NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, July 21 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the construction of a Formosa petrochemical plant in St. James Parish, asserting the project would exacerbate environmental racism, endanger the health of nearby residents, and violate federal laws that require a thorough environmental impact assessment prior to construction. The brief  more

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, July 22 -- The Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine issued the following news release: Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development have joined the effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine that can prevent the illness. Researchers at the universities expect to enroll about 3,000 participants in several COVID-19 vaccine trials, with each school participating in different trials. As   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Washington, issued the following news release: The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 6395), Congress' annual defense authorization bill. This bill includes two key amendments sponsored by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) that would strengthen the domestic aluminum industry and support good-paying jobs in the sector. Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) led a similar effort in the Senate.   more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release: On July 23, 2020, the City of Natchez will formally transfer ownership of the Natchez Visitors Center to the National Park Service (NPS). Completed in 1998 as a partnership project between the city, state, Mississippi Department of Transportation, and the NPS, the 25,000 sq. ft. building presently serves as a state and regional welcome center, providing tourist information servi  more

PARIS, France, July 23 -- The National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment issued the following news release: Grape phylloxera, an insect related to aphids, devastated French vineyards in the 19th century after the pest accidentally made its way to Europe. The serious risk the insect poses is under control, thanks to tolerant rootstocks, but phylloxera is ever-present and little-known. Researchers at INRAE have coordinated an international consortium to sequence and ann  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-New York, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: In advance of Floor consideration next week, the House Appropriations Committee released a division-by-division summary of the second minibus of fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills. The House is expected to consider the legislation, H.R. 7617, beginning next week. The package includes seven FY 2021 spending bills: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energ  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, July 23 -- The Southern Environmental Law Center issued the following statement on July 22: The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) released the following statement in response to the U.S. House of Representatives passing the Great American Outdoors Act. The legislation, which passed 310 to 107, signals strong bipartisan support to ensure our national parks and public lands receive necessary funding for maintenance and additional protections needed for years to c  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.5 million grant to the Port of South Louisiana, Laplace, Louisiana, to make critical roadway infrastructure improvements to the Port's Globalplex Intermodal Terminal, a maritime industrial park. The EDA grant, to be matched with $375,000 in   more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, July 23 -- The University of Arkansas Little Rock campus issued the following news on July 23: University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor of history Dr. Brian Mitchell has been leading an effort to uncover forgotten moments in African American Arkansas history. A native of New Orleans, Mitchell began teaching at UA Little Rock in 2014 and is passionate about including students and the community in his research. "History is often viewed as a lonesome profession," Mi  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, July 22 -- The Water Institute of the Gulf issued the following news release: Nate Young, Ph.D., associate director of the Iowa Flood Center and research engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering (IIHR) at the University of Iowa, will join the Institute Aug. 1 in a joint appointment with the University of Iowa. "Dr. Young has been a thought-leader on the river modeling and floodplain mapping programs of the Iowa Flood Center since its inception in 2009," said Larry We  more