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The Latest by Raviya Ismail

Press Secretary

Raviya was a press secretary at Earthjustice in the Washington, D.C. office from 2008 to 2014, working on issues including federal rulemakings, energy efficiency laws and coal ash pollution.

August 31, 2011

Tr-Ash Talk: Rebellion Against Coal Ash in Illinois

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Illinois has the dubious distinction of being a state with one of the worst coal ash regulatory programs in the nation. But what is more outrageous is that no less than 11 Illinois congressmen are pushing to block the U.S. EPA from cleaning up coal ash in the state. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) is among them. …

August 29, 2011

Unplugged: DOE Standards Will Save Americans Money

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Thanks to action taken by the U.S. Department of Energy, American consumers are expected to save more than $21 billion (through 2043) on their utility bills as a result of new energy efficiency standards for home refrigerators and freezers. The new standards will improve the efficiency of these appliances by about 25 percent starting in …

August 17, 2011

Tr-Ash Talk: State of Failure

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Yes, we’re still waiting. And while we wait for comprehensive federal standards that regulate toxic coal ash, we have some more bad news about the state of states’ coal ash disposal. We joined with Appalachian Mountain Advocates to release a report detailing the lack of state-based regulations for coal ash disposal and the 12 worst …

July 13, 2011

Tr-Ash Talk: Safe At Home With Coal Ash

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Today we’re gearing up for a vote on H.R. 2273, which is Rep. David McKinley’s (R-WV) attempt to give coal companies a get-out-of-jail free card. Yesterday, House leaders in the Committee on Energy and Commerce discussed the nature of the legislation, which included much spirited back-and-forth dialogue. Among the highlights (and lowlights): After the author …

July 6, 2011

Tr-Ash Talk: House Buries Coal Ash In Appropriations Bill

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

We knew this was coming. After the drama this past winter we knew it was likely that the House had something else up their sleeves. Now this. To break it down, both the Senate and the House must consider appropriations bills (that fund government agencies) and the House is up first. There are all types …

June 29, 2011

Tr-Ash Talk: Coal Ash Making Headlines

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

A round-up of coal ash in headlines this week: As we wait for the mark-up to begin on Rep. David McKinley’s (R-WV) legislation that would strip the Environmental Protection Agency from using its authority to protect people from toxic coal ash waste, one group is mad as heck at the congressman’s effort to block these health safeguards. …

June 24, 2011

They’d Like to Stay Mum

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Oil refineries are by some estimates the second-largest industrial source of greenhouse gas emissions. They also are a major source of toxic air pollution, pumping benzene, toluene and hexane into our air. Benzene is a known carcinogen. Toluene can cause neurological harm when inhaled. And hexane causes severe harm when humans are continually exposed to …

June 10, 2011

Unplugged: In Time for Summer, Energy Efficient Air Conditioning!

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

The Department of Energy today released stronger new energy efficiency standards for central AC units, furnaces and heat pumps. The new rules adopt levels recommended by a coalition of manufacturing, consumer and environmental groups, including Earthjustice, filed with the department in 2009. Reflecting the varying climates found across the U.S., the rules set up standards …

June 7, 2011

Tr-Ash Talk: In the Back Pocket of Polluters

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Okay, so we’ve established the hazards of coal ash. There is no doubt that arsenic, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, selenium and other toxic metals have no business in our drinking water. So why are 44 of our elected leaders calling on the Obama administration to treat coal ash as a NON-hazardous waste? Let’s back up …

May 11, 2011

Some House Leaders Stand Up to Big Oil

By Raviya Ismail  /  Washington, D.C. Office

While the House GOP majority doggedly stood behind false claims of job creation and lowered prices at the gas pump to push through legislation (263-163) that would hasten the oil drilling permitting process, there are a few of our elected leaders who get it. Representatives Edward Markey (D-MA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) …