Food & Water Watch Los Angeles Organizing Manager Andrea Vega released the following statement: 

“At a time where the Colorado River is already under threat from thirsty agribusiness, particularly alfalfa and mega-dairies, and its future remains uncertain due to the states that share the River being unable to decide on how to divide it up we cannot afford to give even one drop of water to data centers. California’s leaders must tackle the AI data center boom head on and institute a moratorium on these water guzzling behemoths before they compound the harms already being done to California’s water future.” 

Food & Water Watch analysis has shown that data centers are an existential threat to our water resources, with estimates revealing that by 2028 AI data centers across the United States could use as much water as 18.5 million households, just for cooling their servers.

This is particularly concerning in the American West, where other industries have been draining the region dry – and the Colorado River along with it.  

• In 2025, California’s alfalfa farms consumed an estimated 538 billion gallons of water.
  • This is equivalent to 38% of California’s Colorado River allocation and could supply the combined populations of Los Angeles and San Diego with water for about 6 and a half years.

• In 2022, California’s 1.7 million mega-dairy cows consumed 55.5 billion gallons of water, a 7% increase from 2017 and the largest total consumption across Basin states.
  • This is enough to supply 3.6 million people with their annual indoor water needs.

The post Colorado River Water Should Not Go to Water-Intensive Data Centers appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Residents across Maryland’s most populated county have been sounding the alarm on data center development, including in Dickerson where there are plans to develop a five-building data center campus on 700 acres of land co-located with the community’s old coal power generation station. 

In response, Food & Water Watch Maryland Organizer Jomar Lloyd issued the following statement:

“Data centers are like invasive weeds, popping up where they’re unwanted and threatening to wreak havoc on their surroundings. Today, Montgomery County residents and advocates urged council to ensure Marylanders are prioritized over the Big Tech giants looking to take Montgomery County and our resources for all they can. 

“We fear that the council is still rushing to allow data centers via amendments to zoning rules, even though County Executive Elrich put a pause on data centers. Council needs to take more time and hear the community’s concerns and weigh the negative impacts of these AI hyperscale data centers on local communities. That’s why we need a two year moratorium.”

In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Over 500+ organizations have since joined the call.

The post Advocates, Residents Packed Hearing to Support 2-Year Data Center Moratorium in Montgomery County, MD appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

As Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said, “We know that whatever the issue, we come together to create the political power we need for change. And one of the things that draws us together is art.”

In May, our Against All Odds virtual program was more than three hours chock-full of inspiration, connection, and creativity. Read some of the highlights and watch the full program below!

The Power of a Poster with Food & Water Watch

Here at Food & Water Watch, we’re focused on two things: building power — getting more people involved — and showing power — demonstrating to decision makers that a critical mass of people want them to make a certain decision. The visuals of a protest, rally, or other action are key to both of these goals, as Food & Water Watch organizers Thomas Meyer and Michaelyn Mankel explained.

Protest art can take many different forms. It can be banners, signs, or posters. It can be literature, music, or theatre. And compelling visuals don’t just inspire people at the protest — they can also attract media attention that spreads our message even wider. 

Michaelyn shared a photo of a massive chalk mural that she helped orchestrate at the Treaty Peoples gathering, a huge day of resistance against the Line 3 Pipeline in Northern Minnesota. Michaelyn told us,

“I think this is one of my proudest moments as an organizer. It demonstrates that while we don’t have the budget to compete with our opposition to buy up billboards or advertising space, we can use creativity to amplify our message, to reach new people, and to bring more people into the fight.”

At the same time, art is an important tool for community building. Thomas talked about the art builds that brought hundreds of people together to create signs and banners for the March to End Fossil Fuels. These events didn’t only produce unified and compelling visuals for the march — they also created opportunities for people to be a part of the movement in a more hands-on and creative way. 

Centering Music in the Movement for Clean Water With Britton Smith

At our virtual and in-person Against All Odds events, we welcomed Britton Smith of the funk band Britton & The Sting, who uses his musical performances to center art in the movement for clean water. 

Britton first became interested in water issues while writing a theatrical show that would become his 2025 concept album, Return to Mama. “In doing my research, I remembered that everything living on this planet is only alive because of water,” Britton told us. “If we treat the water with the reverence of our mother, she’ll be nicer to us.”

