Brian Willis
Washington, D.C.
Communications Director of Pioneer Public Affairs | Tweets ≠ Endorsements | Furious Like the Five
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Articles by Brian Willis
Good News Headlines 10/19/2026
Photo courtesy Prince bin Salman Nature Reserve Saudi Solar Park Proves Brilliant Breeding Ground For Threatened Sand Gazelles by Andy Corbley, Good News Network In clearing two hurdles with one bound, Saudi conservationists have turned a large solar farm into a breeding shelter for a vulnerable species of native gazelle.
Causes of death among young children of female sex workers in three sub-Saharan African countries: a cross-sectional exploratory investigation
Abstract Introduction: Children of female sex workers (CFSW) are a particularly marginalized population of children who experience similar negative health, social, and economic outcomes as their mothers. In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the level of vulnerability and adversity is exacerbated by stigma and structural inequities that result in abject poverty, chronic food insecurity, hazardous living conditions, and exposure to violence.
Maternal Health of Female Sex Workers in Six Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Introduction Female sex workers (FSW) are among the most marginalized and understudied populations in public health and face multiple structural vulnerabilities.1 Sex work is stigmatized and illegal in many countries, thereby limiting FSWs’ access to healthcare and rendering them vulnerable to a variety of adverse health outcomes.2 Research-based evidence, as well as preventive health programming, almost exclusively focuses on FSWs’ heightened risk of contracting and transmitting HIV and...
Causes of mortality among female sex workers: Results of a multi-country study
Summary Background The vast majority of studies on female sex workers (FSW) focus on causes of morbidity while data on causes of mortality are scarce. In low- and middle-income countries, where civil registry and vital statistics data are often incomplete and FSW may not be identified as such in official registries, identifying causes of mortality among FSW has proven challenging.
Sierra Club: The climate crisis requires that we begin to plan for the unimaginable
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Mary Anne Hitt, Sierra Club’s National Director of Campaigns, released the following statement in response to the ongoing storms hitting the Midwest and Southern states and the dangerous situations being reported on the ground. “These unprecedented winter storms are leaving millions of people stuck at home with no electricity, heat, or water. The safety of these communities must be our first priority, while we also look ahead to the next disaster on the horizon.
Your Place And Mine
Article by Brian Willis. Boxty is a traditional dish found in the "Border" Counties of Fermanagh, Cavan, Donegal, and Leitrim . The main ingredient is potato and this recipe can be traced back to pre-famine times when potatoes were plentiful and the main source of food. It's been suggested that Boxty was a way of adding variety to a constant diet of "boiled spuds". So how was it made in the "old days"?
Another Month, Half Million Clean Energy Workers Out of Work, and More Inaction by Donald Trump
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Smog Pollution Standards Maintained - But Clean Air Still in Jeopardy
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500k People Are Out of Work Because of the Dithering Incompetence of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell
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Sierra Club Launches Massive Ad Campaign Calling on Congress to Support Clean Energy Workers in Next COVID-19 Relief Bill
Click Here to view the Ad WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Sierra Club launched a five figure digital advertising campaign today, targeting Congressional leadership to pass significant relief for clean energy workers in the next COVID-19 economic relief package. Currently, there are more than 500,000 clean energy workers unemployed, with more job losses likely if Congress doesn’t take action to support them. The clean energy sector employs more people than the fossil fuel sector.
Coal Company Seeks to Severely Weaken Mercury Standard After EPA Attacked its Underpinnings
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Public Health Advocates Overwhelm EPA Virtual Hearing, Demand Stronger Protections Against Dangerous Air Pollution
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sierra Club members and supporters overwhelmed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) on its first day of “virtual” hearings on the Trump Administration’s insufficient national soot standard proposal today, demanding stronger protections against deadly particulate matter. Former coal lobbyist, turned EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, ignored the recommendations of EPA scientists and public health experts, who recommended lowering the legal limit for soot.
