That is what various student groups and organizations gathered to discuss on the last day of Black History Month. The Will Steger Foundation sponsored Clean Air: the New Civil Rights Struggle at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities last week with a diverse coalition of partners, including Sierra Club, Black Motivated Women, Black Student Union, Native American Law Students Association, Black Law Student Association, American Indian Student Cultural Center, and EcoWatch.

Will Steger Foundation is teaming up with Sierra Club and cultural groups from the University of Minnesota to host a discussion focused on cultural, health, and policy perspectives on clean air on February 29th at noon.

Click here for info...

Last week, Senator Klobuchar voted against a proposal from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul that would have increased pollution and threatened public health. Siri Simons, Campus Beyond Coal Co-Chair, and I stopped by Sentator Klobuchar’s Minneapolis office on Tuesday to show our generation’s appreciation for her commitment to protecting human health and the environment.

We hand delivered a letter for Senator Klobuchar on behalf of 11 youth-based organizations who represent over 90,000 youth and alumni. The letter urged Senator Klobuchar to continue to stand with our generation by rejecting any legislation that weakens or delays clean air safeguards.

Senator Klobuchar will soon vote on the Coates-Manchin Bill that would delay the implementation of two Environmental Protection Agency air pollution regulations – the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the Utility MACT rule. This bill blocks public health protections against mercury, soot, smog and other air pollutants and will put tens of thousands of American lives at risk every year.

We hope to see Senator Klobuchar continue to protect human health and our environment by rejecting the Coates-Manchin Bill and any other proposal that blocks public health safeguards against mercury pollution and other dangerous pollutants.

Letter from the Executive Director

The Will Steger Foundation blog has a number of great articles by our youth leaders this month. From Midwest Powershift in Cleveland, Ohio to youth led meetings with legislative staff, to preparing to participate in the upcoming United Nations climate conference in Durban, South Africa, a generation is getting to work building their future.

Youth have also been submitting observations to our online classroom for Minnesota’s Changing Climate: "I learned that humans have a huge impact on how fast the climate changes and that everything we do affects the changing climate. I also learned that we can change the world.” "I learned that every living thing has an impact on how the world changes." Check them out in our exciting online classroom!

The Changing Arctic event was a great success last month. Over 80 people joined the Will Steger Foundation and partners for a thought-provoking conversation. The half-day event explored what a changing arctic, mainly an ice-free arctic, means for economics, the environment, diplomacy and security.

We are gearing up for Give to the Max Day this Wednesday November 16th and hope you will join us by supporting our work.

Finally, on December 7 & 8 Will Steger will be talking about his eyewitness experience with climate change and the connection between climate, clean air and human health at two events in Grand Rapids and Princeton, MN. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

Image via: © 2006 Bruno & Lígia Rodrigues. 2006

On Thursday, the EPA announced another delay that is part of a dangerous trend. Just weeks after Obama chose to delay critical air quality standards for smog, his administration announced a delay for New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), which will help curb greenhouse gas emissions.

"Greenhouse gases for power plants is first on the docket," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said on the sidelines of an event in San Francisco. "Although we are not going to make the date at the end of the month, we are still working and will be shortly announcing a new schedule."

With extreme weather events becoming the new normal, the costs of inaction on climate change are more apparent. This year’s unprecedented floods, storms, and fires tell us that we are in a race against time to curb this dangerous pollution.

Americans support and are demanding fundamental EPA protections against life-threatening pollution, and it's in America's long-term economic interest to transition away from dirty fuels to clean energy.

Taking a little more time to get it done right is one thing. Punting on EPA’s duty to protect our children and our planet would be utterly unacceptable.

More Info:

New York Times - EPA Seen Likely to Miss Deadline on Rule for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Utilities

US Climate Network - Cleaning Up Power Plants & Big Polluters