Since then, he’s connected with water activists and organizations across the country, including Food & Water Watch. Britton partnered with us for a 2025 World Water Day Concert in New York City, and he’s currently preparing to go on tour with Return to Mama in six U.S. cities most vulnerable to water scarcity.

His music has helped inspire people to reframe their relationship to water and to come together in reverence and action. “When you put movement work in the music,” he said, “People are more likely to be moved, to be transformed, to be included. There’s already a pathway in people’s hearts for music.”

Watch the Virtual Event, Against All Odds: Illustrating Activism!

From poetry to music, from painting to dance, art helps us connect with nature and each other. It has the power to strengthen us and teach us; to spark imagination and action to protect what we hold most dear. 

You can learn more in the recordings from the virtual event, including:

• A book talk with Food & Water Watch board chair and award-winning water activist Maude Barlow on her newest book, Earth for Sale: The Fight to Stop the Last Plunder of the Planet;
• A poetry reading from the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limòn;
• A poster-making session with Michaelyn and Thomas, including tips that you can bring to your next action or art build:
• An interview on music, activism, and our connection to water from Britton Smith, lead singer of Britton & The Sting;
• A feature on our benefit honorees: documentary filmmaker Matt Wechsler, artist and curator Fredericka Foster, and handweaver Susan Weltman; and
• Interviews with environmental filmmakers Angie Chay-Arana, Summit Olson, and 2026 Honoree Matt Wechsler!

The post Illustrating Activism at Our Annual Benefit to Protect the Planet! appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

The executive order comes amidst widespread data center opposition, including against the controversial Terra Energy project in Dickerson. The developer has proposed to build a five-building data center campus on 700 acres of land co-located with an old coal power generation station. The facility would draw water from the Potomac River, which supplies 75 percent of drinking water to the region. The Potomac River has been impacted by droughts in the past few years.

In response, Food & Water Watch Maryland Organizer Jomar Lloyd issued the following statement:

“We need fresh water. We need reliable electricity. We don’t need AI hyperscale data centers — not in Dickerson, not in Montgomery County, and not in Maryland. Big Tech is spending big to push this development through with little resistance, but the verdict is out — Montgomery County residents do not support data center development in their communities. 

“County Executive Ehrlich’s Montgomery County data center moratorium will protect Marylanders from this invasive, exploitative industrial development that is threatening to reshape our homes and environment. Now, county officials must do everything possible to make sure the Dickerson data center campus is stopped for good.” 

In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Over 500+ organizations have since joined the call.

The post Montgomery County, MD Executive Enacts Six-Month Data Center Pause appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

The rush to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperscale data centers has hit communities across the country like a runaway train. With little planning, regulation, or foresight, Big Tech has moved forward at a breakneck pace. The Trump administration and many state leaders, including Democratic governors, are greasing the wheels. But people and the environment are bearing the costs of the billionaire Tech Bros’ latest profit machine. 

The negative impacts of AI data centers have been well-documented, and we know the best response is to pull the brakes. Last year, Food & Water Watch launched a call for a national moratorium, or pause, on data centers, with over 230 organizations supporting our letter to Congress. Since then, the movement has continued to grow. 

With the launch of the Stop Data Centers Coalition, we’re taking the next step in this fight. We’ll support local organizing, share resources and information, and put even more power and pressure behind a national halt to data centers. Together, we’ll overcome Big Tech’s deep pockets and powerful allies to protect our communities and the environment. 

The Stop Data Centers Coalition is Broad, Diverse, and Powerful

The Stop Data Centers Coalition reaches coast to coast, powered by activists already winning against AI data centers in their backyards. More than 500 organizations have joined our call for a nationwide halt to data centers. These include health, faith, environmental, labor, and community organizations, with members in every state in the country. 

Our coordinating committee of state and national organizations includes Citizens Action Coalition, Green Latinos, Media Justice, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, Our Revolution, Pennsylvania Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Third Act, along with Food & Water Watch. 

The coalition brings together powerful efforts happening across the country towards a unified call for national action. For example, across Indiana, Citizens Action Coalition has worked with communities to stop at least a dozen proposed data centers and organized 27 groups to call for a statewide moratorium. 

