Data, Reports & Resources

NRDC is a leader and trusted source in environmental policy and research. 

From reports to issue briefs, we ensure accountability through peer review led by our Science Office, which provides data and scientific analysis that help shape and guide NRDC’s policies and positions. We also offer a range of other resources, such as 101 guides and consumer-focused scorecards to increase access to knowledge about how everyone can be a catalyst for change. 

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A view of the cross-section of a cut water pipe

Getting the Lead Out: Removing Lead Pipes Would Yield Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Health Benefits

Issue BriefUnited StatesErik D. Olson
Removing lead service lines could save the United States an estimated $786 billion from avoided health impacts over the next 35 years.
Bits of plastic waste float underwater

The Worst of the Worst: High-Priority Plastic Materials, Chemical Additives, and Products to Phase Out

Fact SheetUnited States, InternationalDr. Veena Singla
Two workers installing a battery in a vehicle in an assembly plant

Building Batteries Better: Doing the Best With Less

ReportUnited StatesJordan Brinn
Reducing the amount of mining needed through improvements in battery technology, second-life applications for vehicle batteries, and better recycling is key to reducing harms caused from battery supply chains.

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Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know

GuideFlintMelissa Denchak
After officials repeatedly dismissed claims that Flint’s water was making people sick, residents took action. Here’s how the lead contamination crisis unfolded—and what we can learn from it.

Offshore Drilling 101

GuideAlaska, West, Louisiana, Georgia, North CarolinaShelia Hu
A look into how drilling for oil and gas in the oceans works—and why it’s time to make it history.

Keystone XL Case Documents

Legal filingsCanada, United States, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska
NRDC and our partners sued the Trump administration three times, preventing every illegal attempt to ram the Keystone XL project through. These are some of the documents associated with our cases.

Edwards Coal-Fired Plant Settlement

Legal filingsIllinois, PeoriaSelena Kyle, Jared Knicley, Alyssa Brown
In 2019, the court approved a settlement that required the E.D. Edwards plant to close and provides $8.6 million in funding for projects to benefit the Peoria region. Read more about these programs and grantees.

Energy-Burdened Communities Tool

MapLos Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta, Memphis, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Kansas City (Kansas), Chicago, Milwaukee, Flint, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Richmond (Virginia), Greensboro

Energy burden has disproportionately impacted low-income communities of color for decades. NRDC is actively working to bring justice to these communities through this mapping tool.

Causes and Effects of Lead in Water

GuideUnited States, Flint, Michigan, IllinoisKeith Mulvihill

How this harmful neurotoxin got into our taps and what it’ll take to get it out.

Waiting Game: How the Interconnection Queue Threatens Renewable Development in PJM

ReportUnited States, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C.Dana Ammann
New NRDC analysis has found that even under recent reforms, the country’s largest grid operator is unlikely to approve new renewable projects quickly enough to meet even mandatory minimum state standards.

State-Based Food Waste Policy Gap Analysis and Inventory Reports

ReportMaryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, ColoradoDarby Hoover, Yvette Cabrera
Food waste costs the US $408 billion each year. Producing food that we do not consume swallows up roughly 18 percent of America’s cropland and 14 percent of our fresh water, and generates about 270 million metric tons CO2 equivalent…

NRDC Polling on a Potential Lead and Copper Rule

PollingIllinois, Missouri, Wisconsin
This nationwide polling survey was conducted nationally and in Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin on opinions on various provisions of a potential lead and copper rule. The poll was conducted in mid-October, 2022.

Stop the Fortress LNG Export Project

OverviewNew Jersey, PennsylvaniaMark Izeman, Marisa Guerrero, Kimberly Ong, Sahana Rao, Rich Schrader
Communities across Pennsylvania and New Jersey are fiercely fighting the Fortress LNG export project, a proposed massive export facility that would send liquefied natural gas overseas.

Fighting for Safe Drinking Water in Flint

OverviewMichigan, Flint
Partnering with NRDC and ACLU, residents of Flint, Michigan took their local government to court in a battle for safe drinking water.

What Is the Keystone XL Pipeline?

GuideNorth Dakota, Alberta, Montana, South Dakota, NebraskaMelissa Denchak, Courtney Lindwall
How a single pipeline project became the epicenter of an enormous environmental, public health, and civil rights battle.

Engaging Health Departments: Overview Guide

OverviewUnited States, Colorado, Denver, Tennessee, Nashville, Minnesota, Minneapolis
We outline some of the ways that health inspectors can help educate food facilities on how to prevent wasted food and donate surplus.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Is a Model for the Nation

OverviewConnecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, VirginiaBruce Ho
RGGI's functions as a model for other states and regions hoping to reap economic, health, and social benefits in the transition to clean energy we need to combat climate change.