Sierra Club Steps in As Watchdog After Trump’s EPA Uses COVID-19 Crisis to Stop Enforcement of Pollution Laws
Sierra Club to issue government records requests in the states to ensure power plants and oil and gas operators control pollution WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Sierra Club announced a new “polluter watchdog” program today, by issuing Freedom of Information ACT (FOIA) and state-based open records requests to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state regulators who are refusing to enforce public health safeguards during the pandemic.
New York’s Electricity Market Gets Brazenly Anti-Clean Energy Rule, Setting Up State-Federal Fight
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The Surface Transportation Board Explores Exempting Rail Companies from Clean Water Act
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Sierra Club Applauds House Democrats Condemnation of FERC Attack On State Clean Energy Economies
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, 36 House Democrats sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expressing serious concerns over the commission’s recent decision to institute a Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR), which forces new renewable energy generation, like wind and solar, out of the PJM capacity market.
New Report Highlights Impact and Potential of West Virginia’s Growing Clean Energy Economy
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With the Retirement of Dolet Hills, Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign Retires 300th Coal Plant Since 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Arkansas PSC approved the retirement of the Dolet Hills Power Station today, in a settlement with Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), making it the 300th coal plant proposed to retire since the beginning of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. Dolet Hills’ retirement symbolizes an important milestone for Beyond Coal, which began in 2010 with 530 active coal plants, a robust and influential coal industry, and a fledgling clean energy economy.
FERC Costs Consumers Billions, Hobbles Clean Energy Economy, to Help Coal and Fracked Gas Execs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) instituted a disastrous new rule today that will essentially exclude new renewable energy resources from the PJM capacity market -- a split decision that energy experts predict will cost the Midwest, Appalachia, and Mid-Atlantic regions almost $6 billion annually and increase dangerous fossil fuel emissions.
Once a Coal Lobbyist, Always a Coal Lobbyist: Wheeler Weakens Air Quality Protections Again
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FERC Ethics Official: McNamee Must Recuse Himself from Coal Bailout Decisions [He Still Hasn’t]
ShapeCombined ShapeCombined ShapeShapeCombined Shapeic_video_youtube_blackSC Logo_Horiz Web Black Contact: Brian Willis, 202.675.2386, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org WASHINGTON, D.C. - Coal bailout architect and FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee has submitted a letter to Senate Democrats informing them of an ethics official’s advice to him on recusing himself from participating in commission decisions that are pertinent to his past coal bailout work for Energy Secretary Rick Perry.
Wheeler Tries Another Desperate Rollback that Won’t Save Coal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former coal lobbyist and acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced plans today to roll back carbon pollution standards for new coal-fired power plants, a move many onlookers view as another bid to help his former employers in the coal industry. The safeguards were finalized in 2015 under the Obama Administration and put strict limits on carbon pollution.
Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World
Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World By Melissa Agnes; 2018, 288 pages ISBN: 978-1684014132 “Crisis” is a word very familiar to the law enforcement profession. For some the word invokes images of a situation that is overwhelming and out of control.
Trump Administration’s Frantic Rush of Coal Bailout Backer McNamee a Sign of Politics Entering Into Independent FERC
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee announced today that it will take up the nomination of coal bailout architect Bernard McNamee to FERC next week in a hurried political move to inject the Trump administration’s political agenda of backing unnecessary fracked gas pipelines and supporting a nationwide coal bailout into the historically independent agency.
Trump Officially Nominates McNamee to FERC, Lighting Fuse to Confrontation Over Coal Bailouts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Donald Trump formally nominated his initial coal bailout architect, Bernard McNamee, to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today in order to fill the seat of resigning commissioner Robert Powelson. McNamee helped roll out Energy Secretary Rick Perry's failed coal and nuclear bailout proposal last year, which would have cost electricity customers billions of dollars. He has also been a lifelong employee of dirty fossil fuel companies and their allies.
