Media Center

First Global Survey of Green Banks Finds Rapid Growth in their Numbers and Importance in Low-Carbon Finance

November 11, 2020 Press ReleaseInternational

A new report finds that while governments and financial institutions are laboring hard to unlock the investment needed to meet climate and sustainable development goals, green banks can efficiently and effectively help overcome market barriers and channel investments into low…

New Jersey Sues Polluters for Contaminating Tap Water with PFAS “Forever Chemicals” at Some of Highest Detected Levels in the World

November 10, 2020 Press ReleaseNew Jersey

The State of New Jersey today sued the manufacturer Solvay Specialty Polymers USA and other companies for contaminating drinking water and the environment for decades with PFAS “forever chemicals.” New Jersey is one of the few states in the nation to have adopted limits…

Biden Win Sets Stage for Bold Climate Action

November 9, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

By electing Joe Biden, Americans have chosen a leader who has promised to tackle the climate crisis starting on Day One.

Groups Sue Energy Dept. for Failure to Update 25 Overdue Efficiency Standards

November 9, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

Inaction Costs Consumers at Least $22 Billion, Adds 80 Million-Plus Tons of Carbon Pollution

Feds End Protections for Gray Wolves in Midst of Biodiversity Crisis

October 29, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a rule today, to strip gray wolves of Endangered Species Act protections in the Lower-48 states. Under the Endangered Species Act requirements, USFWS is responsible for implementing national recovery plans for endangered gray wolves until they are no longer in danger of extinction, but the…

Trump Administration Opens Alaska Rainforest to Loggers

October 28, 2020 Press ReleaseAlaska

The Department of Agriculture today announced that it will open vast swaths of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to logging and development, a move that tramples Indigenous rights, and threatens one of our biggest carbon sinks, which is vital…

Howard University and NRDC Announce New Litigation Fellowship

October 27, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

Howard University School of Law and NRDC have created a new litigation fellowship connecting the school’s graduates with NRDC’s Litigation Team. Beginning in 2021, NRDC’s Litigation Team will hire a recent graduate of Howard University School of Law each year…

NRC Moves to Issue Weak Uranium Mining Rules

October 23, 2020 Press ReleaseWest

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission took action yesterday to start work on a rulemaking that could prevent a future U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from ending the wanton contamination of groundwater across the Mountain West generated by uranium mining.

DOE Issues Needless Dishwasher Classification That Won’t Save Water or Energy

October 23, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

The U.S. Department of Energy today needlessly established a new class of residential dishwashers that would not be subject to any water or energy efficiency standards, undermining three decades of energy efficiency progress for consumers and the environment.

NRDC Mourns the Passing of Cecil Corbin-Mark

October 16, 2020 Press Release

The passing of Cecil Corbin-Mark, environmental justice advocate and Deputy Director and Director of Policy Initiatives at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, is a huge loss for New York and the environmental movement.

New York States Moves 70 x 30 Climate Goal Forward

October 15, 2020 Press ReleaseNew York

The New York State Public Service Commission today issued an order that implements a key component of the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLPA) – obtaining 70 percent of New York’s electricity from clean energy sources like wind…

NJ Governor Murphy Bans Utility Shutoffs Through March 2021

October 15, 2020 Press ReleaseNew Jersey

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today issued an Executive Order, barring all water, electric, and gas shutoffs until March 15, 2021, for both investor-owned and publicly-owned utilities.

P&G Shareholders Deliver Overwhelming Vote for Better Forest Sourcing

October 13, 2020 Press ReleaseCincinnati

Investors at Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) annual shareholder meeting today sent a clear directive to the company that it needs to address its forest sourcing, with 67% of shareholders voting for a resolution that calls on the company to eliminate…

Governor Newsom Announces Executive Order to Address Biodiversity Crisis

October 7, 2020 Press ReleaseCalifornia

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order announcing new actions in the fight against climate change and to protect biodiversity. The Executive Order includes a statewide “30 by 30” conservation goal, which was the focus of Assembly bill last session…

EPA Rollback Boosts Toxic Air Pollution and Health Risks Including Cancer

October 1, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing an environmental rollback that ends enforcement of a longstanding “once in, always in” toxic air pollution policy, which required industrial facilities to implement major pollution control measures as long as the plant is in…

Trump Prioritizes Dirty Mining Under False Pretext

October 1, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

The Trump administration issued an executive order to fast-track dirty mining projects – projects that pose enormous risks to critical water resources, pristine public lands, and communities around our nation. While it offered the pretext of national security to justify…

Two New CO Studies Call for Rapid Clean Energy Transformation

September 30, 2020 Press ReleaseColorado

After two climate modeling reports released this week highlighted the need to rapidly transition all sectors to clean energy, NRDC and Sierra Club are calling on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC), Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE), and…

New Report: Equitable Pathways to Meet Colorado's Climate Goals

September 28, 2020 Press ReleaseColorado

A new report released today shows how Colorado can reach its ambitious climate goals in a way that cuts dangerous pollution, particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. The findings highlight the need for swiftly powering the electric sector…

EPA’s New Drinking Water Rule Leaves Millions of Toxic Lead Pipes in the Ground to Contaminate a Generation of Children

September 27, 2020 Press ReleaseUnited States

A draft of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final revision of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) revealed today indicates the agency will significantly weaken public health protections against lead contaminated drinking water being delivered to millions of homes…

PA Governor Wolf Vetoes Legislation to Block Climate Action

September 24, 2020 Press ReleasePennsylvania

Governor Tom Wolf today vetoed House Bill 2025 which sought to strip the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) of its existing legal authority to regulate carbon pollution across all sectors and block Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas…