Media Center

NRDC: Biden Protects Iconic Grand Canyon Lands and Waters

August 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

President Biden today established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, under the Antiquities Act, permanently protecting more than 900,000 acres of some of the most iconic landscape in the American West.

NRDC: EPA’s Power Plant Carbon Standards Are Essential

August 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The Environmental Protection Agency is on the right path with its proposed standards to cut carbon pollution from power plants, according to comments environmental groups will submit to the agency today.

Feds Propose New Critical Habitat Designation for Endangered Whale 

July 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has submitted a proposed rule designating critical habitat for the highly endangered Rice’s whale. With only approximately 50 whales remaining, Rice’s whales are among the most endangered whales in the world, making this habitat designation essential…

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…

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…

Report: Strong Clean Vehicle Standards Can Deliver $44 Billion in Health, Economic and Climate Benefits to New Mexicans 

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseSanta Fe

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently announced bold action which will give New Mexicans more electric car and truck options in the coming years, and a new report shows the state can deliver the most health, jobs, and energy…

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.

An Urgency to Clean Up Illinois’ Dirty Air

July 13, 2023 Press ReleaseChicago

As the acrid smell of Canadian wildfire smoke has barely left the nostrils of people in Chicago and Illinois, local leaders and advocates joined forces today to call on Governor Pritzker to enact clean truck rules to reduce harmful pollution.

Groups Welcome New Denver Mayor

July 13, 2023 Press ReleaseDenver

Environmental, racial justice and health organizations today welcomed the upcoming inauguration of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and urge him to work with City Council and regional experts to build on the city’s environmental successes with bold action addressing climate change…

Agencies Propose Rollbacks of Endangered Species Act Rollbacks

June 21, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

In response to a federal lawsuit, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service released draft revisions to regulations governing protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The updates address Trump Administration efforts in 2019 to undermine…

Court Asked to Put Brakes on Beltway Toll Lanes Project

June 16, 2023 Press ReleaseMaryland

Environmental and historic preservation groups asked a federal court to put the brakes on Maryland’s plan to build new toll lanes along the Capital Beltway and I-270.

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…

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…

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.

Report: Colorado Clean Cars Plan Can Save Drivers Millions and Deliver Major Jobs, Health, and Climate Benefits

May 18, 2023 Press ReleaseDenver

Coloradans—who frequently endure unhealthy air pollution largely from gasoline-burning vehicles—stand to receive major jobs, health, and energy savings benefits if the state adopts a strong Colorado Clean Cars plan that would speed up the transition to zero-emissions electric cars and…

NRDC, SWACO Announce Seven Ohio Recipients of Food Waste Reduction Grants

May 17, 2023 Press ReleaseColumbus

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) have partnered with the City of Columbus and Franklin County to announce the recipients of the Central Ohio Food Waste Reduction Capacity Grant, supporting community-driven initiatives that…

Senator Welch Introduces Bill to Reduce Barriers to Organic Agriculture

May 11, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

Senator Peter Welch and eleven other senators introduced a bill to reduce barriers to organic agriculture, and a House companion bill led by Congressman Jimmy Panetta is expected soon. The Opportunities in Organic Act of 2023 is designed to help…

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…

Reducing Lead in Tap Water Would Yield Billions in Previously Ignored Health and Other Benefits, Far Surpassing Costs

May 10, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

Cutting lead levels in drinking water would yield at least $9 billion in annual health benefits and other benefits that taken together exceed costs by at least 35-fold, according to a new analysis by researchers at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School…

Court Rules EPA Must Regulate Perchlorate

May 9, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, today unanimously ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision against regulating the toxic chemical perchlorate in drinking water was illegal.