When community members showed up to a hearing held by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, hoping to have a chance to voice their concerns about a proposed change that would increase the cost of their electricity bills, they were forced to wait outside in triple-degree weather.
“It was very inhumane of them, very inconsiderate, and more than anything very disrespectful,” Nevada Field Organizer Mary Wagner told 8 News Now. Mary was especially concerned for community members who are more vulnerable to heat because of their age and medical conditions. When she had a chance to speak to the PUCN, she warned that utility customers were “risking their lives” just to participate in the conversation about their bills.
This story also ran in Yahoo News and AOL.
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In other news
- In an op-ed published in NJ.com and Yahoo Sports, Moms volunteer and former NCAA Division 1 soccer player Sam Schmitz (pictured) writes that extreme heat “degrades not only the quality of play but also the health of athletes at all levels” of her sport. She goes on to urge FIFA, the international soccer association that organizes the World Cup, to adopt more stringent protective measures for teams and athletes in the tournament.
- Sam also shares, in a conversation with E&E News, that she made plans to leave Washington, DC, ahead of the unprecedented 850,000-firework display scheduled for President Trump’s 4th of July celebration on the National Mall. Fireworks are a well-known source of soot and heavy metal pollution spikes that can trigger asthma attacks. Sam says that she had spent the holiday last year inside with an air purifier, struggling to breathe and debating a trip to the hospital for her asthma, despite a firework display only a fraction of the size.
- Rolling Out features National Manager of Health Justice Almeta Cooper discussing the risks of toxic chemicals hidden in beauty products marketed toward Black women, including hormone disrupters, carcinogens, and microplastics. This interview also ran in News Break.
- ElSalvador.com reports on the dangers of tailpipe pollution, citing Moms’ Spanish-language resources that explain the connection between vehicle exhaust, climate change, and health harms, like respiratory disease, lung cancer, and cardiovascular harm.