Media Center

U.S. Launches Trade Complaint Over Mexico’s Failure to Protect Vaquita

February 10, 2022 Press ReleaseMexico

WASHINGTON— U.S. Trade Representative Catherine Tai formally requested environmental consultations with Mexico today over its illegal fishing. Aimed at protecting the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, the request is the first step under the enforcement and dispute mechanism of the United…

Governor Newsom Proposes FY 2022-23 Budget Prioritizing Climate Resilience

January 10, 2022 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO – Governor Newsom announced the administration’s proposed budget today, highlighting an ongoing public health and science-based response to the coronavirus pandemic, support for children, families, schools and vulnerable communities, and investments to improve our state’s resiliency in the face…

NY Becomes Second State in the Nation to Reduce Plastic Waste in Hotels

December 23, 2021 Press ReleaseNew York

ALBANY, NY -- Governor Kathy Hochul made New York the second state in the nation to eliminate millions of single-use bottles in hotel rooms. Bill S543/A5082 prohibits hotels and motels with more than 50 rooms from providing single-use plastic toiletry…

CDOT Transportation Rule a Critical Step Forward

December 16, 2021 Press ReleaseColorado

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) voted today to approve the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Standard. With this standard in place, CDOT and local transportation planning organizations will be required—for the first time—to consider the climate impacts of transportation…

Restore Essential Ocean Protections in Build Back Better Act

December 16, 2021 Press ReleaseUnited States

WASHINGTON - Senate negotiators have scrubbed language from the Build Back Better Act that would protect ocean waters, marine life and coastal communities from the risk of offshore oil and gas drilling. The language that was taken out would have…

Deadline Today: Will Nations Lose Access to U.S. Seafood Market?

November 30, 2021 Press ReleaseInternational, United States

WASHINGTON — By today’s deadline, seafood-exporting nations worldwide must have adopted regulations to reduce entanglements of whales, dolphins and seals in fishing gear or face a U.S. import ban.

Report: The Role of Uber and Lyft in Sustainable Cities

November 17, 2021 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO — As office workers return to downtown areas, cities must tackle the traffic and pollution associated with Uber and Lyft, according to a new report and issue brief. Moving Forward: The Role of Transportation Networking Companies in a…

San José Carbon Neutral Resolution a Bold Step Forward

November 9, 2021 Press ReleaseSan Jose (California)

SAN JOSÉ — The San José City Council voted today to approve the Carbon Neutral by 2030 Resolution. This Resolution commits San José to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, updating the city's climate plans and resources to…

On Ocean Day at COP26, Blue Leaders Call for Major Ocean Protections

November 5, 2021 Press ReleaseInternational

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – During ocean day at COP26, a broad coalition of government leaders and ocean advocates known as Blue Leaders today called for immediate action by heads of state to protect the world’s vast ocean and its precious biodiversity…

Denver Releases Climate Protection Fund 5 Year Plan

November 4, 2021 Press ReleaseColorado

DENVER — The Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency released a 5 Year Plan to allocate the Climate Protection Fund. Denver voters approved the Fund in November 2020 by passing Ballot Measure 2A, which created an additional 0.25%…

Chefs Call on Congress to End Illegal Fishing, Seafood Fraud, and Human Rights Abuses

October 20, 2021 Press ReleaseUnited States

WASHINGTON —Today, more than 200 chefs and restaurant owners sent a letter to Congress calling for immediate action to address illegal fishing, seafood fraud, and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. Specifically, the chefs are demanding increased traceability of…

Huntington Beach Disaster is Ugly, Sad Reminder: Offshore Drilling Risks are Real

October 4, 2021 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES – The massive oil spill off Huntington Beach this weekend tarred and killed birds, fish and other marine life, inundating sensitive wetlands and threatening ecosystems, the community and the local economy. Officials have closed local beaches indefinitely in…

Delivering Zero Emissions Communities Program Announces Winning Cities

August 23, 2021 Press ReleaseChicago, San Diego, San Jose (California)

SAN FRANCISCO — Chicago, San Diego, and San José have won spots in the newly-launched Delivering Zero Emissions Communities program. Through this one-year accelerator program, the cities will join with community partners to take bold, concrete, and immediate action toward…

NRDC Statement on Introduction of MSA Reauthorization Bill

July 26, 2021 Press ReleaseUnited States

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawaii's 1st District) introduced a bill today to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Boston City Council Hearing Shows Broad Support for Cutting Climate Emissions from Buildings

July 22, 2021 Press ReleaseBoston

BOSTON -- Today the Boston City Council held a public hearing on an ordinance amendment introduced last month which would require existing buildings 20,000 square-feet and larger to reduce their carbon footprint over the next 30 years. Boston is only…

Groups Challenge Seismic Oil and Gas Testing in the Gulf of Mexico

July 22, 2021 Press ReleaseEast

GREENBELT, MD – NRDC and partner groups Healthy Gulf, Center for Biological Diversity, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the Surfrider Foundation sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today over a Trump administration decision to allow extensive seismic…

California Certifies Groundbreaking Citizen Initiative Aimed at Reducing Plastics Waste

July 20, 2021 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO – Conservation groups joined forces today in applaud the certification of the California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act for the November 2022 statewide ballot. Nearly 900,000 California voters signed petitions to put the measure on the ballot that…

Report Reveals Inequities in the Exposure to the Urban Heat Island in New York City

July 20, 2021 Press ReleaseNew York City

Black and Latino Communities in Northern Manhattan are more vulnerable to heat-related health threats

Mexico Drastically Eases Enforcement in Vaquita “Zero Tolerance” Area

July 16, 2021 Press ReleaseMexico

La Paz, Mexico— Mexico announced this week that it will ease enforcement in the vaquita’s core Upper Gulf of California habitat, at a time when only 10 remain on Earth. The move will hasten the porpoise’s extinction as vaquita are…

Denver Releases Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan

June 15, 2021 Press ReleaseDenver

DENVER — The Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR) released a Renewable Heating and Cooling Plan today showing how Denver residents can heat and cool their homes and businesses efficiently with clean electricity. The Plan describes opportunities…