North Carolina's first land bridge will help bears and hikers cross NC-143 safely For the first time, a new way that allows both wildlife and people to cross safely together is coming to North Carolina.

Congrats to NCDOT for building North Carolina's first land bridge in a major win for conservation and safety.

The bridge features two distinct passages: One for wildlife and one for hikers.

https://selc.link/3Qij4wj

#Wildlife #AppalachianTrail #NorthCarolina

NPCA and other conservation organizations filed a lawsuit today to protect park wildlife and stop an illegal attempt to bypass Endangered Species Act compliance that benefits oil and gas companies. https://bit.ly/4eqnSJT

Vote for the best of the internet I just voted in The Webby People's Voice Awards and checked my voter registration.

We need your help. Our podcast, Broken Ground, is in the running for a Webby award and you can help us win. Follow the link to vote today: https://selc.link/3Q7nYMF

xAI built an illegal power plant to power its data center This article was updated April, 14, 2026 to reflect new litigation. Just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line sits dozens of unpermitted gas turbines that power xAI’s Colossus 2 data center w...

Breaking: We're suing xAI for illegal pollution from its data center power plant.

SELC, NAACP, and Earthjustice are taking Elon Musk's company to court for violating the Clean Air Act: https://selc.link/4tFrDjY

BREAKING: The Trump administration moves to gut safeguards that protect communities from toxic coal ash pollution: https://selc.link/4sXeVfH

What's cheaper: Fueling your car with gas or electricity? » Yale Climate Connections Here's the answer for every U.S. state.

The South is one of the most car-dependent regions in the country. With gas prices ticking over $4/gallon, many Americans are struggling at the pump, but not EV drivers. In many states, it costs less than $1.50/gallon equivalent to charge at home: https://selc.link/4vf7tOr

Earth Month dialogues: Finding common ground Catherine Coleman Flowers is a powerful voice in the movement for environmental justice; someone whose work reminds us that the fight for a healthy environment is inseparable from the fight for human ...

Author and environmental justice leader Catherine Coleman Flowers reflects on her ancestry, faith, resilience, and responsibility. #EarthMonth #EnvironmentalJustice #HolyGround
https://selc.link/4c8wO4a

NC environmentalists lament decision to scrap offshore wind farm • NC Newsline TotalEnergies and the U.S. Dept. of the Interior signed an agreement to end two offshore wind leases — one in North Carolina and one in New York.

Paying $1B in taxpayer funds to halt two offshore wind projects — one of which is in North Carolina “comes at a terrible time for North Carolina and for the United States generally,” SELC Senior Attorney Munashe Magarira told NC NEWSLINE: https://selc.link/4bBpYoI

Great news: As of yesterday, the largest planned offshore wind project in the country is now operational. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, also known as CVOW, started producing clean, fuel-free electricity and will eventually provide energy for up to 666,000 homes.

Reimagining 77 South: a Vision for Repairing and Reconnecting Charlotte - Sustain Charlotte Sustain Charlotte invites architects, artists, students, and residents to imagine new possibilities for the I-77 corridor. Submit your vision for a more connected and vibrant Charlotte.

Charlotte has a chance to repair past harms.

With the I-77 toll lane expansion paused, Sustain Charlotte is inviting the public to provide ideas that reconnect neighborhoods, improve mobility, & create healthier public spaces. Submit your vision by 4/6: selc.link/4ly8zQY

Pollution from cutting down Southern forests to make biomass energy knows no bounds, and neither does SELC Senior Attorney Heather Hillaker’s work to stop it. Follow her journey from the American South to Japan this International Day of Forests. https://selc.link/3NixHi3

NC Legal Feeding Frenzy | Feeding The Carolinas and NC Bar Association Join NC Attorney General Josh Stein, the Young Lawyers Division of the NC Bar Association and Feeding The Carolinas for the NC Legal Feeding Frenzy. Official site.

SELC staff is thrilled to participate in another year of the NC Legal Feeding Frenzy. We're joining other legal orgs in donating and volunteering to support the important work of Feeding the Carolinas' Food banks across the Tar Heel State.

Learn more: nclegalfeedingfrenzy.com #NCLFF26

Register for this year’s Reed Environmental Writing Award to hear from Emmy-award winning author, host, and renowned birder Christian Cooper. Join us 3/20 at 5 p.m. for the livestream.

https://selc.link/46bd0uH

Senior Attorney Heather Hillaker’s advocacy against dirty biomass energy knows no borders. This #WomensHistoryMonth, discover how she is bridging the gap between local policy and international climate action.

https://selc.link/3NixHi3

The Trump administration just announced a pledge with tech companies in an attempt to gloss over fears about data centers and rising energy costs.

