Media Center

NRDC Report: Is California Doing Enough to Manage Drought?

December 14, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (December 14, 2015) – A report card released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) finds that the state is making mixed progress, and, in some cases, failing to invest in 21st century solutions that would promote…

Coalition Files Lawsuit to Safeguard Kern Communities from Flawed Oil & Gas Drilling Amendment

December 10, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Bakersfield, CA — A broad coalition of community and conservation groups sued Kern County today for passing a new local law intended to bypass environmental review for oil and gas projects. The new county ordinance, sponsored by the oil industry…

New Report: Ultra High-Definition TVs Could Add $1 Billion To Viewers’ Annual Energy Bills

November 17, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Nov. 17, 2015) – The latest ultra high-definition (UHD) televisions use an average of 30 percent more energy than their high-definition (HD) predecessors, which could add $1 billion to U.S. viewers’ annual utility bills if energy-saving improvements…

Illegal Diversion of Water Threatens to End Chinook Salmon Survival in California

November 10, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (November 10, 2015) – Environmental groups filed a request yesterday to supplement their complaint against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and growers who flood irrigate rice in the Sacramento Valley for mismanaging water supplies that should have been…

California Poised to Set Strictest Antibiotics Standards for Livestock Use in the Nation

October 9, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (October 9, 2015) – By the end of the weekend, California Governor Jerry Brown will announce his decision on legislation by Sen. Jerry Hill that sets the strictest limits in the U.S. on the misuse and overuse of antibiotics…

California Governor Signs Historic Clean Energy Legislation

October 7, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (October 7, 2015) – California Governor Jerry Brown today signed a landmark law cementing California’s climate leadership into the next decade. Senate Bill 350 (de León and Leno) sets the most aggressive combined clean energy targets in the world…

New EPRI-NRDC Report Finds Widespread Adoption of Electric Transportation Could Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improve Air Quality

September 17, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Sept. 17, 2015 – The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released today an analysis that finds widespread adoption of electric transportation, including electrification in the off-road sector, could lead…

California Pushes Forward Historic Clean Energy Legislation

September 11, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (September 11, 2015) – In the key vote, the California Assembly tonight approved Senate Bill 350 (De León and Leno) with a bipartisan vote that sets the most aggressive combined clean energy targets in the world. The bill…

California Legislature Sends Near-Total Ban on Ivory Sales to Governor Brown for his Signature

September 4, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (September 4, 2015) – In a show of bipartisan support for elephant protection, California’s ivory ban bill (AB 96 by Speaker Toni Atkins and Senator Ricardo Lara) passed the State Legislature and is on its way to Governor Brown…

Bill to Manage Utility Water Leaks Sent to Governor Brown for his Signature

September 4, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (September 4, 2015) – The State Senate today sent a water bill to the Governor’s desk that would help manage water losses by utilities. Nearly a million acre-feet of treated drinking water is lost to leakage each year; about…

As Subway Moves to Reduce Antibiotics in Chicken, Groups Call for Details and Timelines

September 1, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (September 1, 2015) — Following calls to action from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), US PIRG, Friends of the Earth, Center for Food Safety, Keep Antibiotics Working, Food Animals Concern Trust, Consumers Union and FoodBabe.com, Subway appears…

California’s Energy Efficiency Success Story: $90 Billion in Utility Bill Savings, Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs, and 40+ Polluting Power Plants Avoided

August 20, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (Aug. 20, 2015) – California’s 40-year commitment to energy efficiency has saved Californians $90 billion on their utility bills, created hundreds of thousands of efficiency jobs, and will have avoided the pollution from 41 power plants by the…

Californians’ Daily Showers will save 38 Billion Gallons of Water

August 12, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (August 12, 2015) – The California Energy Commission (CEC) today voted unanimous to approve new standards for showerheads that will go beyond the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense performance criteria. The two-tier implementation of new standards will require that…

Independent Scientific Study Released on California Fracking and Oil Well Stimulation

July 9, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (July 9, 2015) – The California Council on Science & Technology today released its independent scientific assessment on the health and environmental impacts of fracking and oil and gas well stimulation in California. The report, produced in collaboration…

Broad Array of Public Interest Groups Call on Subway, the World’s Largest Fast-Food Chain: Help Save Antibiotics!

June 23, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (June 23, 2015) — A letter signed by nearly 60 public interest, medical, public health, environmental and animal welfare organizations was delivered to Subway Founder and CEO Fred DeLuca and Senior VP Suzanne Greco today, asking the restaurant…

California Water Board Missteps, Overlooks Critical Water Supply Potential for State

June 16, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 16, 2015) – The State Water Resources Control Board today decided not to move forward on one of the most promising opportunities to help California become more drought- resistant: stormwater capture. The Board’s precedent-setting decision could have…

New Poll: Californians Are Highly Concerned about Meat from Animals Routinely Fed Antibiotics

June 1, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO (June 1, 2015) – California residents are seriously concerned about the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in meat and poultry production and an overwhelming majority favor California leaders taking action to close gaps in federal oversight, according to…

NRDC Files Suit to Maximize Water Savings from California Water Grants

May 29, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

OAKLAND, CALIF. (May 29, 2015) – The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed suit on Thursday against the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to ensure that $200 million of grant funding has maximum water-saving impact by making sure that…

California Public Utilities Commission Makes a Bad Call for San Diego, Approves Natural Gas Power Plant in Carlsbad

May 21, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (May 21, 2015) – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) erred today by overruling its own staff’s recommendation and approving a giant pollution-emitting power plant in San Diego. By a vote of 4-1, the commission adopted a proposal…

California Launches Joint Climate Commitment with States and Provinces from Across the Globe

May 19, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (May 19, 2015) – Governor Brown, alongside representatives from a dozen states and provinces across the globe, announced a collective commitment to dramatically reduce their combined carbon pollution. These jurisdictions from North America, South America and Europe have a…