Meet Erin Rhodes, Fall Intern
Erin has moved to Birmingham for the semester to volunteer with Gasp as an Environmental Justice Intern through Wheaton College's Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) program. Welcome to Birmingham, Erin! What is your major and why did you choose it?I study...
Groups Ask PSC to Reconsider Alabama Power’s Unprecedented Fossil Fuel Expansion
Gasp and Energy Alabama have formally asked the Alabama Public Service Commission to reconsider its June decision to approve the single largest capacity increase ever proposed by Alabama Power, including including almost 1,900 MW of fracked gas generation. We...
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...
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...
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...
Meet Mimi Tran, Spring Intern for Gasp
What is your major at UAB/BSC and why did you choose it? I’m a freshman Urban Environmental Studies major at Birmingham Southern College. As a kid, my favorite part of family vacations was (and still is!) visiting a city’s botanical gardens, local farmers markets, or...
COVID-19: Air pollution reductions?
I think many of us are looking for a silver lining right now; many are looking for a calm amidst the storm (side note, this video from a doctor working with only COVID-19 patients in New York City is the best thing I have seen since this started. It’s logical,...
Meet Matthew Odendahl, Spring Intern for Gasp
Matthew is serving as Gasp's Communications and Marketing Spring Intern What is your major at UAB/BSC and why did you choose it? I am pursuing a bachelor of science in public health, with a concentration in environmental health and a studio art minor. I chose this...
COVID-19: How I’m Keeping Myself Sane and Others Safe
Staff Attorney Haley Lewis shares what has helped her get through the past two weeks in the hopes they may help you too.
Meet Ben Moose, Spring Intern for Gasp
Where do you go to high school? I go to high school at JCIB (Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School). What do you hope to do after you graduate? I hope to pursue a career in atmospheric sciences, specifically meteorology. I am also interested in...
Meet Allie Guadarrama, Spring Intern for Gasp
Allie is serving as Gasp's Climate Change Intern. Where do you go to high school?/What do you hope to do after you graduate? Currently I am a Junior at Vestavia Hills High School. After High School I would like to move to the West, either California or Washington, and...
Victory: Alabama Power Agrees Not to Disconnect Service, Charge Late Fees During COVID-19
Energy Alabama and Gasp Appreciate Alabama Power’s Belabored Decision Not to Disconnect Service or Charge Late Fees During COVID-19 Crisis BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 19, 2020) — On Friday, March 13, Governor Kay Ivey declared a State of Emergency as the COVID-19 pandemic...
Meet Rose Albert, Spring Intern for Gasp
Rose is serving as Gasp's Community Science Intern What is your major at UAB and why did you choose it? I chose to major in chemistry at UAB because I appreciate its explanations for the physical world. A foundational understanding of chemistry is applicable to other...
Thanks to our Volunteers
Seven days ago was a busy day. Brodie (intern) and I worked the Gasp table at UAB's Community Matching Event (giving students an opportunity to meet local non-profits). I left Brodie to handle the table and rushed back to our office to meet with a new volunteer, who...
13 Organizations Call for Alabama PSC to Halt Disconnections, Late Fees
Today, 13 organizations formally requested the Alabama Public Service Commission issue an emergency order to halt utility shutoffs and late fees for all customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Alabama Power issued a statement that it "had no plans" to cut...
Genes, Evolution, and Air Pollution
I believe that the health of each and every one of us is harmed by air pollution. I base this belief on studies that show there is no safe level of pollutants and that adverse health effects are occurring at levels much lower than previously thought. It is hard,...
