The Beacon
The Beacon is an environmental justice-focused blog discussing current developments in the law, proposals to achieve more just actions to those disproportionately affected by environmental impacts, and those leading the movements to trailblaze an environmentally just future.
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Conservation Easements Perpetuate Inequitable Land Holdings By Jill Reynolds Conservation easements reinforce inequitable land holdings. Such easements are conservation tools utilized exclusively by private landowners.[1] For tax benefits, private landowners...

How ICE Raids Impact the Enforcement of Labor Rights for Migrant Farmworkers By Grace Cunningham Migrant farmworkers are the backbone of the U.S. agricultural industry, providing essential work from planting...

Redlining Is Alive and Well Today By Dalia Rodriguez-Caspeta Though redlining was in full force before 1968, its effects are still felt today.[1] The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) oversaw federally...

Dam Removal on the Lower Kennebec River: Using Indigenous Stewardship to Heal By Swithin Shearer Indigenous populations in the United States are spiritually connected to their land and water.[1] In...

Diamond in the Rough: Using Corporate Interests for Environmental Justice Goals By Brett Davis The Supreme Court’s latest term lacked blockbuster environmental decisions like years past.[1] The Court’s biggest decisions...

Lithium Valley Project Dead in the Water? By Jules Mulé On the eastern border of California and Mexico lies the Sonoran desert’s hidden gem: the Salton Sea, the largest body...

Tribal Environmental Sovereignty in Oklahoma: Where Did It Come from and Where Did It Go? By Lauren Burden What does environmental regulation look like for Tribes in Oklahoma today? To...

The “Space Race” Sequel: At What Cost for Global Dominance? By Eden Reynolds While the excitement surrounding potential benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) like increasing work productivity,[1] generating cute pictures...

Debunking EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s Claims of the Economic Harms of Emission Regulations By Max Oechsner The current American administration has been canceling climate change initiatives since its first day...
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