You are changing the world with your passion and commitment to protecting the right to safe food, clean water, and a livable climate for all. 

This list of the top Food & Water Watch accomplishments in 2024 proves that your generosity and care make so much incredible work possible. You’re making real progress and building a more sustainable world. Thank you for fighting like you live here!

Every journey is accomplished step by step. These successes show that when we work together, one milestone at a time, there is nothing we can’t achieve.

Here are the top ten wins you made possible this year! Together, we:

1. Forced the Biden administration to pause new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals, including for the development of the Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) LNG export facility in Louisiana. 

If built, CP2 would have an enormous impact on global climate pollution — about 20 times that of the recently approved Willow oil drilling project in Alaska.

This pause came after months of intense pressure from Food & Water Watch and our allies, which included a letter signed by 170 scientists and another signed by more than 230 climate, environmental justice, public health, faith, and community organizations, both urging the Biden Administration to reject CP2. 

2. Helped win the first-ever regulations on PFAS in drinking water. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced final regulations that set enforceable limits on six PFAS — the toxic lab-made compounds known as “forever chemicals” — in drinking water. After decades of community organizing, we welcome this important first step in making drinking water safer for people across the country. This will save lives. Even better? The EPA has finalized rules to begin holding corporations accountable for PFAS cleanup.

No amount of PFAS in water is safe, and these regulations address just six of thousands of these dangerous chemicals. Together, we’ll continue to press the EPA to regulate the entire class of PFAS in our drinking water. 

3. Successfully pressured Governor Newsom to phase out fracking in California.

After a three-year de facto ban, Governor Newsom’s California’s Geologic Energy Management Division released its plan to formally phase out fracking in California by prohibiting the state from issuing new fracking permits. This announcement comes after over a decade of advocacy from Food & Water Watch and allied groups across the state and country. Additionally, allowing fossil fuel drilling near homes and schools will no longer be up for a vote in California this November! 

4. Passed two major pieces of climate legislation in New York state that are both awaiting Governor Hochul’s signature. 

The Climate Change Superfund Act will hold Big Oil responsible for paying for the damages caused by climate-fueled disasters. The passage of this bill in both the New York State Assembly and Senate is a huge step forward for polluter accountability, as climate-supercharged natural disasters grow worse with every passing year. 

A ban on CO₂ fracking in New York State also passed after a company called “Southern Tier CO₂ to Clean Energy Solutions” planned to skirt the existing ban on fracking in the state by using carbon dioxide (CO₂) instead of water. 

5. Compelled the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to propose new water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and rendering facilities.

Following lawsuits from Food & Water Watch and our allies, the EPA’s new rules could prevent at least 100 million pounds per year of water pollution by strengthening or imposing standards on just a fraction of the country’s approximately 5,000 slaughterhouses and rendering facilities. This is a positive step towards cleaning up one of the nation’s dirtiest industries.

6. Ensured the Michigan Supreme Court rejected the Farm Bureau’s effort to gut factory farm water pollution regulations. 

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in Michigan Farm Bureau v. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) that the state has the authority to rein in factory farm pollution as necessary to protect water quality in Michigan. The decision is a win for all those working to protect the environment and public health through stronger water quality permits for factory farms.

Food & Water Watch and our allies submitted a “friend of the court” brief to the court opposing Farm Bureau’s arguments. We have also intervened in a parallel case in Michigan to defend strong permits going forward. 

7. Pressured the EPA to propose stricter regulations on vinyl chloride.

The new regulations would put vinyl chloride on a list of five chemicals designated as high-priority substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Vinyl chloride was one of the chemicals that spilled and burned in the horrific East Palestine train derailment, sparking a public health crisis. It poses a significant public health risk at every stage in the supply chain, and regulating it will protect people across the country. 

8. Won a historic decision in our fluoridation toxicity case.

In a first-of-its-kind decision, a federal court in California ruled that the EPA must strengthen regulation of fluoride in drinking water across the country. The court found that scientific evidence of fluoride’s health risks — especially to the developing brains of infants — when ingested at levels currently prescribed for drinking water requires stricter regulation of the chemical’s presence in drinking water under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

9. Shut down two new fossil fuel project plans in New Jersey. 

First, we pressured New Jersey Transit to cancel plans for a natural gas-powered backup power plant. This win comes after five years of persistent organizing!

Additionally, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the federal approvals for the fossil fuel Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project in New Jersey. This is an incredible victory for the people of New Jersey who organized against this dirty, dangerous, and unnecessary fracked gas pipeline project. It’s also a great example of how our legal and organizing teams work together to fight fossil fuel projects. 

10. Released an interactive factory farm map tool, which allows you to see how many factory farms are in your county and how much waste they produce.

With factory farms and their waste causing acute local water and air pollution, it’s important that people have access to information about factory farms and their locations so that they can protect themselves and their families. This research was featured in 15 different news articles, informing more people about the dangers of factory farms and the need for a nationwide ban!

Thank you for making these milestones possible this year!

You Can Build on These Victories Toward a Brighter Future

Together, we are making great strides toward sustainable food, clean and affordable water, and a livable climate for all. Check out the Fall, Summer, and Spring Quarterly Victories Updates to see how your care and generosity made an impact earlier this year.