Trump’s EPA Admin. to Reconsider Whether It’s OK for Coal Plants to Poison Pregnant Women and Young Children
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Trump administration and former coal lobbyist and acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, officially announced today that they are reconsidering the life-saving Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). These safeguards drastically curtail the emission of dangerous toxic pollution that poisons wildlife, contaminates seafood, and threatens the health of pregnant women and young children.
Sierra Club and EDF Take Trump’s FOIA Failure on Coal, Nuclear Bailout Documents to Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) sued the Department of Energy today for its failure to hand over documents as part of a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests pertaining to the Trump Administration’s reported plan to force taxpayers and electricity customers to pay billions of dollars to bail out uneconomic coal and nuclear plants.
Trump Administration Considers Forcing Taxpayers to Bail Out Coal and Nuclear Executives
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bloomberg reported late yesterday that the Trump Administration is considering an order that would force grid operators across the country to buy electricity from failing coal and nuclear plants -- a move Bloomberg categorizes as “unprecedented intervention” into U.S. energy markets and an order that would raise electricity rates for Americans across the country.
Clean Water Coalition Submits 56,700+ Comments Demanding Scott Pruitt Keep Coal Ash Rules
Comment Period for Scott Pruitt’s Proposal to Rollback EPA Protections Against Toxic Coal Ash Ends Today WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sierra Club and clean water coalition partners submitted 56,703 comments today demanding EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt keep in place federal protections against toxic coal ash - the dangerous waste product of coal-fired power plants.
Sierra Club Submits 115,000 Comments Demanding Clean Power Plan Stay in Place
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sierra Club and its allies submitted more than 115 thousand comments today demanding scandal ridden EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt leave the Clean Power Plan in place.
Trump’s New Ploy to Force Electricity Customers, Taxpayers to Bailout Uneconomic Coal and Nuclear Plants
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Media outlets reported earlier today that the Trump Administration is considering using the Defense Production Act - a relic of the Cold War - to force electricity customers and taxpayers to pay billions of dollars to bailout uneconomic coal and nuclear plants.
FirstEnergy Solutions’ Bankruptcy is a Cautionary Tale for Utilities, Investors, and Public Officials
WASHINGTON, D.C. - FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) -- together with its subsidiaries FirstEnergy Generation and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company -- announced its bankruptcy last night after years of short-sighted business decisions and executive mismanagement that resisted investing in clean, renewable energy, and its workers.
If Rick Perry and Trump Admin. Illegally Bail Out FirstEnergy Solutions, Sierra Club will Sue and Win
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, FirstEnergy Solutions (FES), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corporation, formally requested that Energy Secretary Rick Perry use an extraordinary emergency order (Section 202c of the Federal Power Act) to force electricity customers to prop up all coal and nuclear plants in the PJM electricity market, something senior staff at DOE have unequivocally said they will not do.
Pruitt Weakens the New Source Review Program, Endangering Communities with Toxic Air Pollution
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced today that he is severely weakening the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) program for air pollution, which will make it possible for industrial polluters to avoid installing state-of-the-art, cost-effective pollution controls.
New Study Shows Environmental Racism and Economic Injustice in Health Burdens of Particulate Pollution in U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new study by scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published today in the American Journal of Public Health found that facilities emitting dangerous particulate air pollution -- like soot -- disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color - demonstrating that the reprehensible history of economic injustice and environmental racism regarding air pollution continues in the United States.
With NOPR Decision, FERC Brings Coal and Nuclear Industries Back to Reality
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) terminated its consideration of Rick Perry’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) that would have bailed out uneconomic coal and nuclear plants that cannot compete against cleaner, cheaper energy sources like solar, wind, and energy efficiency. FERC also initiated a new proceeding to investigate issues of grid resilience in a more comprehensive and evidence-driven manner, requesting that grid operators submit comments in 60 days.
Letter: Kim MacCloskey in the wrong about tax issues
Brian Willis As usual, Kim MacCloskey got it all wrong again. He talks of the new income tax plan approved by Adam Kinzenger. At some point, he has to come to grips with the fact that a single representative doesn’t approve a tax plan, or anything else for that matter. It takes both houses of congress and the president to do that.In typical liberal double speak, he claims that the income tax deduction for real estate tax is capped at $10,000, not the $150,000 cited in a previous letter.
