News & Commentary

Bees on the Brink: Will Minnesota Act to Save Them?

February 13, 2024 Expert BlogMinnesotaLucas Rhoads

The legislature has a crucial opportunity to pass bills to protect people and pollinators from needless pesticide use.

Organic Needs a Boost in the Farm Bill

July 12, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Iowa, Washington, D.C.Allison Johnson

Our public investments in organic food production have not kept pace with the organic sector’s growth – and that’s a missed opportunity for domestic economic development. The Opportunities in Organic Act would help U.S. farms meet consumer demand by reducing…

RGGI States Learning and Sharing On Climate and Equity

June 6, 2023 Expert BlogEast, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, VirginiaJackson Morris

A new report finds that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative delivers on jobs, emissions reduction, and economic benefits—and provides a framework to address equity in the future.

Pollinators Notch Big Wins in Minnesota

May 26, 2023 Expert BlogSt. PaulLucas Rhoads

In a historic 2023 session, Minnesota reined in pesticide use, increased pollinator habitat, and built momentum toward additional protections. 

One Year Since Court Restored ESA Protections for Wolves

February 10, 2023 Expert BlogCalifornia, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, WisconsinDr. Jennifer Sherry

Without these protections, wolf recovery could be stopped dead in its tracks—or even reversed—as we have seen happen when states with authority over wolf management work to cut populations down through aggressive measures.

A Promising Model for Electrifying Transportation Equitably

October 5, 2022 Expert BlogMinnesota, Minneapolis, St. PaulSamantha Henningson

Minneapolis and St. Paul residents logged 25,000 trips and nearly 250,000 miles on the nation’s first renewably powered all-electric car-share program

Iowa Group Protects Bee Habitat Amid ESA Battle

February 9, 2022 Expert BlogIowa, MidwestLucas Rhoads

While NRDC and our partners are in court fighting to win habitat protections for the endangered rusty patched bumble bee, the Bur Oak Land Trust is also taking matters into its own hands.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

PennEast Gas Pipeline Cancelled by Developers

September 27, 2021 Expert BlogNew York, New Jersey, Delaware, PennsylvaniaSahana Rao

Development of the PennEast Pipeline has been put on hold! This fracked gas pipeline would be disastrous for the Delaware River Basin and would exacerbate the climate crisis—here’s how we can stop the pipeline permanently.

NRDC's Statement on the Derek Chauvin Verdict

April 20, 2021 Expert BlogMinneapolis, MinnesotaNRDC

Today, a Minnesota jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd, the man who cried out for his mother as Chauvin dug his knee into his neck until he couldn’t breathe.

How Cities Are Centering Equity in Benchmarking Policies

April 20, 2021 Expert BlogDenver, Colorado, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, WashingtonCaroline Keicher

A new resource from the City Energy Project—Incorporating Equity into Energy Benchmarking Requirements: Guidance for Policy and Program Practitioners—helps cities understand the opportunity to leverage benchmarking and transparency policies to address racial and social equity.

Stressed by Heat, Farmworkers Deserve Federal Protections

March 26, 2021 Expert BlogCalifornia, Washington, MinnesotaTeniope Adewumi-Gunn

Unprotected from many basic workplace rights and in the face of a growing climate crisis that threatens their well-being, farmworkers deserve federal safeguards from extreme heat and its dangerous effects.

Bipartisan States Commit to Clean and Healthy Transportation

December 21, 2020 Expert BlogMassachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Washington, D.C.Bruce Ho

A bipartisan group of Eastern states announce an agreement to modernize transportation.

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.

When We Talk About Wolves, We Talk About People

November 1, 2018 Expert BlogMinnesotaDr. Jennifer Sherry

Separating our human-human conflicts from wolves and placing value on wolves interacting in nature as part of a larger ecosystem is perhaps the most ethical approach we can take in navigating the human-wolf relationship.

This 13-Year-Old Gives Us Hope for the Future

November 16, 2017 DispatchConnecticut, Washington, D.C.Nicole Greenfield

From the classroom to Capitol Hill, Sena Wazer has dedicated herself to standing up for whales.

New Haven Is for the Birds—and the People

November 7, 2017 DispatchConnecticutClara Chaisson

This partnership is bringing bird-friendly “urban oases” to underserved neighborhoods in Connecticut.

What It Took to Create the Atlantic’s First Marine National Monument

October 4, 2016 NRDC in ActionConnecticut, Massachusetts, United StatesMelissa Denchak

After years of work by NRDC and its partners, about 5,000 square miles of ocean—with massive canyons, majestic underwater mountains, and more than 1,000 species—have received permanent protection.