Media Center

Environmental Groups Challenge Highway Expansion Project in Court

May 30, 2024 Press ReleaseCalifornia

The draft environmental impact report obscures true harms of the project.

Fixing Flint: Michigan Agrees to Repair Thousands of Yards Damaged by Lead Pipe Replacement

May 29, 2024 Press ReleaseFlint

FLINT, MI – A decade after the Flint water crisis began, the State of Michigan plans to take over the remaining work on Flint’s lead pipe replacement program and will commit additional funding to complete the job, according to a…

More than 200 Species Need Protection from International Commercial Trade, NRDC and Partners Tell Biden Administration

May 22, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), together with the Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife, today asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to seek a ban on commercial trade for more than 200 species of…

NRDC Grades Equity in State Water Infrastructure Policies, Finds Disadvantaged Communities Face Funding Challenges

April 29, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Biden Administration increased federal funding for water infrastructure projects, yet even with more money available, disadvantaged communities face challenges accessing funds to maintain drinking water and wastewater treatment systems, according to new NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)…

Residents Still Waiting for Flint to Replace All Lead Pipes on 10-Year Anniversary of Water Crisis

April 24, 2024 Press ReleaseDetroit

DETROIT, Mich. – A decade after the Flint water crisis began and more than seven years after a major settlement was reached in the landmark citizen suit against the City of Flint and Michigan state officials, the City of Flint has failed…

New Federal Rule Protects Eagles While Supporting Clean Energy Development

February 8, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service released a final eagle permitting rule that protects Bald and Golden eagles while providing a new pathway for wind energy development and other industries.

Most Public Comments submitted on Safe Drinking Water Rule in History

February 6, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, as the public comment period closed for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) to address the lead-contaminated drinking water crisis, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of comments support the…

Radhika Fox Departing EPA [NRDC Reaction]

January 10, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Radhika Fox announced that she will be leaving the Agency next month.

Navy Agrees to Comply with Clean Water Act for Munitions Testing on Potomac

January 10, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

Federal Court in Maryland Approves Settlement in Lawsuit Brought by Potomac Riverkeeper Network and NRDC

Report: U.S. Must Ban Seafood From 11 Nations Over Whale, Dolphin Deaths 

November 30, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A report issued today by conservation groups finds that 11 nations have at least some fisheries that fail to meet U.S. standards for preventing whale and dolphin bycatch. Entanglement in fishing gear kills hundreds of thousands of marine mammals around…

Lead Pipes Must Be Removed Under EPA’s Proposed Water Rule, Finally Fulfilling Congress’ Mandate to Set Safe Water Protections

November 30, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today sets the stage for every lead water pipe in the nation to be replaced, with the vast majority expected to be removed in the next ten years.

NOAA Denies Key Protections in Fight to Protect Rice’s Whale

October 31, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

On Friday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries denied a petition to establish a 10-knot vessel speed limit and other protective measures in the Gulf of Mexico to protect the endangered Rice’s whale, which is estimated to have a…

“Staggering” Health Benefits from Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save as Much as $6 Billion in California from Avoided Health Impacts

October 25, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes in California would yield as much as $6 billion dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Getting the…

“Staggering” Health Benefits From Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save Nearly $1 Trillion from Avoided Health Impacts

October 25, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes nationwide would yield hundreds of billions of dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC.

Michigan Set to Enact Nation’s Strongest Measures to Protect Kids from Lead in Schools and Childcare Centers

October 19, 2023 Press ReleaseMichigan

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign into law landmark legislation that sets the national standard for protecting kids from lead in drinking water at schools and in childcare centers by requiring these facilities to install and maintain lead-removing…

Governor Newsom Signs Bill to Protect Californians and Pollinators from Dangerous Neurotoxins

October 11, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

With the support of Governor Newsom and persistence from the state legislature, California has passed AB 363, which bans over the counter sales of lawn and garden neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticides by 2025, limiting their use to trained professionals. The bill…

California Could Lose Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Lead Contamination Protections (Again)

September 29, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Public health and environmental organizations urged stronger State leadership in efforts to remove lead from drinking water infrastructure throughout California. In a support letter, the organizations called on the California State Water Resources Control Board to address the state’s disturbing…

NRDC Digital Tool Tracks Political Opposition to Offshore Drilling

September 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is launching an updated digital tool today to help people track where their Members of Congress stand on offshore oil and gas drilling. The Biden administration is expected to release a final five-year plan for federal…

Army Corps Considers Continued Operation of Destructive Dakota Access Pipeline

September 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a draft environmental impact statement today for the operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens the lands, water supply, and valuable cultural resources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Biden Administration to Cancel Arctic Refuge Oil and Gas Leases

September 6, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration canceled Trump-era leases for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, eliminating an imminent threat to drill within the refuge’s 1.6-million-acre Coastal Plain.