The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network has worked with partners to pass at least 17 local moratoria on new data centers. And across Pennsylvania, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Food & Water Watch, and other allies have stopped local data center proposals and driven a recent state bill for a three-year pause on data center permitting.

The Movement to Stop Data Centers is Winning

Every energy-hungry, water-guzzling data center stopped is a victory for people and the environment. But we know we need even broader measures that stop Big Tech from forcing these facilities onto us without strong protections in place. Thanks to grassroots pressure, over a dozen states have now introduced laws to stop data centers.

Earlier this year, Maine became the first state to pass a moratorium bill. Though Governor Janet Mills vetoed it, communities continue to organize there. 

On June 4, in New York — facing dozens of data center proposals — the legislature passed a one-year moratorium and regulation bill. All eyes are now on Governor Hochul, who must sign this legislation.

This moratorium bill gives state leaders the time to study the inherent risks of data centers and pass comprehensive protections for communities. It also gives local communities breathing room and the ability to stop destructive projects proposed near them. The Stop Data Centers Coalition will be pressing Hochul to sign this bill, and we’ll continue supporting state bills to pause data centers across the country.

At the federal level, our movement has driven allies Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to announce federal legislation to pause data centers nationwide. Passing this bill is imperative to protect every community from Big Tech’s so-far unrestrained greed.

Big Tech Is Playing Dirty, but People Power Is Stronger

Despite this great progress, there is much more work to be done. Big Tech is relentless in its drive for more AI data centers. In recent years, companies driving the AI frenzy have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying to sway our leaders. 

Tech Bro billionaires are also pouring millions of dollars into elections across the country to ensure their lackeys are in positions to do their bidding, instead of following the will of the people. 

On top of this, Big Tech and its minions are attempting to smear efforts to stop data centers. Recent reports have made laughable claims that “foreign adversaries” and the Chinese Communist Party are behind data center opposition.

This is a ludicrous and, frankly, embarrassing move for the industry. People across the country are seeing their electricity bills skyrocket, communities disrupted, and water supplies diminished. No one paying higher electricity bills or living near a data center needs anyone to tell them about the impact these monstrosities are having. 

These desperate attacks are a sign that Big Tech fears our movement’s strength. 

With You, We Can Stop Data Centers!

The tech industry may be spending big and spreading propaganda, but we know that by coming together, we can resist Big Tech’s greed. 

We’re seeing it in communities across the country, and we’re seeing it reflected in polling. Recent surveys from Heatmap show that 70% of people oppose new data center construction near their homes, and 61% of people support a nationwide moratorium on new data centers. 

And these stances are turning into on-the-ground organizing that is winning real progress against Big Tech’s onslaught. Now, the Stop Data Centers Coalition will support these efforts across the country, advance federal protections to stop the AI data center frenzy, and bring people together to defend our communities and environment. 

Watch our June 11 launch event below to learn more about the coalition and how you can get involved! 

The post The New Coalition Taking on Big Tech’s AI Data Centers appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

This advocacy followed the success of Food & Water Watch’s health professionals letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency to include microplastics monitoring in the upcoming Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6). The letter, signed by over two hundred and fifty doctors, nurses and other health care and public health professionals and organizations highlights the link between microplastics exposure and various cancers, immune system disruption and developmental or reproductive harm. The letter goes on to note how exposure to the contaminant disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalized communities. 

Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size. These toxic particles are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, and researchers have identified them throughout the human body, including lungs, heart, placenta, blood, brain, testicles, and breast milk. Scientists estimate that the average person consumes more than 4,000 microplastics annually from drinking water alone.¹ 

“Monitoring for microplastics in our drinking water is an essential step towards safer water,” said Food & Water Watch Policy Analyst Drew Guillory. “And we cannot wait any longer for the data we need to determine the scope of this crisis and how to get to regulation. EPA must include microplastics in the UCMR 6.”

“We all deserve a healthy environment, clean air, and safe water, but these basic rights are threatened by microplastics. It’s time that our elected officials do something about it,” said Senior Strategist of Policy Initiatives, The 5 Gyres Institute, Paulita Bennett-Martin. “Solutions to microplastic pollution exist, and we’re urging our nation’s leaders to take bold action to safeguard public health.”

