Media Center

North Carolina’s Delays on PFAS Limits in Drinking Water Pose Health and Economic Risks

July 9, 2024 Press ReleaseNorth Carolina

Local elected and business leaders, impacted citizens, and clean drinking water advocates called on state leaders to avoid further delays and immediately issue regulations protecting water from dangerous “forever chemicals.”  

NRDC Seeks to Defend Biden EPA Restrictions on Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water Water Utilities, Chemical Industry Challenging PFAS Rule 

July 1, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) moved to intervene to defend the Biden Administration’s restrictions on six toxic PFAS chemicals found in drinking water.

NYC Proposes Bill to Shift Cost of Lead Pipe Replacement to Property Owners

June 18, 2024 Press ReleaseNew York City

The New York City Council has proposed a controversial new bill that would require property owners to take on the task and expense of replacing all of their building’s lead water service lines within the next ten years, costing them thousands…

Let Them Drink PFAS: Chemical Industry, Water Utilities Seek to Block Protections Against Toxic “Forever Chemicals” in Drinking Water

June 10, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON ­— The chemical industry and water utility trade associations filed lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule to limit six toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water. PFAS, known as forever chemicals, are infamous for their extreme toxicity, persistence in…

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…

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…

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.

Supreme Court Rejects Lawsuit to Reverse EPA Protections for Bristol Bay

January 8, 2024 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The United States Supreme Court today rejected the State of Alaska’s unusual lawsuit seeking to challenge, directly in that court, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water Act veto of the Pebble Mine. The decision means any challenge to EPA’s…

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.

240 Groups Urge Biden Administration to Take Bold Action on Plastic Pollution

November 9, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

As negotiations for a global plastics treaty are scheduled to resume in Nairobi, Kenya, 240 U.S. environmental, public health, and other NGOs sent a letter to the Biden administration today calling for stricter limits on plastic pollution and a crackdown…

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…

President Biden Can Take Action to Eliminate Shipping Emissions and Advance Environmental Justice

October 2, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

In a letter sent to President Biden on World Maritime Day, 32 organizations called for an Executive Order to decarbonize maritime shipping. The Biden administration has already made significant commitments to eliminate emissions from the shipping industry, as well as…

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…

Exposing Even More Gulf Waters to Drilling “is the last thing we need – and the last place we need it.”

September 29, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced plans to expand the waters available in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, as part of the new five-year leasing plan that will take effect in 2024.