The United States’ simmering water crisis boiled over in Flint, Michigan, in 2014. Eight years later, roughly 2,000 homes in the majority-Black city still don’t have clean drinking water. A recent internal audit by the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s watchdog found that the government agency, which is tasked with containing toxic contamination and pollution, hasn’t […]
Adam Mahoney
Adam Mahoney is the climate and environment reporter at Capital B. He can be reached by email at adam.mahoney@capitalbnews.org, on Bluesky, and on X at @AdamLMahoney.
Posted inCulture, History
‘Don’t Forget About Us’: Generations of Neglect Preceded Attack on Black Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — One of this city’s main thoroughfares is crossed by a prominent, white archway marked with large black letters: “African American Heritage Corridor.” Michigan Avenue is home to historic buildings and stained-glass chapels, but the most important one sits beside the arch: a 177-year-old, red-brick church, memorialized as the last stop of the […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice
Black Advocates Say Biden Is Overpromising and Underdelivering on Climate
A whirlwind of issues has defined Joe Biden’s first 14 months in office: the constant rise and fall of COVID-19 cases and deaths, wavering levels of support for police and prison reform, a generation-defining battle over reproductive rights, and America’s tumultuous role in conflicts in Afghanistan, Palestinian territories, and Ukraine. The administration and media’s focus […]
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice
How Low-Emission Vehicles are Perpetuating ‘Systemic Environmental Racism’ in Detroit
When automaker Stellantis announced plans for a $1.6 billion auto production site in Detroit — the city’s first new vehicle assembly plant in three decades — local leaders welcomed the investment with open arms. The project was framed as a boon for the city’s struggling economy, bringing thousands of jobs and promising to revitalize the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Two Black Women Now Lead the White House’s Main Environmental Policy Council
The Biden administration announced Thursday that Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome — a climate and racial justice advocate from Detroit — will become the White House’s top environmental justice official, filling a position vacated nearly three months ago amid concerns about delays in Biden’s climate justice agenda. With White-Newsome’s appointment, the Council on Environmental Quality — the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voices of Change
Meet the 24-Year-Old Climate Activist Trying to Shake up Los Angeles Politics
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Capital B is talking to newsmakers across the country who want to reshape American politics or galvanize Black voices in government. Our “Voices of Change” series will update periodically with insights from the candidates, activists, lawmakers, and political insiders whom you should know. LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Bryant Odega wanted […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Concentration of Oil and Gas Drilling in Black Neighborhoods Is Deliberate, Study Suggests
For decades, state governments and private companies have asserted that oil production sites were chosen solely by natural factors: where oil was most abundant, easiest to drill, and cheapest to procure. But a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley identifies more pernicious motivations, suggesting that social factors — namely race — […]