Media Center

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…

EPA Ensures States, Tribes Can Protect Their Waterways from Harm

September 14, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule today that restores the ability of states and authorized Tribes to weigh in on federally permitted projects that could pollute or harm their waters, and to limit their adverse impacts. EPA…

Report: California Legislation Can Cut Carbon From Building Materials

September 13, 2023 Press ReleaseSan Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – The carbon emissions associated with materials used in the built environment, referred to as “embodied carbon,” are estimated to contribute up to 11% of all global energy-related carbon emissions.1 According to a new report from sustainable development…

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.

Biden Administration to Cancel Arctic Refuge Oil and Gas Leases

September 6, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration canceled Trump-era leases for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, eliminating an imminent threat to drill within the refuge’s 1.6-million-acre Coastal Plain.

General Assembly Overrides Governor Cooper’s Veto on House Bill 488

August 17, 2023 Press ReleaseNorth Carolina

The North Carolina General Assembly overrode Governor Cooper’s veto of HB 488. The bill freezes the state’s residential building codes, as well as energy, plumbing, and mechanical codes, until 2031.

“Forever Chemicals” Data from EPA Shows Widespread Contamination But is “Most Certainly” an Underestimate of PFAS Contaminating Tap Water

August 17, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) released the first tranche of testing data for PFAS in drinking water that found hundreds of water systems are contaminated with the toxic “forever chemicals.”

NRDC: Biden Protects Iconic Grand Canyon Lands and Waters

August 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (Aug. 8, 2023) — President Biden today established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, under the Antiquities Act, permanently protecting more than 900,000 acres of some of the most iconic landscape…

DOE’s Water Heater Standards Promise Substantial Energy Savings

July 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced updated energy efficiency standards for residential water heaters today promising substantial energy savings of 27 quadrillion BTUs ("quads") of energy over the next 30 years and reduced energy bills for consumers.

House Majority’s Bill on Environmental Funding Is Atrocious

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The razor-thin House majority, after weeks of delay and concessions to the most extreme elements of its fractured conference, has put forward its version of the annual appropriations bill that funds most of the federal government’s environmental programs and priorities. The…

Report: An Estimated One in Five New Yorkers May Be Drinking Water from Lead Service Lines

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseNew York City

According to a new report, No Excuses, NYC: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes Now, an estimated one in five New Yorkers, or 21% of the City’s residents, may be drinking water transported through lead service lines.

Groups Welcome New Denver Mayor

July 13, 2023 Press ReleaseDenver

Environmental, racial justice and health organizations today welcomed the upcoming inauguration of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and urge him to work with City Council and regional experts to build on the city’s environmental successes with bold action addressing climate change…

California Legislature Strengthens Infrastructure Trailer Bill Package to Protect Communities and the Environment

June 27, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

California’s legislature has agreed to a significantly modified set of infrastructure trailer bills to accompany the 2023-2024 budget bills, significantly strengthening the proposed trailer bills in order to better protect communities and the environment.

Shooting Weapons into the Potomac: Groups Sue Navy for Failure to Get Clean Water Act Permit

June 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC  – Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) and NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Navy in federal court in Maryland over violations of the Clean Water Act.

Contempt Motion Filed against City of Flint and Mayor for Failing to Meet Court Deadlines in Lead Pipe Replacement Settlement

May 26, 2023 Press ReleaseDetroit

The City of Flint and Mayor Sheldon Neeley should be held in contempt for violating a February 2023 federal court order requiring Flint to reach certain milestones in its lead pipe replacement program, according to a motion filed today in…

Supreme Court Dramatically Narrows Scope of Clean Water Act

May 25, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

The Supreme Court today stripped out key protections from the Clean Water Act, weakening the law, and narrowing its ability to defend the quality of the nation’s waterways.

NRDC: COVER Act Will Finally Make Cover Crop Benefits Accessible to All Farmers

May 18, 2023 Press ReleaseEast, United States

WASHINGTON —A key bicameral bill to incent the use of cover crops across the country was re-introduced today. The Conservation Opportunity and Voluntary Environment Resilience (COVER) Program Act, which would provide a $5 per acre discount on crop insurance for…

Forest Service Permits Construction on Mountain Valley Pipeline

May 16, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Forest Service has issued a decision allowing construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline on public land in the Jefferson National Forest.

NY Budget Fails to Include NY HEAT Act, But Includes All-Electric Buildings Act and EPF Funding

May 2, 2023 Press ReleaseNew York

The final New York State FY ‘24 budget has been printed and will be voted on this week. The budget will not include the NY HEAT Act, but includes the All-Electric Building Act and steady funding for the Environmental Protection…

NRDC Analysis: Peer-Reviewed Study Finds EPA Misses PFAS Chemicals Already Present in Drinking Water 

April 12, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

Nearly half of the PFAS “forever chemicals” present in drinking water samples are not monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a peer-reviewed analysis conducted by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and community members in 16 states.