To learn more about microplastics, visit 5gyres.org/MicroplasticFreeUS.

###

About The 5 Gyres Institute

The 5 Gyres Institute (5 Gyres) is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution with 15 years of expertise in scientific research, engagement, and education. With the original goal of answering a few key scientific questions about ocean plastics, co-founders Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins led 19 research expeditions in all five subtropical gyres, as well as many of the world’s lakes and rivers. 5 Gyres continues to lead with scientific research to drive upstream solutions through education, advocacy, and community building. Learn more at 5gyres.org and @5gyres.

About Food & Water Watch

Food & Water Watch brings together more than 2 million people nationwide to fight for safe food, clean water, and a livable climate. For over 20 years, we’ve partnered with communities to take on polluting industries and win real, meaningful protections for people and the environment.

¹  Leslie, H.A. et al. “Human Consumption of Microplastics.” Environmental Science & Technology (2019). PubMed Study

The post National Organizations and Businesses Deliver Powerful Letter to EPA Urging Action on Microplastics in Drinking Water appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Additionally, a new national coalition is launching today with the aim of supporting the grassroots drive for a halt to AI- and crypto-driven data center buildout at the local, state and federal levels. The coalition will work to share resources and opportunities for action against new data center construction, including leveraging resources and membership from national groups for state and local campaigns across the country.

The letter to Congress states, in part: 

The rapid expansion of data centers across the United States, driven by the generative artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto boom, presents one of the biggest environmental and social threats of our generation. This expansion is rapidly increasing demand for energy, driving more fossil fuel pollution, straining water resources and raising electricity prices across the country. All this compounds the significant and concerning impacts AI is having on society, including lost jobs, social instability and economic concentration.

In March Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez announced national data center moratorium legislation, which was introduced by Sanders at the time and will be formally introduced in the House in the coming days.

“The large and surging national movement to rein in runaway data center buildout was born at the grassroots level, with concerned residents in countless communities across the country reacting to the real harms and hazards this industry brings wherever it lands. We are following their lead, working at the local, state and federal levels to support these fights and halt Big Tech in its tracks. The time is right for a national coalition to lift up state and local fights, and drive a national agenda that will allow stakeholders to properly consider not how, but if this industry can operate in a responsible, sustainable manner,” said Emily Wurth, Organizing Director, Food & Water Watch.

“Communities across the country should not be forced to bear the environmental, economic, and public health costs of an unchecked data center boom driven by corporate profits. Our Revolution is proud to help launch this coalition because a moratorium is necessary to ensure transparency, accountability, and community input before more energy-intensive projects move forward and lock us into decades of higher costs and greater climate risks,” said Paco Fabián, Deputy Director, Our Revolution.

“Third Act works at the intersection of climate, energy affordability, and democracy by standing strong with communities who are resisting unregulated hyperscale data center development. To that end, Third Act supports moratoria – national, state and local – to afford us necessary time to get it right before irreparable harm is done to the environment and the economy,” said Michael Richardson, Campaigns Director and Pony Knowles, Campaigns & Organizing Lead of Third Act.

“We are being told that AI-Data Centers are inevitable – that communities must sacrifice their water, land, and health, and their economic future for Big Tech’s greed. But the spread of local moratoriums nationwide proves otherwise; in North Carolina alone, we have 20 and counting. We join others across this country in saying no to extractive industries, no to polluting our lands and treating communities as disposable, and no to ever-expanding corporate subsidies. Instead, we say yes to building community-centric, enforceable regulations grounded in an environmental justice framework that protects us all, yes to economic support for small business, and yes to building a democracy where our voices impact decisions. Data centers are not inevitable—people power is,” said Rania Masri, Co-Director, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network.

“MediaJustice is proud to join this growing movement to stop unchecked data center expansion that sacrifices our communities for corporate profit. The burdens of data center development are not distributed equally. Low-income communities, communities of color, and rural communities are disproportionately targeted for large-scale projects that strain local water supplies, increase energy demand, contribute to pollution, and divert public resources away from community needs. We are calling for data center moratoria at the local, state, and federal levels until communities have the power, protections, and accountability they deserve,” said Myaisha Hayes, Senior Movement Building Director, MediaJustice.

