New York environmentalists are protesting banks heavily invested in the fossil fuel industry as part of a national day of action today (Tuesday). Led by the group Third Act, protests across the U.S. will consist of rallies, art installations, and activists cutting up credit cards. According to the Rainforest Action Network's 2022 Fossil Fuel Finance report, the world's 60 largest banks invested over $4.5-trillion in fossil fuels since the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted in 2016.

Vanessa Arcara, president and co-founder of Third Act, said banks like JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America are some of the biggest offenders in the U.S.

"These four banks alone have provided well over one trillion dollars in lending and underwriting to the fossil fuel companies that build things like new coal plants, fracking wells, gas export terminals, and more," she said.

Arcara said one person at a time closing their accounts with these banks will not force them into bankruptcy, but hopes these protests shine a light on what these banks are doing. Since 2017, several so-called "green banks, including one in New York, have opened. They are dedicated to investing in myriad environmentally friendly and positive climate change projects.

Some banks have made commitments to turn over a new leaf on investing in green projects. In its 2022 Climate Report, JP Morgan Chase aims to finance over $2.5 trillion dollars in sustainable development, with over $106-billion of green activities financed. Yet, according to Third Act, the company has been playing both sides of the environmental game. Arcara noted people need to pay attention to where banks are putting their money to use.

"A lot of these banks have signed on to the various councils, saying publicly that they're in support of climate targets. But that certainly doesn't bear out when you look at the numbers and the types of investment strategies that they continue to pursue," she said.

Along with the large investment made in green projects, JP Morgan Chase, along with Citi, provided the most financing to offshore oil and gas in 2021, according to the Rainforest Action Network report. In total, big banks funneled about $53-billion into that industry.


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From conservation to sportsmen's groups, the U.S. Supreme Court is getting plenty of backlash over its most recent ruling, which weakens federal protections for wetlands.

The 5-4 decision in Sackett v. EPA means wetlands are only protected by the Clean Water Act if they have a "continuous surface connection" with a larger, navigable body of water.

Sam Sankar, senior vice president of programs for EarthJustice, warned the ruling puts millions of acres of wetlands at risk, including in Pennsylvania.

"According to the National Wetlands Inventory, there are just over half a million acres of wetlands in Pennsylvania, and all of those wetlands are threatened by the decision of the Supreme Court," Sankar asserted.

The ruling is a victory for an Idaho couple who sued the Environmental Protection Agency after being denied a federal permit to build a home on land which included wetlands. Sankar noted some farmers, developers, and landowners may cheer the decision but might not understand the benefits of wetlands to the environment, in terms of flood control, water quality, and wildlife habitat.

Sankar added the ruling imperils the safety of drinking water for millions of Pennsylvanians whose drinking water sources are downstream of wetlands no longer protected from pollution or development following the court's decision.

"If wetlands aren't protected, there's going to be more pollution, more flooding, more drought,"
Sankar projected. "And that means that surface waters that are inextricably intertwined with the wetlands are going to be degraded as well. Those surface waters are often the place where our communities get their water from, and so, eliminating protection for wetlands threatens drinking water."

Sankar stressed Earthjustice is among the groups asking Congress to use its power to negate the ruling. Some states also have said they will enforce their own, state-level protections.

Environmental groups in Tennessee have an urgent call to action for the Tennessee Valley Authority to cut fossil-fuel emissions and replace their coal plants with renewable energy.

The TVA provides electricity for 153 local power companies and serves 10 million people in Tennessee and parts of six surrounding states.

Gabriella Sarri-Tobar, energy justice campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, which is a member of the Clean Up TVA Coalition, wants to see the Kingston and Cumberland power plants replaced with renewable energy alternatives.

She explained local environmental groups including The Clean Up TVA Coalition are working daily to encourage fossil-fuel-free energy production by 2030.

"One of our key demands is that the new board should take back and should reclaim the decision-making authority that was previously delegated to the CEO Jeff Lyash," Sarri-Tobar pointed out. "The TVA board did take back that authority."

Sarri-Tobar emphasized the importance of TVA being a leader in the transition to clean and renewable energy and the coalition is working to ensure workers and communities most impacted by TVA's decisions are represented in the energy discussions.

Sarri-Tobar noted a recent Appalachian Voices report looking at the job market specifically focused on the Cumberland coal plant retirement plan, and what the shift from coal to gas would do in terms of jobs versus clean power and energy efficiency.

"They found that shifting to gas would actually result in fewer jobs than renewable energy and energy efficiency," Sarri-Tobar stressed. "There is a transition, that's gonna happen because those coal jobs will no longer exist, but they can become clean energy jobs."

The Cumberland plant is set to retire one unit by the end of 2026 and the second unit by the end of 2028. The Kingston plant is currently undergoing an environmental review process.


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Four months after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, residents say they continue to struggle with ongoing health problems, and face an uncertain future without federal help in the form of an emergency disaster declaration.

Cindy Walter, a resident of East Palestine, said she has been staying in hotels after developing health problems in her home. She explained since the derailment, she has had a series of doctors' visits, and now has to use an inhaler.

"Because I'm having a hard time breathing," Walter noted. "She also gave me a nasal spray because of the cough and the hoarseness, the burning eyes and the hard time breathing."

Walter added she wants Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the chemical spill, to pay for home air purifiers. According to the Ohio EPA, nearly 7,000 tons of excavated contaminated soil sits in piles waiting to be removed from the site.

Amanda Kiger, co-executive director of River Valley Organizing, a local advocacy group, is hosting a community meeting next month on air quality in the region. She said without FEMA assistance, families will struggle to find alternative places to stay, or be forced to go back into potentially unsafe housing.

"We would get things like FEMA trailers, FEMA housing," Kiger emphasized. "We would be able to fast-track that federal help, to be able to get that cleaned up."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he has been told by FEMA the chemical spill does not qualify because it was not a natural disaster, like a tornado or flood. However, the federal agency has given DeWine an extension to request a major disaster declaration for damages. The deadline is July 3.