Media Center

COVID-19 Shows How No One Is Immune from Converging Health Crises

December 2, 2020 Press Release

Each year, the Lancet Countdown tracks more than 40 indicators on links between health and climate change and this year presents the most worrying outlook to date as key trends worsen. However, the latest report finds that with climate action…

NRDC Receives $100 million from Bezos Earth Fund to Accelerate Climate Action

November 16, 2020 Press Release

NEW YORK – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) today announced that it has been selected to receive a $100 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund in recognition of the organization’s work to accelerate climate action.

NRDC Mourns the Passing of Cecil Corbin-Mark

October 16, 2020 Press Release

NEW YORK – The passing of Cecil Corbin-Mark, environmental justice advocate and Deputy Director and Director of Policy Initiatives at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, is a huge loss for New York and the environmental movement.

New York States Moves 70 x 30 Climate Goal Forward

October 15, 2020 Press ReleaseNew York

ALBANY, N.Y. – The New York State Public Service Commission today issued an order that implements a key component of the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLPA) – obtaining 70 percent of New York’s electricity from clean energy…

New Report: Equitable Pathways to Meet Colorado's Climate Goals

September 28, 2020 Press Release

DENVER — A new report released today shows how Colorado can reach its ambitious climate goals in a way that cuts dangerous pollution, particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. The findings highlight the need for swiftly powering the…

PA Governor Wolf Vetoes Legislation to Block Climate Action

September 24, 2020 Press Release

HARRISBURG, P.A. – Governor Tom Wolf today vetoed House Bill 2025 which sought to strip the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) of its existing legal authority to regulate carbon pollution across all sectors and block Pennsylvania’s participation in the…

Gov. Whitmer Issues Most Ambitious Action on Climate in the Midwest, Advocates Call for Additional Community Centered Climate Solutions

September 23, 2020 Press Release

LANSING, MI – Gov. Whitmer issued an executive order today that commits Michigan to the most ambitious path to combat the climate crisis in the Midwest to date. The order sets a goal of dramatically cutting carbon pollution and achieving…

PA Takes Major Step to Join RGGI in Fight Against Climate Crisis

September 15, 2020 Press Release

HARRISBURG, P.A. – The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) today voted to advance a formal rulemaking process that would put Pennsylvania on the path to joining a regional cap-and-trade program.

Offshore Exploration Company Pulls Application Under Public Pressure

September 10, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – WesternGeco has withdrawn its application for a federal permit to conduct seismic blasting for oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic ocean. The company is one of five seeking federal approval.

Whale-Watch Companies Asked to Stop Disturbing Critically Endangered Orcas

September 2, 2020 Press Release

SEATTLE – Today, national and regional conservation groups and respected environmental experts submitted a letter to all U.S. whale-watch operators requesting them to “Take The Pledge” and make a commitment to suspend viewing of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population…

EPA’s Policy of Ignoring Pollution Comes to an End

August 31, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – Today marks the end of an Environmental Protection Agency non-enforcement policy that gave industries permission to stop monitoring and reporting pollution for reasons related to COVID-19—with no requirement to notify EPA or the public. This unnecessary policy put…

In Major Reversal, Trump Administration Stalls Pebble Mine

August 24, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – The Army Corps of Engineers today said the Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska, would inflict “unavoidable adverse impacts” and lead to “significant degradation” to water and marine life. The agency gave its backers 90 days to…

Gulf of Maine Lobster Fishery Temporarily Loses Sustainable Seafood Certification

August 5, 2020 Press ReleaseNew York

New York— The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has suspended its certification of the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery after determining that the fishery was potentially jeopardizing the survival of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Fishing and Conservation Groups Back State of Washington’s Move to Protect Salmon from Hot Water Caused by Federal Dams

July 29, 2020 Press Release

Olympia, WA —The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association (NSIA), NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), and Columbia Riverkeeper have moved to intervene in a case to support the State of Washington’s new Clean Water Act limits on heat pollution from Columbia and…

NRDC, Healthy Gulf Sue to Protect Gulf of Mexico Whale

July 28, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and Healthy Gulf filed a lawsuit today in federal court to protect the habitat of the critically endangered Gulf of Mexico whale.

NRDC Report: How Climate Crisis Threatens Worker Health and Safety, Both Outdoors and Inside

July 28, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – A new report warns that the health and safety of workers across the country, both indoors and outdoors, is increasingly at risk from excessive heat, increasing air and water pollution, spreading infectious diseases, extreme weather, challenges to their…

House Panel Unveils Bold Climate Plan

June 30, 2020 Press Release

The House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Climate Crisis, Chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor, today unveiled its bold plan to address climate change. It comes the same week the House is voting on the Moving Forward Act, a landmark infrastructure…

NRDC and Partners Sue Trump Administration Over Marine Monument Rollback

June 17, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) and partners sued the Trump administration today challenging President Trump’s recent unlawful attempt to roll back protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Amid National Emergency, Trump to Strip Ocean Protections

June 5, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – President Trump is expected to issue an executive order this afternoon to strip essential protections from a highly protected ocean area — the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument — by lifting all restrictions on commercial fishing…

EPA’s Wheeler Must Account for Increasing Our Exposure to Pollutants

May 20, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON — When Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler testifies today before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he has some serious explaining to do.