Los Angeles County votes to end oil and gas drilling
There are currently 1,046 active wells, 637 idle wells, and 2,731 abandoned wells in unincorporated areas of the nation’s most populous county.
North & Central America
New Jersey automatically expunged 360,000 cannabis cases this summer
Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation into law in 2019 facilitating a process for the review and vacation of the criminal records of those previously convicted of low-level marijuana offenses.
New York state bans sale of ICE vehicles after 2035
The new law makes New York the second U.S. state to ban conventional cars and trucks. The legislation also requires the state government to create of a detailed plan for zero emissions vehicle development by 2023.
Carl Nassib becomes first openly gay player to play in NFL game
Nassib played a critical role in the Raiders’ win with a sack and forced fumble that set up the Raiders’ game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Indigenous resistance has staved off 25% of U.S. and Canada’s annual emissions
A new report by Indigenous Environmental Network and Oil Change International found that Indigenous-led resistance over the past decade has stopped or delayed the equivalent of 25% of annual U.S. and Canadian emissions.
Harvard University to end investment in fossil fuels
President Bacow said the school’s endowment had no direct investments in fossil fuel exploration or development companies as of June and will not make such investments in the future.
Amazon to cover 100% of college tuition for U.S. hourly employees
Amazon will offer to pay 100% of college tuition for its 750,000 U.S. hourly employees. The e-commerce giant is following the lead of other large U.S. companies that are dangling similar perk in a tight job market.
Richmond’s massive Robert E. Lee statue has been removed
Lee’s statue was the largest Confederate monument in Richmond, Virginia and one of the largest in the country. Nearly every other Confederate statue in the city was removed last summer by protests or the city itself.
U.S. federal judge throws out Trump-era rule facilitating development of streams, marshes, and wetlands
District Judge Rosemary Marquez’s decision applies nationwide, according to the Washington Post, and will protect drinking water and wildlife habitat for millions of Americans and billions of animals.
Mexico’s top court decriminalizes abortion in ‘watershed moment’
The decision in the world’s second-biggest Roman Catholic country means that courts can no longer prosecute abortion cases, and follows the historic legalization of the right in Argentina earlier this year.