Media Center

Lead Pipes Must Be Removed Under EPA’s Proposed Water Rule, Finally Fulfilling Congress’ Mandate to Set Safe Water Protections

November 30, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today sets the stage for every lead water pipe in the nation to be replaced, with the vast majority expected to be removed in the next ten years.

Report: U.S. Must Ban Seafood From 11 Nations Over Whale, Dolphin Deaths 

November 30, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A report issued today by conservation groups finds that 11 nations have at least some fisheries that fail to meet U.S. standards for preventing whale and dolphin bycatch. Entanglement in fishing gear kills hundreds of thousands of marine mammals around…

DOT is Putting Transportation on the Right Track 

November 27, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation released a key rule last week that will require states to measure greenhouse gas pollution from highway systems and set targets to lower those emissions.

240 Groups Urge Biden Administration to Take Bold Action on Plastic Pollution

November 9, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

As negotiations for a global plastics treaty are scheduled to resume in Nairobi, Kenya, 240 U.S. environmental, public health, and other NGOs sent a letter to the Biden administration today calling for stricter limits on plastic pollution and a crackdown…

NRDC Scorecard Ranks State Transportation Policies

November 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – With record amounts of federal funding for transportation projects underway, a new NRDC scorecard released today ranks the states on their transportation policies and spending priorities. 

NOAA Denies Key Protections in Fight to Protect Rice’s Whale

October 31, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

On Friday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries denied a petition to establish a 10-knot vessel speed limit and other protective measures in the Gulf of Mexico to protect the endangered Rice’s whale, which is estimated to have a…

“Staggering” Health Benefits From Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save Nearly $1 Trillion from Avoided Health Impacts

October 25, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes nationwide would yield hundreds of billions of dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).

Report: PA Clean Trucks Program Could Save 140 Lives, Create 3,524 Jobs

October 25, 2023 Press ReleasePennsylvania

A new report finds that adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks standard in Pennsylvania can avoid 140 premature deaths and create 3,524 new jobs.

“Staggering” Health Benefits from Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save as Much as $6 Billion in California from Avoided Health Impacts

October 25, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes in California would yield as much as $6 billion dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Getting the…

Colorado Adopts Ambitious Clean Cars Plan, Could Secure Even Greater Benefits

October 20, 2023 Press ReleaseDenver

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission today adopted a Colorado Clean Cars plan that will ramp up sales of clean electric vehicle sales so that more than 80 percent of new vehicles will be zero emissions vehicles by 2032, which…

Michigan Set to Enact Nation’s Strongest Measures to Protect Kids from Lead in Schools and Childcare Centers

October 19, 2023 Press ReleaseMichigan

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign into law landmark legislation that sets the national standard for protecting kids from lead in drinking water at schools and in childcare centers by requiring these facilities to install and maintain lead-removing…

Governor Newsom Stands Up to Big Oil, Protecting California Communities and Taxpayers

October 7, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

In a strong move to hold oil companies responsible for the economic and public health dangers of oil wells left idle and unplugged, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1167, the “Orphan Well Prevention Act,” into law. This bill, authored…

CA Department of Transportation Investments Fail to Align with State Climate Goals, New NRDC Report Finds

October 4, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Analysis from Closing the Climate Investment Gap, a groundbreaking new report from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) on California’s state transportation infrastructure investments, shows a distinct misalignment between budgetary allocations and the state’s overarching climate goals.

President Biden Can Take Action to Eliminate Shipping Emissions and Advance Environmental Justice

October 2, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

In a letter sent to President Biden on World Maritime Day, 32 organizations called for an Executive Order to decarbonize maritime shipping. The Biden administration has already made significant commitments to eliminate emissions from the shipping industry, as well as…

Exposing Even More Gulf Waters to Drilling “is the last thing we need – and the last place we need it.”

September 29, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced plans to expand the waters available in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, as part of the new five-year leasing plan that will take effect in 2024.

California Could Lose Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Lead Contamination Protections (Again)

September 29, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Public health and environmental organizations urged stronger State leadership in efforts to remove lead from drinking water infrastructure throughout California. In a support letter, the organizations called on the California State Water Resources Control Board to address the state’s disturbing…

NRDC Digital Tool Tracks Political Opposition to Offshore Drilling

September 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is launching an updated digital tool today to help people track where their Members of Congress stand on offshore oil and gas drilling. The Biden administration is expected to release a final five-year plan for federal…

House Majority Fiddles While Climate Crisis Burns

September 14, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – After months of climate-fueled disasters around the nation and facing a deadline in just a few weeks to pass a budget, the House Majority instead wasted time today voting on a measure to try and prevent states from…

Army Corps Considers Continued Operation of Destructive Dakota Access Pipeline

September 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a draft environmental impact statement today for the operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens the lands, water supply, and valuable cultural resources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

U.S. Department of Transportation Suspends LNG by Rail Rule

September 1, 2023 Press ReleaseNew Jersey, Pennsylvania

According to the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Transportation has suspended a rule promulgated by the Trump Administration that permits liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport by rail.