News & Commentary

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

April 19, 2024 Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant

The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.

Poll: People Want Action on Plastics for Health and Wildlife

April 15, 2024 Expert BlogInternational, Canada, United States, Ohio, PennsylvaniaDaniel Rosenberg

New poll results show overwhelming public support for government action to address the plastic crisis, including a strong global plastics treaty.

Pebble Mine 2023: Tribes Win Veto, State Hail Marys SCOTUS

December 14, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Pebble Mine: Year in Review. After EPA issues rare veto of massive Bristol Bay mine, Dunleavy Administration throws lifeline to Canadian owner, lodging dubious claims in U.S. Supreme Court.

Public Land Grab: Senate Bill Gifts Miners Pass to Pollute

April 28, 2023 Expert BlogWest, Nevada, Idaho, United StatesJosh Axelrod

Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) and Jim Risch (R-ID) have introduced legislation that makes it easier for mining companies and others to acquire rights to federal land and to be able to use them as dumping grounds and worse. The legislation…

Goodbye Verner, Fearless Fighter Against the Pebble Mine

April 19, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Bristol Bay tribal and environmental leader Verner Wilson III personified the next generation of committed opposition in decades-long battle against destructive Bristol Bay mining scheme.  

Water Crisis in Philly Highlights Our Broken National System

March 27, 2023 Expert BlogPhiladelphia, Jackson, Ohio, United StatesErik D. Olson

An industrial chemical spill upstream of the city’s water intakes is poised to contaminate the water supply. If you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, it’s because you have.

End the Threat to Bristol Bay This Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 10, 2022 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day we honor and celebrate the culture and resilience of Native peoples throughout the United States.

Columbus’ Clean Energy Revolution Is Underway

May 11, 2021 Expert BlogColumbus, OhioStefan Schaffer

Columbus is on the road to a clean energy transformation. 

Alaska Natives Lead a Unified Resistance to the Pebble Mine

April 20, 2021 DispatchAlaskaNicole Greenfield

The effort to stop a massive mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska, has been a decades-long fight for the region’s Indigenous People. Five tribal leaders share their experiences.

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.

Pebble Mine 2020 in Review: A Win for the Soul of the Earth

December 22, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, AlaskaJoel Reynolds

Army Corps denies permit for destructive Bristol Bay mega-mine, stunning company that vows to appeal, while Alaskans and opposition coalition focus on long-term protections for Bristol Bay.

Energy Efficiency: Ohio's Hospitals and Low-Income Residents

December 15, 2020 Expert BlogOhioDaniel Sawmiller

Ohio's Hospitals and low-income residents have benefit greatly from energy efficiency programs. Still, Ohio lawmakers may choose to eliminate these programs and increase the energy burden—and electric bill—for both.

NRDC Proudly Supports the Call to Protect Bristol Bay

December 2, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

We are honored to stand with the leaders from Bristol Bay calling for long-term protection that would provide certainty to those who depend on the region's natural resources.

Pebble Mine Permit DENIED!

November 25, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

The Army Corps is finally acknowledging the very real risks the proposed gold and copper mega-mine poses to the cherished Bristol Bay.

Pebble Mine Submits Secret Mitigation Plan

November 20, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaTaryn Kiekow Heimer

The proponents of the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska promise that they can mitigate the project’s destruction of thousands of acres of pristine wetlands and more than one hundred miles of streams – but they refuse to say…

Like a Zombie, Reckless Pebble Mine Terrorizes Bristol Bay

July 13, 2020 Expert BlogAlaskaJoel Reynolds

Widely considered dead, massive mining scheme proposed for Bristol Bay headwaters by underfunded Canadian company is likely to be permitted this summer by Army Corps of Engineers despite unsolved technical, financial, and environmental flaws, deep opposition in Alaska, and blatant…

Toledo’s Blooming Algae Crisis

April 2, 2020 DispatchToledoJodi Helmer

A toxic algae outbreak that left Toledo without drinking water for several days in 2014 served as a wakeup call for responsible farming in the region. Efforts have been made to prevent algae blooms in Lake Erie, but a changing…

Arctic Refuge Is Top Priority as Congress Returns

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogArcticNora Apter

In its first days back from recess, Congress will vote on H.R. 1146 to prevent destructive oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The floor vote comes at a pivotal point: The Trump administration is expected to…

Columbus Makes Its Historically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods a Key to Its Climate Future

July 9, 2019 DispatchColumbus, OhioSarah Stankorb

Self-driving shuttles and energy audits are helping to keep this Ohio boomtown booming (without the carbon bust).

Ohio Gains Ground on a Hidden Hazard: More Than a Century’s Worth of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

March 26, 2019 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Forgotten, derelict, and often leaky, these so-called orphan wells could number in the thousands.