Willy Blackmore, Author at Word In Black

As data centers consume more electricity, critics warn that extending the life of aging coal plants like the Stanton Energy Center in Orlando shifts the health costs of AI onto communities already burdened by pollution.

Environmental Justice

Amid AI Boom, Coal Returns — With a Familiar Cost

by Willy Blackmore July 28, 2026July 28, 2026

The fight over Stanton Unit 1 illustrates how America’s AI boom could prolong coal pollution that has historically fallen hardest on Black communities.

Environmental advocates say Bessemer officials placed developers above residents by accepting strict secrecy terms surrounding a controversial hyperscale data center.

Climate Justice

Data Center Deal Put Bessemer’s Public in the Dark

by Willy Blackmore July 24, 2026July 31, 2026

The EPA says delaying tougher diesel standards will save truckers billions. But public health advocates say the greatest costs may be borne by Black communities living near freight corridors and busy highways.

Environmental Justice

EPA Rollback Could Bring Dirtier Air to Black Communities

by Willy Blackmore July 18, 2026July 18, 2026

A delivery worker pulls a cart in New York City on June 24, 2025. A potentially life-threatening heat wave enveloped the eastern third of the United States on June 23 impacting nearly 160 million people, with temperatures this week expected to reach 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) in the New York metropolitan area. Dangerously high temperatures are forecast through midweek in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

Climate Justice

Extreme Heat Is Not an Equal-Opportunity Killer

by Willy Blackmore July 2, 2026July 2, 2026

The Justice Department says only the federal government can enforce the Clean Air Act, backing Elon Musk's xAI against an NAACP lawsuit over pollution affecting Black communities.

Climate Justice

DOJ Defends xAI in Lawsuit Over Memphis Power Plant

by Willy Blackmore July 1, 2026July 1, 2026

A new Los Angeles County dashboard offers a clearer look at the health impacts of extreme heat. Public health experts say the data could expose how heat disproportionately affects Black communities and how many heat-related deaths may be going uncounted.

Criminal Justice

New Website Reveals a Deadly Truth for Black L.A. Communities

by Willy Blackmore June 18, 2026June 18, 2026

The communities most vulnerable to climate change are often the least responsible for causing it. Yet researchers found that the language designed to explain that disparity may be unfamiliar to many of the people it is intended to empower.

Why ‘Climate Justice’ Isn’t Resonating in Communities Most at Risk

by Willy Blackmore June 10, 2026June 10, 2026

Elon Musk’s race to dominate artificial intelligence is colliding with a growing environmental justice battle in the South, where civil rights advocates say Black communities near Memphis are paying the price for an expanding AI power plant fueled by unpermitted gas turbines.

Environmental Justice

Elon Musk Expands AI Plant Accused of Polluting Black Areas

by Willy Blackmore May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

FEMA is rehiring disaster workers ahead of hurricane season after months of cuts, warnings, and internal turmoil. Critics say Black communities in the South could again face the greatest risks if the agency remains understaffed and unstable.

Black Communities Could Pay for FEMA Chaos

by Willy Blackmore May 12, 2026May 11, 2026

As data centers proliferate around the country, scientists have found that they help drive increasing temperatures in adjacent communities. That's bad news for Black neighborhoods, which already face a greater risk of extreme temperatures but are also increasingly likely to live near a data center.

Climate Justice

“Data Heat Islands” Add New Burden to Black America

by Willy Blackmore May 4, 2026May 4, 2026