Media Center

Governor Newsom Announces a Suite of Climate Actions

September 23, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the State of California will ensure 100 percent electric passenger vehicles by 2035, as well as a host of additional actions.

Advocates Demand Regulation of Toxic Neonic-Treated Seeds

September 23, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

A group of health and environmental organizations filed a legal petition today, calling upon the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to regulate the planting of crop seeds coated with neurotoxic neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) and close a loophole that allows the…

Advocates Sue Los Angeles for Failure to Reduce Toxic Pollution in Diesel Death Zone

September 16, 2020 Press ReleaseLos Angeles

Charging the City of Los Angeles with failure to follow state environmental law, community and environmental groups filed suit in Superior Court to void the City Council’s recent certification of the Port of Los Angeles’ 2019 Supplemental Impact Report (2019…

Lightfoot Administration Announces Start of Lead Water Pipe Replacement Program

September 10, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

The Lightfoot administration announced today that it will begin a program to replace lead service lines next year. Chicago code required lead service lines far longer than most American cities, until 1986, leaving Chicago with the dubious distinction of having…

Trump Administration Disregards California’s Climate Crisis

September 10, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

While millions of Californians suffer from the effects of massive wildfires that have blotted out the sun and rained ash on communities across the state, the Trump administration late last night blithely dismissed any compelling need for the state to…

Culver City Takes Historic Steps to End Neighborhood Oil Drilling

August 14, 2020 Press ReleaseLos Angeles

Innovative Policy in L.A. County Could Ignite Just Transition While Protecting Residents From a Legacy of Toxic Emissions

Chicago Southeast Side Residents to Mayor: Deny General Iron’s Move if You are Serious about Equity

July 27, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Chicago officials released a report over the weekend that highlights the disproportionate air pollution burden faced by the city’s communities of color in the South and West Sides and promised a new “reform agenda” in response.

Court Upholds California’s Coordination with Quebec to Cut Climate Pollution

July 17, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia, Canada

A federal district court has affirmed that California’s coordination with Quebec to reduce dangerous climate pollution is constitutional, rebuffing the last remaining claim in a lawsuit filed by the Trump Administration last year.

Another Chicago Southeast Side Little League Field with Dangerous Levels of Toxic Metals

July 15, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Tests show another Southeast Side little league field with  dangerously high levels of heavy metals that may result in a federal clean-up.

IEPA Approves General Iron’s Move from Affluent Lincoln Park to Vulnerable Community of Color

June 25, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

The Illinois EPA today granted a permit allowing the notorious polluter, General Iron, to move its operation from the affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood to the working class community of color in Chicago’s Southeast Side.

Biogas and Synthetic Gas Not the Solution to Polluting Natural Gas in Today’s U.S. Energy System

June 15, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Neither synthetic gas nor biogas derived from food scraps, animal waste, or woody biomass are viable replacements for America’s consumption of polluting natural gas, according to a report published today by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). These resources may play…

Southeast Siders Call on Mayor Lightfoot for Moratorium on Any Approvals for Metals Recyclers During Pandemic

May 29, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Southeast Side residents are calling on Mayor Lightfoot to place a moratorium during the pandemic on all approvals needed for the construction or operation of new or expanded metal recycling facilities. General Iron, the notorious Lincoln Park metal shredder that…

More than 175 Leading Scientists Unite to Protect California’s Biodiversity

May 28, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

More than 175 scientists and researchers who live or work in California have joined together in an open letter urging California policymakers to enact Assembly Bill (AB) 3030. Introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), AB 3030 would establish a…

Southeast Side Groups React To General Iron Incident

May 18, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

A coalition of community groups fighting the relocation of a controversial metal shredding operation from the North Side of Chicago to the Southeast Side of the city had a very simple reaction to the explosions that rocked the General Iron facility earlier today:  “Don’t…

NRDC Statement on Impact of CA Budget Cuts on Climate Programs

May 14, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Governor Gavin Newsom announced significant revisions today to his state budget proposal amid the coronavirus pandemic. Facing an estimated $54 billion budget deficit, the governor outlined a series of proposals to close the gap by cutting spending, drawing from the…

Court Derails Trump Administration’s Efforts to Take More Water from Bay-Delta

May 12, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

The Federal Court for the Eastern District of California granted in part a preliminary injunction yesterday against the Trump Administration’s efforts to increase water diversions from California’s Bay-Delta, which threaten endangered species including winter-run Chinook salmon, Delta Smelt, and other…

Sens. Duckworth and Durbin Call on USEPA to Monitor Chicago Southeast Side Metal Scrappers

April 21, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin urged USEPA Region 5 today to require four metals facilities on Chicago’s Southeast Side, a heavily burdened environmental justice community, to install monitors for toxic metals and other air pollutants. In the past year…

California Delivers Blow to Trump Administration’s Plan for Extinction in Bay-Delta

April 21, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

The California Attorney General, representing Governor Newsom and the State of California, filed a motion today in federal court for a preliminary injunction to stop the implementation of the Trump Administration’s biological opinions (permits under the Endangered Species Act) governing…

Clean Water Advocates Applaud Immediate Statewide Moratorium on Water Shutoffs to Protect Californians

April 2, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Clean Water Action, Community Water Center, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, and NextGen California released the following statement today in response to the Governor’s Executive Order N-42-20

Court Rules in Favor of California and Denies Trump Administration Claims that California’s Coordination with Quebec in Cutting Climate Pollution is Unconstitutional

March 12, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia, Quebec

Today, a federal district court issued an order granting California’s motion for summary judgment and rejecting the U.S. motion on two constitutional claims that California’s coordination with Quebec to reduce climate pollution is unlawful. The order by Judge William B…