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.

Featured Reports & Resources

Clean Energy Now for a Safer Climate Future

April 26, 2023 ReportUnited StatesJacqueline Ennis, Amanda Levin

Pathways to net zero in the United States by 2050

The EPA’s Power Plant Carbon Rules Can Be Built to Last

April 18, 2023 Issue BriefUnited StatesLissa Lynch, David Doniger

The EPA has a firm legal basis for strong power sector standards that will accelerate the sector’s ongoing reduction of carbon pollution and help meet the urgent threat of climate change

Tapping the Power of Wetlands to Secure a Thriving Planet

February 16, 2023 Issue BriefUnited StatesKate Poole

Even though wetlands cover only about 5 percent of the land in the coterminous United States, they support nearly half of all species federally listed as threatened or endangered, harbor more than 30 percent of plant species, and provide essential…

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Exhausted: How We Can Stop Lithium Mining from Depleting Water Resources, Draining Wetlands, and Harming Communities in South America

April 26, 2022 ReportChileAmanda Maxwell, James Blair

Many green technologies, such as electric vehicles and renewable power plants, depend on lithium-ion batteries, which require lithium. Lithium may play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but a climate-friendly future cannot come at the expense of destroying…

Dirty Water: Toxic “Forever” PFAS Chemicals Are Prevalent in the Drinking Water of Environmental Justice Communities

August 18, 2021 ReportCaliforniaAvinash Kar, Dr. Anna Reade, Susan Lee

Action is urgently needed to protect Californian communities—especially those already overburdened with cumulative exposure to multiple different types of pollution—from this ubiquitous chemical.

A Hot Fracking Mess: How the Lack of Regulation of Oil and Gas Production Leads to Radioactive Waste in Our Water, Air, and Communities

July 21, 2021 ReportUnited StatesAmy Mall, Dr. Bemnet Alemayehu

Even as oil and gas exploration and production have boomed across the United States, the country continues to lack any specific federal regulations governing the handling and disposal of radioactive waste and materials generated from these activities, leaving Americans reliant…

Watered Down Justice

March 27, 2020 ReportUnited StatesKristi Pullen Fedinick

While the Safe Drinking Water Act guarantees all Americans access to clean, drinkable water, it hasn’t worked out that way in practice.

West Virginia’s Groundwater Is Not Adequately Protected from Underground Injection

April 30, 2019 ReportWest VirginiaAmy Mall

Regulation and oversight of underground injection in West Virginia has failed to meet all of the state and federal standards the state agreed to uphold, placing drinking water sources at risk.

Michigan PFAS 2019: Scientific and Policy Assessment for Addressing PFAS Chemicals in Drinking Water

April 1, 2019 ReportMichigan

Threats on Tap: Widespread Violations Highlight Need for Investment in Water Infrastructure and Protections

May 2, 2017 ReportKristi Pullen Fedinick, Mae Wu, Erik D. Olson

America has a drinking water crisis. An NRDC study has found that contaminants that may harm human health are found in tap water in every state in the nation.

What's in Your Water? Flint and Beyond

June 28, 2016 ReportUnited States, Michigan, FlintErik D. Olson, Kristi Pullen Fedinick

The devastating lead contamination of the tap water in Flint, Michigan highlights potentially disastrous gaps in the provision of safe drinking water to all Americans—especially the most vulnerable.