Eat Your Broccoli
One of the most toxic chemicals found in polluted air is benzene, an aromatic hydrocarbon found in crude oil and petrochemicals such as coal. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), long-term exposure to benzene causes cancer, including...
'Toxic City' Premiere Sparks Fiery Discussion About Pollution, Justice
Hundreds packed into Birmingham's historic Carver Theatre last night for the premiere of our new documentary, "Toxic City: Birmingham's Dirty Secret." The film, directed by Alabama filmmaker Hunter Nichols, evoked an emotional response from those in the audience a...
How-To Guide for Commenting on Walter Coke's Permit
PERMIT BASICS The Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to issue permits known as Title V Operating Permits to sources of hazardous air pollutants. The EPA gives authority to state and local agencies to review and approve permits. In...
GASP Commends Proposed EPA Rule to Reduce Carbon Emissions by 2030
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — GASP commends the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and President Barack Obama for putting forth a draft of a new rule to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants. The EPA estimates the reduction in carbon emissions will prevent up to...
New Film Calls Attention to Pollution, Injustice
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — “If there’s anything this documentary can do, I hope it will be to save our children, our next generation. Those are the final words in “Toxic City: Birmingham’s Dirty Secret,” a heartbreaking 26-minute documentary about families fighting for their...
Public Hearing Scheduled for Walter Coke Air Pollution Permit
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) is holding a public hearing regarding Walter Coke's Title V Operating Permit. The hearing is May 20 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the North Birmingham branch of the Birmingham Public Library (2501 31st Ave...
New Campaign Uses Storytelling to Promote Clean Air
New Campaign Uses Storytelling to Promote Clean Air BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Gasp and the American Lung Association (ALA) in Alabama today announced a new campaign, Voices for Clean Air, to bring awareness to the health effects of breathing polluted air. The project will...
