Lester Bonner purchased a tractor, hay baler, and two hay combines for his 113-acre wheat farm when he learned he’d have $50,000 of his loans wiped clean as a result of a debt relief program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many more farmers invested in their farms in anticipation of the forgiveness of loans […]
Inflation Reduction Act
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Politics & Policy, Wealth Gap
Severe Weather Is Increasing the Cost of Living for Black Americans
As Los Angeles battled its largest wildfires in history, parts of the southern U.S. faced a very different kind of disaster — record-breaking snowstorms not seen in over 125 years. In LA, the Benn family didn’t lose their home to the flames, but they did lose access to their livelihood. Their screen-printing business, which they’ve […]
Posted inAir Pollution, Environmental Justice
America’s Rural South Is Paying the Price for Europe’s Energy
Treva Gear doesn’t want the forest in her town of Adel, Georgia, to be the next place “sacrificed” for someone else’s energy needs. However, a new tax credit proposed in the nation’s largest climate spending bill may make it more likely for her community and dozens of others. The credit could accelerate the construction of […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Partner Content
Hundreds of Millions Up for Grabs in Environmental Justice Grants
It’s been nearly two years since President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act won Congress’ approval, but it’ll likely be months before that cash starts trickling into the marginalized communities it’s supposed to help. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in December that the Biden administration had picked 11 organizations to serve as grantmakers tasked with […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice
How the Country’s Largest Climate Bill Threatens to Leave Black Communities Behind
One year after the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act — the largest bill in U.S. history aimed at mitigating climate change — examples of the bill’s key policies harming Black communities continue to surface. Capital B has reported on several, including: Experts like Rhiana Gunn-Wright, climate policy director at the Roosevelt Institute, contend that […]
Posted inRural Issues
Drug Costs Are Burdening Rural Black Seniors. This New Law Could Help.
Inflation has eased nationwide in recent months, but older Black Americans — particularly those in rural areas — are still struggling to pay for their essential needs, often choosing between life-saving medications and rent. Even before the pandemic, half of adults who were 65 or older and lived alone didn’t have enough money to afford […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
These USDA Programs Want to Advance Equity — but They Don’t Ask for Applicants’ Race
A group of white farmers sued the federal government last year over a $4 billion loan forgiveness program created for farmers of color. The lawsuit stalled payment distribution to Black recipients and pushed the Biden administration to replace the race-conscious program — created to address past discrimination by the USDA — with a race-neutral version. […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against Federal Debt Relief Program Dismissed
The class-action lawsuit brought by a group of white farmers alleging that a federal debt relief program racially discriminated against them has been dismissed. Five white farmers sued the U.S. agriculture secretary last year to challenge the constitutionality of a $4 billion debt forgiveness program that targeted socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including Black farmers. […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Why the Inflation Reduction Act Doesn’t ‘Level the Playing Field’ for Black Farmers
President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law last week, drawing praise for shoveling billions of dollars into clean energy efforts. But while the sweeping measure takes historic steps to address climate issues, some environmental experts have called out its failure to address generations of discrimination against Black farmers. After Congress promised last […]