We're not fooled. Learn more. https://selc.link/4aPknuv

Congratulations to Lindsey Liles, winner of the 2026 Reed Award for her Garden & Gun feature, “Inside the Fight to Save the World’s Most Endangered Wolf.” Register to watch the livestream. https://selc.link/46bd0uH

North Carolina faces a choice: Repair past harms done by historic highway development or repeat them.

Governor Steing needs to pause the I-77 South expansion project now: https://selc.link/3MOCgjW

How pollution became the legacy of slavery in the South A new multimedia project reveals how environmental racism traces directly back to plantation-era land use—and why Black communities are still paying the price.

SELC’s multimedia storytelling series, Plantations to Pollution, was featured in EBONY. The series explores how legacy pollution still burdens Black communities:
https://selc.link/4aQfnoa

Virginia just took a big step toward confronting climate change. Here's the latest on joining a proven climate program. #RGGI https://selc.link/4aURHiA

Announcing the 2026 Reed Award winners

Book category: Catherine Coleman Flowers
Journalism category: Lindsey Liles

Register now to join us on 3/20 in person or online for a celebration featuring the winners plus keynote speaker and renowned birder Christian Cooper.

https://selc.link/46bd0uH

State Lines | North Carolina's Data Center Dilemma Data centers are dividing NC communities. What's at stake and who pays the cost?

SELC Senior Attorney Nick Jimenez sat down with @MyPBSNC to discuss the rapid data center growth and the necessary safeguards needed to protect communities, our wallets, and the environment.

Check out the full interview. https://selc.link/4tEfL1L

Utilities in Georgia, Southeast may be overestimating the AI boom As more and more data centers crop up throughout Georgia and the Southeast, a recent study finds they may need less energy than the industry and utilities have been predicting. That could have substantial implications for energy bills and the planet.

Southern utilities are betting big on a methane gas buildout to power a projected data center boom.

What’s the probability of the level of growth they’re projecting from data centers? Roughly 0.2%: https://selc.link/4rVWFCu

SCC declines to reconsider Chesterfield gas plant approval, advocacy groups appeal air permit • Virginia Mercury The State Corporation Commission reasserted its approval of Dominion Energy’s Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC).

We, along with our clients, are appealing Virginia DEQ’s issuance of an air permit for Dominion's latest dirty & unnecessary gas plant in VA. No new gas in Chesterfield: virginiamercury.com/briefs/scc-declines-to-r...

This week: How the @selc.bsky.social is fighting for environmental protections in the South. We talk to Program Director Geoff Gisler about the first year of Trump 2.0, and what's ahead. Also: more on the FBI's seizure of Georgia ballots, and a look at Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas."

xAI built an illegal power plant to power its data center Just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line sits dozens of unpermitted gas turbines that power xAI’s Colossus 2 data center while releasing smog-forming pollution, soot, and hazardous chemicals...

BREAKING: xAI built an illegal power plant to power its data center,SELC is planning to sue them for it: https://selc.link/4tFrDjY

Jo and Joy Banner: Reclaiming Home Jo and Joy Banner envision a time, not too distant from now, when travelers visiting their small town along the Mississippi River don’t gawk at the concentration of polluting petrochemical plants near...

Headaches, itchy eyes, and breathing problems: This is life in ‘Cancer Alley.’

Jo and Joy Banner of The Descendants Project are reclaiming their home’s history from petrochemical pollution.

Hear their story. https://selc.link/40a4M2m

We thank @ncgovernor.bsky.social for bringing a diverse array of stakeholders on the Energy Policy Task Force together to chart a responsible energy future as North Carolina grapples with growing energy demand from data centers and rising utility costs: https://governor.nc.gov/NCEPTF

Victory: Lawsuit protects $5 billion federal EV charging program We’re proud to be part of the group of nonprofits and states that challenged the Trump administration’s unlawful freeze of a $5 billion federal initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicl...

Reliable EV charging, lower costs, and cleaner air for all are on the way thanks to our latest federal victory.
www.selc.org/news/victory-lawsuit-pro...

Win: Latest settlement addresses Charleston-area sewage overflows There’s nothing sanitary about the “sanitary sewer overflows” plaguing Charleston.    Sometimes, all it takes is routine rainfall for sewage to flow into the area’s streets, rivers, and residences, pu...

Good news: We just reached an agreement that will protect communities and the environment from the bacteria and pathogens that come with sewage overflows. After years of engagement, we reached the settlement on behalf of Charleston Waterkeeper with Charleston Water System.

https://selc.link/3Zd8yHT

Right now, Congress is considering changes to key federal transportation programs. This could be the most important federal climate legislation of 2026 – the choices we make will decide whether we make progress or take another step back.