Our Stories

The Latest by Emilie Karrick Surrusco

Writer

Emilie has spent the past two decades as a journalist, speechwriter and communications strategist in Washington, D.C. At Earthjustice, she shares the stories of the people and issues at the heart of our clean energy litigation and policy work.

"Women have to be the fiercest," says Maria Lopez-Nuñez. She is fighting for environmental justice in Newark, NJ's Ironbound neighborhood.
February 28, 2024

These Women Environmental Leaders Are Fighting For Their Communities

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco

Women will continue to help shape the future as we fight to protect the environment that we all share — our planet.

Gio Cerise, a member of the White Earth Nation, plays a drum and prays in front of Line 3 pipeline construction on Highway 169 south of Hill City, Minn.
October 1, 2021

Tribes Defend Minnesota Waterways From Dangerous Line 3 Pipeline

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Northeast Office & Tribal Partnerships Program

Representing the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Honor the Earth, and Sierra Club, Earthjustice is fighting the pipeline in federal court.

August 3, 2020

After Deceiving Bridgeport’s Religious Leaders, PSEG Is Facing the Backlash

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Clean Energy Program

Energy company PSEG promised jobs and local investments to the residents of Bridgeport, Connecticut, to get their new gas-fired power plant built. Seven years later, none of that has happened. The residents — and the city — are done waiting.

Más de 1.200 estudiantes ensamblaron un globo terráqueo de cinco pisos de altura en la Explanada Nacional en Washington D.C., para conmemorar el vigesimoquinto aniversario del Día de la Tierra en 1995.
April 20, 2020

50 Años Después, El Legado Legal del Día de la Tierra Cobra Mayor Importancia

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco

Conforme el Día de la Tierra alcanza este hito, estamos más comprometidos que nunca a construir sobre el progreso del pasado mientras avanzamos hacia un futuro saludable y sostenible para todos.

More than 1,200 students assembled a five-story globe on the National Mall in Washington D.C., to mark the 25th anniversary of Earth Day in 1995.
April 15, 2020

50 Years On, Earth Day’s Legal Legacy Looms Large

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco

As Earth Day reaches a milestone anniversary, we’re more committed than ever to building on the progress of the past while moving forward toward a healthy, sustainable future for all.

The Methow Valley in Washington attracts nearly a million visitors a year, and the river that flows through it provides habitat for endangered salmon.
March 13, 2020

This Stunning Wilderness Victory Is Proof We’re Stronger When We Work Together

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Northwest Office

A community came together to secure permanent protections for the Methow Valley in Washington state.

Andrew Rehn of Prairie Rivers Network looks at toxic coal ash waste seepage on the shore of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River in Illinois.
February 6, 2020

In the Fight to Clean up Coal Ash, These States Are Making Progress

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Clean Energy Program

Our partners are working to enact coal ash cleanup legislation across the nation. Here are some locations where they’ve succeeded.

Egrets are one of 400 bird species that call the Everglades home.
February 5, 2020

How We’re Fighting to Give the Everglades a Fighting Chance

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Florida Office

We’ve been fighting for decades to restore the Everglades to nature. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Florida must follow through on a legal agreement it made to clean up the national park.

Un técnico instala un sistema de energía solar en una casa en Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, en julio de 2018. La isla forma parte de una lista creciente de estados y ciudades de EE.UU. que se han comprometido con la energía limpia al 100 por ciento.
September 17, 2019

La Promesa de Puerto Rico

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Florida Office

Hasta ahora, los planes de reconstrucciĂłn de la isla contradicen al compromiso por cambiar a energĂ­as 100% renovables.

A technician installs a solar energy system at a home in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, in July 2018.
September 17, 2019

Puerto Rico’s Promise

By Emilie Karrick Surrusco  /  Florida Office

So far, the island’s plans for rebuilding are at odds with its commitment to switch to 100% renewable energy.