Our Stories

The Latest by Jared Saylor

Campaign Director

November 30, 2012

Boxer Throws Punch At Coal Ash

By Jared Saylor  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Some members of the Senate believe it’s acceptable to write up legislation to prevent the EPA from regulating toxic coal ash—and then attach it to a completely unrelated bill. They tried unsuccessfully earlier this summer to put it into must-pass legislation that would help maintain and improve our nation’s highway infrastructure. They’re considering including it …

November 16, 2012

180 Seconds Of Coal Ash Pollution

By Jared Saylor  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Four years ago, a small Tennessee town woke up to a nightmare. A nearby coal ash pond that held back more than a billion gallons of toxic waste collapsed, sending a flood of ash and dirt right through their doors. In the weeks and months that followed, an entire nation began to see the magnitude …

June 20, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: We’re Watching Your Vote

By Jared Saylor  /  Washington, D.C. Office

It’s Groundhog Day in the House of Representatives. Once again, coal company allies are leading a charge to pass a symbolic vote that would reinforce their disdain for any plans to clean up coal ash ponds and landfills with federal minimum safeguards. But the symbolism has real-world impacts: nearly 200 coal ash sites have already …

May 15, 2012

1 Million Voices: Protect Our Arctic Ocean

By Jared Saylor  /  Alaska Office

On a muggy summer Tuesday morning, polar bears, a walrus, a sandpiper and 150 activists delivered to White House more than one million comments from concerned members of the public—all asking President Obama to stop plans by Shell Oil to drill in the remote, fragile waters of the Arctic Ocean.

April 24, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: 'Stand Your Ground' Embraces Coal Ash

By Jared Saylor  /  Washington, D.C. Office

The New York Times reported over the weekend that Common Cause, a nonprofit watchdog group, was using thousands of documents it received to bolster a claim that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) violates its nonprofit status by practicing in state and federal lobbying. ALEC, which has been in the news lately, is a corporate …

March 1, 2012

When What You Don’t Know Actually Can Hurt

By Jared Saylor  /  Northeast Office

It seems reasonable that if something were to cause us harm, we’d like to know about it—such as a faulty part in a car that would cause the brakes to fail. It’s the way we protect ourselves and our families, by avoiding those things that might cause us harm, or at least being made aware …

December 12, 2011

Dear Obama: How Could You Approve Drilling in Arctic Ocean?

By Jared Saylor  /  Alaska Office

It's not easy to get the President’s attention.

August 5, 2011

Lessons Unlearned

By Jared Saylor  /  Alaska Office

Last summer, we were captivated by a live video feed of oil spewing from a broken well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon disaster woke up America to the dangers of offshore oil drilling, and the government was quick to act. Shortly after 11 workers lost their lives, the Obama …

June 16, 2011

3 Out of 4 Voters Agree: Cleaning Up Smog Aids America

By Jared Saylor  /  Washington, D.C. Office

It comes as no surprise: Americans overwhelmingly want clean air. We’re very pleased to see that our friends at the American Lung Association have concluded that 75 percent of American voters support the Environmental Protection Agency and their efforts to clean up smog pollution. The ALA released the results of a nationwide, bipartisan poll today that …

May 17, 2011

Lives Threatened by EPA's Indefinite Delay on Clean Air

By Jared Saylor  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Shame on the Environmental Protection Agency. Yesterday afternoon, the agency decided that it would postpone indefinitely a new health standard finalized a few months ago that would reduce toxic air pollution from industrial boilers. These small power plants are used at larger industrial facilities like oil refineries and chemical plants—more than 13,000 of them are …