June News: First-Ever Limits on Carbon Pollution Proposed

Giving Georgia's Environment its Day in Court

June 2014

Mark your calendars for

October 7, 2014

Rooftop Terrace

of Nelson Mullins in Atlantic Station

Sponsorships Available

Purchase Tickets

Honorees for 2014:

Galloway & Lyndall, LLC

Ogden Doremus Award for Excellence in Environmental Law

April Ingle Environmental Hero

Tally Sweat

Lifetime Achievement

Greetings!

June has been a busy month at GreenLaw, staring with EPA's June 2nd

release of proposed regulations under the Clean Air Act that would for the first time set carbon pollution limits for existing US electric power plants. GreenLaw and our client, the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, were interviewed by state and local media outlets on the importance of these new carbon limits.

GreenLaw also launched a new website on June 2. Although it's still a work in progress, your feedback is appreciated. Please take a minute to look at it and let us know what you think. www.greenlaw.org

We've had a couple of events since the last newsletter, including "Sips for the Spit" on St. Simons Island to raise funds and awareness about the importance of protecting the Sea Island Spit and other fragile coastal areas from development. Visit our Facebook page to see how they went.

GreenLaw and Sierra Club Applaud Plan

to Curb Carbon Pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposal for the first-ever national protections from dangerous carbon pollution from existing power plants. Carbon pollution causes climate disruption and is already costing American communities billions of dollars from flooding, super-storms, wildfires and extreme heat.

Read more >>

Obama plan proposes large reductions in greenhouse gases

NPR: EPA Unveils New Proposal Targeting Greenhouse Gases

Plant Washington Proposal Comes Under Fire

GreenLaw Attorneys Ashten Bailey and MaKara Rumley hosted a public meeting in Sandersville about Plant Washington. This is the local Fox News coverage of the event.

A proposal to build a $2.1 billion coal fire power plant in Washington County came under harsh criticism by a duo of lawyers from environmental non-profit organization GreenLaw. The lawyers were invited to speak at New Light Christian Fellowship Church in Warthen by Washington County community group Fall Line Alliance for a Cleaner Environment (FACE).

Watch WGXA News Coverage

Welcome New Board Member: Stephen Lowry

GreenLaw welcomes Stephen G. Lowry as our newest board member. Steve is a partner in the firm, Harris Penn Lowry. He is a talented litigator with broad experience across multiple areas of practice. A passionate advocate for parties who have been harmed by the actions of others, Steve has secured multiple top 10 verdicts in Georgia, including the state's largest verdict, a wrongful death case, in 2010.

While attending Lewis & Clark Law School, Steve worked for non-profits on Clean Water Act cases and he served on the Environmental Law Review.

Steve serves in leadership positions in numerous organizations such as Governor of American Association of Justice; Executive Committee of Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association and Past President of the Savannah Trial Lawyers Association.

Read More >>

Georgia Environmental Justice Alliance Update

Thanks to B. Wolfe - stoppurgencoalplant.org

After several intensive meetings with thought leadership from a variety of environmental industry sectors, the strategic planning for the GA EJ Alliance has been completed. These leaders will continue to meet and expand this Alliance to include additional members to address environmental injustices throughout the state of Georgia. Please contact MaKara Rumley, GreenLaw Environmental Justice Attorney, to learn more: mrumley@greenlaw.org

Clean Water Act lawsuit filed against Rayonier

Photo courtesy of James Holland

On March 26, 2014, GreenLaw and our partners Stack & Associates and the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a federal Clean Water Act citizen suit against Rayonier Inc and Rayonier Performance Fibers LLC in the Southern District of Georgia on behalf of the Altamaha Riverkeeper. The lawsuit alleges that Rayonier's Jesup facility, which makes specialty cellulose products and discharges over 50 million gallons a day of effluent into the Altamaha River, violates state and federal law because the discharge is highly discolored and malodorous. Rayonier is represented in the case by the Atlanta law firm of King & Spalding, which recently filed a motion for summary judgment seeking to have the case dismissed. A ruling on this motion is expected later this year.