A headshot of Sahana Rao Sahana Rao (she/they)

Associate Director & Staff Attorney, Environment, Equity & Justice Center

Media Contact

Rita Yelda
212-727-4427
Eastern Regional Communications Manager

Sahana Rao uses legal and policy tools to support communities of color, low-income communities, and environmental justice coalitions in the New York/Northeast region and across the country. She currently supports NRDC's Community Lawyering team as the associate director, helping to lead the development of cross-disciplinary and community-led campaigns. Prior to joining NRDC, they practiced environmental law as an associate attorney at Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. in New York. Rao holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from New York University School of Law, where she was the editor-in-chief for the Environmental Law Journal. They are based in NRDC’s New York office.

This website provides general information, not legal advice. If you need legal help, please consult a lawyer in your state. Sahana Rao does not hold themself out as a specialist in a particular area of law or law practice.

Areas of Work
Equity & Justice

Related content

See all News & Commentary from this expert
Skip carousel items
An image of a prison cell. The bars are severely rusted. There is a combination sink-toilet fixture visible on the left side of the image and a cot on the right side, along with a small electric fan.

Reports of Sickening Water Conditions at Pontiac, Illinois Prison

Expert BlogIllinoisIhab Mikati, Sahana Rao
People imprisoned in Pontiac report using makeshift filters to protect themselves from water that is often described as oily, swampy, and brown or black.
A sign that reads 'Use your food stamps here and get more' on display near people shopping at a farmers market in New York City.

Progress and a Path Forward on SNAP Incentives in New York

Expert BlogNew York, New York CityMargaret Brown, Sahana Rao, Isabel Friedman
View of a school playground from the railroad tracks running through Gibbstown, NJ.

U.S. DOT Finally Suspends LNG-by-Rail Rule!

Expert BlogNew Jersey, Pennsylvania, United StatesSahana Rao
The federal government has finalized a long-awaited suspension of the regulation that previously permitted LNG transport by rail across the country.

Resources

See all Policy Resources by this expert
Skip carousel items

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.