Media Center

Obama Administration Leaves Explosive Oil Trains on the Rails for Years

May 1, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 1, 2015) – Today the Department of Transportation (DOT) released long-awaited new safety standards for rail tank cars used to haul volatile Bakken and tar sands crude oil.

Energy Efficiency Saves Trillions of Dollars, Promotes Jobs, Cuts Pollution

April 30, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 30, 2015) – Congress should strengthen energy efficiency programs and adopt policies that would save taxpayer dollars, promote job growth, and cut pollution, not delay or weaken them, a Natural Resources Defense Council efficiency expert told lawmakers today.

Governor Brown Announces 2030 Statewide Climate Pollution Limit

April 29, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

LOS ANGELES (April 29, 2015) – Speaking before the annual Navigating the American Carbon World conference, Governor Brown issued a historic new executive order to reduce California’s carbon pollution to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The order will…

88 Groups Say Rep. Whitfield’s Pro-Polluter Bill Undermines Health and Climate Action

April 29, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 29, 2015) – Eighty-eight leading conservation, Latino, health, scientific and environmental organizations today urged lawmakers to reject a bill to delay federal climate action authored by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), saying it would give polluters free rein to…

New Study: Tar Sands to Skyrocket West Coast’s Climate and Air Pollution

April 28, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (April 28, 2015) – The Pacific coast faces a looming health, climate, and environmental crisis posed by an influx of tar sands fuel from oil interests in Alberta, Canada, according to new analysis released today by the Natural Resources…

Plug-in Equipment Energy Efficiency Bill Advances in California Legislature

April 28, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (April 28, 2015) – Legislation to help curb energy waste from the 50-plus plugged-in appliances, electronics, and miscellaneous electrical devices in the average California household, such as video equipment and kitchen appliances, as well as similar power-guzzling equipment in…

Coalition Ad Calls Upon President Obama to Save the Arctic, Protect Our Climate

April 28, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 28, 2015) – A broad coalition of environmental and native rights groups today placed a new full-page ad in USA Today calling on President Obama to stop Big Oil’s assault on the Arctic Ocean’s natural heritage and our…

NRDC Statement on Mayor de Blasio’s First Sustainability Plan

April 22, 2015 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (April 22, 2015) – Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration today released its first-ever sustainability plan for New York City, One New York: The Plan for A Strong and Just City (OneNYC). The plan builds and expands on former…

White House Moves to Modernize Energy Grid

April 21, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 21, 2015) -- The White House today released the first installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review, an unprecedented initiative launched by President Obama to modernize America’s energy infrastructure.

Five Years After the BP Disaster, We’re Still Not Safe

April 16, 2015 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK (April 16, 2015) – Next Monday, April 20, marks five years since the catastrophic BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and dumped millions of barrels of crude oil into the sea. Five years…

South Asia’s First Lifesaving Plan to Protect Against Extreme Heat Expands

April 15, 2015 Press Release

AHMEDABAD (April 15, 2015) – South Asia’s first-ever early warning system and preparedness plan for extreme heat events is expanding today with the release of the 2015 Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan. The groundbreaking plan’s initial implementation proved successful in protecting…

New Report: China’s Sustainable Fashion Leaders Save $14.7 Million Annually Through Major Cuts in Water, Energy & Chemical Use

April 14, 2015 Press Release

SHANGHAI (April 15, 2015) – Over 30 Chinese textile mills, many of which create clothing for major high-volume apparel brands and retailers including Target, Gap Inc., Levi Strauss and Company and H&M, are saving $14.7 million annually by adopting simple…

Allowing Shell to Rush Back into Arctic Drilling Could Be Disastrous For Climate, Pristine Ocean

April 10, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 10, 2015) – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today determined that Shell’s exploration plan for drilling in the Arctic Ocean is complete, clearing the way for a full review by the agency. BOEM now has 30 days…

Report: Low-Income Americans Will See Major Health, Job, Cost Saving Benefits from Clean Energy, Reduced Carbon Pollution

April 8, 2015 Press Release

CHICAGO (April 8, 2015)—While climate change threatens the public health and economic well-being of everyone, low-income Americans are especially vulnerable to the extreme weather and dramatic increases in electricity costs associated with global warming, according to a new report released…

China’s National Coal Cap Policy Could Save Nearly 50,000 Lives and $6.2 billion Every Year by 2020

April 8, 2015 Press Release

BEIJING (April 8, 2015) – China’s proposed national policies to curb coal use will provide enormous air quality and health benefits to the public and coal industry workers, saving 49,000 lives and $6.2 billion in 2020, according to a new…

President Obama is Right to Highlight Health Threats Posed by Dangerous Climate Change

April 7, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2015) – President Obama today unveiled an unprecedented and sweeping array of actions to lessen climate change’s adverse impacts on human health.

New Jersey Settles for Fraction of Damages Originally Sought from Exxon Over Contamination

April 6, 2015 Press Release

TRENTON, N.J. (April 6, 2015) – The State of New Jersey and ExxonMobil today released the details of a proposed settlement over damages due for decades of soil and groundwater contamination across more than 1,500 acres of wetlands, marshes, meadows…

State Gives Big Oil and Gas a Free Pass to Continue Endangering California’s Dwindling Groundwater

April 2, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (April 2, 2015) – The California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) today announced a plan – developed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – to bring into compliance thousands of wells currently injecting potentially…

FRACKING’S MOST WANTED: Report Identifies Top 10 Oil & Gas Companies for Spills & Legal Violations

April 2, 2015 Press Release

WASHINGTON (April 2, 2015) – Only three out the 36 states with active oil and gas operations make information about companies’ spills and legal violations easily available to the public, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council…

First-Ever Mandatory Water Reductions for Urban and Agriculture Across California

April 1, 2015 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (April 1, 2015) – In response to the ongoing drought and record low snow in California, Governor Jerry Brown today announced a statewide directive including mandatory water reductions, investment in new technologies, implementation of conservation pricing in water…