In this compelling episode, Mariann Sullivan speaks with Elise Bennett, Senior Attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, about the lawsuit challenging the controversial immigration detention facility in Florida’s Everglades. Bennett details how this hastily constructed center in Big Cypress National Preserve threatens endangered species, water quality, and the integrity of a crucial ecosystem that has received billions in restoration funding over decades. The case hinges on federal agencies’ failure to conduct required environmental impact assessments under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), highlighting how environmental laws may protect wildlife habitats even in politically charged circumstances.

This episode explores:

• How the facility threatens endangered Florida panthers (only 120-230 remain in the wild) and the endemic Florida bonneted bat
• Environmental impacts including artificial lighting visible from 15 miles away and even from space
• Legal strategies using NEPA to challenge federal agencies’ failure to assess environmental impacts
• Complex jurisdictional questions as state and federal agencies attempt to evade accountability
• Potential water contamination risks in an ecosystem that’s critical to Florida’s environmental health

RESOURCES

• • • America’s Whey Protein Obsession Is Transforming the Dairy Industry
    • Where Did Bird Flu Go?
    • I served the same dish with and without ‘vegan’ labels for 30 days. The reactions exposed our deepest food biases
    • At an Iowa Pork Plant, Piles of Dead Pigs and Wafting Sulphur Dioxide
    • In Landmark Shift, NIH Announces No More Exclusive Funding for Animal Experiments
    • ‘I went vegan on the second day of filming’: James Cromwell on making Babe, the talking pig classic
    • Denmark Introduces ‘Plant-Based Diplomacy Initiative’
    • Oregon Community Group Halts Giant Chicken Factory Farm Construction After Five-Year Battle
    • Eating this ultraprocessed food may be good for you and the planet, experts say
    • A Vegan Triathlete Just Became The 2025 German Champion
    • The Omnivore’s Deception By John Sanbonmatsu — Review

We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview.

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