Lisa Jackson

Power Shift TV had the pleasure of chatting it up with Dr. Michael Dorsey at the Rio+20 Conferences, in Brazil after talking along side EPA Administratior Lisa Jackson on environmental sustainability issues. Dr. Michael Dorsey is a Professor of Envirnomental Studies at Dartmouth College.  He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Yale and Johns Hopkins University. His current research focuses on the interplay of environmental governance and transnational institutions. In 1992 Dr. Dorsey served his country as the youngest member on the U.S. State Department delegation to the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 20 years later he shares some of his thoughts on Detroit, Environmental Justice and Sustainability.

Last week, thirty-five of the best and brightest young leaders descended upon the nation’s capitol to deliver the grassroots demands and action that we’ve been organizing for months. From leading campaigns to move campuses beyond coal, to mobilizing against the Keystone XL pipeline, and hosting training and strategy sessions at our regional Power Shift conferences, these young people are leading in the grassroots, but last week they came to DC to be heard. And heard they were.

The first stop was a meeting with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to thank her for her leadership, and show our support for her continuing to lead on critical matters of the mercury ruling and the Keystone XL pipeline. In a packed room on Howard University’s campus, we had a frank discussion on the state of public health, and the challenges we face in protecting it. Tayla Tavor from Michigan shared how she was diagnosed with asthma when she was 3-years old, and now finds herself at Michigan State University fighting to retire the largest on-campus coal plant in the country, which continues to threaten her and her peers’ health.

Administrator Jackson shared our concerns about the impacts of dirty energy. "It's so important that your voices are heard, that campuses that are supposed to be teaching people aren't meanwhile polluting the surrounding community with mercury and costing the children a few IQ points because of the need to generate power. It's simply not fair," Jackson said. And she didn’t mince words about some of the challenges she faces in protecting the American people from big polluters. She slammed the GOP for putting the interests of the coal industry ahead of those of the American people.

After Power Shift there is ACTION in DC!! After facilitating at Power    Shift I was recruited to organize the iMatter march for DC and celebrate Mother Earth on Mother's day!

This morning, EPA Administrator (and Power Shift 2011 speaker!) Lisa P. Jackson sat down and took questions about the Mercury and Air Toxics Proposal from citizens, including some Green Corps and Power Shift organizers. [Watch the full-length video or read our highlights of the chat below.]

Yesterday, the EPA released a Mercury and Air Toxics Standards proposal -- the first to recommend national limits on mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and acid gasses emitted from coal and oil-powered plants.

By enacting this plan and regulating these toxics, the EPA estimates the plan will will prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year, as well as prevent 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year. It's one of the largest steps forward in protecting kids from toxic air pollution in a generation.