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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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.

Fracking 101

GuideTexas, Pennsylvania, New York, California, North Dakota, FloridaMelissa Denchak
Hydraulic fracturing has upended the global energy landscape and made fossil fuels big business in the United States. Mounting evidence shows that it poses serious threats to our health, environment, and climate future. Here’s a look at the fracking boom…

Jackson Water Crisis

Fact SheetMississippi, JacksonSarah Tallman, Kimberly Leefatt
The drinking water system in Jackson, Mississippi, has suffered from serious safety and reliability problems for decades. Despite recent attention from federal officials, including a lawsuit filed against the city of Jackson in late 2022, the water system’s problems have…

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…

Feeding a City: Food Waste and Food Need Across America

ReportUnited States, Denver, New York City, NashvilleAndrea Collins
The first step in reducing municipal food waste is data gathering: understanding the amounts and sources of wasted food at the local level, as well as the amounts and sources of surplus food that potentially could be rescued instead of…

Community Clean Mobility Programs Under ACC II

Fact SheetUnited States, New JerseyYeh-Tang Huang, Kathy Harris

Best practices for designing community-based clean mobility programs under the Advanced Clean Cars II rule, in New Jersey and beyond

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.

Food Matters Case Studies

Case StudyBaltimore, Denver, NashvilleYvette Cabrera, Darby Hoover, Madeline Keating
NRDC and their partners’ work in Baltimore, Denver, and Nashville can help inform initiatives in other cities across the country.

Offshore Drilling: Putting the Nation’s Coastline at Risk

Fact SheetUnited States, East, WestJacob Eisenberg, Alexandra Adams
We must protect our coasts and push for clean, renewable and efficient energy that will protect our lifegiving oceans, the communities that rely on them, and our climate by helping us transition off oil.

Food Matters in Baltimore: Reimagining Waste Into Wealth

ReportBaltimore
Nearly one in four Baltimore residents does not have a reliable supply of food, more than twice the national average. By beginning to address food waste in a holistic way—through prevention, rescue, and redistribution—the city can start to reduce disposal…

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.

Fighting for Safe Drinking Water in Newark

OverviewUnited States, Newark, New Jersey
While Newark has made progress to address dangerous lead, the problem continues nationwide, with millions of lead pipes still delivering water to people’s homes.

Lead Pipes Are Widespread and Used in Every State

SurveyUnited States, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Texas, MinnesotaErik D. Olson, Alexandra Stubblefield
An NRDC survey estimates that there are at least 12.8 million water pipes that are, or may be, lead, spread across the entire country. Use our map to find out about your state.

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.