Media Center

New York State Adopts Paint Recycling Program

December 18, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday signed the paint recycling legislation, a bill designed to tackle a long-standing solid waste disposal problem by making it possible for business and residents to recycle leftover paint at hundreds of convenient locations throughout the state…

Cuomo Proposes Statewide Ban on Polystyrene Foam Containers

December 17, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

Governor Cuomo today announced, as part of his 2020 State of the State, that he will propose legislation to enact a statewide ban on polystyrene food and beverage containers, as well as packing peanuts made of polystyrene. Polystyrene foam is…

Transforming Transportation in Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Gets Underway

December 17, 2019 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C., Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia

Twelve eastern states and the District of Columbia today announced a major advance in creating a regional clean transportation policy that will improve public transportation, reduce pollution and improve the quality of life of tens of millions of Americans.

Cuomo Signs Bill Banning Wildlife Trafficking

December 16, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

Governor Cuomo signed into law a first-of-its-kind bill that bans the sale and possession with intent to sell of parts of any species threatened with extinction. The new law embraces the precautionary principle of protecting species before they reach the…

NRC Approves Reactor Threatened by Sea-Level Rise

December 6, 2019 Press ReleaseFlorida

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission pushed through the extension of the license for the Turkey Point nuclear facility in Florida. The approval comes more than a decade before the current license expires, in 2032. In giving the OK, the NRC ignored…

Newark Report Confirms Widespread Misuse of Faucet and Pitcher Filters, Leaving Hundreds or Thousands at Risk from High Lead Levels

November 25, 2019 Press ReleaseNewark

Urgent Need for Better Public Training About Filter Use to Protect Vulnerable Residents From Lead in Drinking Water

National Grid Moratorium Lifted

November 25, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced an agreement has been reached with National Grid to lift the utility’s current moratorium on gas service in Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. In addition, the utility is required to pay up to $36 million…

For Report Card Day, DTE Receives Failing Grades

November 18, 2019 Press ReleaseMichigan

Report card evaluates DTE’s proposed Integrated Resource Plan on climate, equity

PA Lawmakers Vote to Expand Clean Transportation

October 30, 2019 Press ReleasePennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Senate’s Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee today voted to advance the Pennsylvania Clean Transportation Infrastructure Act, a bipartisan effort to significantly advance electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations across the state while helping tackle one of the…

Governor Cooper Must Veto NC Farm Act

October 29, 2019 Press ReleaseNorth Carolina

The North Carolina General Assembly today voted to approve the Farm Act, which creates a loophole in a decades-old law that prevents industrial hog facilities in the state from making big changes to their facilities if those changes fail to…

Michigan’s Lead Drinking Water Protections Upheld By Court

October 10, 2019 Press ReleaseMichigan

The effort to squash Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule, passed to prevent future disasters like Flint’s lead drinking water crisis, was rejected today by the Michigan Court of Claims. The ruling ended all legal claims outlined in the complaint from…

Pennsylvania Moves to Join RGGI in Fight Against Climate Change

October 3, 2019 Press ReleasePennsylvania

Governor Tom Wolf today directed the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a pathway for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) – a multi-state effort designed to cut carbon pollution from power plants across the…

Nuevo informe sobre el agua potable: las comunidades de color tienen más probabilidades de sufrir violaciones del agua potable durante años

September 24, 2019 Press ReleaseUnited States, Flint, Newark

Flint y Newark reflejan los datos de la EPA que confirman la protección desigual bajo la ley federal del agua

New Drinking Water Report: Communities of Color More Likely to Suffer Drinking Water Violations For Years

September 24, 2019 Press ReleaseUnited States, Flint, Newark

Flint and Newark put a face on EPA data confirming unequal protection under federal water law

Pioneering Study Tallies Huge Hidden Health Costs from Climate Change

September 18, 2019 Press ReleaseColorado, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin

Climate change is taking a huge toll on Americans’ health, so much so that it could constitute a public health crisis, a new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the University of California, San Francisco, suggests.

N.C. House Majority Overrides Governor Cooper’s Budget Veto

September 11, 2019 Press ReleaseNorth Carolina

After explicitly proclaiming there would be no votes this week – and with only half of the General Assembly present – the North Carolina House majority voted to override Governor Roy Cooper’s budget veto today. Under the majority-backed budget, approved…

Community and Environmental Organizations Push Michigan Public Service Commission to Reject DTE’s Long-Term Energy Plan

August 22, 2019 Press ReleaseMichigan

Environmental and community organizations today are calling for Michigan’s Public Service Commission to reject the proposed long-term energy plan from DTE following testimony from experts revealing how DTE’s plan will hold back a transition to cleaner, more affordable energy. Experts…

NRDC Statement at the Conclusion of the Newark Drinking Water Hearing in Federal Court

August 16, 2019 Press ReleaseNewark

Arguments in a federal lawsuit seeking bottled water for some Newark residents, due to health concerns about high levels of lead in the city’s drinking water, concluded today without a decision from the judge. The case was brought by the…

Michigan’s Lead Drinking Water Protections Survive Legal Challenge

July 26, 2019 Press ReleaseMichigan

Michigan’s Lead and Copper Rule, passed to prevent future disasters like Flint’s lead in drinking water crisis, was upheld in court. The nation’s most protective lead standard, which helps keep lead out of drinking water, survived all but one yet-to-be…

Governor Cuomo to Sign Nation-Leading Climate Bill into Law

July 18, 2019 Press ReleaseNew York

At an event with former Vice President Al Gore, Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced he will sign into law the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act – groundbreaking legislation that requires the state to achieve a 70 percent…