Media Center

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…

DOT is Putting Transportation on the Right Track 

November 27, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation released a key rule last week that will require states to measure greenhouse gas pollution from highway systems and set targets to lower those emissions.

NRDC Scorecard Ranks State Transportation Policies

November 8, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – With record amounts of federal funding for transportation projects underway, a new NRDC scorecard released today ranks the states on their transportation policies and spending priorities. 

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…

Report: PA Clean Trucks Program Could Save 140 Lives, Create 3,524 Jobs

October 25, 2023 Press ReleasePennsylvania

A new report finds that adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks standard in Pennsylvania can avoid 140 premature deaths and create 3,524 new jobs.

Colorado Adopts Ambitious Clean Cars Plan, Could Secure Even Greater Benefits

October 20, 2023 Press ReleaseDenver

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission today adopted a Colorado Clean Cars plan that will ramp up sales of clean electric vehicle sales so that more than 80 percent of new vehicles will be zero emissions vehicles by 2032, which…

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…

EPA Cuts HFC Use in Air Conditioning, Supermarket Refrigerators

October 6, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – In a move supported by both environmental groups and industry associations, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized standards that will phase out the most climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in key applications -- from aerosols to heat pumps; supermarket refrigerators to…

CA Department of Transportation Investments Fail to Align with State Climate Goals, New NRDC Report Finds

October 4, 2023 Press ReleaseSacramento

Analysis from Closing the Climate Investment Gap, a groundbreaking new report from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) on California’s state transportation infrastructure investments, shows a distinct misalignment between budgetary allocations and the state’s overarching climate goals.

House Majority Fiddles While Climate Crisis Burns

September 14, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – After months of climate-fueled disasters around the nation and facing a deadline in just a few weeks to pass a budget, the House Majority instead wasted time today voting on a measure to try and prevent states from…

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.

U.S. Department of Transportation Suspends LNG by Rail Rule

September 1, 2023 Press ReleaseNew Jersey, Pennsylvania

According to the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Transportation has suspended a rule promulgated by the Trump Administration that permits liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport by rail.

Court Rejects Trump Administration Denial of Critical Habitat Protection to Endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebees

August 14, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

A federal judge on Friday rejected the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to refuse to designate critical habitat for highly endangered rusty patched bumblebees and ordered the Service to reconsider. Despite the bees having been listed as an endangered…

NRDC: Fuel Economy Standards Save Drivers at the Pump

July 28, 2023 Press ReleaseUnited States

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed new fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks that will save drivers money at the pump and cut our nation’s dependence on oil.

Feds Propose New Critical Habitat Designation for Endangered Whale 

July 21, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has submitted a proposed rule designating critical habitat for the highly endangered Rice’s whale. With only approximately 50 whales remaining, Rice’s whales are among the most endangered whales in the world, making this habitat designation essential…

House Majority’s Bill on Environmental Funding Is Atrocious

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – The razor-thin House majority, after weeks of delay and concessions to the most extreme elements of its fractured conference, has put forward its version of the annual appropriations bill that funds most of the federal government’s environmental programs and priorities. The…

President Biden Declines to Embargo Products from Mexico for Vaquita Violation

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

President Biden announced yesterday that he will not embargo products from Mexico despite its failure to halt the illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. The decision responds to the Secretary of the Interior’s recent certification under the…

Report: Strong Clean Vehicle Standards Can Deliver $44 Billion in Health, Economic and Climate Benefits to New Mexicans 

July 18, 2023 Press ReleaseSanta Fe

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently announced bold action which will give New Mexicans more electric car and truck options in the coming years, and a new report shows the state can deliver the most health, jobs, and energy…

Groups Welcome New Denver Mayor

July 13, 2023 Press ReleaseDenver

Environmental, racial justice and health organizations today welcomed the upcoming inauguration of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and urge him to work with City Council and regional experts to build on the city’s environmental successes with bold action addressing climate change…

NRDC Report: Building Batteries Better

July 10, 2023 Press ReleaseWashington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – A new report from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) lays out key strategies so the transition away from fossil fuels and to electric vehicles can drive better mining practices.