Media Center

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.

President Biden Declines to Embargo Products from Mexico for Vaquita Violation

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

President Biden announced yesterday that he will not embargo products from Mexico despite its failure to halt the illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. The decision responds to the Secretary of the Interior’s recent certification under the…

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…

United States Finds Mexico Is Undermining Wildlife Treaty, May Impose Embargo

May 26, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that Mexico has failed to halt the illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, diminishing the effectiveness of an international wildlife treaty. Under U.S. law, President Biden must now decide…

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.

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.

Marine Mammal Bycatch in Ecuador’s Fisheries Threatens Access to U.S. Seafood Market

May 10, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A report released today by conservation and animal protection groups finds that Ecuador’s fishing industry does not meet U.S. standards for limiting whale and dolphin bycatch. As a result, Ecuador may lose access to the U.S. seafood import market for…

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.

U.S. to Decide Whether Mexico's Failure to Protect Vaquita Warrants Embargo

April 10, 2023 Press ReleaseNew York

In a settlement filed in court Friday, the U.S. Department of the Interior agreed to determine whether Mexico has failed to stop illegal fishing and trade of totoaba that is driving the vaquita porpoise’s extinction. The determination could result in…

NRDC: Biden Stood up for Clean Water

April 6, 2023 Press Release

WASHINGTON — President Biden vetoed a Congressional Review Act resolution that would have weakened protections under the Clean Water Act and tied the hands of future presidents trying to rectify the damage.

EPA Announces Change to Funding For Lead Pipe Replacement: New Distribution Will Be Based on Need

April 4, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced changes that are intended to direct the remaining funds from the $15 billion infrastructure dollars for replacing lead water pipes to states with the greatest need.

Bill to Help Those Facing Water Shut-Offs Heads to Governor Murphy’s Desk

March 30, 2023 Press ReleaseNew Jersey

The New Jersey legislature just passed a bill that requires all water and sewer utilities to participate in the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) and promote the program to their customers, or else are prohibited from shutting off…

Historic PFAS Drinking Water Regulations Proposed by EPA

March 14, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to set limits on the amounts of six toxic “forever” chemicals found in drinking water.

Advocates Defend ‘the Birds and the Bees’ with Nation-Leading Legislation

February 27, 2023 Press ReleaseAlbany

A coalition of organizations flocked to Albany to rein in toxic neonic pesticides.

Federal Judge Finds Flint Violated Settlement, Orders City to Finish Lead Pipe Replacements and Restore Residents’ Damaged Property

February 27, 2023 Press ReleaseFlint

A federal court has found that the City of Flint missed a court-ordered deadline to finish removing Flint’s lead pipes and failed to track where it fixed damage to residents’ properties. As a result of the late Friday ruling, the…

Groups File Lawsuit to Require California to Regulate Pesticide-Treated Seeds 

February 21, 2023 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Legal challenge calls on state Department of Pesticide Regulation to close loophole on unregulated sale, use of pesticides on seeds.

Whitmer Budget Address Focuses on Key Water Issues

February 8, 2023 Press ReleaseMichigan

Governor Whitmer outlined her budget proposal for the State of Michigan today. Her address outlined a number of important water-related investments.

EPA Offers Remedy for Inequitable System That Has Left Low-Income Residents Nationwide with Polluted Water and Unaffordable Water Bills

February 1, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released new guidelines on how to protect low-income communities from sewage pollution without making utility bills unaffordable for low-income residents.

NRDC Argues EPA Failure to Regulate Perchlorate is Unlawful

January 27, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

In arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, today lawyers for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) told a three-judge panel that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision against regulating the toxic chemical perchlorate…