News & Commentary

A New Pathway to a Western Grid

May 31, 2024 Expert BlogWest, Colorado, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Utah, WyomingKelsie Gomanie

Pathways Initiative approves two-step approach to create independent governance for a west-wide electricity market.

NRDC Offers Department of Energy Guidance on LNG Exports

May 28, 2024 Expert BlogLouisiana, TexasGillian Giannetti, Morgan Johnson

NRDC provides key recommendations that the U.S. Department of Energy should consider as it updates the studies it uses to review LNG export applications.

Congress Responds to the Biden Administration’s Commonsense LNG Decision

February 15, 2024 Expert BlogUnited States, International, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, TexasAlexandra Adams

Not long after the administration’s pause on permits, the fossil fuel industry—and its supporters in Congress—pulled out all the stops to oppose the decision and spread misinformation. 

DOE Puts People First: LNG Exports Paused Pending Review

January 31, 2024 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., Texas, Louisiana, PennsylvaniaMorgan Johnson

Biden DOE’s pause on LNG exports represents forward movement from an Environmental Justice lens, but must be met with real reform.

Biden Administration Must Redo Its Assessment of Dakota Access Pipeline

October 24, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South DakotaDr. Michele Bustamante, Amy Mall, Dr. Matthew McKinzie, Dr. Jennifer Sass, Dawn Woodard

The recent Draft Environmental Impact Statement ignores the threats to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s drinking water source and violates tribal treaty rights and sovereignty in a severe environmental injustice.

Moving from Uncertainty to Opportunity for Oil and Gas Workers

May 10, 2023 Expert BlogLouisianaClaudia Blanco Nuñez, Josh Axelrod

A recent report from True Transition captures a range of oil and gas worker experiences and finds potential for a skills transfer between fossil fuel and renewable energy jobs.

New Program Will Help Ensure Reliable Electricity in the West

February 16, 2023 Expert BlogCanada, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, WestKelsie Gomanie

The Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP) is designed to provide benefits for customers, utilities, and the environment.

The Race to Organize Energy Markets in the Western U.S. Is On

January 13, 2023 Expert BlogArizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, WyomingKelsie Gomanie

A western regional transmission organization would spur the development of clean electricity sources and lower costs for consumers.

A $3 Billion Milestone for the Western Grid

November 16, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, WestKelsie Gomanie

After a year of record-breaking heat waves, drought, and flooding, add to that list some good news for the Western United States: The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) is positioned to surpass $3 billion in cumulative benefits by the end…

Recent Chemical Disasters Impel Stronger Federal Safety Regs

October 25, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, New Jersey, Louisiana, North CarolinaSahana Rao

A Monumental Matter at Bears Ears—Land of Sacred Power

April 9, 2021 Expert BlogUtahSharon Buccino

Secretary Haaland knows with every fiber of her body the value of the 1.35 million acres of lands originally designated as Bears Ears National Monument—not simply for their beauty and tranquility, but for their cultural significance and sacred power.

MISO and SPP Can Benefit from a More Connected Grid

March 3, 2021 Expert BlogTexas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, MissouriToba Pearlman

Electric grids across the Midwest, South, and in Texas failed a key resilience test during last month’s winter storm, and one key conclusion is clear: The grids connected via transmission lines fared significantly better than those isolated and on their…

Lancet: What’s Needed to Protect Health from Climate & COVID

December 3, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, LouisianaJuanita Constible

We need a holistic response to protect our health from the collision of climate change, COVID-19, and racial injustice.

In Landmark Victory for Indigenous Communities, Dakota Access Pipeline Ordered to Shut Down

July 7, 2020 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South Dakota, IowaNRDC

The dangerous crude oil pipeline threatened the water supplies and ways of life for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The win underscores the power of dogged defense by Indigenous groups and conservationists, as well as the importance of the National…

Huge Win for Standing Rock and the National Environmental Policy Act

March 25, 2020 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, IllinoisDan West, Dr. Jennifer Sass

A federal court orders the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to write a full environmental impact statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and NRDC Confront Federal Failures

May 17, 2019 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South DakotaDr. Jennifer Sass

“There’s So Much Need”: Louisiana’s Looming Health Crisis

August 19, 2016 Expert BlogLouisianaJuanita Constible

It’s one thing to read scientific reports about the mental health impacts of climate and weather disasters, and quite another to watch those impacts play out on your Facebook feed.

The Cancellation of a North Dakota Wind Project: Scapegoating Birds

April 12, 2011 Expert BlogUnited States, North DakotaBobby McEnaney