Interactive maps of Umatilla and Morrow Counties show concentration and severity of groundwater & air pollution in Oregon’s rural “sacrifice zone” For over two decades, residents of eastern Oregon’s Morrow and Umatilla Counties have been poisoned by nitrates in their … Continued
Billions in federal funding are set to help western co-ops add reliable, inexpensive renewable energy. On September 5th, 2024, the federal government announced the first round of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. … Continued
This decision, after years of outcry from local residents and litigation, will protect communities, air, water, and the climate from the harms of mining and burning six billion tons of highly polluting coal. On May 16th, 2024, the Biden administration … Continued
Above: Coal ash at the generating plant in Colstrip, Montana, is kept in water-filled ponds. 91% of coal ash ponds around the U.S. leak into local aquifers contaminating groundwater. After pressure from WORC members and allies, the Environmental Protection Agency … Continued
After decades of grassroots organizing, BLM’s new oil and gas bonding standards will help ensure taxpayers and frontline communities no longer have to suffer from the environmental impacts of abandoned wells or pay for well cleanup. In the first significant … Continued
The elective pay provisions in the IRA offer rural electric co-ops, municipalities, and other entities an opportunity to receive direct cash funding to build renewable energy projects. An often overlooked provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that can have … Continued
Above: an “orange cloud,” toxic gasses sometimes created when blasting overburden in coal strip mines, drifts on the breeze, endangering communities downwind. WORC members living near coal mines applaud a decision by the Office of Surface Mining to again allow … Continued
USDA’s newest P&SA update is a solid step towards reigning in discriminatory, retaliatory, and deceptive behavior by transnational meatpackers. Now, packers are lobbying Congress to get the rules defanged. On March 5th, 2024, the USDA announced the finalization of its … Continued
While we’re a little behind in getting this out, we couldn’t be more proud of the work we accomplished in 2023! The Western Organization of Resource Councils made remarkable strides in 2023. We helped our members get a lot of … Continued
ABOVE: Don’t know where your beef comes from? You’re not alone. USDA’s new guidelines for voluntary labeling of beef restore some transparency to our food system, but it will take an act of Congress to ensure consumers know where their … Continued