No one voted for dirty air and water.
The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to dismantle our bedrock environmental laws and protections. From clean air and water to public lands and climate action, the consequences of these decisions are showing up across the South, in the places we live, and the lives we lead.
Here at SELC, we’re fighting back — in the courtroom, the halls of government, and in our communities. Because environmental protections aren’t political — they’re fundamental.
Protecting Our Clean Air and Water
There is nothing more fundamental than the air we breathe and the water we drink. Yet, this administration is giving a free pass to polluters, pushing the South toward dirtier air, water, and higher health risks.
We’re in court to stop this.
Suing the administration to stop cancer-causing air pollution
Protecting Alabama communities from rollbacks against steel industry pollution
Challenging EPA for failing to implement life-saving protections from soot pollution
Litigating against the illegal repeal of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
Take action: Say no to toxic coal ash in our water.
The Trump administration wants to eliminate protections against catastrophic coal ash spills and water pollution — speak out now to oppose this.
Defending Wildlife and Wild Places
This South is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world and home to countless natural treasures. But federal actions are destroying protections for endangered wildlife and public lands.
We’re in court to stop this.
Take action: Save the South's wildest forests.
Roadless areas are home to iconic hiking trails, crystal clear trout streams, old-growth forests, and some of our least-developed public lands. Speak out to protect the Roadless Rule to protect these wild places.
Our future is on the line. Help us fight back.
While the Trump administration works to move us backward, SELC is standing with communities across the South to move us forward.
With four decades of experience and more than 160 legal and policy experts, we’re protecting the healthy environment we all depend on — because no one voted for dirty air and water.
But we can’t do it without your help. Together, we can make a difference.
Stopping Attacks on Climate Progress
Climate change is real and communities across the region are grappling with the impacts. The Trump administration is not only declaring climate change doesn’t exist, it’s actively gutting federal actions geared at solving the crisis and stating our government has no role in regulating the pollution and industries that cause it.
We’re in court to stop this.
Fighting for Environmental Justice
President Trump is doubling down on efforts to strip away protections for people that have grappled with disproportionate environmental impacts for generations. Cancelling critical programs in Black and Brown communities will not make us stop fighting for a healthy and safe environment for all.
We’re in court to stop this.
Plantations to Pollution
The Trump administration is rolling back hard won protections and abandoning tools designed to address long standing environmental injustices. From forced labor to forced exposure, Black and Brown communities still bear the burden of pollution and environmental injustices rooted in slavery and systemic racism. Explore the multimedia storytelling series tracing that unbroken line
Built for this moment.
For 40 years, SELC has worked across political lines with hundreds of partners to protect Southern communities. Right now, we’re defending our bedrock environmental laws in court. We’re challenging the reckless methane gas buildout across the region and the energy-hungry data centers driving it. We’re progressing state-level climate policies that will make our communities more resilient. And we are protecting our clean air, clean water, and a livable climate for the next generation.
While the Trump administration is playing the short game, we are in this for the long haul.
Meet some of our staff working to make a difference.
Program Director Geoff Gisler on facing the new administration
Data defenders make information accessible again
SELC’s Federal Regulatory Director: A healthy democracy is crucial for a healthy environment
New legal capacity is holding the federal government accountable and protecting communities
The last year tested our environment, our region, and many of us personally. Yet through every challenge, one truth held steady: When we work together, we make progress.
Geoff Gisler, SELC Program Director
We need your help. Stay connected.
No one voted for dirty air and water. Sign up to stay informed on how to take action against the Trump administration’s attacks to our environmental protections and more.