Health and Public Safety

December 10, 2015 - Twenty-two out of the South's 26 U.S. senators voted against two gun-safety measures the day after last week's massacre in San Bernardino, California. All but one Southern senator voting "nay" received direct campaign donations from the National Rifle Association, benefited from outside political spending by the NRA, or both.

November 13, 2015 - President Obama rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline last week, citing climate concerns. But Canadian tar sands oil is already flowing to refineries in the South, putting vulnerable communities at even greater risk for pollution-related health problems.

September 24, 2015 - People from across North Carolina whose lives have been affected by coal ash pollution have joined forces to launch the Alliance of Carolinians Together Against Coal Ash. The coalition plans to press Duke Energy and state leaders for safer long-term solutions for coal ash storage.

September 9, 2015 - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced this week it was canceling a pilot study of cancer risks near U.S. nuclear facilities — including a Tennessee nuclear fuel processing plant that's contaminated the Nolichucky River with highly enriched uranium and has raised concerns among nearby residents about health damage.

August 21, 2015 - Among those fighting the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan are leaders of states where residents are most at risk from a dangerously warming climate.

August 20, 2015 - Former Freedom Industries president Gary Southern also faces up to three years in prison for role in massive 2014 chemical leak.

July 24, 2015 - A new study finds that child poverty has risen nationally, with over a quarter of children in the South living below the poverty line. But the region has also seen improvements in child health insurance coverage and in educational achievement.