“We must protect our communities from the excessive greed of Big Tech and the monopoly utilities, rather than stand idly by while they exploit our resources and our pocketbooks. A moratorium on data centers is a must to give the public the opportunity to fully grasp the consequences of this unprecedented and rapid build-out of these massive energy and water guzzling investments. Time is needed to allow lawmakers to enact informed public policy that places the interests of Main St above the interests of Wall St.,” said Kerwin Olson, Executive Director, Citizens Action Coalition of IN.

“A moratorium on new hyperscale data center development is crucial until the full public health, environmental, and infrastructure impacts can be thoroughly evaluated. The explosive growth of AI and cloud computing is driving an unprecedented expansion of energy-intensive facilities whose cumulative demands on the electric grid, water resources, air quality, and surrounding communities remain poorly understood. As the nation confronts these challenges, policymakers must adopt a precautionary approach that prioritizes public health, environmental protection, and community well-being. A moratorium would provide the time needed to assess risks, establish appropriate safeguards, and ensure that the costs of this development are not borne disproportionately by workers, residents, and future generations,” said Matt Shorraw, Policy and Program Coordinator, PSR PA.

“GreenLatinos stands firmly in favor of a national moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centers. Latino communities and other communities of color have long borne the heaviest burden of industrial pollution, and the unchecked expansion of data centers is the next chapter of that same injustice. The AI and cryptocurrency boom is not an abstraction; it is fossil fuel pollution in our air, water drained from our rivers and aquifers, and rising electricity prices in our homes. These projects threaten sacred lands, irreplaceable ecosystems, and the health of families. Until strong federal regulations are in place to protect our communities, our families, our environment, and our health, GreenLatinos will continue to resist every new data center proposal that puts corporate profit ahead of environmental justice. Our communities deserve clean air, clean water, and a seat at the table,” said Andrea Marpillero-Colomina, Policy Advisor, GreenLatinos.

The post 500+ Groups from 47 States Call for Nationwide AI Data Center Moratorium appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

We know we have our work cut out for us. But thanks to dedicated people like you — who build up our people power and strengthen our movement — we will make progress and defend our livable future.

Here are some of the recent protections for our food, water, and climate you made possible.

Milestones to Celebrate

1. Defeated Data Center Proposals in New Jersey, California, and Pennsylvania

Across the country, public opposition to water-guzzling, energy-hungry, and noise-polluting AI data centers is growing. People of all walks of life, from rural to urban communities, are reaching out to Food & Water Watch to help them fight — and stop — data centers from threatening their hometowns. 

From this February to May alone, together we’ve helped stop data centers in Montour County, East Whiteland, and East Vincent, Pennsylvania, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Monterey Park, California. In each of these victories, the local community banded together to stand up and win against Big Tech. 

2. Banned Data Centers in Monroe Township, New Jersey

Monroe Township, New Jersey, took the fight against the data center building boom head-on. Amid strong community pressure, the Township Council voted to ban the construction of all new AI data centers in the municipality.

This win is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing and citizen engagement. The people of Monroe Township showed up and spoke up for their farms, their lakes, their open spaces, and for the future of the Pinelands, which could be endangered by data center proliferation. This is people power in action!

3. Successfully Urged Congress to Introduce a National Data Center Moratorium Bill

Last October, Food & Water Watch became the first national organization to call for a nationwide moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centers. We sent a letter to Congress in December, with more than 230 national, state, and local allied organizations from across the country echoing this call. 

This March, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) announced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, legislation that “would impose a moratorium on the construction of all new AI data centers until strong national safeguards are in place to protect workers, consumers, and communities, defend privacy and civil rights, and ensure these technologies do not harm our environment.”

4. Pressed New York State Legislators to Introduce and Pass a Statewide Data Center Moratorium Bill 

More than 50 organizations in New York joined our letter to Congress in December calling for a moratorium on data centers. A couple of months later, State Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Anna Kelles introduced legislation to establish a statewide moratorium on new data centers. 

