Media Center

NRDC’s Gina McCarthy: EPA Rollback Undermines Limits on Mercury, Lead and Other Toxic Air Pollution

April 16, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency is set to release a rule undermining federal standards for mercury, lead and other toxic air pollution from power plants, according to news reports. These long-standing clean-air protections are saving more than 10,000 lives…

Yet Again, Federal Court Invalidates Key Permit for Keystone XL

April 15, 2020 Press Release

Great Falls, MT – A federal judge ruled today that the US Army Corps of Engineers violated the law when it approved Nationwide Permit 12, a key water crossing permit for TC Energy’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and many…

Gina McCarthy: EPA Grants “Open License to Pollute”

March 26, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON –The Environmental Protection Agency today issued an “enforcement discretion policy” that would allow industry to pollute without fear of enforcement actions. The following is a statement by Gina McCarthy, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “This…

Electricity Customers Pay Billions for Unneeded Power

March 16, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – The electricity grid operator PJM’s capacity market has been overcharging tens of millions of customers to prop up unneeded dirty power plants, a new analysis found.

Virginia Advances Climate Action, Must Address Energy Efficiency

March 6, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON - Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is slated to soon sign the “Virginia Clean Economy Act,” a bill approved by the General Assembly that will significantly expand renewable energy and address climate change.

Peoria-Area Grantees Announced Today Following $8.6 Million Settlement with Energy Company

February 21, 2020 Press Release

PEORIA, IL – Following a multi-million dollar settlement with the owner of the E.D. Edwards coal plant, Peoria-area organizations met today at Mt. Zion Baptist Church to celebrate the grants being awarded as part of the settlement process.

NRDC’s Gina McCarthy: Trump’s Cuts to EPA, DOE “Unconscionable”

February 10, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – President Trump is releasing his proposed fiscal year 2021 federal budget today, reportedly seeking deep cuts in the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and other agencies addressing environment and health.

Mining Projects to Ride in on Trump’s NEPA Bulldozer

January 15, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – Just days after the Trump administration proposed gutting a bedrock environmental law governing infrastructure projects, a new move by a federal permitting council would extend environmental fast-tracking to the mining sector—a sweeping move that will make it easier…

California's New Oil and Gas Exploration Safeguards

November 19, 2019 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO – The State of California just announced new safeguards against oil and gas exploration, including a moratorium on cyclic steaming.

Clean Energy Tax Package Deserves Bipartisan Support

November 19, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – The House Ways and Means Committee today released draft legislation that includes important measures to extend, expand and reform incentives for electric vehicles, energy storage, offshore and onshore wind, energy efficiency and solar power, among other items.

EPA’s Proposals Would Allow Coal Plants to Pollute Our Water

November 4, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to allow coal-burning power plants to dump more toxic substances into waterways and companies to keep open unlined, hazardous coal ash ponds.

Keystone Pipeline Spill Shows Enduring Danger of Tar Sands Oil

October 31, 2019 Press Release

The Keystone tar sands pipeline was shut down today after a spill in North Dakota, reportedly more than 378,000 gallons. The Keystone pipeline has had more than a dozen spills since it went into operation in 2010.

Vote Reveals Senators Backing Climate Action and Those Opposed

October 17, 2019 Press Release

The Senate is scheduled to vote today on a measure blocking the Environmental Protection Agency’s Affordable Clean Energy rule, which could increase carbon pollution from dirty power plants, the second largest contributor to climate change.

Sec. Perry Said to Be Leaving Trump Administration

October 4, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON - Energy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to resign from the Trump administration later this year, according to news reports today.

$8.6 Million for Peoria-Area Projects and Edwards Coal Plant 2022 Retirement Announced in Proposed Settlement

September 16, 2019 Press Release

GE’s Climate Hypocrisy: Building Coal Plants While Touting Clean Energy

September 9, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – General Electric, which boasts of being a clean energy leader, is quietly doubling down on the dirty energy of the past with plans to equip more than a dozen new coal-fired power plants in countries like Cambodia, Kenya…

Congress Must Vote to Protect America's Coasts, Oceans, and Marine Life from Offshore Drilling

September 9, 2019 Press Release

House of Representatives to vote on two landmark bipartisan bills to ban drilling off Atlantic, Pacific coasts and Eastern Gulf

Trump EPA Expected to Release New, Far-Reaching Rollback of Methane Pollution Protections

August 29, 2019 Press Release

Trump Disparages Clean Energy, Touts Climate-Busting Policy

August 26, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – In response to a reporter’s question about climate change at the G-7 meeting today, President Trump touted his administration’s efforts to develop fossil fuels and disparaged the fast-growing wind industry.

Protecting Lands is Urgent Step in Climate Action

August 8, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON - A Special Report on Lands and Climate Change released today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores both the fierce urgency to take action and the opportunities ahead when it comes to land-use decisions.