Media Center

New Report: Drought-Stricken California Could Save Up to 14 Million Acre-Feet of Water; Enough to Supply All the State’s Cities Annually

June 10, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 10, 2014) – California could be saving up to 14 million acre-feet of untapped water – providing more than the amount of water used in all of California’s cities in one year – with an aggressive…

California Senate Rejects Moratorium on Fracking

May 29, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (May 29, 2014) – The California State Senate today rejected a bill that would have imposed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, acidizing and other controversial forms of oil and gas development.

Chamber’s Attack on Clean Water Rule Puts Polluters’ Profits First

May 28, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 28, 2014)—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today attacked a new clean water rule with unsubstantiated charges about excessive costs that hold no water.

Senator Feinstein’s “Emergency Drought Relief Act” Overrides Critical Protections for California Fishing Communities

May 22, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (May 22, 2014) – Today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 2198 (Feinstein), drought legislation that overrides protections for salmon and steelhead in California’s Bay-Delta estuary. The bill will now be negotiated with the House of Representatives, which earlier this…

NRDC Hails New Approach to Expedite Permitting of Infrastructure Proposals

May 14, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 14, 2014) -- The Obama administration today unveiled a fresh approach toward reviewing and approving major construction projects on federal lands, such as roads, bridges and airports.

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Strong Health Standards for Soot Emissions

May 9, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 9, 2014)—A federal appeals court today unanimously upheld EPA’s latest health-based clean air standards for fine particulate matter, or soot. Inhaling soot pollution can have serious health consequences, ranging from increased asthma attacks, to heart attacks and premature…

Koch Brothers in Court Over Chicago's Petcoke Piles?

April 28, 2014 Press Release

CHICAGO (April 28, 2014) – Environmental groups today signaled their intention to sue the owners of two sites that together hold massive mounds of oil refining waste and coal on Chicago’s Southeast Side. The Southeast Environmental Task Force (SETF) and…

Governor Brown’s Executive Order Redoubles Drought Actions; Right Moves at the Right Time

April 25, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2014) – Governor Brown today issued an executive order to strengthen the state’s ability to manage water and environment effectively during the state’s historic drought conditions, calling on all Californians to redouble their efforts to conserve…

Ten Times More Solar Power Coming to New York With Expansion of State Program

April 24, 2014 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (April 24, 2014) — The Cuomo administration today took the final step in approving a major expansion of the state’s NY-Sun Initiative—a program that is successfully boosting solar power across the state—extending it through 2023 and supporting a…

Spring-run Salmon Release Marks Progress in Restoring San Joaquin River

April 17, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (April 17, 2014) – Today, for the first time in over 60 years, spring run Chinook salmon returned to the San Joaquin River when the San Joaquin River Restoration Program released 54,000 juvenile into California’s second largest…

Court Unanimously Agrees Feds Unlawfully Renewed Unsustainable Water Supply Contracts in the Bay-Delta

April 16, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (April 16, 2014) – A unanimous eleven-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today overturned two earlier court rulings that upheld the federal government’s renewal of several dozen long-term water supply contracts for diversions from…

Water Agencies’ Drought Plan Needs Balance

April 9, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (April 9, 2014) – The California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation today released their proposed 2014 Drought Operations Plan, a proposal that waives key environmental standards to the detriment of the majority of Californians.

REPORT: Nearly 300,000 New Yorkers Flooded in Sandy Lived Outside FEMA Flood Zones

April 8, 2014 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (April 8, 2014) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood maps for New York City did not identify that nearly 65 percent of the area inundated during Hurricane Sandy—home to nearly 300,000 people—was at risk from coastal flooding…

Near Record-Low California Snowpack Measurement Warns of Greater Water Supply Challenges Ahead

April 1, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (April 1, 2014) – Critically low California snowpack measurement was reported today by the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) in its annual April snow survey, revealing the snowpack measurement is at its lowest since 1988 – the…

NRDC Petition Helps Put a Stop to Toxic Chemical in Flea Collars

March 14, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (March 14, 2014) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and major pet product companies announced an agreement today to cancel the use of a toxic chemical called propoxur in flea collars due to the risk posed to the…

Planning Commission and Key State Leaders Urge Shift to Energy Efficient Buildings to Curb India’s Soaring Energy Demand

March 3, 2014 Press Release

NEW DELHI (March 3, 2014) – India’s soaring energy demand is projected to double by 2027, adding new urgency to calls to increase the energy efficiency of buildings in cities across the country. The Planning Commission held a high-level roundtable…

Legislature is Right to Speed California Drought Relief Package to Gov. Jerry Brown

February 27, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (February 27, 2014) – The Legislature today sped a $687 million relief package to California Gov. Jerry Brown to aid those suffering from the unprecedented drought crisis.

New Poll: Nearly 75% of California Voters Choose Improving Local Water Supplies as Top Solution to Drought

February 25, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (February 25, 2014) – California voters are more concerned about the drought than any other major issue and an overwhelming majority favor strategies to stretch local water supplies, including recycling, rainwater harvesting and efficiency measures, as the top…

NRDC, Labor, Civil Rights Groups Sue Navy Over Vieques Operations

May 17, 2000 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (May 17, 2000) – Citing environmental hazards as well as high cancer and infant mortality rates on Vieques Island, a coalition of environmental, labor and civil rights groups -- including NRDC -- say they will sue the U.S…

EPA Proposals on Reduced Diesel Pollution Biggest Clean-Air Advance in a Generation, Say NRDC legal and medical authorities

May 16, 2000 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (May 16, 2000) - Calling them the biggest public health advances in a generation, experts from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) hailed a series of diesel fuel and exhaust-reduction proposals announced by the Environmental Protection Agency today that…