New Analysis Finds Dramatic Costs of Perry's Directive to FERC
New findings shows massive subsidy for coal and nuclear facilities would cause electricity customers’ bills to skyrocket, destroy energy marketplace WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sierra Club released new findings today showing that Secretary Rick Perry’s recent directive to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to force electricity customers to bail out uneconomic coal and nuclear plants would severely distort America’s energy markets and cause ratepayers’ bills to skyrocket.
Bloomberg Announces $64 Million in New Funding to Move America Beyond Coal as Trump EPA Tries to Prop Up Dead End Fuel Source
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 11, 2017 – One day after the Trump Administration formally announced its plans to rescind the Clean Power Plan, the Obama Administration's climate change policy that has been held up in federal court, Michael R. Bloomberg announced a new commitment of $64 million to support the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign and other organizations working to advance the U.S. clean energy market at the state and local level.
Bloomberg Announces $64 Million in New Funding to Move America Beyond Coal as Trump EPA Tries to Prop Up Dead End Fuel Source
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 11, 2017 – One day after the Trump Administration formally announced its plans to rescind the Clean Power Plan, the Obama Administration's climate change policy that has been held up in federal court, Michael R. Bloomberg announced a new commitment of $64 million to support the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign and other organizations working to advance the U.S. clean energy market at the state and local level.
Pruitt Blatantly Ignores the Law, Again Proves He Shouldn’t Be EPA Administrator
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Scott Pruitt, flouted a significant legal deadline yesterday, declining to implement new, stronger clean air protections against smog pollution by October 2nd - as required by the Clean Air Act. Pruitt was legally obligated to publish EPA’s initial designations of which areas of the country have air quality that meets or violates the new 70 part per billion smog pollution standard.
Polluter Shill Perry Asks Independent FERC to Prop Up Uneconomic Coal and Nuclear Plants
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Donald Trump’s Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, today asked FERC - an independent agency - to bail out the declining coal and nuclear industries, a move that's intended to placate corporate polluters that can’t compete with cleaner, cheaper energy sources like solar, wind, and energy efficiency.
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Hands Down Landmark Ruling on Public Lands and Climate Change
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must reassess its analysis of the climate impacts of expanding two massive coal mines in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin (PRB).
Pruitt Gives Another Present to Coal Executives, Targets Coal Ash Safeguards
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, Donald Trump’s EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, granted a polluter petition to “reconsider” new clean water protections against dangerous coal ash pits near America’s drinking water supplies.
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Health of female sex workers and their children: a call for action
Two very critical health and human rights issues related to sex work have been neglected globally: maternal morbidity and mortality among female sex workers and the health and wellbeing of their children. It is time to recognise the need for, and right to, maternal and child health services for female sex workers and their children. Many female sex workers have risk factors for maternal morbidity and mortality, especially HIV-related mortality and complications and death from unsafe abortions.
Send in the Clown
Send In The Clown Puddles Pity Party 2/5/2015 The Hamilton, Washington DC – by Brian Willis It’s not every day that one sees a 6’8″ clown, much less a 6’8″ sad clown with an amazing singing voice. But it happened and it wasn’t a dream or a hallucination or even the result of intoxication. Puddles, the sad faced clown with a golden voice, graced the stage of The Hamilton Friday night with his unique act to the delight of a full house of fans.
DC Mystery Cats at The Howard Theatre
John K & The DC Mystery Cats The Howard Theater January 9, 2015 By Brian Willis It’s early January in the nation’s capital… bitter cold and gloomy. For the most part, residents of the area prefer not to go outside without a good reason. John Kadlecik & The DC Mystery Cats provided a perfect reason with their first show of the new year at The Howard Theater, which was packed with fans ready to dance the chills (and holiday calories) away.
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