Then, this June, the state legislature passed the Responsible Data Center Development Act, a one-year pause on the construction of data centers using more than 20 megawatts of power. The bill also requires a statewide data center impact report. Food & Water Watch is now pressing New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pass this bill, which would be the first of its kind in the nation. 

This legislation is logical, timely, and will give state leaders the time needed to properly assess the many inherent harms and hazards that data centers bring. It’s also a signal of the power of our movement, as we stand up for our communities against Big Tech. 

5. Welcomed Adoption of Nitrate Pollution Rules in Northeastern Oregon

The Oregon Department of Agriculture finalized groundbreaking rules to monitor and manage nitrate pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area. The rules require large farms to establish nitrate management plans, which must be certified by an agronomist (an expert in soil management science), and submit them to regulators. The largest farms will be subject to audits by state regulators.

These rules stem from the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emergency action petition that Food & Water Watch led, along with advocacy with our allies, which elevated nitrate contamination into a prominent statewide issue. This is welcome progress for people living in northern Morrow and Umatilla counties who have dealt with polluted drinking water for decades.

6. Pushed the EPA to Prioritize Microplastics for Future Drinking Water Regulation 

Together with you, Food & Water Watch has been pressuring the EPA for years to monitor microplastics in our drinking water to help jump-start the process to establish drinking water protections. In April, the EPA announced that it planned to take an initial step in the regulatory process by proposing to include microplastics in the Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). In doing so, the EPA has identified microplastics as a priority for future regulation. 

This designation will hopefully strengthen our main campaign to have the EPA include microplastics in the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) to create a nationwide monitoring program.

While we celebrate this important progress, we’ll continue to push the EPA to do more and to include microplastics in the UCMR. We have a right to know if microplastics are in our water.

7. Stripped the Cancer Gag Act from the Farm Bill 

Thanks to pressure from our Food & Water Watch community and allies, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to strip Cancer Gag Act language from the Farm Bill. The provision would have shielded pesticide manufacturers, such as Bayer, the maker of Roundup, from health-related lawsuits. 

This is a huge win for our health and our environment. Our research team mapped the U.S. counties that spray the most glyphosate, the primary active ingredient in Roundup and other widely used herbicides, and the incidence rate for non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Evidence shows a clear overlap, indicating that pesticide use is linked to higher rates of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

8. Stopped Subsidies of Hydrogen Pipelines in Los Angeles

In April, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to stop SoCalGas, the country’s largest natural gas utility, from charging customers $266 million to pay for costs related to its Angeles Link hydrogen pipeline project. If built, this dangerous pipeline would move hydrogen gas across Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.

Hydrogen is too water-intensive to be a viable climate solution, produces more noxious pollutants than natural gas, and ultimately is an industry scheme that will entrench the fossil fuel industry. Food & Water Watch and our allies have been vocal opponents of Angeles Link since its inception. We applaud the CPUC for protecting ratepayers over corporate profits.

9. Won a Court Decision that Protects California’s Oil and Gas Health Buffer Law

This spring, a federal court denied the Trump administration’s request to pause enforcement of California’s landmark oil and gas health buffer law. This means the law, which prohibits new oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, hospitals, and other sensitive places, remains in effect.

In January, the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sued California, claiming that federal laws override the state’s buffer law for federal land or leases. The BLM then asked the court to stop the state from enforcing protections while its lawsuit is pending. This would have endangered people living near thousands of acres of federal lands throughout California.

Food & Water Watch and a coalition of advocacy groups, who have moved to intervene in the case, opposed that request. We applaud the court for keeping this important protection in place while Trump’s attack on Californians’ health and safety plays out in court.

Each victory listed above was made possible by dedicated people — like you — who keep our fight for safe food, clean water, and a livable climate going strong. Thank you!

The post Quarterly Victories: Summer 2026 Update appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Unfortunately, in February 2026, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding in one of its most destructive climate moves yet. The Trump administration’s abandonment of the endangerment finding came along with a move to eliminate climate pollution standards for motor vehicles, when transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Why the Endangerment Finding is Important

The endangerment finding is the primary mechanism that the federal government relies on to regulate greenhouse gas pollution under the CAA. It laid the foundation for emissions standards that could rein in climate-harming pollution from sources like power plants and oil and gas facilities, in addition to motor vehicles. 

