Media Center

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…

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 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.

California Delivers Blow to Trump Administration’s Plan for Extinction in Bay-Delta

April 21, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO – The California Attorney General, representing Governor Newsom and the State of California, filed a motion today in federal court for a preliminary injunction to stop the implementation of the Trump Administration’s biological opinions (permits under the Endangered Species…

Latest Vaquita Death Comes as US Expands Seafood Ban

March 9, 2020 Press Release

WASHINGTON – According to credible media reports, another vaquita was found drowned after being trapped in illegal gillnets in the Gulf of California, potentially bringing the total population of the small porpoises to nine individuals. The death came just before…

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Japan Leaves IWC to Resume Commercial Whaling

July 1, 2019 Press Release

Departure from the International Whaling Commission breaks over 30-year ban

NRDC Tool Reveals South Carolina Delegation’s Stances on Offshore Drilling

June 5, 2019 Press Release

WASHINGTON – The Natural Resources Defense Council has updated a digital tool to help the public track where governors and members of Congress stand on the Trump administration’s proposal to expose nearly all of our coasts to offshore oil and…