Blog Archive
PSC Sides with Alabama Power, Increases Solar Charge
Today the Public Service Commission dismissed our challenge of Alabama Power’s discriminatory solar charge and, unbelievably, approved an increase.
Fine Particulate Matter and Cardiovascular Disease
While we are all understandably focused on deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), it is worth remembering that the number one cause of mortality in this country is cardiovascular disease. Those who suffer from cardiovascular disease are at a particularly...
BREAKING: PSC Grants Request to Refund $100M to Customers
On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, GASP and 12 other organizations, led by Daniel Tait at Energy Alabama, petitioned the Alabama Public Service Commission to provide some relief to Alabamians struggling with ongoing economic impacts of COVID-19. We sent a letter urging the...
COVID-19 and Environmental Justice: A Call to Action
Community-Based, Environmental and Civil Rights Activists Across Country Issue Statement and Unified Demands Racial Inequalities Laid Bare by COVID-19 Pandemic and Response Require Effective Action to Address Race Discrimination and Segregation New York, NY — A broad...
Meet Yahn Olson, Summer Legal Intern
What is your major at Samford and why did you choose it? I majored in History at Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle and went to Samford for law school. I have always wanted to be an attorney. What do you hope to do after you graduate? Once I graduate I plan on...
Public Service Commission Approves Alabama Power’s $1+ Billion Gas Expansion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media ContactsEmily Driscoll, Southern Environmental Law [email protected] Michael Hansen, [email protected] Public Service Commission Approves Alabama Power’s $1+ Billion Gas Expansion MONTGOMERY, Ala....
Meet Sidni Smith, Gasp Legal Intern
Sidni E. Smith What is your major and why did you choose it? I am a dual-degree JD/MPH student at Cumberland School of Law and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I pursued this pathway to learn how the legal world works so that I can effectively implement...
Black Lives Matter: A Statement from GASP
We stand in unequivocal solidarity with those demanding swift justice for George Floyd and for the countless other victims of racist violence in this nation.
Why We Need Stronger PM2.5 Standards, Especially Because of COVID-19
By: Sidni Smith (Summer 2020 Legal Intern and Summer 2020 MPH Intern) Living means breathing. Gasp takes action to ensure that all Alabamians are accessing clean, healthy air to breathe that will result in better health outcomes and increased quality of life. On an...
JCDH Releases 2020 Ambient Air Monitoring Plan for Public Comment
It’s that time of year again: the Jefferson County Department of Health has posted for public comment its 2020 Ambient Air Monitoring Plan. Comments are due June 17th at 4:30 PM. Like we have done for the past several years, Gasp will comment on the Ambient Air...
GASP, Environmental Defense Alliance Allege Alabama Officials Violated Open Records Act
Lawsuit says ADEM Director Lance LeFleur, Commissioner Lanier Brown, and Attorney General Steve Marshall violated the Alabama Open Records Act.
Alabama PSC’s Unconstitutional Media Policy Must Be Changed
Alabamians have the right to know what is going on at their Public Service Commission.
Now Is Not the Time for Petty Political Grievances
John Merrill attacked Gasp and Sierra Club for daring to defend every Alabamians’ right to healthy air to breathe and clean water to drink. We respond.
The Science Behind Satellite-Based Air Quality Monitoring
By Ben Moose, Gasp Spring Intern In my last blog post, I provided an overview of the concept, methods, advantages, and disadvantages of remote atmospheric monitoring. In this post, I will describe, in more detail, the techniques satellites use to detect air quality -...
EPA Rolls Back Standards for Mercury Pollution from Coal- and Oil-Fired Power Plants
On April 16, 2020, in keeping with its deregulatory agenda, EPA finalized the supplemental cost finding and Risk and Technology review for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which were finalized in 2012. Put simply, while EPA is downplaying the significance...
My Approach to Handling the COVID-19 Crisis
It has been a little over a month since I worked in the Gasp office. Like many of you, I am yearning to know when we will resume being in one another’s physical presence. Meanwhile, the Gasp staff is adjusting because our work continues. If you haven’t already, check...
Report: Exposure to Air Pollution May Make COVID-19 Deadlier
A new study suggests that people diagnosed with COVID-19 who are exposed to high levels of particle pollution, or PM 2.5, are more likely to die from the disease. A team of researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health collected data from...
An Overview of Remote Atmospheric Monitoring
By Ben Moose, Gasp Intern What is remote atmospheric monitoring? Remote atmospheric monitoring, when used for air quality monitoring purposes, is the use of satellites and satellite instruments to determine the concentration of pollutants and other air quality...
Citizen Science in the Face of Coronavirus
Citizen Science (aka, Community Science) Citizen science is when the general public is engaged in the scientific process, whether testing hypotheses, collecting data, or seeking government action. These efforts can raise awareness of an issue and empower communities...
Meet Brodie Zalanka, Spring Gasp Intern
What is your major at UAB/BSC and why did you choose it? I have a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and am pursuing my Masters in Public Health with a concentration in environmental and occupational health. What do you hope to do after you graduate? I am...