Repealing the endangerment finding takes a critical tool out of the government’s toolbox, at a time when bold climate action is more important than ever to protect communities and the environment. If allowed to stand, this massive Trump rollback  will leave us all more vulnerable to greenhouse gas pollution and its harmful impacts.. We won’t let that happen without a fight. On April 8, we joined Alaskan tribes and other environmental groups to sue the Trump administration in D.C. Circuit Court.

The Trump Administration Ignores Climate Pollution Harms

Public health experts have decried the rollback of the endangerment finding as a threat to people and communities. Without meaningful action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, we’ll see more frequent and powerful climate-driven disasters, like wildfires whose smoke harms our lungs and hearts. 

Hotter temperatures and heavier rains increase the risk and spread of bacteria like Salmonella and insect-borne diseases like malaria. Already, extreme temperatures kill thousands of Americans every year, and that number will only rise as climate change worsens.

The American Public Health Association released statements from nurses and physicians who spoke out about how this move will hurt the health of Americans at a time when climate change is already worsening conditions like asthma and other respiratory issues. 

On top of climate-related public health impacts, the rollback of the endangerment finding also threatens to worsen dangerous air pollution. The six greenhouse gases that the EPA can regulate under the finding include methane, which contributes to ozone pollution that damages our hearts and lungs. Another, nitrous oxides, contribute to ozone and particulate matter pollution. 

This Rollback is Dangerous and Unlawful

The Supreme Court has held that the EPA has the authority to regulate harmful greenhouse gas pollution, and the endangerment finding had a solid basis in law and science. The EPA’s arguments for revoking it don’t. And, like so many of Trump’s rollbacks, the process was flawed.

Furthermore, the Trump administration is diminishing the government’s ability to fight climate change and control the pollution that will lead to further warming and climate change-related catastrophes. This will especially impact overburdened communities that already face the brunt of air pollution and climate risks.

Repealing the endangerment finding flies in the face of long-settled science and is right out of the Project 2025 agenda. The Trump administration has been defined by attacks on science and commonsense regulation — attacks that put our health and environment at risk, from defunding climate research to pushing industry-backed, baseless nutrition recommendations.

Rescinding the endangerment finding, like so many of this administration’s policies, will cost lives.

The EPA Must Take on Climate Change

The Trump administration’s move to rescind the endangerment finding makes a mockery of the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The agency’s attempt to ignore its fundamental objective and disavow its authority to protect people and the planet is simply wrong. The notion that the EPA shouldn’t act against climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions is akin to a fire department refusing to fight fires.

Food & Water Watch will not stand by while Trump’s EPA shirks its responsibility to protect people and the planet from harmful pollution. We fight for a livable climate, which means fighting the repeal of the endangerment finding in court.

The post Taking EPA to Court for Undermining Climate Action appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

The move comes less than two weeks after a judge rebuked an effort by data center developer Northpoint to appeal the Township’s denial last fall of Project Hazelnut. If approved, the massive Amazon Web Services campus with fifteen hyperscale data centers covering 1,300 acres would be one of the largest in Pennsylvania. Project Hazelnut, a flagship in Governor Shapiro’s Fast-Track permitting program, was granted state permits to clear forests and begin construction activities, despite lacking local approvals.

In response, Food & Water Watch Eastern Pennsylvania Senior Organizer Ginny Marcille-Kerslake issued the following statement:

“Hazle Township has done what Governor Shapiro will not: stand up to Big Tech’s data centers. In the courts and at public meetings, Hazle Township supervisors have sided with their constituents over the destruction these unwanted data centers would bring.

“Across Pennsylvania, municipalities like Hazle Township are filling a void of leadership in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania needs to press pause on data centers — everywhere. Senator Muth’s data center moratorium, SB1359, is the bill to get us there.”

With today’s vote, Hazle Township joins a growing list of Pennsylvania municipalities to pause data center development with a municipal curative amendment. The move comes just over a week after Pennsylvania Senator Katie Muth filed a comprehensive bipartisan data center moratorium bill to pause industry development statewide for three years.

The post Hazle Township, PA Pauses Data Center Development for Six Months appeared first on Food & Water Watch.