Media Center

NRDC’s Gina McCarthy on President Trump’s Dirty Water Rule

January 23, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is set to issue rules that would gut critical safeguards in the Clean Water Act, upending decades of protections for streams, wetlands, lakes and rivers, according to news reports. These bodies of water filter pollution…

NRDC Statement on Days-Old Endangered Whale Severely Injured by Ship Strike

January 9, 2020 Press Release

New York – A days-old endangered right whale calf has already been brutally injured by an apparent ship strike. The injuries are deeply worrisome because of the severity and location of the wounds, including one near the mouth which could…

Court Affirms Presidential Power to Protect Marine Areas as National Monuments

December 27, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court unanimously ruled today that presidents have the authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish marine national monuments.

Cuomo Signs Robust PFAS Protections into Law

December 23, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

ALBANY, N.Y. – Governor Andrew Cuomo today signed into law legislation to phase out the use of toxic chemicals known as PFAS in firefighting foam. PFAS have been found to contaminate a significant portion of New York’s drinking water sources…

New York State Adopts Paint Recycling Program

December 18, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

ALBANY, N.Y. – Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday signed the paint recycling legislation, a bill designed to tackle a long-standing solid waste disposal problem by making it possible for business and residents to recycle leftover paint at hundreds of convenient locations…

Cuomo Proposes Statewide Ban on Polystyrene Foam Containers

December 17, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

ALBANY, N.Y. – Governor Cuomo today announced, as part of his 2020 State of the State, that he will propose legislation to enact a statewide ban on polystyrene food and beverage containers, as well as packing peanuts made of polystyrene…

Court Puts EPA in Check on Flawed Toxic Chemical Regulations

November 14, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court in California ruled today that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when evaluating the risks of toxic chemicals, cannot ignore harmful exposures to asbestos and other chemicals that are still in use, but no longer…

EPA Censoring Science to Block Health Safeguards

November 13, 2019 Press Release

The House Science Committee is holding a hearing today on a proposal by the Trump Environmental Protection Agency to limit the use of scientific data and research in federal rulemaking, which could block environmental standards that would protect public health.

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.

Lowe’s To Stop Selling Carpet Made with PFAS: NRDC Reaction

October 30, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – Lowe’s, the nation’s second-largest home improvement retail chain, announced it will stop purchasing all carpet and rugs that contain PFAS in the U.S. and Canada by January 2020. Lowe’s decision to clear inventory of carpets and rugs made…

NRDC, Groups Sue to Force FDA to Ban Toxic Chemical in Food Packaging

October 29, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – Several environmental and public-health advocacy groups filed a lawsuit today asking a federal court in New York to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s denial of a petition to ban the use of a dangerous chemical, perchlorate, in…

California Phasing Out Chlorpyrifos Use by End of 2020

October 9, 2019 Press Release

SACRAMENTO —The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today announced that virtually all use of chlorpyrifos—a pesticide linked to learning disabilities in children—will be phased out in the state by the end of 2020, following years of pressure from public health…

NRDC Report Uncovers How the U.S. Plays a Role in the Illegal Shark Fin Trade

October 8, 2019 Press Release

Large volumes of shark fins transit U.S. borders each year, largely unmonitored and undetected

Court Denies EPA’s Attempt to Dismiss Lawsuit on the Use of Toxic Pesticides

September 25, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – A federal court denied the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to force the agency to include Endangered Species Act considerations in the process to approve new…

Rapid Ocean Decline Calls for Decisive U.S. Action

September 25, 2019 Press Release

NEW YORK – World leaders gathered in New York City today to respond to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.

The Home Depot to End Sales of PFAS-laden Carpet This Year: NRDC Reaction

September 17, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – The Home Depot has agreed to stop purchasing carpet that contains PFAS in U.S. and Canada by the end of this year. Scientists have long acknowledged a host of health harms associated with the class of “forever chemicals.”…

Senate Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale

September 11, 2019 Press Release

After a deadly summer for North Atlantic right whales, Senators Booker (D-NJ), Isakson (R-GA) and Carper (D-DE) lead bipartisan bill to support their recovery

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’s EPA Ignores Threat of Hazardous Spills

August 22, 2019 Press Release

The Environmental Protection Agency made clear today that it will continue ignoring its responsibility to curtail chemical spills from industrial facilities, a decision that is in blatant disregard of the Clean Water Act and a settlement the agency agreed to…