More than 100 million Americans live in vulnerability zones that surround dangerous chemical facilities, putting them at risk of explosions, fires, and release of toxic chemicals caused by these facilities. In Colorado, 51,117 children are at risk of these disasters because they attend school close to an unsafe plant – this is unacceptable. We can make our communities safer by ensuring that these facilities switch to safer chemicals and technologies that are both available and affordable.

The Pulitzer-winning InsideClimate News is running a blockbuster series with incontrovertible evidence—pulled from Exxon's own archives—that the oil giant's top executives were warned of possible catastrophe from greenhouse pollution, then led efforts to block solutions. Documents show that Exxon's own scientists were aware of and studying the dangerous impacts of greenhouse gases in the 1970s and 1980s—until Exxon's leadership decided to shut down the research and promote climate denial instead, in order to protect the company's unfathomably large profits. We've known for years that the oil industry finances the climate-denial network of politicians, think tanks, and right-wing media in order to protect their gargantuan profits, but now we have sufficient evidence of deliberate deceit to make a federal investigation happen. The United States Department of Justice has the power to prosecute Exxon's deliberate deception under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act—just as DOJ sued the tobacco industry for knowingly lying about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Even before these smoking-gun documents were released, climate hawks have been making calls for a RICO investigation of fossil-fueled climate denial. Three weeks ago, a group of top climate scientists called for an investigation (PDF), saying, "it is imperative that these misdeeds be stopped as soon as possible so that America and the world can get on with the critically important business of finding effective ways to restabilize the Earth's climate, before even more lasting damage is done." Months earlier, climate hawk Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former state Attorney General, called for a RICO investigation of Big Oil, saying, "I don’t know whether the fossil fuel industry and its allies engaged in the same kind of racketeering activity as the tobacco industry. We don't have enough information to make that conclusion. Perhaps it's all smoke and no fire. But there’s an awful lot of smoke." Thanks to the reporters at Inside Climate News, now we have smoking-gun documents found in public archives. And there's certain to be more. It's up to us to demand the U.S. government immediately launch an investigation that will lead to prosecution of Exxon's deliberate and deadly climate denial.

More than 100 million Americans live in vulnerability zones that surround dangerous chemical facilities, putting them at risk of explosions, fires, and release of toxic chemicals caused by these facilities. In New Mexico, 106,302 children are at risk of these disasters because they attend school close to an unsafe plant – this is unacceptable. We can make our communities safer by ensuring that these facilities switch to safer chemicals and technologies that are both available and affordable.

BREAKING NEWS! After years of Earthjustice-led legal battles, Shell just announced that it is abandoning its Arctic Ocean drilling program. Shell's departure from the Arctic Ocean removes, at least for now, a major threat to the region's wildlife, already suffering from the impacts of climate change, which is happening more rapidly there than anywhere on earth. But the fight is not over! President Obama now has an opportunity to build on his climate successes and end Arctic Ocean drilling for good. Will you reach out to him today, to urge him to protect the Arctic Ocean for the long haul? Shell's decision shows that Arctic Ocean oil drilling is a thing of the past. It’s time to invest in a future of clean renewable energy and a sustainable climate for future generations. For decades, Earthjustice has been in court fighting risky drilling in the region. And with your help, we will continue to fight. Take action now to help us achieve long-term Arctic protections.

Right now some of California's crops are being irrigated with toxic fracking and oil wastewater. Some of the companies using this wastewater on some of their crops include Halos Mandarins, Sunview Raisins and Grapes (some of which are certified organic) and Trinchero Family Estates, which makes Sutter Home Wines. It is inexcusable that the oil and gas industry is allowed to use American families' dinner plates as a disposal site for toxic oil field wastewater. Governor Brown must stop allowing wastewater to be dumped on our food crops in California!

The Senate’s Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 (S.2015) isn’t what it claims to be. Instead, it’s just more of the same dirty energy policy: cuts to energy efficiency programs, accelerated approval for liquefied natural gas exports, and no real plan to decrease fossil fuel use or increase renewable energy. Sign the petition to tell your senators to say NO to this dirty energy bill.

To encourage the Waco City Council to pass an ordinance banning single use plastic bags. Bans or fees have been instituted in 31 countries and over 100 U.S. cities. Studies have found such policies effective in reducing local plastic litter.

Volkswagen repeatedly and intentionally cheated the Clean Air Act for the last 6 years. The company’s “clean diesel” cars included software VW installed on nearly 500,000 cars sold in the U.S. to cheat on emissions tests. When researchers discovered that VW cars circumvented emissions regulations in 2014, the company told the EPA they fixed the problem. But we now know the problem persisted for half a million vehicles. And the real-world results are astounding: VW cars could be emitting 15-35 times more smog-forming pollution while on the road than was showing up on their emissions tests. And while we aren’t sure why VW cheated, we have a pretty good guess. Experts have suggested these emission controls impacted performance, making the cars less fun to drive. When engineers couldn’t solve the problem, they decide to install a little bit of code to cheat the Clean Air Act and consumers. One thing is clear. We’re suffering. Pennsylvania has been named the second smoggiest state in the nation by a recent report from the American Lung Association. Another recent study found that diesel vehicles a major source of Pittsburgh’s air pollution problems. What the consequences look like for VW isn’t final. With fines reaching $36,000 per a vehicle, they could be astronomical. But, it’s important that the EPA comes down hard on VW—to protect our health and to make it clearing this kind of cheating isn’t tolerated.

The actions of these organizations have been extensively documented in peer reviewed academic research (Brulle, 2013) and in recent books including: Doubt is their Product (Michaels, 2008), Climate Cover-Up (Hoggan & Littlemore, 2009), Merchants of Doubt (Oreskes & Conway, 2010), The Climate War (Pooley, 2010), and in The Climate Deception Dossiers (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2015). Successful prosecution of the tobacco industry under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act) is a valid example of the power and effect of this act. It's high time to apply it to the fossil fuel industry it's CEOs and it's paid propagandists.

More than 100 million Americans live in vulnerability zones that surround dangerous chemical facilities, putting them at risk of explosions, fires and releases of toxic chemicals caused by these facilities. We can make our communities safer by ensuring that these facilities switch to safer chemicals and technologies that are both available and affordable. Tell Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy we need a strong rule to make chemical facilities safer!

To save the whales, who are very susceptible to loud noise in the ocean!

Just off the shores of New England, a fragile undersea mountain range brimming with rare marine wildlife—critically endangered North Atlantic right whales—is threatened with destruction. But there’s a chance to save it. Tell the Obama administration to make history and create the first-ever marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. New England’s “Grand Canyons,” sea mountains, and Cashes Ledge are national treasures. These precious ecosystems provide refuge for hundreds of species of rare and unique marine wildlife. These areas are also critical to the health of our ocean fish, the lifeblood of Atlantic coastal communities. Earthjustice has been fighting to protect our ocean ecosystems and we need your help! Unfortunately, these fragile undersea places are threatened with destruction from overfishing and industrial exploitation, as the deep ocean has become more accessible to drilling, mining and damaging commercial fishing. Leading scientists agree, now is the time to protect New England’s Grand Canyons, sea mountains and Cashes Ledge before it’s too late. Overwhelming public support is needed to persuade the Obama administration to protect these special places with a marine national monument designation. Send a message now to weigh in on this important decision.